Policies and FAQ

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If you are in need of additional clarification, please review the information below, including:

• AGE GROUP POLICIES (Playing Up or Down) (Click here to jump to Age Group Policy)
• FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (Click here to jump to FAQ)
• SPECIAL REQUEST POLICIES (Click here to jump to Special Request Policies)

You many also contact Patti at [email protected] or 704-572-6223 with questions or concerns!

Age Group Policies

Age Qualifications

Our registration programs will guide you to the correct age group based on your child's date of birth. Please do not alter your child's date of birth. We check birth certificates as required by NCYSA. Falsification of information is grounds for removal from the program with no refund.

Play Up Policies

For the Fall season, no requests will be considered after July 31.
For the Spring Season, no requests will be considered after January 31.

If you are seeking to play in a different age group, please read below.

6U: No play ups. Child must be 4 by December 31.
Due to league rules, there are NO PLAY DOWNS for 12U, 14U and 19U.

All other age groups:
Because our age groups span 2 years or more, we allow players to change age groups only after successful evaluation by our Director of Coaching. If you wish to have your child play in an older or younger division than shown in the table below, the child must attend a mandatory pre-season evaluation. Prior to evaluation, player must be registered and paid in their true age group. When registration is complete, please contact [email protected] to request an evaluation for your child. If the change is not approved, they will be assigned to a team in their true age group.

Notes:
CSA strongly recommends playing in your true age group. Play down requests are considered only for medical or developmental concerns.
Advanced 6U, 7U and 8U players should consider our Junior Academy for advanced training and a more challenging program. Click here for more information on our Junior Academy program.

Frequently Asked Questions

REGISTRATION

How do I know which age group to choose?

Our programs are based on the year your child was born. Once you enter your child's information in your account, our registration system will offer the age-appropriate options.

Your child remains in the same age group for the fall and spring seasons.

My child wants to play with his friend/sibling/classmate that is in a different age group. Can we change age groups?

Because of our sanctioning with USYS and NCYSA, we abide by their age groups and their guidelines. We require that all players enter their correct date of birth, register in their correct age group, and file a request to change age groups. We do require a brief evaluation of the player prior to approving the change. For more information, please review the CSA Age Group Policy at the top of this page. Remember, we do collect and check birth certificates. Falsification of your child's date of birth in our registration system can result in removal from the program.

I want my kids to practice on the same night. Can you do that?

At many of our sites, you will know the practice day when you sign up and you can determine if the siblings will be on the same night. This applies to Uptown, Palisades, and all North sites.

At other sites, if your children are at the same location, we always try to match up sibling practice nights unless other requests are made (coaches, friends, different blackout nights). In some cases, it is not possible due to the availability of our coaches. The more flexible you are with practice availability, the more likely we can work that out for you.

If your children are at different locations, we will not overlap their practice times - we assume a single parent is responsible for both and cannot be in two places at one time! If you specifically want them on the same night and they have transportation and supervision available, please let us know in the extenuating circumstances box!

REQUESTS

For additional info, please scroll down to review our Special Request Policies.

Can I choose a practice day?

At many of our sites, you will know the practice day when you sign up and you can determine if the siblings will be on the same night. This applies to Uptown, Palisades, and all North/Cabarrus sites.

For McAlpine, McKee, and Colonel Beatty Park: Please remember that we rely on parents to coach our teams - they have work and family commitments just like you. We allow coaches to choose their practice nights. The way things work out, we don't always have every age group and gender on every night of the week.

Therefore, we ask parents to indicate one or two days that their child cannot practice due to other commitments. This gives us a little more flexibility in assigning players. Be sure to note the days that you select so you can schedule other activities on those days. We do not assign teams/practice nights until just prior to the start of the season when we have all our coaches assigned. If something in your schedule changes, you can log into your account and make changes to your special requests up until February 1 for Spring and August 1 for Fall. If you truly have extenuating circumstances, such as a parent working nights, please use that field to elaborate and we will do our best.

Can I choose a coach?

Coach requests are permitted for age groups 12U, 14U and 19U (High School). Younger players cannot request a coach. Coaches cannot request certain players be placed on their team. Older players wishing to select a coach must register prior to the PRIORITY REGISTRATION CLOSE DATE (Spring - January 31; Fall - July 31). In the spring, returning players are given priority if registered by PRIORITY REGISTRATION CLOSE DATE.

If you request a 12U, 14U or 19U coach that is not in your age group, you will NOT be moved unless you formally request an age group change. See the Age Group Policy page.

Can I choose a friend as a teammate?
My child needs to ride with a neighbor. Can they be on the same team?

We do allow players to request one teammate in their age group. This is the most difficult request to fulfill due to conflicting requests for practice nights, coaches, different friend requests and siblings. If your child needs a ride, please make sure that you have checked with that parent first to coordinate requests. Otherwise, in some cases, the players might be assigned the same practice night and time, but different teams.

TEAM ASSIGNMENT:

How do I figure out what team I am on? Where and when do I practice?

Prior to the start of practices, we will notify parents BY EMAIL of their practice day, practice time, field and coach assignment and provide a roster.
You can view also your team assignment in your account after the roster release date noted on the calendar.

PRACTICES AND GAMES

When are the games?

For age groups 6U - 12U at McAlpine and McKee Road Park, games are scheduled for Saturdays starting at 9am. The games are typically complete by 5:45pm. Your games times will VARY within that window. Once schedules have been posted, you can view your team's calendar from your MY ACCOUNT page. We try to avoid scheduling games on the weekends before and after public school spring break. If games are canceled due to weather, we attempt to makeup games by adding games to Saturdays, or on designated Sundays during the season.

For age groups 14U and 19U, teams participate in the Mecklenburg Area Recreational Soccer (MARS) League. MARS schedules games on Saturdays (all day) and Sundays (afternoons). Mid-week evening games are possible, especially if make-up games are needed.

What if it is raining?

Our program is very large and rescheduling practices and games is difficult. For that reason, we make every effort to hold all practices and games as scheduled, even in the rain! When we have to cancel games or practices, we have several methods of notification. Please review our Weather Policy and Field Status page.

We will not reschedule practices, however, games will be rescheduled utilizing existing Saturdays and the makeup days listed on the calendar.

Special Request Policies for Registration

Registration & Special Request Policy for ALL Age Groups
ALL SPECIAL REQUESTS MUST BE MADE ONLINE DURING REGISTRATION IN THE FORMAT PROVIDED. Emailed requests cannot be honored due to the size of our program. Please confirm your child's availability and coach/friend requests prior to registration! WE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO MEET THE REQUESTS OF NEARLY 2000 PLAYERS, BUT IT IS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE. PLEASE REMEMBER THESE ARE REQUESTS, NOT GUARANTEES. THERE ARE NO REFUNDS IF YOUR REQUESTS ARE NOT MET. Please be reasonable and moderately flexible. Feel free to contact us PRIOR TO JULY 31 if you have concerns. Questions: Contact Patti at [email protected]
Play Up/Down:	Review our Play Up and Age Group Policy at the top of this page for information and instructions.
Practice Nights:	Charlotte/McAlpine Elementary School: Parents can black out up to TWO practice nights that their child is not available due to other activities. Charlotte/McKee Road Park: Due to the limited number of teams, parents can black out ONE practice night that their child is not available due to other activities. Matthews/Colonel Beatty Park: Due to limited practice night availability, parents can black out ONE practice night. Palisades: N/A - All practices will be on Thursday evenings for Fall 2019. Uptown: N/A - All practices will be on Friday evenings for Fall 2019. North/Frank Liske Park: N/A - Sign up for specific night as listed. North/Red Ventures: N/A - Sign up for specific night as listed. Mount Pleasant: N/A - Sign up for specific night as listed. We generally cannot accommodate "ONE NIGHT ONLY" requests, please contact us prior to signing up. Parents cannot select a time slot. All 6U and 8U players practice in the earliest time slot at the facility.
Siblings:	While it is difficult to juggle schedules for multiple children, it is also difficult to have practices align due to differences in practice nights, times and locations for various age groups. CSA-Charlotte/McAlpine ES: If you have no other requests, we will attempt to place siblings on the same night if possible in 6U, 8U and 10U. They will also be placed at the same time if possible. If you request friends or conflicting blackout nights, if may not be possible. CSA-Matthews/Col Beatty Park: By default, we will attempt to place siblings on the same night if possible. If you request friends or conflicting blackout nights, it is almost impossible to match up sibling practice nights. U12, U14, U18/McKee Rd Park: Players will NOT be assigned same night as siblings in 6U, 8U or 10U due to different practice locations, unless by specific request. Due to limited number of teams, practice nights for siblings can not usually be aligned. CSA-Uptown: No sibling requests necessary, all teams practice the same night. CSA-Palisades: No sibling requests necessary, all teams practice the same night. CSA-North/Frank Liske Park: No sibling requests due to set practice days. CSA-North/Red Ventures:No sibling requests due to set practice days. CSA-Mount Pleasant: No sibling requests due to set practice days.
Coach Requests:	Children of coaches are always assigned to the parent's team. 6U, 8U, and 10U players cannot request a coach. 12U, 14U and 19U (High School) players can request a coach. CSA policy dictates that coaches cannot select or request players. Please remember that coaches may change their practice night each season or may not return. If a requested coach is not in your age group, the request will be disregarded. Requests are granted in order of paid registration. Team size is limited and will fill up. REGISTER EARLY. No requests after July 31.
Teammate:	You may list one preferred teammate using first and last name. Please make sure that you and your friend select the same AGE GROUP, LOCATION and PRACTICE NIGHTS. Sorry, we cannot honor requests for GROUPS of players. If you have a group of players that wishes to play on the same team, have one or more parents volunteer to coach and select that child as the friend request. (Team size is limited.) If the teammate is not in your age group, the request will be disregarded.
Carpool:	Because age groups practice in different times and at different locations, we have decided to eliminate the carpool request option to reduce confusion. We apologize for the inconvenience. You may request a teammate in your age group instead.
Extenuating Circumstances:	Please use this field only if necessary to further explain or clarify your situation.

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Charlotte Soccer Academy Recreational Soccer

Age Group Policies

Frequently Asked Questions

Special Request Policies for Registration

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Charlotte Soccer Academy Recreational Soccer