UNDERSTAND THE

IMPLICATIONS OF REGISTRATION

The soccer year starts fresh with the Fall season. This means that players are free to join any Fall team without having to complete transfer paperwork. No player is obligated to a team, nor team obligated to a player, based on the previous soccer year commitment.

Note that once a player has registered with a Fall team, that registration (and seasonal player insurance coverage) lasts the full soccer year (August 1st - July 31st).

  • SFYS Fall Season Registration

All Players are considered free agents and may choose where to register.  The soccer year starts fresh with the Fall season. This means that players are all free agents, allowed to join any Fall team without having to complete transfer paperwork. No player is obligated to a team based on the previous soccer year commitment. Registration for the Fall season begins the mid-April, just after Spring play gets underway. 


  • SFYS Spring Season Registration 

Registered Fall Players will be insured for Spring play, but must make a formal commitment to play with the same team in order for that team to register for Spring season. Registration for Spring play begins in November, just as Fall season comes to a close.  For Spring 2021, no players registered for Fall 2020 - so ALL Players are considered free agents and free to register with any Spring team they like (as is true for Fall 2021 registration as well). Spring 2021 is an exceptional season in many respects and will be a standalone fun season this year with no bells and whistles, just a singular goal of getting kids on the pitch to have a wonderful time playing again!


  • ​Winter & Summer Seasons

Registration for Summer play begins in May, as the Spring Season comes to a close. Winter play in Indoor or Futsal leagues are independent of our leagues and may use separate passes.

As a league of registration, SFYS does not place players on teams.

However, the player connection is a resource for teams and players to find a place to play within the SFYS house leagues. Follow the relative steps, below, for your situation to find a team or a player.


If you need further assistance, please contact SFYS via email: info@sfyouthsoccer.com

REGISTRATION INFORMATION



Be thoughtful in your team formation.
When looking for players to join your squad, please consider these factors at a minimum:

Make sure you are recruiting for the right age group.
​Teams are organized by the age and gender of the players.

  • Players may play on a team in an older age group but not a younger one.
  • Girls may play on a Boy's team, but Boy's may not play on a Girl's team.​  Importantly, SF Youth Soccer leagues welcome participation by all San Francisco youth! In cases where gender identity is different from that noted on the birth certificate, SFYS follows the SAY Inclusion Policy. 
  • There are no Coed divisions OR designated Coed brackets/playing rules. Mixed Gender teams play in the Boys division. 
    ​

Team Age is based on the age of the oldest player on the team. Players fall into different age groups based on the Age Chart, linked in advance of every registration cycle on the Team Management page. There are no waivers or exceptions to this grouping.

Make sure your team has enough players to register.
Do not over-commit and subject players to last-minute scrambling to find a team.

Practices

Request practice times and locations to fit your players' situations.
Set expectations for attendance, number, and length of practices - and generally where your team tries to secure practices (since the location is never guaranteed season over season).
​
Consider Player Strength / Playing Level
Players register for your team for a full soccer year (Fall - Winter - Spring, just like the school year). If a player is not a great fit, players will be compelled to transfer or worse not play at all because the effort to keep up made for a bad experience. 

Coaching Cost and Coaching Credentials 
Teams have different types of coaches and coaching styles. Are you a volunteer parent coach or a paid professional? Does your team utilize both? Make sure you make clear all fees associated with playing on your team.

Commitment required
​Make sure all players are in agreement about the number of seasons played per year and the number of tournaments (if any) attended each year. (This can vary player by player, but if the team intends to play year-round and more than a couple of players don't intend to play Spring, coaches should be aware so that they can shore up the roster post-season.)

​TEAMS

​PLAYERS

PLAYERS MAY REGISTER ON ONE TEAM ONLY

Be thoughtful in your team decision. Whether your player is of recreational or highly competitive skill, the considerations are the same. Though finding a team will be your own responsibility, we recommend that when looking for a team, consider these factors at a minimum:

  1. Make sure you are looking at the right age group.
    ​Teams are organized by the age and gender of the players. 
    • Players may play on a team in an older age group but not a younger one. 
    • Girls may play on a Boys team, but Boys may not play on a Girls team. 
    • Importantly, SF Youth Soccer leagues welcome participation by all San Francisco youth! In cases where gender identity is different from that noted on the birth certificate, SFYS follows the SAY Inclusion Policy.
    • There are no Coed divisions OR designated Coed brackets/playing rules. Mixed Gender teams play in the Boys division. 
    • The Team Age is based on the age of the oldest player on the team. Players fall into different age groups based on the Age Chart, linked in advance of every registration cycle on the Player Registration page. There are no waivers or exceptions to this grouping.

  2. Make sure the team has enough players to field a team. This is especially important when looking at a new Fall or Spring team; if the team does not get the minimum number of players required to register, you will end up having to find another team last-minute. 

  3. Practice times and locations to fit your school situation. Teams have different practice days. Attending practice is very important to being on a team. Make sure that your child can attend the practices regularly.

  4. Team Strength / Playing Level: Within each age group, teams play in different divisions based on the skill levels and experience of the players on the team. If you have a child who has never played soccer before and is 10 years old, you may want to try to find a team playing in a lower bracket. You can gain some understanding of these divisions by looking at last year’s standings. 

  5. Coaching Cost and Coaching Credentials: Teams have different types of coaches. Most teams have volunteer parent coaches but some have paid coaches. Make sure you understand all fees associated with playing on a team.

  6. Commitment required: number of seasons played per year and number of tournaments (if any) attended each year. 

  7. REMEMBER: Once you've found a team, send us an email so we can remove your child from the list.



  1. Players, let coaches know you're looking!
    Add your player's name to the     SFYS Free Agent Listing. The information you provide will be furnished to coaches looking for players who meet your criteria.

  2. Teams Looking for Players
    Let players know you're recruiting for your team!
    To appear in the listing, fill out a Team Profile on the     Teams Looking for Players Form.
    Be detailed and thorough in your team description and your expectations. We also highly recommend that you check with your current players' friends and schoolmates for possible interest. Prospective players will see your team information in the following listing:
    Contact teams that need players.

    Coaches that have completed the teams looking for players form will also have access to the Free Agent Listing.
    ​
  3. Search for yourself
    Our website hosts a seasonal listing of  Teams Looking for Players.

​​SFYS  PLAYER CONNECTION