Current Section
General Information
General Program Questions
P.L.A.Y.
What does the P.L.A.Y. acronym stand for? - Prior Lake Athletics for Youth – one of the largest Volunteer based Youth Sport organizations in the state. P.L.A.Y. is an independent, non-profit organization, governed by an Executive Board of Directors.
How did P.L.A.Y. get started? - Formed in 1972 by parents that wanted to have a structured athletic program for their children. It began with a need to get more players involved in Baseball and Basketball at 5th-6th grade.
What sports does P.L.A.Y. offer? - Current offerings are Baseball, Softball, Track, Lacrosse in Spring/Summer and Football, Volleyball, Cheer and Basketball in the Fall/Winter seasons.
When can a child get started? - There are some offerings for PreK-K and it goes through 8th grade in many sports. To find out specifics for your sport interest click on the "Sports" bar and then on left side, click on the sport of interest
What is the difference between “In-House” and ‘Traveling’? – In-House is teams who play against other teams formed within the Prior Lake –Savage school district. These teams play at various locations throughout the school district only. They play with and against friends and classmates.
Traveling – means that the team will participate in a League and/or Tournament play some within Prior Lake-Savage facilities – but at about 60+% of the time will travel to other communities within a 25 mile radius. Occasionally further games may be scheduled. Travel programs usually are a little more costly due to League and Tournaments fees. Also many times uniforms have to be within certain rule guidlines adding cost.
When can I get my child in Traveling? – Traveling teams will begin at various ages and is based on available Leagues and facilities for that program. See the sport your interested in and Email the Sport Director more information. Some traveling Sports begin at about 10yrs old or 4th grade. Tryout evaluators are high school coaches or others outside the program.
Where do I find other sports? - There are separate youth programs in the area for Soccer, Hockey, Wrestling, Swimming and Diving and other programs. Check out the “Links” bar on our website and scroll down to bottom of the page.
What are the primary goals of P.L.A.Y.? – To provide an opportunity for youth to participate in a sport to learn the game, develop physical, team and social skills, learn sportsmanship, and compete at a proper skill level. Players and Coaches should enjoy and have fun in sports they participate. While Parents support the coaches and whole team and enjoy rather than try to control their childs play.
Who does the coaching and organizing of the sports? – P.L.A.Y. is a non-profit, volunteer program with nearly 1200 volunteers annually to help make the program run. Each Sport has a Board, which is the primary decision maker for that program. They meet at least quarterly to plan, organize and get ready for the season. Coaches are always needed and you would always get matched up so your child is on your team.
Can I request my child’s coach? While it would be nice to be able to accommodate that type of request, it has proven over the years to put much stress on the volunteer coordinators and driven some individuals to the point of “selecting a team”. So while the volunteer Head Coaches can request 1 or 2 Asst. Coaches (varies with sport) the remainder of the team is picked randomly for all grade levels, either through date of birth, player rating or size (football). Traveling teams are selected through a variety of methods within that sports tryout format.
How do I become a coach? - You can become a coach by going through the following steps.
1) You must enter a Profile on the registration software
2) Go to 'Forms' - on webpage
3) Complete the on-line Coaches Application
4) Complete on-line Background Check
Can anyone coach? - Those that clear the application process above and have a passion for coaching or helping are welcome. There are various levels of Coaches and experience – but willing to help all is the key. As a coach, the philosophy should be: 'Players First …Winning Second'. This stands for, considering ALL your players and those of your opponents needs for participation, development and safety – you can also keep the team goal on winning. Winning is great if done with honor, sincerity, pride and sportsmanship. Coaches are selected by the Coordinators of that sport.
Will P.L.A.Y. expand to other sports? – That is always a possibility, over the past 5 years, Lacrosse, Track and Cheer have began. In the past sports like Tennis, Golf and others have been part of P.L.A.Y. If there is a sport that you would like to get started the key is having a person behind the program that can recruit a few others and get involved. The P.L.A.Y. Executive Board and Administrative Director can help you from there. Just contact us to inquire how to start.
How do I find out about the sport I am interested in? - Click on the 'Sports' bar and search through all the areas of that program.
Registration
How will I find out about upcoming Registrations? – Registrations are generally taken during the same period P.L.A.Y. will send out messages to your home EM address you have set up on your (be sure to keep this updated- that is not the responsibility of P.L.A.Y.) * Flyers are given to the schools to have handed out by the teachers. * Notices appear in the Prior Lake American and the Savage Pacer for at least a month prior to registration deadlines.
1) The sport link itself usually has info. 2) Calendar
3) On left side of Website – click on ‘Board’ and email the VP of Registration or the Director of the Sport of your interest.
1) The sport link itself usually has info. 2) Calendar
3) On left side of Website – click on ‘Board’ and email the VP of Registration or the Director of the Sport of your interest.
How do I set up a Profile? – On the website, click on login (far upper left hand corner) - this will offer you the opportunity to set up a profile. Remember your Username and Password!!
How will I know if they are in? – You will receive an Email regarding the confirmation of payment when they have been submitted. (make sure your information is correct on your profile)
When will I hear from the Coaches or program when the first game is? – Watch the 'calendar' for notice of first game or that coaches will be notifying players. It never hurts to be proactive and contact the volunteer Coordinator of your child’s grade. Those can be found by clicking on ‘Board’, scroll down near the bottom of that page and you will see the different sports boards. There usually is a Final Coaches Meeting about One Week prior to the first practice - that is when the coaches get their teams and are asked to contact them.
What are the Facility and Administration Fees? – The Facility fees is an extra amount that has been in affect for about the past 10 years and helps in the maintaining and additions to Fields, Courts and grounds that P.L.A.Y. uses. This fee is used when improvements are due to facilities that a city or school would not be able to pay. This has been the case for Lights at Ryan, Safety fencing and benches at a number of Prior Lake or Savage city parks, scoreboards and adjustable height backboards at Elementary schools and many other smaller repairs. This fee is working to allow us some of the best facilities in the metro area.
The Administrative Fee provides for a full time person to administer our programs and as a resource and for improving upon the continuity of the program and to care for daily tasks as needed. This also provides for software and office material used and other Executive board costs.
The Administrative Fee provides for a full time person to administer our programs and as a resource and for improving upon the continuity of the program and to care for daily tasks as needed. This also provides for software and office material used and other Executive board costs.
