| How do I sign my child up for Rec? |
All players must be registered through our website. Registration opens approximately 1 month prior to the start of the season. The Fall season starts around late August while the Spring season starts around early April. |
| What are the ages for rec? | Boys and Girls from grades K-8 |
| Are there tryouts? | No. |
| I have a Pre-K child. Can he/she play in MSC? | Every child develops at a different pace. If you feel your child is emotionally and physically ready, you may sign your child up. They will be playing in the K-1 division. |
| Can my special needs child play in the MSC? |
We will make every effort to accommodate your special needs child. The safety of your child and other children on the field will be the ultimate deciding point. |
| Can I register my child to play down a division? | No. There are too many safety risks in having older children play with much younger children. |
| Can I register my child to play up a division? | Children are placed in divisions based on their grade level. If you feel your child has the skills and is physically and emotionally ready, you may ask that they play up. Please email us at rec@mayfieldsoccer.com immediately after registering so we can adjust accordingly. |
| I have registered and paid for my child to play but they decided that they do not want to anymore. Can I get a refund? | If we are notified by the end of the first week, The MSC will provide a refund. Please be patient as we work through the process on our end. Once the season progresses, we will not issue refunds. |
| What are the divisions for Rec? |
K-1 2-3 4-5 6-8 Divisions are separated by gender whenever possible, based on the number of registrations. |
| How do I know what team my child is on? | Parents will be notified 1-2 weeks prior to the start of the season via email. The name and email address for the coach is included in the email. |
| Will my child be on an all boys or all girls team? | If numbers allow for it we will have a girls division and boys division. |
| I have signed my child up, but I have not heard from his/her coach yet. | Teams are chosen about 1 to 2 weeks prior to the start of the season as we generally have a lot of last minute registrations. Additionally, if you paid by check, please make sure we received your payment as your child will not be placed until payment has been made! |
| My child has other commitments on the day of his/her practice. Can we switch teams? | We will try to accomodate where possible. Please email the rec league president at rec@mayfieldsoccer.com |
| When does the season start? | The Fall season starts mid to late August. Holidays can play a major role as to when the exact start date will be. The Spring season starts in early to mid April, weather permitting. |
| How many games are played? | We make every effort to provide an 8 game season for rec soccer. Unfortunately, we cannot control the weather and we typically have holiday conflicts as well. Our coaches are instructed to do their best to reschedule make up games during the week although we make no promises. |
| When will my child have practices and games? | Practices days and times will be determined by the coaches once teams are chosen. Your child’s coach will communicate the season schedule with games generally occurring on Saturdays. |
| Where are games held? | Games can be held at various venues within the Mayfield School District depending on availability |
| What time will my child's games be each Saturday? | The MSC relies heavily on volunteer coaches. Our first priority is to make sure that their weekly work and personal schedules are accommodated because without them, there would be no league. Many of our coaches coach more than one team in the league. As a result, your child’s games may be at the same time every week. For most children, their schedule will vary. The MSC cannot schedule our season around conflicts that players may have. |
| Where am I permitted to sit while watching my child's games? | Parents MUST sit on the sideline opposite from where the coach and their team sit. For the safety and well being of the whole team, it is imperative that the coach and child not be distracted by parents coaching from the sidelines. Providing a buffer helps facilitate this. Sitting behind goal posts is prohibited for the same reasons! |
| Is smoking permitted in the park soccer complex? | Smoking is prohibited at ALL city and park facilities! |
| I have been assigned to bring snacks/drinks. What type of snacks and drinks can I bring for the team on game day? | Typically, avoid snacks that contain nuts and sugary drinks. |
| Is there a championship game at the end? | Only grades 4-6 and 7-8 have play-off games and then a final championship game at the season end. |
| We cannot make practice every week. Is it that important to attend practice sessions? | Group practices are held so that the coaches can work with the kids as a group. This also builds team spirit and confidence. It is to your child’s benefit that they participate in practice sessions on a regular basis. |
| I pay the same amount for my child to play as the star players. How come they do not get equal playing time? | It is the policy of the MSC to have all children playing rec soccer receive as close to equal playing time as possible. We do not condone or tolerate situations where the coaches star player never sits. If you experience issues in this regard, please speak with the coach. If the situation persists, please contact the division commissioner or the league’s Vice President. |
| My son's/daughter's team is really good and consistently outscores the other team by 4 or more goals. Why are the good players pulled off the field? | In soccer, as in the real world, there are always winners and losers. Our rec soccer program is designed to designed instill in our youth players a sense of enthusiasm, self-confidence, good sportsmanship, and teamwork by emphasizing the game’s basic fundamentals. We strive to attain team parity during the registration process. This is not always an exact science as many of the children are unknown to the coaches and other’s skills start to bloom from season to season. Most of the time we get it right. In those few cases where we do not, we instruct our coaches and refs to keep the games close. We do so by having the better scorers pulled back to defense if the score starts to run up. If the score continues to climb, we ask the coaches to sit their better players a little longer. Please understand that having a team run circles around another does both teams a disservice. The good players do not get any better due to lack of competition and the lesser skilled players may become dissuaded against playing. |
| How come there was no ref at my child's game? | We make every effort to schedule refs for every game each week. Sometimes we have no shows. If we have enough advance notice, we try to find replacements to fill in. |
| Why do we not have adult referees? | The MSC has traditionally used Middle and High School age children to referee our rec games. This helps keep registration costs down and offers these children a growing and learning leadership experience. All of our refs have experience playing soccer and should know the rules very well. Please be respectful as again, these are children. They won’t be perfect in their calls and we do not expect them to be. |
| If I coach my child's team, does he/she play for free? | Yes, if you coach, ALL of your children play for free! |
| My child's uniform is too large/small. Can I get a new one? | Unfortunately, there is not enough time during registration to order size specific uniforms for each child. The MSC does its’ best to order a wide range of sizes for each division. We order 12 to 14 jerseys per team. We order 2-3 of the smaller sizes and 2-3 of the larger sizes; the rest being mid-sized for the age group. Coaches are instructed to fit the largest players first and then the smallest players second. Everyone else should fit into the mid-sized jerseys for the division. |
| Why doesn't my child get a trophy like the older children? | The philosophy of the MSC concerning the K-1 and 2-3 divisions is one of learning and instruction. We want these children to concentrate on learning the fundamental skills they will need to play the game at higher levels. Many of these children are not emotionally ready for intense competition so we reserve playoffs and trophies for the older two divisions. The players are told that if they work hard, they have something they can work towards. All participants receive participation trophies or medals at the end of each season. |
| My child has a food allergy. Can I make snack requests? | It is the parents responsibility to make sure that the coach is aware of any food allergies. The coach will email all parents upon notification of a food allergy. |
| What size ball is appropriate for my child? | Children playing in the K-1 division should be playing with a #3 ball. Children playing in the 2-3 and 4-6 divisions should be playing with a #4 ball. Children playing in the 7-8 divisions should be playing with a #5 ball. |
| What equipment does my child need to play in the MSC Rec League? | All participants must wear shin guards! Soccer cleats and mouth guards are not mandatory but are highly recommended. Each child should come to practice with an appropriate sized soccer ball. Coaches have extras but not enough for everyone. Coaches will run drills where every child will need a ball. Please make sure your child comes to games and practices with a water bottle as some of the practice facilities do not have running water. |
| I have a child interested in refereeing. What is the process to have them sign up? | If you have a Middle or High School age child interested in refereeing for the MSC, please have them contact the club’s Vice President by email or phone. You child will be required to attend a short referee clinic held by the club and will need to take and pass the online concussion course linked on our website. Your child will then be placed on a blast email list requesting their availability each week. Referees are assigned based upon experience, age, and how often they are available. |
| How much does the MSC pay their refs?When do they get paid? | The MSC pays refs $13 per hour. We keep records of all games worked each season and send one check out shortly after the end of the season. |
| How much is it to sponsor a rec soccer team in your league? What do sponsors get for their money? | Rec team sponsorship costs $150 per season. Sponsored teams will have the individuals or company’s name printed on the back of their jerseys. Sponsors can provide a logo and a website link to have their company listed on our club’s sponsor page on the website. Sponsors will also receive a photo plaque of their team to hang in their establishments. You are welcome to sponsor more than one team. |
| Can I sponsor a field? | Yes, field sponsorship is available for $400. A banner will be printed with your company’s name and logo and will be hung across the goal of the selected field. The banner will not only be visible during our rec games but by all the travel games and community programs utilizing the fields. The banner will remain until the end of our season. |
| Can I request that my sponsorship follow a particular child? | Yes, assuming there is no previous sponsor in place for that child’s teams. |
| As a sponsor, can I request a particular team jersey? | Yes, assuming the team jersey you want has not been chosen by a previous sponsor. |