We have put this information together to answer some of the most frequently asked questions. If you have a question that does not appear on this page, please email us and we will contact you with an answer as soon as possible.
1. What does UPSC do and not do?
2. What is the difference between a rec and select team?
3. How much does it cost to play soccer?
4. How far will I need to travel?
5. How often will my team practice?
6. When do practice and games start?
7. When are tryouts?
8. Where do I get more information about all these acronyms?
What does UPSC do and not do?
- UPSC provides a registration process for kids to sign up to play soccer. Once a player is registered, they are assigned to a team based on their birth year. We do our best to honor coach and teammate requests, but we do not guarantee team placement. We rely solely on volunteers to coach and manage teams, and a team will not be eligible to play in the Pierce County Home League without a coach signed up.
- UPSC does not provide soccer coaches, but we do help with the process. Usually, the coach is recruited from among the team's parents. Occasionally, an experienced soccer coach may come to us looking for a team. When this happens, if we have a team looking for a new coach, we refer the coach to the team. What happens after this is up to the team and the prospective coach. UPSC can't register a team for any league unless it has a coach.
- UPSC does not train coaches or teach soccer coaching, however we do have a new position this year, Director of Coaching, who is available to provide guidance on the process of scheduling practices and games, age division rules, communication for game days, etc. Anyone who wants to become a soccer coach can contact us and we will direct them to soccer coaching clinics, licensing classes, books, and websites.
- UPSC does not own any soccer fields, but we do work closely with the UP School District to schedule practices and games on UPSD fields. We also work with Pierce County to schedule practices and games at the Chambers Creek Playfields. We provide the corner flags and soccer goal nets that are in use on these fields. We also provide the equipment and paint used to "stripe" the fields. All UP Soccer Club teams reserve fields through the Club and are not allowed to contact the school (or other owner) directly.
- UPSC provides referees for our home games for U7 through U12, to the extent that referees are available. These refs are scheduled and paid by UPSC, and are typically older youth players who play through UPSC. Because they often play for teams themselves, there are times when not enough referees are available for all of our home games. In those instances, the coaches are expected to cooperatively officiate the game. We do not provide referees for full-sided games, but we do pay for referees and assistant referees to officiate at UPSC matches if they are available. We work closely with the Pierce County Referees Association to get refs for as many games as possible. Referees are independent contractors that schedule themselves for available games. UPSC does not have control over their schedules or the matches they choose to officiate. Games will not be canceled just because the referees are not available.
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What is the difference between a rec and select team?
- A recreational team is a team that did not use a tryout process to form its roster. Players are placed on a Rec team on a first-come, first-served basis until that team has reached is maximum roster size. Rec teams are required to provide every player with roughly equal playing time, regardless of ability.
- A select team uses a competitive tryout process. Players are placed on a select team based on criteria that are established by the coaches of the individual teams. Select teams do not have limitations or minimums for individual playing time.
- Rec teams play in the Pierce County Home League or in the South Sound United League, whereas Select teams play in the North Puget Sound League.
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How much does it cost to play soccer?
- Registration fees vary based on the age of the player and are updated each year. The fees for the current seasonal year can be found on our registration page. The registration fees collected by UPSC cover the cost of registration. For our U5 through U12 players, registration fees include a club kit (jersey, shorts, and socks). For our U13 and up players, kits are not included in the registration fee. Kits, field fees, and other costs will be the responsibility of the players and vary team to team. Coaches will break down the costs for the team per player.
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How far will I need to travel?
- The amount of travel involved in playing for a UPSC team depends on the age of the players and the competition level of the team. The older, more competitive teams may require a lot of travel while the younger rec teams may pay all their games close to home. All of our younger teams play in the Pierce County Home League, so games will be limited to the Pierce County area. With older players, the Rec teams play in the South Sound United League, so games will be anywhere in Pierce or South King Counties. Select teams play in the North Puget Sound League, which includes teams from King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties.
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How often will my team practice?
- Practice requirements are determined by the coaches of the individual teams, not UPSC. But the majority of our teams will practice on weekday evenings, for 90 minutes, twice a week. Our very young teams will practice for only 60 minutes and often only once a week. Some of our older, more competitive teams may add a third practice in a week or a requirement for players to workout outside of the formal practice times. If you have specific questions about practice you should contact the coach of the team you are interested in.
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When do practice and games start?
- The primary playing season for Washington Youth Soccer is in the Fall. Games typically start the first Saturday after Labor Day. Games are typically played on Saturdays or Sundays depending on the age and competition level of the team. The length of the season also depends on the age and competition level, but most of the younger teams will be done before Thanksgiving and the older teams by mid-December. Some teams may choose to extend their season by playing in tournaments before or after the regular season. Most teams begin practice in July or early August, and will typically continue as long as the team is playing, although some of the younger teams and some of the rec teams will stop practicing when we no longer have daylight on weekday evenings. If you have specific questions about seasons or practices, you should contact the coach of the team you are interested in.
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When and where are tryouts?
- The start of the tryout season is controlled by Washington Youth Soccer and the specific date for each team's tryout is set by their coach. Most of our select teams will hold tryouts in May. Notices of tryouts will be posted on our website on the Home page.
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Where do I get more information about all these acronyms?
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