Soccer Shorts
Earrings: Jewelry can not be worn on the field during a game. Earrings must be removed or the player cannot play. This long-standing soccer rule enhances safety and NO exceptions will be made (even for players who just got their ears pierced).
Shinguards/Socks: Buy these items right away - your child will not be allowed to play without them. Again, this is a safety rule. Shinguards must be big enough to adequately protect the player’s shin. Socks must completely cover the shinguards.
League Changes: The ages for the U18 and Premier Leagues overlap a bit to give graduating high schoolers the option of playing one more year in U18 or moving to the Premier League. Just check the league you want on the registration form. The Premier League is still split between 18 to 34 and 35-and-over. As always, you MUST register on time for the 35 and older league. If we don’t get enough players by the end of registration, we will not be able to have a separate league.
Fields: Most games are played at the Carondelet Fields on Albert St. just south of Randolph Ave. between Expo School and Cretin-Derham Hall High School. The fields are named for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet who generously allowed the City and Cretin-Derham Hall to develop and use them cooperatively. We also look forward to our third season at the renovated Talmud Torah School field, a cooperative project of HGRA, Talmud Torah and the City. HGRA is responsible for maintaining these fields, so please practice good stewardship of this valuable resource.
Referees: All referees must be certified through the U.S. Soccer Federation. Check their website at www.mnyouthsoccer.org for the weekend session that fits your schedule. An organizational meeting for referees is planned for the end of April. Last year’s refs will receive written notice in the mail. All others should contact HGRA in April for information.
Our Season
Week of May 5: coach/player clinics with coaches and players from The College of St. Catherine.
Week of May 12: Practice Week (practices as scheduled by coaches).
9 weeks of games starting May 19 and ending July 31, with no games July 1 - July 4 (games are played on Monday, June 30, to make up for Memorial Day).
Age requirements for soccer:
U5 (5&Under) Coed 9/1/02 - 8/31/03
U6 (6&Under) Coed 9/1/01 - 8/31/02
U7 (7&Under) Coed 9/1/00- 8/31/01
U8 (8&Under) Coed 9/1/99 - 8/31/00
U10 (10&Under) Same gender 9/1/97 – 8/31/99
U12 (12&Under) Same gender 9/1/95 – 8/31/97
U14 (14&Under) Same gender 9/1/93 – 8/31/95
U18 (18&Under) Coed 9/1/89 – 8/31/93
Premier (18 & Older) Coed Before 9/1/90 *
Premier (35 & Older) Coed Before 9/1/73 ** Players born between 9/1/89 and 8/31/90 may choose to play either in the U18 or Premier League.
U5 “Soccer Scramble”: The U5 program is HGRA’s introduction to the game of soccer. To make things easier for players and parents alike, there are no assigned “teams” with designated “coaches” or practices. Instead, each group meets weekly for 1 hour. We start with a group activity and then break down into small teams to play small-sided games. Friends can play together on the same “team”.
Our instructors will be players from local high-school teams who did such a good job last year. Each player gets a free ball of their own to keep!
U6, U7 and U8 Leagues: Coed leagues play 3v3 or 4v4 on a quarter- or half-fields using 4x8 foot portable goals, two of which are given to each team for the summer for practice and games.
Small-sided games played without a goalkeeper provide more ball touches per player, allow more goal-scoring opportunities and make for easier to understand situations while reducing the “beehive” effect of larger teams.
U10, U12 and U14 Leagues: Same-gender teams will play 6v6, 7v7 or 8v8 on the 5 larger fields with 7x21 foot goals. Referees will call the games. The U14 League will have separate boys and girls leagues.
U18 League: Co-ed teams, longer games, league practices.
Premier League: Split between 18-35 years-old and 35 & older league. We provided a bit of an age overlap to let the graduating high schoolers opt to play another year in the U18 league if they wish.
