Eligibility:
(Q)My child is not in kindergarten yet but would really like to play soccer. At what age does AYS allow children to join the program?
(A)Only children that are in Kindergarten AND five years old before the fall soccer season starts will be allowed to participate in either the AYS fall or spring program.
(Q)How is it determined what group a child is put in? What does U09, U06 or U12 really mean?
(A)AYS follows the guidelines set up by Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association (MYSA) for determining the age grouping for teams. A child's soccer grouping is determined by the child's age as July 31 of that year. A child who is nine years old as of July 31 would be put in a U10 (under 10 years old) program. The exception to this would be those children who have summer or fall birthdays (August to December) but whose grade is the same as those whose birthday falls before July 31. Those children may be placed in the same age group as their classmates. The exception to this would be if the parents request that the child play with the younger group.
(Q)My child is the best player in his / her age group and is getting bored. Can I have him / her 'play up'?
(A) AYS will allow a child in the In Town program to move up one level at the discretion of the In Town director. However a player must remain at the U-8 level until such time as they are age/grade appropriate to play at the U-9 level. Parents wishing their child to play up a level for the travel program should speak to either the Boys or Girls Travel Directors. Playing up is discouraged and the decision made only after serious review.
Coaching:
(Q)I am interested in coaching my child's team but have never coached before. Do you have any training programs to get me started?
(A) Coaching clinics are a big help for anyone planning to coach. AYS offers these coaching clinics in both the fall and the spring. We recommend these not only for new coaches but also for more experienced coaches seeking to further develop their coaching skills. Please contact our Coaching Director for dates and details.
(Q) Where do I send my registration check?
(A) Make check payable to Ashland Youth Soccer and send it to Ashland Youth Soccer, PO Box 463, Ashland, MA 01721. Checks for registration must be received with 10 days of registration or the registration may be cancelled.
Refunds:
(Q) I registered my child to play soccer but he / she since had a change of heart. Can I get a refund?
(A) AYS will issue a 100% refund if you cancel before registration closes. AYS will issue a 50% refund if it is within 30 days after registration closes. After that point there are no refunds given.
AYS will issue a full refund for a child if there is no team available for the child to play on.
Please be advised as always uniform costs are not refundable.
(Q) How do I obtain a refund and is there a penalty fee?
(A)To obtain a refund in accordance with the refund policy above, please contact the registrar at [email protected].
Travel Teams:
(Q) How are the travel teams determined?
(A) All travel teams are determined by the Travel Selection Committee based upon independent evaluations and coaches evaluations.
(Q) My child wants to play on a spring travel team but not play in the fall. Do we need to be evaluated in June?
(A) The child does NOT need to be evaluated in June. Because of insurance concerns, AYS can not allow non-registered players to participate in the June evaluations. Players that didn't participate during the Fall season will be placed on a team in their age bracket, assuming that their registration is received before the registration deadline. If a player will only play in the spring, his/her placement will be made based on the evaluation of his/her former coaches. If the child has not played before, the Travel Selection Committee will determine the placement.
(Q) Are the June evaluations for the fall, spring or both seasons?
(A) The June evaluations are for both seasons. The independent evaluations are held in the summer and are good for one year. The Travel Selection Committee use the evaluation information in conjunction with the coaches' evaluations to select and place the fall travel teams.
The spring travel teams are formed based on the independent evaluations from June and the coaches evaluations from the fall season. The spring travel teams are selected and placed by the Travel Selection Committee.
(Q) What happens if my child doesn't make the travel team? What are my options?
(A) ll children in 4th grade and above will play on a travel team. The number of teams will depend upon the number of children registered in a given age group. We use BAYS guidelines for min/max numbers of players on a team.
Uniforms:
(Q) My child has grown out of his / her uniform. Do I need to pay for a replacement?
(A) AYS supplies the first in town shirt for free. Subsequent shirts and travel uniforms may be purchased by contacting the in Uniform Coordinator for in town uniforms and for Travel uniforms.
The Cost for In Town Uniforms is now $20
Questions surrounding In Town Uniforms, contact [email protected]
The cost for Travel Uniform kit is $60 and includes Shirts $25, Shorts 25 and Socks $10.
Questions surrounding Travel Uniforms, contacty [email protected]
Game Times:
(Q) Why aren’t my child’s game times always the same each week?
(A) When possible, AYS will try to schedule a team’s games for the same time each week. However, this scheduling often proves difficult to accomplish for a number of reasons. For our travel teams, the timing of away games is outside of our control as it depends upon the availability of fields in other towns. For our In-town program, we are greatly limited by the number of fields that we have available for a given age group. In most cases, this means that a field must be used for multiple times each Saturday for the same age group. In order to provide a better experience for our players and avoid teams from playing against the same team each week, we often need to adjust a team’s game time from week to week.