When registering your child, remember it is based on how old they are or will be on August 1st of the soccer season you are registering for. For this current soccer year (2010-2011), it is how old the player is (or will be) on August 1, 2010 no matter if you are registering on June 30, 2010 or March 1, 2011.

Who Can Play?

Instructional soccer (Lil' Strikers) is open to all boys and girls with birth dates between August 2, 2006 and August 1, 2007.
Recreational soccer is open to ALL boys and girls ages 4 - 13. Youngest players must be four years old and the maximum age is 13 by August 1, 2010.
Travel soccer: Players must have attended tryouts in June and were notified of acceptance to a team.

This page contains a summary of all programs HCSC has to offer:

Recreational:

This is a non-competitive league. There is no official score keeping and no official winner or loser. This league encourages participation of players regardless of skill level. Coaches are encouraged to focus on teaching the rules of the game, skill development, teamwork and sportsmanship as winning is not the focus of this league. Teams play only against teams in the same age group and of the same gender.

Teams are randomly formed by age group and gender. The coach is a parent volunteer and their child (ren) will be placed on their team. The practice schedule (nights and frequency) are at the discretion of the volunteer coach.

All registrations must be done on line and paid for in full prior to the start of the season.
Registration for BOTH the Fall and Spring seasons normally begins at the end of May and runs to early August.
Spring only regular registration runs from early January until mid March If your child is placed on a wait list, it is due to the lack of volunteer coaches. Please consider coaching your child's team!
Late fees will also be charged to all registrations entered after the end of regular registration. Register early.
Recreational players may elect to "play up" one league (e.g. 7 year-old in U10 (for players ages 8 and 9)). This is primarily designed for players who have later fall birth dates and wish to be with their respective grade level. You do need to register your child in their respect age group and then place your request during the registration process in the appropriate area. We cannot guarantee that all requests will be honored. Payment of the difference between the leagues (if any) must be done before team placement will occur. If there is a price difference between programs, it is suggested that you should not submit payment until approval has been granted.

Teams can expect to play 9 or 10 games in the fall beginning the first weekend after Labor Day and ending late October and 7 or 8 during the spring session beginning usually in April and ending with Soccer Saturday in June.

The A, B and C league teams’ games are played on Saturdays mornings between 9 am and 4 pm with the potential of 2 or 3 weeknight games beginning around 6 pm. D league teams’ games are normally played on Sundays between 2 and 4 pm and on Fridays about 6 pm. D teams can expect to have Saturday games scheduled during the year, one in September and several on Soccer Saturday in June.

As part of your recreational registration fee, each player will receive a complete game uniform consisting of team colored soccer jersey, shorts and socks. Additional equipment that a player will need to purchase:

Soccer shoes: Must be soccer shoes with plastic cleats, no tennis shoes. Shoes with any metal on the bottom is prohibited by club rules.
Soccer shin guards: Mandatory for games and practices to protect players. Socks are worn OVER the shin guards.
Soccer ball: Many team practice activities will require everyone to have a ball. Below are the sizes necessary per age group:

“A league (U6)”: a # 3 size ball is required.

“B league (U8) “: a #4 size ball is required.

"C league (U10": a #4 size ball is required

“D league (U14)”: a #4 size ball is required.

Water bottle: Recommended for both practice and games.

These items can be purchased at many local discount and sporting goods stores.

The volunteer coach will contact you 1 to 2 weeks before the start of the first game of when they will begin practices.

Lil' Strikers Instructional Program

Lil’ Strikers is an instructional program designed for younger children and this season is for only those children who were turn 4 after August 1, 2010. This is the youngest age group for HCSC. A responsible adult is required to stay at all sessions. Please keep this in mind when you are registering.

All registrations must be done on-line and paid for prior to the start of the session.

The instructional sessions are all held at the soccer fields on Bennett Park West (a.k.a Merrill fields); field A-3, the small field closest to the concession stand. All sessions will be on Wednesday evenings at 5:30 pm. We have registration options for both fall and spring, fall only or spring only. Spring only registration will open at the end of October 2010.
Dates: Fall session: Wednesday evenings at 5:30 pm September 15-October 13, 2010. Sessions canceled due to severe weather will be rescheduled and you will be notified via email of the make up date(s). Spring session will begin around mid-late April 2011 until mid-late May 2011.
Player registration includes a t-shirt. Players must bring a #3 soccer ball and water to every session. For safety reasons, shin guards and outdoor soccer shoes with non-metal cleats are necessary. No indoor soccer shoes or any shoes with any metal on the bottom will be allowed.

Travel:

Hamburg United is the competitive branch for the Hamburg Community Soccer Club and is different from the recreational program because a tryout process is required. These try-outs are held every year for one week beginning around June 12^th.

Travel teams start at U8 and is intended for those players who desire to compete at the highest level of soccer. Players must have a strong desire to maintain good physical conditioning, increase their skill levels while striving to improve the quality of their team. Hamburg United players often go on to play at the high school and/or college level. Participation in this program requires a high degree of commitment from both the players and parents.

All registrations must be done on-line by 8/1/2010.
HCSC reserves the right to withhold uniforms and/or pass cards to any player who fails to meet their financial obligation.