Here’s how ABSC assigns players to recreational teams:

On-Time Signups:

*  The club staff and volunteer age commissioners create recreational soccer teams to accommodate virtually all recreational players who sign up on time.

* Players may indicate requests for coach/team, buddy, and for practice day conflict when registering on-line or in person.                                                                                     
 
*  Volunteer age commissioners assign players to the recreational teams. The age commissioners try to grant all player requests for a particular team or buddy, while avoiding practice day conflicts, and adhering to the protocol listed below.  Most players get their first choice; when we can't accommodate a first choice, we give the next best option or contact the family to confirm other choices.  We place new players on a team with at least one friend or schoolmate when possible.  We know that carpooling and the social aspects of the program are very important!

*  In keeping with the recreational nature of the program, team placement on the recreational teams is driven by player choice, not coach choice.  While the coach is welcome to invite players to *request* him/her as coach, the final roster is determined by the club staff.  This allows the club to balance out the team sizes across an age group and give players their full share of playing time at games.  We do our best to grant your requests!  Our recreational coaches have been wonderful in welcoming players of all skill levels on their varied rosters, and promoting our program of sportsmanship, skill-building and FUN.  (See Competitive Program for comparison to team formation based on tryouts and coach invitation.)
 
*  Players will be notified if the registrar discovers problems with their paperwork that would keep their registration from being complete and therefore keep them from getting assigned to a team.

Late Signups:

* Recreational players who sign up late pay a late fee and are assigned to a team:
    * after the on-time registrants,
    * in order of date of registration,
    * after their paperwork is completed, and
    * if there is space on a team, according to club guidelines for team sizes.
* Late registrants might not be assigned to a team initially. 

     BUT! A spot on a team may open up by the first week of the season. We will contact you right away if it does.It costs nothing to wait until the the season starts, because players not assigned to a team can always request a full refund. 

     AND! Don't forget we offer the Jr Academy and Academy for players in Under-6 through Under-12, which is a weekday drop-in program.  Tons of fun, no weekend meetings/games, an excellent way to spend the season.  Our registrar can easily shift your registration to the Jr/Academy when the time comes if you wish.
 
Priority System for Placement of Players on a Requested Team

1.  Coach’s own child.   :-)
 
2.  Player who registers on time, who requests same team from previous Fall** or Spring. 
 
3.  Player who registers on time, and has played for ABSC in a prior season.
 
4.  New player who registers on time.
 
5.  Player who registers late, if space is available.

**Note:  In forming Fall rosters, team membership from the previous Fall trumps team membership from the previous Spring, even though Spring was the more recent season.  So a player who plays with the Golden Gargoyls in Fall, then plays another sport in Spring, then returns to ABSC the following Fall and requests the Golden Gargoyls again will be given priority over a player who only joined the Golden Gargoyls in Spring.  Our hope is to allow all players to return to their previous team! But when a Fall team is oversubscribed, the previous Fall roster has priority over the previous Spring roster.  
 
Optimum Team Size Guidelines
(includes 3 to 4 substitutes)
 
Under-6:     12 players          (2-3 squads of 4v4 on the field simultaneously, no goalie)
Under-7:     12 players          (2-3 squads of 4v4 on the field simultaneously, no goalie)
Under-8:     9-10 players      (6v6, including goalie)
Under-9:     11-12  players    (8v8, including goalie)
Under-10:   12-13 players     (8v8, including goalie)
Under-12:   14-16 players     (11v11, including goalie - Spring 7v7 option is offered)
Under-14:   14-16 players     (11v11, including goalie - Spring 7v7 option is offered)
 
Under-5 Class size:  25 max