The US Footy Nationals is the pinnacle of our season and what we’ve been working hard towards all year. Both the Calgary and Edmonton clubs are looking for more players to compete in the event so we have put together some key information for your consideration.
Where:
Heritage Oak Park Mason, Ohio
When:
October 10/11, 2009. Note that games are all day on both days then there will be a celebration on Sunday night. Ideally we would have everyone there for a light training session Friday afternoon at 6pm so take that into consideration when booking flights. Also you may want to consider not booking the earliest flight home Monday morning as Sunday might be a tad late for the over 21s.
Registration
Both clubs have been registered with US Footy however each player must register themselves. Currently the pricing for individual registration is $50 if you register in August, $60 if you register in September, $75 if paid after September 30 so get in early.
Calgary Kookaburras will cover the first $40 of the registration for their players which was included in membership fees paid.
To register online start here...
http://www.usfooty.com/usfooty/content.aspx?section=playerrego&id=2&menu=clubsmenu
1. Accept the Waiver
2. Note that there is a separate registration for new players so select the appropriate section when proceeding.
3. New Calgary Players register under Calgary Kangaroos (we are affiliated with the Roos because we split the cost with them). Edmonton players register as the Emus.
4. You will need a credit card to pay for your registration.
Flights
Mason, Ohio does not have an airport. The closest centers to fly into are Dayton and Cincinnati (both about 40mins away). Alternatively there is also Columbus about 1h20 away. Here were a few flight options that we looked into a couple of weeks ago:
1. Calgary - Dayton was the cheapest out of the three cities around Mason and that was around $620 return.
2. Great Falls - Dayton around $460-$500 return. If you're after a bit of a road trip Great Falls is about a 5hr drive south of Calgary crossing the border.
3. Seattle - Dayton around $250 return if you are around that part of the world. Only problem is flights at the moment from Calgary to Seattle are around $350 return.
4. San Francisco – Cincinatti around $200 return and some girls have planned a road trip down there already.
We had a quick glance at flights from Edmonton as well but they were similar to the Calgary cost. If you can book through a travel agent such as flight centre they can sometimes get contract prices which are less than the price advertised through the airline. Calgary gals we generally go through:
Lace Shaw
Chinook Flight Centre
403-252-0347
lace_shaw.ab@flightcentre.ca
Calgary will also provide their players with a travel subsidy but it will be dependent on the amount of money raised through fundraisers after the accommodation and van rentals have been paid for.
Accommodation & Van Rental
Accommodation has been sourced at Kings Island Resort Conference Centre through US Footy at a discount. We have reserved rooms for both clubs (fri/sat/sun night) there and the price is US$100 per night per room which can sleep up to four.
Van rentals will be organised closer to the date once people have booked their flights. We will try and work it so the groups of people landing together and flying back together will have the cars in their name and can pickup/drop off at the airport. The fields are reasonably close to the hotel so we will only have one/two van rentals per team with them commuting.
Calgary will cover the costs of the accommodation and rentals for their players through fundraising.
Additional Information
Team sizes have not been confirmed through US Footy yet. We are working towards having two divisions with the firsts playing 12 a side and the seconds playing 10 a side. However that is all dependent on the number of teams and players that each club submits. We are working towards having two teams from Calgary and one team from Edmonton. Free agent players from Vancouver and Montreal may also join the clubs to supplement numbers.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask the coaches or the committee of both clubs and they will point you in the right direction.
US Footy Web Page: https://www.usfooty.com/usfooty/.
2009 US Nationals, Mason Ohio
