Hello all players, parents, guardians and coaches;
My name is Jeremy Havens and this is my second season as Genesee Amateur Soccer Association (GASA) President. I started my GASA journey back in 2005 when I coached my oldest child. Following the season I joined the board and served as vice president the following two years before becoming President in 2008. Now the three oldest of my five children are playing soccer, so I’ll probably continue to be involved with GASA for many years to come.
This is Genesee Amateur Soccer Association’s 30th season of providing soccer to Genesee County. It is not hard to see why GASA has been so successful over this time. It is the dedication of our volunteers that have brought it from where it started to where we have come to now. Whether you were a board member, coach, or someone getting the kids to and from games and practice this organization couldn’t have made it without your efforts. Volunteers are the lifeline of GASA. Over the past couple years we have supported the development of our coaching staff by putting together Youth Modules for our U6 thru U10 coaches and assistants. Our U12 thru U19 coaches are strongly encouraged to take their coaching knowledge to the next level and get their E-License. Both of these courses offer the coaches the opportunity to walk through a variety of activities that are some of the most beneficial to the skill development of the player while having fun doing it. These courses are taught by certified trainers of the New York State West Youth Soccer Association and are some of the best in the country.
This season has brought a big change to our program, which the board is very excited about. Parents with more than one child participating in soccer, have expressed difficulties with being in two places at once, being that each division plays at different fields located all over Batavia. This year GASA is thrilled to have the opportunity to host all soccer games and practices for all the different age divisions at a brand new location on Bank Street Road. These lavish fields have been newly created for our use by CY Farms/ Ted Hawley. GASA held it’s annual fall camp there in September and October and couldn’t have been more impressed.
In the last year GASA has made many efforts to leap into the 21st century, by creating our own website, gasabatavia.org. On this website you can view photos of the past and present season, find directions to all fields visited by GASA teams, list of board members, links to sponsor’s websites, schedules of upcoming events, and soccer camps. We also joined Demosphere, which is an on-line registration and roster management site. This site has eliminated a lot of the paperwork and made registration faster and much more efficient for both parents and board members.
I am looking forward to this 30th season of summer soccer and hope you are as well. Please be encouraging and just enjoy the game. Let the players play, the coaches coach, and the referees make the calls. There is still a Zero Tolerance Policy in effect through NYSW and can be observed on the GASA website. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please do not hesitate to email us.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Havens
GASA President