Registration Questions:
City Program Questions:
Travel Program Questions:
MYS Questions:
Registration Questions:
How do I register?
Parents can register on the Registration page. After the on-line registration is complete, you’ll receive immediate confirmation via email that your registration request was received. Approximately one month before the season’s start, MYS will have completed the roster formation process and, after notification, you will be able to access information about your child’s team on-line.
What age bracket should I sign my child up for?
Players fit into age brackets based on their age on August 1st before the Fall season. Players under 6 years old on August 1st can play in the Kindergarten City League, players under 8 years old on August 1st can play U8, and so forth. The same cutoff date holds for the Fall season and the following Spring season, so that the players can remain in the same age group for the entire year. For a current listing of the birth dates that correspond to the grade-based groupings, see the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Age Group page (scroll down to the bottom of the page and expand the "Age Group" section).
Fall soccer just started. Why do I have to sign up for spring soccer already?
Melrose Youth Soccer is different from some other sports in town in that we are affiliated with a state organization – Massachusetts Youth Soccer. They provide us with our insurance, and they require that we file player and coach information well in advance of the season. The early registration ensures that players are insured and coaches all undergo a national background check. In addition, it takes time to build teams, recruit coaches and do all the other things that go on behind the scenes in a youth sports league.
My child does lots of other activities besides soccer. We may just want to try it out and see how it fits our schedule. What’s your policy there?
It is fine to try out soccer for a season or two. There’s no commitment to play beyond the current season that you sign up for. Just keep in mind that Melrose Youth Soccer builds teams to play in its city and travel leagues based on the assumption that every player who signs up will participate fully. Since soccer is a team sport, parents should view their registration as a commitment to the other players on the team and in the community. If you sign up, you must show up to practices and for games!
How does the waitlist work?
Registration dates are communicated using a variety of means (MYS website, MYS Facebook page, school notices, emails to past registrants, etc). We set the registration close date as close to the season start as we can (we need to factor in time to build teams, find coaches, register travel teams with Middlesex, etc.). Those who miss the registration period may register for a waitlist and are placed on teams on a ‘space available’ basis. Waitlist registrations taken soon after the registration date closes stand a better chance of being part of the initial team build while those that come later are more likely to find that all spots are filled. Note that late registrations are assessed a late fee.
What is your policy on refunds or canceling registrations?
The registration fee is not refundable. If circumstances change such that the player can no longer play in the registered season, a credit can be issued for a future season based on the following timetable: A full registration credit is available until the teams are formed; a half credit is available after the teams are formed but before the first team activity (practice or game); no credit is available after the first team activity (practice or game). Note that the date teams are formed is usually shortly after the registration deadline for the division. And note that credits are only available for the registration fees; late fees are not available for credit. Under certain circumstances involving injury or moving out of the city, exceptions can be made by contacting the age director for the division for which the player has registered. To arrange for a credit, please contact the appropriate league coordinator for your player (contacts on this page) as soon as you are aware of an issue and let them know of the issue.
City Program Questions:
What programs do you offer for young players?
Our programs begin with Kindergarten, which is available to children in Kindergarten (up to age 6 by August 1st). Our adult coaches lead their teams of players through a variety of fun, age-appropriate games. Follow the leader, red-light green-light, and plain old soccer are all part of the program. For 1st and 2nd graders, our City program moves to small sided play, with four players vs. four players. The goal for Grade 1 and Grade 2 is to to develop ball skills. For 3rd and 4th graders, the game moves to seven a side, and goalkeepers are introduced. For 5th grade and 6th graders, there will be 9 players per side on a larger field.
How competitive is City soccer vs. Travel soccer?
The two leagues are very much alike in their focus on making sure the kids have fun while learning and playing soccer. The main distinction with regard to competitivevness is that Travel teams are formed based on player evaluations such that the teams can be formed and placed on their competitive level which will hopefully match up to the divisions of their opponents in the Middlesex Youth Soccer League whereas the City teams are formed to be more or less balanced within the city. Either way the goal is for the teams to have reasonable competition within their group of opponents.
Can my child play with his/her friends?
When registering in the City program, you can add a friend request to in the Special Requests box. Both your child and her/his friend should both request each other on their registration form. We then will try our best to get the children on the same team, although we cannot guarantee it.
My child’s practice time is a conflict with another activity – what can I do?
If you have a night that is not good for practice, please specify that during registration by noting it in the Special Requests. After teams are formed, it is difficult to move players to different teams to accommodate scheduling issues but sometimes there is space so you should contact the grade group coordinator.
Travel Program Questions:
How much traveling is involved in travel soccer?
Not a lot, really. Travel players generally play nine games in the season, with about half in Melrose. Of the remainder, all are in the Middlesex area. The far-away towns are all within a 40 minutes drive.
How competitive is travel soccer?
Travel teams usually practice twice a week for an hour or an hour and a half each session. The city teams usually practice once a week. The most competitive team in each grade group will more than likely be placed in Division 1 of the Middlesex League. This is very competitive with a high quality of play from all teams, including Melrose. Hence, it is the objective of Melrose Youth Soccer to have dedicated soccer players on the most competitive team. For example, other sports or activities would not interfere with playing soccer. If this commitment level is not for you, then please notify the travel coordinator. Less competitive travel teams can be still be relatively competitive. It is the goal that the teams will be placed in divisions where the teams will be fairly matched although there are occasionally teams that are poorly placed.
Why do you have evaluations?
Evaluations give us an additional set of data on each player and his/her skills. Together with coaches’ evaluations, evaluation information gives us the best chance at creating teams that are cohesive and competitive within their travel division.
What if my child can’t make evaluations?
Please contact the travel coordinator for your travel division to notify them.
If my child is placed on a team in the fall, will he be on the same team in the spring?
Not necessarily. The fall is considered to be a developmental season while the spring is considered to be a competitive season. Players will be evaluated after the fall and adjustments will be made to the teams. Players may move up or down but the majority of the players will remain on the same team. Also, please keep in mind that some players only play in the fall or the spring, but not both, so frequently all of the teams will need to be adjusted to account for the change in player numbers.
Can my child play with her friends?
The travel program does not allow friend requests since our first priority is to place each player on a team which matches their ability. If you have 5 years experience and your friend is in the first year, the chances would not be good that you would be on the same team. If you have been playing on the same team for the last few years, your chances increase; however, there are no guarantees.
My child can only practice on Mondays and Wednesdays, will this be okay?
The coach of the team, not the organization, sets practice days and times. In some cases special accommodations can be made (contact your travel coordinator) but in most cases, you should try to leave all weeknights open to fit in the practices that the coach schedules. And if you would like to influence the selection of practice days, you should consider volunteering to be a coach or an assistant coach!
My child is terrific. Can she play in a higher age group?
Melrose Youth Soccer honors the age guidelines (scroll down to the bottom of the page and expand the "Age Group" section) set by Massachusetts Youth Soccer and we do not allow players to play up except in unusual circumstances (for example, a player misses the cutoff by a month and has an older sibling on the same team). It's best for that player, the rest of the team, the adult volunteers, and the league as a whole.
MYS Questions
Where does my registration money go?
Mass. Youth Soccer charges us $25 per player for insurance, and $25 per registered adult (for insurance and nationwide CORI check). For some of the city league teams, we pay for player experts and for the travel teams, we pay in to the Middlesex League. We also have costs for player uniform and other eqipment. The remainder is spent on referees, fields maintenance, league fees, coaching and referee education, as well as other projects.
What are you doing about the fields?
Under the leadership of the Mayor, MYS is part of a round table commission of all youth sports leagues in town. Since many of the fields in town are used by more than one sport, we have made efforts to invest money in fields that will create lasting improvement in those facilities.
What equipment should my player have when she comes to practice and games?
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- At least 20 ounces of water is strongly encouraged.
- Players should be dressed to play soccer: shorts, shin guards (covered by soccer socks), molded soccer cleats (sneakers are OK but slippery).
- Kindergarten players are given an entire uniform as part of their tuition, and it is definitely not necessary to buy cleats for them.
- Wear the team uniform for games including mandatory shin guards.
- Long hair should be contained with a soft headband or rubber band.
- Jewelry is not allowed in games, including earrings, bracelets, watches, necklaces, etc.
- Exceptions are medical alert and religious jewelry but these must be covered with soft tape or band aids.
- Eyeglasses are not forbidden but should be safety lenses and non-metallic for player safety.
- Mouth guards are not required but may be worn.
- Medications such as an asthma inhaler may be brought to practice as needed.
- The referee holds final authority in deciding whether a player may wear any particular item during a game.
Do you need any help?
Melrose Youth Soccer is a 100% volunteer organization, and one of the biggest sports programs in Melrose. We always need help, especially when it comes to coaching teams. Please consider volunteering to coach or assistant coach when given the opportunity. And if you have already registered and skipped over that, you can always reach out to the grade group or travel coordinator to express interest. You do not need to be an expert in anything to help out. And if you are interested in helping administer the league, feel free to join us at one our Melrose Youth Soccer board meetings. The board meets the 4th Monday of each month online and meetings are open to all parents and guardians of players - for online meeting connection information, please contact one of the members of the board on the Contact page.