In the Spring, no games are scheduled over the Memorial Day weekend, though games are usually scheduled on the Saturday before Easter. In the Fall, the final (11th) weekend consists of a jamboree (tournament-style event) for players in the Under-8 and older age groups and is played on both Saturday and Sunday. There is no end-of-season jamboree during the Spring season. See Game Schedules for the Saturday game and tournament schedules or:
View recreational (Division IV) schedules U-6 to U-14
View competitive (Division III) & Division I U-10 & U-19 schedules
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Weekday Practices
Under-5's and Under-6's do not have a weekday practice.
Under-7's and Under-8's have ONE weekday practice per week.
Under-9's, Under 10's and older age groups have TWO weekday practices per week in the fall season. In spring (because of reduced field availability while sharing with our baseball and softball friends), practices are scheduled once per week with a second practice added if fields space opens up.
The two available practice time slots are typically:
4:00 to 5:30 pm, or
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Monday through Friday.
Practice days and times are chosen by the parent volunteer coach. Registrants may indicate on their registration form any days they are NOT available to practice. After the teams are formed, players will receive a call from the coach who will inform them of team membership, the practice schedule and game schedule.
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Signing up
FALL – walk-in registration sessions are held in APRIL/MAY.
SPRING – walk-in registration sessions are held in JANUARY/FEBRUARY.
SUMMER – walk-in registration sessions overlap with fall sessions, plus an on-line registration option until the sessions are filled.
Late registration (with $25/$50 late fee) is always open on-line until the start of the season.
Click on
Registration at left to find:
- the dates/times of registration sessions
- what to bring to registration
- location: usually at Cornell School at
901 Cornell St. near Solano Ave. in Albany.
- on-line registration
Players who are registered on time will be placed on a team, and will have priority over late registrants for team preferences, etc. Late online registrants will be placed on teams on a space-available basis only. If for any reason your child is not placed on a team, you will receive a full refund by taking a couple simple steps to request it: Click on
Refunds at left for instructions. Wondering about tryouts? If your child is new to soccer, you are likely headed for our 'recreational' Division IV teams which do not require tryouts. To find out about our 'competitive' Division III teams, click on
Programs at left for more details.
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Registration Fees
Fall Season - new and returning players
$90 total for Under-5's
$130/$145 basic registration fee per U6/older player
$100 per family refundable volunteer deposit
$230/$245 total initial payment
Spring Season - players returning from the previous Fall season
$70 total for Under-5's
$60/$80 basic registration fee per U6/older player
$100 per family refundable volunteer deposit
$160/$180 total initial payment
Spring Season - new players, and players who skipped the previous Fall season
$230/$245 total initial payment, same as Fall Season fees
Summer Season - new and returning players (Under-5's only)
$50 total for Under-5's
$40 - $70 for a uniform, purchased by each player separately from registration fees
Partial and full scholarships are available by request at walk-in registration. Scholarship questions?
Call Julie Anderson at 510-526-3912.
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Uniforms
ABSC players in the younger age groups purchase a royal blue and yellow reversible jersey, blue shorts, white socks, mandatory shin guards, optional but recommended soccer cleats. New and used reversible jerseys can be purchased at the Blue Barn Clubhouse at 777 Harrison St @ 4th St, Berkeley 94710. Division III and older players purchase uniforms through their team manager. Click
Uniforms at left for open shop hours and more information.
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Terminology - Under-what?
Our league divides players into (mostly) two-year age groups, called: Under-5, Under-6, Under-8, Under-10, Under-12, Under-14, Under-16 and Under-19. Players are ‘under’ the stated age as of July 31 before the fall season. For example, a player who is younger than 6 years of age by July 31 before the start of the fall season is placed in the Under-6 age group. A player remains in the same age group for the entire soccer year: Fall – Spring. Many players will turn 6 while still playing in the Under-6 age group. Players close to the age cut-off can request placement on a team in an older age group, but NEVER in a younger age group than that specified by the birth date (even if missing the age cut-off by only one day). "Playing up" in an older age group requires the registrar's consent as well as a recommendation of readiness from a previous coach.
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Age Groups
Players register with ABSC in an age group based on birth date. Sometimes a player '
plays up' in an older age group under special circumstances.
See the current Birth Date Ranges for age groups here.
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Under-5's Are Just Getting Started
Four-year-olds step onto the field in our "pressure free" introduction to the world's most popular sport. The program is a first step for our youth to have fun playing soccer and to let the game be the teacher. Saturday’s only, in fall, spring and summer. Group class sessions are led by head coach. No "teams" are formed, but players scrimmage for part of each session. ABSC jersey required, but any shorts or sweatpants plus sneakers will do. A parent must attend and supervise. Click Programs > Under-5’s at left for more info.
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Under 6's Are Special
ABSC usually has about 10 coed teams in the Under-6 age group. Under-6's do not have a weekday practice, but have a 90-minute time slot for Saturday games. The first 30 minutes of this time slot is used for warm-ups and instruction from the coach; then the following hour is used for the micro-soccer game. A game consists of two 20-minute halves, with a 10-minute refreshment break between the halves. The two teams each split in half to play two games simultaneously, five on five.
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Are We a Club or a League?
The Albany-Berkeley Soccer Club is one of five clubs within the
Alameda-Contra Costa Youth Soccer League (ACCYSL). The other clubs in our league are the
Richmond United Soccer Club, the
Mersey Soccer Club, the
El Cerrito Soccer Club and the
San Pablo Soccer Club.
Founded in 1975, ABSC has approximately 1,500 players (as of Fall 2008 - and growing) and is the largest club in the league, providing about 45% of the league's players. Families register with the club of their choice, and the league arranges the Saturday matches and tournament schedules so that teams from all the clubs play each other. This is why we often see a variety of soccer uniforms on the fields at the Saturday matches. The league is responsible for providing referees, readjusting the match schedules as necessary mid-season for a better match-up of opponents of similar ability. The league also takes care of registering our club with the California Youth Soccer Association which provides our insurance coverage, and determines the paperwork and requirements for registering our players.
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ABSC is Run by Volunteers
ABSC is run by the help of hundreds of parent volunteers who do everything from coaching to registering players, to maintaining fields, to serving on the board of directors, to name only a few jobs. The club has several part-time staff members who organize and support these efforts. If you register your child with us, you will be given the opportunity to volunteer to help run the club. For more information about volunteering, please see the
Volunteers page.
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Questions?
Please click
Contact Us at the top of the screen to send a message to one of our staff. See also
FAQ link at left. Thanks for your interest in our club!
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