CSA Recreational Soccer

CSA Recreational Soccer

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SOUTH REGION PROGRAMS
- South Program Details By Location and Age
- Policies and FAQ - SOUTH
- Uniforms & Required Equipment
- Technical Training - SOUTH
NORTH REGION PROGRAMS
- CSA-North Program Details
- Uniforms and Required Equipment
- Policies & FAQ: North Region
- Technical Training - North
Field and Club Info

SOUTH AREA PROGRAM

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] with questions, concerns, or extenuating circumstances!

Age Group Policies - South Area Programs

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/Play Down Policies

If you want your child to play in a different age group than is offered during registration, please read the information below:

For the Fall season, no requests will be considered after August 1.
For the Spring Season, no requests will be considered after February 1.
Requests must be made EVERY SEASON during registration.

Playing down:
We will consider requests for playing down in very limited situations.
Please email [email protected]
- Medical/developmental concerns on a case-by-case basis.
- U8 to U6: If you are interested in having your child to play DOWN from U8 to U6, we will consider requests on a case by case basis.
- Any player enrolled in middle school may request to play in the middle school division regardless of age.
- Any player enrolled in high school may request to play in the high school division regardless of age.

Playing up:
Because our age groups span 2 years or more, we generally recommend that children remain in their true age group.
Players born within one year of the older age group may request to "play up".
All requests are dependent on space availability at the requested age group.
Please contact [email protected] for information.

Notes:
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 - South Area Programs

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.
Playing down will be considered for U6 on a case by case basis.
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/McClintock, 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 that one person will be 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 day 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 U12, U14 (Middle School) and U19 (High School). Younger players cannot request a coach. Coaches cannot request certain players be placed on their team. Older players can indicate their preferred coach but we cannot guarantee requests. Team sizes are limited, and teams are often over-requested.

If you request a U12, U14 or U19 coach that is not in your age group, you will NOT be moved unless you formally request an age group change.

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

We 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. Please keep in mind that we do our best, but requests cannot be guaranteed.

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 U6 - U12 playing games at McAlpine ES, Colonel Beatty Park, 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 U14 (Middle School) and U19 (High School), 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/SOUTH REGION

Registration & Special Request Policy for ALL Age Groups WE DO OUR BEST, BUT REQUESTS ARE NOT GUARANTEED!
CSA staff reviews and considers all special requests as a GUIDE while forming teams. We work to equalize roster size in each division so all teams meet the minimum required player count. Some teams are over-requested, and therefore, we cannot always meet every request. 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 over 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 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 Night Requests:	South Charlotte/McAlpine Elementary School: Parents can black out one practice night that their child is not available due to other activities. South Charlotte/McKee Road Park: Parents can black out ONE practice night that their child is not available due to other activities. Matthews/Colonel Beatty Park: Parents can black out ONE practice night. Palisades: N/A - All practices will be on Wednesday evenings for Spring 2025 Uptown/McClintock MS: N/A - All practices will be on Friday evenings for Spring 2025 We generally cannot accommodate "ONE NIGHT ONLY" requests, please contact us prior to signing up [email protected] If you have extenuating circumstances that require an additional blackout night, please contact us [email protected] Parents cannot select a time slot. All 6U and 8U players practice in the earliest time slot at the facility. Late bus or other issue, contact us [email protected]
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 U6, U8 and U10. They will also be placed at the same time if possible. If you request friends or conflicting blackout nights, it 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, U19/McKee Rd Park: Players will NOT be assigned same night as siblings in U6, U8 or U10 due to different practice locations, unless by specific request. Due to limited number of teams, practice nights for siblings cannot usually be aligned. CSA-Uptown/McClintock MS: No sibling requests necessary, all teams practice the same night. CSA-Palisades: No sibling requests necessary, all teams practice the same night.
Coach Requests:	Children of coaches are always assigned to the parent's team. U6, U8 and U10 players cannot request a coach due to turnover and frequent age group and practice night changes. If that is your priority, request the coach's child as your teammate request. U12, U14 (Middle School) and U19 (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. We do not automatically return players to previous teams, it must be requested. Team assignment is based on CURRENT REQUESTS in the registration form. 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. REGISTER EARLY and please remember, these are requests, and we cannot guarantee that all requests can be filled. For spring season, priority is given to players choosing to return to a team, if they register by January 15 and include the request in their registration form. For the fall, the date is July 15.
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 parent volunteer to coach and select that child as the friend request. (Team size is limited.) If you list more than one player, we will consider only the first player listed. If the teammate is not in your age group, the request will be disregarded. We do not automatically return players to previous teams, it must be requested. Team assignment is based on CURRENT REQUESTS in the registration form.
Extenuating Circumstances:	Please use this field only if necessary to further explain or clarify your situation, or email us at [email protected]