Parent's Corner

Important notice: A parent (or an assigned guardian) must be present for every practice and every game!

Welcome Newcomers!

Looking for a soccer program for your kids? Need to know if our youth soccer program fits your schedule and your needs? Here's some information to help you get acquainted with CSA. CSA is a recreational league with a primary emphasis on children learning soccer in a safe and FUN environment. Contact us with questions.

Before reading all the useful information below, check out our video of the week:

Two Seasons: Fall and Spring
CSA offers programs for girls and boys. We have Fall and Spring soccer seasons FOR ALL AGE GROUPS. Games are on Saturdays.

FALL: about 10 weeks long.
First game is after Labor Day in September.
Final game is usually on the weekend before Thanksgiving.

SPRING: about 10 weeks long.
First game is usually in late March or early April.
Final game is usually in early June.

In the Spring, no games are scheduled over the Memorial Day weekend, though games are usually scheduled on the Saturday before Easter. In the Fall, the final (11th) weekend consists of an optional jamboree (tournament-style event) for players in the Under-8 and older age groups and is played on both Saturday and Sunday. There is no end-of-season jamboree during the Spring season. See Game Schedules for the Saturday game and tournament schedules.

Required Equipment

• Water bottle
• Shin guards
• Cleats
• All necessary medications (i.e. asthma)
• Soccer ball
  
  • Size 3 or 4 (Skeeters)
  • Size 4 (U6-U8)
  • Size 5 (U10-U18)

Weekday Practices
Practices are held either at Morningside Soccer Fields or at Tom Brown Park.

Under-5 (Skeeters) do not have a weekday practice.
Under-6, Under-7 and Under-8 have ONE weekday practice per week.
Under-9 through Under-18 have at least ONE weekday practice per week depending on the coach's availability.

Practice times are typically around 5:30pm to 7:00pm, Monday through Friday.

Actual practice locations, days and times are chosen by the coach. Registrants may indicate on their registration form any days they are NOT available to practice. After the teams are formed, players will receive a call or an email from the coach who will inform them of team membership, the practice schedule, and location. Game schedules will be posted on our website.

TOPSoccer participants practice and play games on Friday from 5:30pm to 7:00pm at the Morningside Soccer fields.

Games
Skeeters, TOPSoccer, U6, U7 and U8 play at the Morningside Soccer Complex

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U10, U10+, U12, U12+, U14 and U14+ play at Tom Brown Park

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U12, U12+, U14, U14+ and older may also play at Meadows Soccer Complex

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Signing up
FALL – registration is open JULY/AUGUST.
SPRING – registration is open JANUARY/FEBRUARY.
Important: You must register for each season separately!

Click on the Registration tab to find:
- the dates of open registration
- sign-up instructions
- registrars' contact info

Players who are registered on time will be placed on a team, and will have priority over late registrants for team preferences. Late registrants will be placed on teams on a space-available basis only. If your child is not placed on a team due to lack of coaches, you will receive a full refund. Wondering about skills assessments? If your child is new to soccer, you are likely headed for our 'recreational' teams which do not require a skills assessment. If you are looking for competitive play, we offer several RecPlus teams which require a tryout.

Fees
Fees vary by program. Programs are usually grouped by age, but sometimes can include a range of ages.
Skeeters (U5)- $50
U6, U7 and U8- $65
U10, U12, U14 and U18 - $75
Rec Plus (advanced players)- $100
TOPSoccer - $15

Multi-child discounts apply after the first child. Scholarships are available by request and are based on need.

Uniforms
CSA players are given new uniforms in the Fall and only new players receive an uniform in the Spring. The uniform costs are embedded in registration fee which consists of an aggregate of all the costs associated with running the CSA program. For more details see the Fee Coverage page in the 'Registration' section.

Terminology - Under-what?
Our league divides players into age groups called: Under-5 (Skeeters), Under-6, Under-7, Under-8, Under-10, Under-12, Under-14, and Under-18. Players are ‘under’ the stated age as of July 31 before the fall season. For example, a player who is younger than 6 years of age by July 31 before the start of the fall season is placed in the Under-6 age group. A player remains in the same age group for the entire soccer year: Fall – Spring. Many players will turn 6 while still playing in the Under-6 age group.

Players close to the age cut-off can request placement on a team in an older age group, but NEVER in a younger age group than that specified by the birth date (even if missing the age cut-off by only one day). "Playing up" in an older age group requires the registrar's approval as well as a recommendation of readiness from a previous coach. Read more about 'playing up' and fill out a request by clicking here!

Age Groups
Players register with CSA in an age group based on birth date. Sometimes a player 'plays up' in an older age group under special circumstances. See the current Birth Date Ranges for age groups by clicking here!

Under-5's (Skeeters) Are Just Getting Started
Four-year-olds step onto the field in our "pressure free" introduction to the world's most popular sport. The program is a first step for our youth to have fun playing soccer and to let the game be the teacher. Saturday’s only, in fall, and spring. Group class sessions are led by head coach. No "teams" are formed, but players scrimmage for part of each session. Sessions last approximately 45 minutes. CSA jersey required, but any shorts or sweatpants plus sneakers will do. A parent must attend and supervise.

Under 6's Are Special
CSA usually has about 10 coed teams in the Under-6 age group. Under-6's have a weekday practice and Saturday games.. A game consists of four 12-minute quarters, with a 10-minute refreshment break between the halves. The two teams each play four on four. The children get plenty of touches on the ball and tons of goals are scored to the enjoyment of all. Smiles are plentiful as the kids just want to have fun!

Understanding "Recreational" vs "Competitive"
Have you heard that there is a skills assessment for some soccer teams? Some soccer teams are competitive and some are recreational. Recreational teams don't have a skills assessment while others are required for competitive team. Recreational teams stay close to home while competitive teams may travel far and wide. Competitive teams are for soccer players in Under-10 to Under-14 age groups who want a more serious level of play than in the Recreational program. CSA holds an open skills assessment for competitive teams, and all interested players are invited to participate. Players attending a skills assessment may be invited to join a team, and may accept or decline the invitation. CSA forms recreational teams in all age groups and competitive teams in Under-10, Under-12 and Under-14.

Youth Soccer Programs
Check out the variety of programs for kids of all ages offered by clicking here!

Does your child age 5-17 have a mental or physical disability? The TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer) program is a community-based training and team placement program for young athletes with disabilities, organized by Capital Soccer Association volunteers. Read all about TOPSoccer by clicking here.

Registration Documentation.
Each player must submit a Medical Release form. Birth Certificates are required for RecPlus, U14 and U18 programs. If your player was on a CSA RecPlus, U14 or U18 team within the last 2 years, this is not required.

CSA is Run by Volunteers
CSA is run by the help of parent volunteers who do everything from coaching to registering players, to monitoring fields, to serving on the board of directors, to name only a few jobs. If you register your child with us, you will be given the opportunity to volunteer to help run the club. For more information about volunteering, please see the Volunteer page on this website.

Formed in 1975, CSA has approximately 500 players and is one of the largest clubs in Tallahassee. Together, all the clubs are called a league. Depending of your preferences, families register with the club of their choice, and the league arranges the Saturday matches and tournament schedules so that teams from all the clubs play each other. This is why we often see a variety of soccer uniforms on the fields at the Saturday matches. The league is responsible for providing fields, referees, and readjusting the match schedules mid-season as necessary for a better match-up of opponents of similar ability.

Questions?
Please contact us with any questions. See also the FAQ, Frequently Asked Questions, tab. Thank you for your interest in CSA!