House League

Great Falls Soccer Club House League is a recreational soccer program designed to provide a balanced, fun environment for the player who desires to learn the game, advance ball control skills, and participate in small-sided games against other neighborhood teams. House League teams are formed in the U6 and U7 age groups with mixed (boys and girls) participation. At U8 and U9/U10, players may elect to play on an All Girls team, or to continue to play on a coed team. Our experience in the past is that our coed teams tend to be 90-95% boys as most girls have opted to play on girls teams. Recreational players who are U11-U17 age groups play in the Suburban Friendship League (SFL) and should see our SFL page for additional information.

All House league teams practice one night a week and play games each weekend (Saturdays) during the spring and fall soccer seasons. Our schedules are set by coach availability so we do not generally know practice schedules until teams are formed in August or March. Generally teams practice at 5:00 or 6:00 for an hour. All House league teams are coached by parent coaches and we actively encourage parents to volunteer to coach a team or to act as an assistant coach. No prior coaching experience or soccer knowledge is required - HI-PerformanceSoccerAcademy provides training to all our Coaches, and assists in running about half of each team’s weekly practice sessions. All practices and games are on local Great Falls soccer fields (some are located in nearby Reston or Herndon addresses) and game play is against other Great Falls teams in the same age group.

Additional, optional skills training sessions are available to all players, via weekend skills training programs, spring break and summer camp programs, and winter indoor skills training.

All House League players are required to wear soccer cleats, soccer socks, and shin guards. Additionally, all players must wear a Great Falls soccer uniform. Uniform kits may be purchased when registering for any season but once purchased can be used until the uniform no longer fits. If a player is moving up from Little Kickers then a new jersey should be ordered. Each player should bring a ball and water to every practice. In addition to jerseys, socks and shorts, as well as Great Falls Soccer Club logo balls, may be ordered during registration.

The cost of registration includes professional training at half of each team’s training sessions, all referee fees, insurance, club administrative costs, and field maintenance fees. Great Falls bears all costs of maintaining Great Falls fields - including all lawn care/maintenance, applying field lining each week, and all fertilization treatments.

Any questions regarding the House League should be addressed to the Age Group Coordinator for your player's age group, the Vice President of Recreational Programs or to the Club Administrator. See Steering Committee page for additional information.

Age Group Dates for 2009 – 2010 Seasonal Year and Playing Locations

Little Kickers – at least 3 years old, and born after 7/31/2004 - Lockmeade

U6 – 8/1/2003 – 7/31/2004 - Lockmeade

U7 – 8/1/2002 – 7/31/2003 – Grand Hamptons

U8 – 8/1/2002 – 7/31/2002 – Grange and Buzz Aldrin

U9 – 8/1/2000 – 7/31/2001 – BC 8

U10 – 8/1/1999 – 7/31/2000 – BC 8

Placement guidelines:

- Registration software places players by birthdate

- Players with July/August birthdays can opt to “play up” with their school grade classmates by checking a box on the registration system

- On an exception basis, other player may play up – needs Director of Recreation approval for exceptions

- Players cannot “play down” unless they have Director of Recreation approval and exceptional circumstances (ie – developmental delays, significant medical issues, etc)