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(Scroll down for answers.)
1) What are the birth date ranges for Fall 2007-Spring 2008 age groups?
2) What if my player wants to play in a different age group?
3) My child is 10. Why is he assigned to an Under-10 team?
4) What are Under-7 and Under-9 teams? How do I register my player for one of those teams?
5) What if my player wants to play on a coed team?
6) Why do you want the player's mother’s birthdate?
What if my player has two fathers or two mothers?
Or what if my player is adopted and we don’t know the biological mother’s birthdate?
7) How do I register my player for a competitive soccer team?
9) What if my application is late?
10) I paid online—am I done?
11) When and where are practices?
12) What if the practice schedule doesn't work for me?
13) When does the season start?
14) What about uniforms and equipment?
15) How do I get back my $100 volunteer deposit?
16) Which adults need to register themselves?
1) What are the birth date ranges for Fall 2007-Spring 2008 age groups?
Under-5: 8-31-02 to 7-31-03
Under-6: 8-1-01 to 7-31-02
Under-8: 8-1-99 to 7-31-01
Under-10: 8-1-97 to 7-31-99
Under-12: 8-1-95 to 7-31-97
Under-14: 8-1-93 to 7-31-95
Under-16: 8-1-91 to 7-31-93
Under-19: 8-1-88 to 7-31-91
2) What if my player wants to play in a different age group?
National rules forbid a player to “play down” with a younger age group (except in extremely rare situations such as with a doctor’s letter about a disability). A player who wants to “play up” with an older age group can prepay online using their true birthdate, in their true age group, and note the request to on the application or online. Please alert the registrar right away at absc2register@yahoo.com for reassignment. For safety reasons, playing up requires a coach's recommendation and the registrar’s approval. A player who is born in September through January after the age cutoff may reasonably ask to play in an older age group. Please don't ask to “play up” if the player's birthday is more than one year earlier than the older group's cut-off date. Skilled players looking for a challenge should consider Division III competitive soccer (click on 'Class III' in left sidebar menu).
3) My child is 10. Why is he assigned to an Under-10 team?
The age cutoffs are always "age as of July 31 before the fall season," so players play the same age group for the entire school year (Fall season and the following Spring season). Teams usually get remixed when some players graduate to the next age group. This is a good way for players to make new friends and get coached by new coaches. If we had “age-pure” teams, players could never play with friends on the other side of the age cut-off.
4) What are Under-7 and Under-9 teams? How do I register my player for one of those teams?
These are further subdivisions of the Under-8 and Under-10 age groups. You can request them when you register your player in Under-8 and Under-10, just like you request placement with a friend or particular coach. These age groups have special formats; for instance, Under-7 plays “micro-soccer” with no goalies and 6 players on a side. Normally ABSC Under-8 and Under-10 teams include players who are young enough to play Under-7 or Under-9 as well. It’s common for an Under-8 or Under-10 team to have a first year where most of its players are on the young side of the age range, and a second year where most of its players are on the older side of the age range. Also, age-pure Under-7 or Under-9 teams may even be scheduled to play younger Under-8 or Under-10 teams.
5) What if my player wants to play on a coed team?
Under-5 players meet on Saturdays in a large coed group but will be separated periodically into groups of 3 that may or may not be coed. Under-6 teams are usually all coed, although some teams may end up having all boys. Any older player who wants to play coed should ask for a coed team. Under-8 coed teams are common. However, they are listed as a boys’ team and will probably be scheduled to play all-boys teams most of the time. A girl may ask to play on a boys' team at any age.
6) Why do you want the player's mother’s birthdate?
Sorry about this new requirement! The state organization is trying to standardize and cross-reference players, so it’s giving all players a new ID number to use from now on, including this birth date (month and day only – not year). What if my player has two fathers or two mothers? Or what if my player is adopted and we don’t know the biological mother’s birthdate? If there is only one adoptive mother, please use her birth date. If the player has two fathers or two mothers, and one is the biological parent, please use the birth date of the biological parent. If the player is adopted jointly by a same-gender couple, neither of whom are the biological parent, please use the birth date of the same-gender parent whose last name comes first alphabetically.
7) How do I register my player for a competitive soccer team?
Most players in ABSC play recreational (Division 4) soccer. There are NO competitive ABSC Division 3 teams for players in Under-10 and younger, although Under-10 players can request a RecPlus team. The fall competitive soccer teams (Div 3 and Div 1) are formed by invitation only, following tryouts in the previous March and April (dates posted at www.abscsoccer.com and www.accysl.org). Division 1 players (Mavericks) register through the league; Div 3 players register through their club. Div 3 players usually give their applications to their coaches, although they may prepay online and hand in their applications at walk-in registration sessions. The ABSC competitive Div 3 registrar is Karen Steinmeyer, ksteinmeyer@alumni.ucsd.edu, 510-558-0634.
9) What if my application is late?
Applications received after the walk-in registration sessions are considered to be late registrations for the wait list and incur an additional $50 late fee. For the late registration procedure, see www.abscsoccer.com, click on Registration in the left sidebar menu. Whether late registrants get placed on a team depends on space available after the club accommodates on-time registrants. Late registrants who are not placed on a team can request a refund.
10) I paid online—am I done?
Probably not! It depends. For the fall season: Your registration is only complete after you turn in a hard copy of the application, with two signatures (in blue or other colored ink – not black), plus a tiny color photo (for players registering in Under-9 and older) and a copy of a birth certificate or passport (for locations and times see www.abscsoccer.com, click Registration in left sidebar menu). Teams of on-time applicants should be formed by mid-June. After you’re placed on a team, you should get a phone call and an email with your coach contact information. For the spring season: Players who played with ABSC in the previous fall only have to pay online and do not have to turn in any more paperwork. Players who did NOT play with ABSC the previous fall must turn in complete paperwork.
11) When and where are practices?
Under-5 and Under-6 do not have weekday practices, but practice and play only on Saturdays. Under-8 teams practice once a week; older teams practice twice a week. A draft practice schedule should be posted on www.abscsoccer.com several weeks before the season starts. Usually fields open for practices only a week or two before games start.
12) What if the practice schedule doesn't work for me?
It's difficult to move a player from one team to another, and not all such requests can be accommodated; so please consider all other options (such as rescheduling other activities, or carpooling with teammates) before requesting a new team. All requests to change teams go through the registrar. In the fall season, there may also be paperwork to transfer.
13) When does the season start?
The games are scheduled by the league to which we belong, the Alameda-Contra Costa Youth Soccer League and should be posted on www.mysoccerleague.com . Fall games usually begin the Saturday after the ABSC Opening Day Soccer Festival on Labor Day, and continue through mid-November, with an end-of-season Jamboree (tournament) for older teams on the weekend before Thanksgiving. Spring games start in late March or early April, and end in late May or early June.
14) What about uniforms and equipment?
The club provides balls and other team equipment, but individual players must buy shin guards, shoes and uniforms for themselves. You can buy soccer cleats at any sporting goods store. Baseball cleats are not allowed. Click on Uniforms on the left sidebar menu for a description of the uniform and location of our sales shop (uniforms available new and used). Older teams and competitive (Div 3) teams buy the ABSC upgraded Puma uniform – royal blue shorts, shirt and socks, with yellow shirt for away games--through the club manager, Steven Morrison abscmanager@yahoo.com 510-229-0721.
15) How do I get back my $100 volunteer deposit?
You can request a refund when you have finished at least 8 hours of volunteer work for the club for the season. (This is in addition to bringing snacks for your team!) You pick preferred volunteer jobs when you register your player. There are frequently clerical work parties, and we need many field marshals each weekend. We also need Events Coordinators, Board Members, etc. If no one contacts you about volunteer work, call the Volunteer Coordinator, Marianne Fisher, volunteer4absc@sbcglobal.net, 510-525-7720. For a description of volunteer jobs, click on Volunteers in the left sidebar menu, and for the refund procedure, click on Refunds in the left sidebar menu. If you want to be a coach, let the registrar know. If you want to be an assistant coach or team manager, arrange it with your coach at the beginning of the season and ask the coach exactly how s/he would like you to support the team that season. Coaches, assistant coaches, and team managers who are returning to the same team can select a waiver of the volunteer deposit at the beginning of the online registration process.
16) Which adults need to register themselves?
For insurance purposes, each team must have at least one officially registered adult at each practice and game. Two is better. This is usually the coach and assistant coach, because every adult who plans to coach a game should have an adult pass. You don't have to officially register yourself as assistant coach or team manager to get credit for volunteer hours, nor do you have to officially register yourself in order to act as assistant coach or team manager, unless you plan to run a practice or game in the absence of one of the officially registered adults. How does an adult register? You may register yourself in person at a walk-in registration session, or on line through www.Sportability.com. If you sign up online, please print and submit a signed adult application (generated by the sign-up process) and photo, to get your adult pass. Adult registration is free. | 
