Here are a few answers to the most common questions about Summer Soccer.
Q. Do we have to live in Amesbury to register for summer soccer?
A. No. We welcome players from surrounding towns. Last year we had players from Seabrook, Merrimac, Newburyport , Byfield, S. Hampton and others.
Q. If we can't decide by April 30 can we still sign up?
A. Yes, you can register through May, but you will not get the lower early-bird rate. The multi-player discount will still apply for families with two or more players.
Q. We won't be able to make all the games, will it still be OK to sign up?
A. Absolutely. This is a recreational program, so unlike a competitive travel or club program we accept that players will have other summer activities that may influence their attendance. Some variation in team size from week to week is expected.
Q. OK, I sent in my registration, now what?
A. Just sit tight until early June. At the end of May, once registration s complete, we'll determine the team rosters and make the coaching assignments. Sometime during the first two weeks in June you will be contacted by your team's coach with practice and game information. If you are a first time player and have ordered a uniform, the coach will distribute the uniform at a practice prior to the first game.
Q. In addition to the uniform, what else do I need?
A. You will need to supply Shorts (black preferred), Shin Guards, either soccer cleats or sneakers, and a ball. U6 and U8 age groups use a size 3 ball, U10 and U12 use size 4, U14 and up use a size 5. Shin guards are required for ALL practices and games.
Q. We have baseball cleats, can we use them for soccer?
A. No, for safety reasons baseball cleats are not allowed. Baseball shoes have a toe cleat, soccer shoes do not. You may however modify an existing pair of baseball cleats by removing the toe cleat.
Q. My Son/Daughter will be X years old but wants to play with his/her younger sibling in the Under-X age group. Can you make an exception?
A. Players may NOT play down to lower age groups out of fairness to the other players as well as safety concerns.
Q. We really liked our coach last year, can we have the same coach this year?
A. You can make a request, but we regret that we cannot guarantee we can acommodate it. Our priority in team assignment is to maintain the best balance we can with the information we have available. We try to honor as many requests as we can, but unfortunately is is not possible to honor requests that would knowingly unbalance teams or create an unfair situation. In particular, late registrations received after teams are formed will be assigned to the team with the smallest roster size.
Q. My child plays on a Town travel team, will he/she play with the same players during the summer?
A. Most likely not. Travel players and club players are distributed among the various teams in an effort to keep the teams evenly matched.
Q. Last year one of the teams seemed much stronger than the others we played. Why?
A. We try our best to make team assignments that result in even play based on available information, but it's not foolproof. Many players are first-time players in our system, or have unknown ability. As a result, there is more than a little guesswork involved. In particular, there is very little information available about U6 and U8 players, so age is often the only data we have to go by. If there is a clear and significant imbalance within the first few weeks we may make some team adjustments over the July 4th weekend break to try and even things up.
Q. I need to practice on Tuesday at 5:00, can you place me on a team that practices then?
A. We'd love to, but we don't know what team that will be yet! Until registration is complete, we don't know how many players and teams we will get in each age group. As a result the schedule turns out to be one of that last things that is determined. Fortunately other parents are usually open to carpooling and sharing the responsibility so you will probably be able to work out a soluton.
Q. So when are the games and practices?
A. Games are all played Saturday mornings sometime between 8AM and 12PM. We use a rotating schedule to make it fair for everyone. Practices will be once a week during weeknights for one hour sometime between 4:00 and 8:00. Each team's coach picks their practice night based on available field space.
Q. Why are the U12 and older age groups co-ed, but the younger groups are not?
A. We would prefere to have separate boys and girls teams in all age groups, but we typically get fewer players registering in the upper age groups. As a result, having co-ed rosters is the only way to get adequate team sizes.
If you have a question about Summer Soccer that is not addressed above, please send an e-mail to bobhaze@verizon.net (or just click on the "write to author" link below). I'll add other common questions to this list as they are received.
