Due to COVID-19, this season we are offering only an in-town program for players in Grades 1 through 8.

The program is grouped by age (Grades 1&2, Grades 3&4, Grades 5&6, and Grades 7&8) and consists of 1 practice a week for Grades 1&2 and 2 practices a week for other ages, plus one competitive fun activity on Saturday. All practices and activities will adhere to current state and Mass Youth Soccer guidelines for non-contact, socially distanced youth sports.

Practices start the week of September 21 with the first Saturday activity on September 26th. The season will run for 6 weeks with the last Saturday activity on October 31st.

The fee is $75 and registration closed on August 31. The cancellation fee is $25 on or before September 20,  no refund after September 20.

Registration requests after August 31, 2020 will be assessed a $25 late fee per registrant and are subject to availability. To be placed on the wait list, click here to register and you will be notified if there is space available.

Team Composition

This season our teams are grouped by age (Grades 1&2, Grades 3&4, Grades 5&6 and Grades 7&8).  They are balanced for skill levels since our competitions will be in town only. Also, the teams are all co-ed.  These steps were necessary to provide enough teams for competition, the right balance of kids to volunteers, and the right balance of skills on each team so no team had a competitive advantage over another. 

Note that the teams are not ordered, i.e. Team 1 is no better than Team 10,  etc. Each team in an age group should be equal in overall skill level.

Rules for Spectators

All spectators must wear a face covering at all times while outside the car and maintain a 6 foot distance from anyone else.

Only 1 spectator per player is allowed near the field (minors are allowed as needed to accommodate child care requirements).

Face Coverings and Social Distancing for Players

** The only allowable face coverings for players are those that have only ear loops and do *not* go around the head. This means gaiters and other masks that attach behind the head are prohibited. This is due to a potential choking hazard if the face covering is inadvertently pulled by another player.

1. All players must be in possession of an approved face covering at all times (even if just in their hands or in their pocket).

2. Face coverings must be worn (covering the mouth and nose) to and from the car and when on the sidelines during games/drills.

3. Face coverings must be worn (covering the mouth and nose) on the field during games/drills whenever players come within 10 feet of anyone.

4. When on the field but not within 10 feet of anyone, face coverings may be kept pulled down, etc. for easier breathing, as long as the face covering can be quickly pulled over the mouth and nose before coming within 10 feet of anyone.

Practices

Practices start the week of Sep 21st and end by October 30th. Your player's coach will contact you to let you know what time the practices will start. Note that due to the changing sunset times, practice times will need to be adjusted throughout the season to ensure that practices are completed before dark.

**All players must submit a signed waiver to their coach before being able to practice with the team. Click here for the waiver to print out and sign. By signing this waiver you are promising to comply with the guidelines on the waiver for every practice and game the player attends.

Games

By "games" we mean the Human Foosball activity scheduled for Saturdays. It is not a standard soccer game, but it is competitive nonetheless while maintaining separation between players. Click here for a description of this game.

First games will be on Saturday September 26th and will continue for 6 weeks with the last games on Saturday October 31st.

Players and spectators must not arrive for games earlier than 5 minutes before game start, and once the game is over players and spectators must immediately clear the fields so that we can bring in the next group.  We are building in 25 minute gaps between games to facilitate this but because of the restrictions on the total number of people allowed we will need to clear the space quickly in anticipation of the next group arriving.

Modified Gameplay

In addition to the face covering rules above, the following rules are mandated by Mass Youth Soccer for all practices and games:

1. No intentional player-to-player contact is allowed, on or off the field. High-fives, fist bumps, etc. are also prohibited.

2. No touching the ball or other shared equipment with hands. The exception to this is that the keeper can touch the ball when necessary and sanitize their hands as often as possible.

3. No heading the ball.

4. Throw-ins are replaced by kick-ins, corner kicks are replaced by corner kick-ins, dropped balls are replaced by free kicks.

5. No slide tackles.

6. Players must remain at least 6 feet from other players for all restarts.

Player Equipment

Every player should wear/bring the following equipment to every practice and game:

• Two shirts: One white and one maroon/dark

• Face covering (and an extra in case one breaks or gets lost/contaminated)

• Hand sanitizer

• Soccer ball (Size 3 for grades 1&2, size 4 for grades 3-6, and size 5 for grades 7&8)

• Water bottle

• Shin pads and socks, soccer cleats (no baseball cleats) or sneakers

Players are not allowed to share equipment or to touch any other players equipment, including soccer balls, etc.

Bathrooms

There are no porta-potties at any fields due to Covid restrictions. Please ensure your players go to the bathroom before soccer activities.

CYSA Is committed to ensuring a safe "return to soccer" season. An overview of the steps we are taking includes:

• All youth soccer programs in the state must abide by the Mass Youth Soccer guidelines as detailed on their web site (click here).

• Face covering policy, social distancing guidelines, and gameplay modifications are described above in the Parents Guide.

• Parents and players must comply with the rules described in the Mass Youth Soccer Player Waiver

• Each team has a COVID Coordinator who takes attendance at every activity (for contact tracing purposes) and helps the coach ensure that COVID guidelines are being followed.

** If you see anyone not complying with any of the COVID guidelines, please notify your team's COVID Coordinator or email the CYSA President ([email protected]) so we can correct the problem.