Mercer United F.C. is a travel soccer club partnered with the Hamilton Area YMCA Sawmill, is located in Hamilton Township in Mercer County, New Jersey and a club affiliate of the Philadelphia Union. We are a volunteer-driven 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization that has been providing Hamilton area boys and girls with a quality soccer experience for more than 40 years. Our competitive boys' teams and girl's teams can be found on the pitch in the Monmouth Ocean Soccer Association (MOSA) and EDP leagues.

We also play various indoor leagues in January and February and numerous tournaments in the Northeast throughout the year. Mercer United FC has been hosting our annual Columbus Day Weekend Tournament in Mercer County for 40+ years.

We continue to monitor and follow all CDC  guidelines regarding COVID-19. As you can see in the links below we will be following  the guidelines for player health checks and social distancing.

We also think its important to allow our players to return to as much normalcy as possible. Our players need to get back to the training regiments and their team mates.

Coaches will be expected to make sure that all players sign the C19 waiver, and that player health check forms are completed daily. 

All family members are expected to read the information below to ensure that player safety remains our number one priority. 

Practices, games, and any other club activity will be conducted under the governor's and CDC guidelines. Spectators will be limited to players immediate family and they will be required to social distance.

As a club we will be using EPA approved cleaning solutions like clorox and lysol. 

Hand sanitizer will be available for players to keep their hands clean.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact your coach directly. If your coach is unable to answer your question please contact a member or the Executive Board

 Thank you for your understanding.  Stay safe.

NJYS Clubs and Coaches,

On Wednesday, March 10th, Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order 230, which expands the general outdoor gathering limit from 25 to 50 people. Youth sports activities are included in the category of general outdoor gatherings. This order went into effect on Friday, March 19th at 6:00 a.m.

This 50-person limit can be exceeded to include all necessary participants such as coaches, players, officials and two parents/guardians per player. To further clarify, this order doesn’t allow for 50 people in addition to those participants to attend a game. It just means the total number can exceed 50 to include the above-mentioned participants.

We remind everyone to continue to conduct pre-game health checks, wear masks when appropriate and maintain social distancing among all participants while at our soccer fields.

As you know, the COVID-19 response will continue to evolve and information is expected to change quickly. NJ Youth Soccer will continue to follow the guidance from state and health officials and communicate these changes in a timely manner. We understand the challenge this may pose for parents and, nonetheless, urge us all to adhere to these parameters that currently provide an opportunity for players to train and compete during this difficult time.

 A copy of the Executive Order 230 can be found here. 

Thank you for your continued support of youth soccer.

Sincerely,

NJ Youth Soccer

NJYS Coaches,

Governor Murphy issued public comments earlier this week about requiring masks and clarified that athletes playing youth sports will not be required to wear masks (see story from NJ.com). Updates in Executive Order No. 163 states: This requirement shall not apply when wearing a face covering inhibits that individual’s health, including engaged in high intensity aerobic or anaerobic activities.

We urge clubs and coaches to help reinforce to parents, and players the importance of physical distancing when off the field and wearing masks. This includes to and from the car as well as on the sidelines and benches. Below is a sample message that a NJ Youth Soccer coach shared with his team to help with the communication process:

In light of Governor Murphy recent announcements and Executive Order 162 about masks, please help us by continuing to be diligent at our team trainings.

• Players are expected to wear a mask to and from their vehicle.
• Parents at the field are expected to wear masks where social distancing is not strictly observed.
• Coaches will continue to wear masks off the field and, when physical activity allows, on the field as well.

We will continue to communicate these ideas and reminders to maintain the appropriate environment for the players to enjoy the game.

Prior to any training or competition, we recommend that you reference and review the most up to date COVID-19 guidelines from your local public health officials.

Related to this topic, NJ Youth Soccer and US Youth Soccer encourage all youth sports advocates to support the Play Sports Coalition. To support the cause, call your Federal Representative’s office through the Play Sports Coalition's Take Action Center (information linked below) and ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 6912: "COVID-19 Youth Sports and Working Families Relief Act." This bill has the unique potential to provide important financial impact on both pillars of our industry - sports organizations and working families they serve.

Details: https://www.njyouthsoccer.com/Portals/50469/docs/Member%20Resources/GLC%20One-Pager%20061920.pdf

Thank you for your continued support and efforts.