| Answers |
| · How
much is the registration fee?
Priority Registration for the Spring 2013 season at the Nashville Youth Soccer Association ends on February 23, 2013. The registration fee for all registrations received during Priority Registration is $90. After that date, there is a $25 late the
fee bringing the total fees to $115. Please note: If registering online, the entire registration transaction must be completed by 10:59pm Central time on February 23, 2013 to avoid the late fee.
When registering online, there is an additional processing fee for paying by credit card. This fee is established by and charged by the company handling the transaction and not by NYSA.
NOTE: If you register a child late (after Priority Registration has ended), NYSA cannot guarantee that we will be able to place the child on a team. If NYSA is unable to place a child on a team, the registration fee will be refunded as detailed in the Cancellation/Refund Policy.
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| · What
does my registration fee purchase?
The registration fee includes:
- soccer jersey, shorts, and socks
- insurance
and registration through
the Tennessee State Soccer
Association
- a participation medal
at the end of the season
- a 10-week soccer season
Please note: The insurance through the Tennessee State Soccer Association is a secondary medical insurance that covers injuries incurred during an NYSA practice or game. This insurance pays out after your primary medical insurance has paid and after you have paid a deductible. This insurance is not intended to be a primary medical insurance policy - that is something that each parent should have for their children.
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| · Is there a discount for multiple children in the same family?
No, there is not. NYSA provides the longest season (10 weeks) in all of Middle Tennessee for what we believe is a great price. NYSA has no paid staff, and therefore all of the registration fees collected go towards uniforms, Tennessee State Soccer registrations of players, field upkeep, and expenses incurred in running the league.
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| · Are there any scholarships available for those who can't afford the registration fees?
Yes, the Board of Directors provides for a limited number of scholarships each season for those who find themselves in financial difficulties. Applicants must complete the Scholarship Application Form and submit it with the required back-up documentation as proof of financial hardship. The Scholarship Application and accompanying back-up documentation must be received by the Board at least one week prior to the last day of Priority Registration (see above for Priority Registration deadline date). The Board will verify the information on the Application and make a decision on the request. If approved, the applicant must agree to work at the fields (in areas such as concessions, field clean up, field mowing/maintenance, etc.) a specified number of hours.
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| · What
am I responsible for providing?
You will need to provide the following
items for your player(s):
- soccer cleats (no toe
cleat - such as what is found on baseball and football cleats)
- shin
guards
- a soccer ball.
Soccer ball size is based
on the player's age group:
 U4-U8
use a size 3 ball
U11
use a size 4 ball
U15
and up use a size
5 ball
You will also need to provide rides to practices and
games. Please remember to bring your child something to
drink at each practice and game. The concession stand
will be open on Saturdays and will have drinks for sale.
And last you will need to provide lots of love and support
for your soccer star.
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· How do I know what if my child is too young or too old to play? In what age division would
my child would play?
The age divisions listed on the Registration form are as follows:
| League |
Birthday ranges |
| Under 4 (U4) |
08/01/09– 07/31/10 |
| Under 5 (U5) |
08/01/08– 07/31/09 |
| Under 6 (U6) |
08/01/07– 07/31/08 |
| Under 8 (U8) |
08/01/05– 07/31/07 |
| Under 11 (U11) |
08/01/02– 07/31/05 |
| Under 15 (U15) |
08/01/98– 07/31/02 |
High School (U19)
*for high school students ONLY* |
08/01/94– 07/31/98 |
Your child would play in the league which includes his/her birthdate. The age divisions are updated each Fall season - meaning the Spring season uses the same birthday ranges as the most recent Fall season. If for example, your child played in the U5 league in the Fall, regardless of whether your child has had a birthday (and is now no longer "under 5",
but 5), he/she would still
play in the U5 league in
the Spring.
The Tennessee State Soccer Association permits a child younger than his/her age group to "play up" to the next age group, but does not permit a child older than his/her age group to "play down" to a lower age group.
Please note: The leagues listed above can only be offered when enough players register to support multiple teams within the league. In the event that there are not enough players registered to play in a specific league, the players will be asigned to the next oldest league.
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| · According to the age divisions, my child is too young. Can't I register him/her?
The primary reason for the minimum age is for the safety of the child. Because our U4 league will have children playing who just turned 4 years old (or will early in the season), we don't want a 2 year old or "young" 3 year old to be hurt. In most cases, there is also a big difference in the physical size, the abilities, and the maturity of a child who is 2.5 or just turned 3 and that of a child who is 4 or 4.5 years old. A secondary reason is because most 2 year olds and "young" three year olds quite honestly cannot understand the concept of a team sport.
That being said however, NYSA recognizes that not all children are alike. There are some young 3 year olds who are much more mature and coordinated than some 4 year olds. NYSA will allow a child who is under the minimum age to be registered only on the condition that one of that child's parents agrees to coach his/her team.
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| · Can
I request a specific coach?
Yes you may, however NYSA cannot and does not guarantee all requests for a coach will be honored. We will try to honor all coach requests received during Priority Registration, however sometimes it is not possible. If we are unable to honor a request, the player will be placed on another team.
Requests are taken on a first come,
first serve basis. Returning team members from the most recent season are given first
priority over players returning players from a past season, coaching change requests. or new players. There is a place on the registration form (if registering online, please enter your request in the player comments section) for requesting a specific coach or team.
Coach requests on registrations received as "late registrations" (received after the Priority Registration deadline) will not be considered. Please refer to the above date (as well as the date on the NYSA registration form) for the registration deadline.
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| · Can
I request that my child be placed on the same team as another player?
Yes you may, but again. NYSA cannot and does not guarantee all requests will be honored. We will try to honor all player requests received during Priority Registration, however sometimes it is not possible. If we are unable to honor a request, the player will be placed on another team.
Requests are taken on a first come,
first serve basis. Returning team members from the most recent season are given first
priority over players returning players from a past season, coaching change requests. or new players. Use the space for requesting a coach on the registration form (if registering online, please enter your request in the player comments section) for requesting a specific coach, player, or team.
Player requests on registrations received as "late registrations" (received after the Priority Registration deadline) will not be considered. Please refer to the above date (as well as the date on the NYSA registration form) for the registration deadline.
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· What happens if there are more requests for a coach than the maximum number of players allowed on the team?
Sometimes we do have coaches that are very much in demand and there are more requests to be on his/her team than we can place due to roster size restrictions (as dictated by the NYSA rules). The first priority for placement goes to the team's returning players from the most recent season. The second priority is given to players that played on that coach's team in a previous season, but not the most recent (for example, if a player plays baseball in the spring, but plays soccer every fall). The next priority is returning NYSA players who are requesting a coach/team change. The final priority goes to brand new players to NYSA. If needed, we use the date and time stamp of the player's registration to determine the order of placement.
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| · When
will I hear from a coach to know when my child has practice?
You should hear from a coach shortly after the Coach's Meeting. If you have not heard from a coach one week after the Coach's Meeting, please contact the league and we will provide you with his/her contact information.
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| · Can I get the name and number of my child's coach earlier than the Coach's Meeting? I want to ask when they're going to practice.
No. NYSA does not begin to
assign players to teams until after the end of Priority
Registration. In fact, the rosters aren't typically finalized until the night before the coach's meeting. As a result, we cannot provide a coach name or number early.
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| · When do you play games? Where do you play games?
Games are played every Saturday during the season. Depending on the number of players registered (and the number of teams we have), games are usually scheduled between 9:00am and 4:00pm.
NYSA is located at the Heartland Soccer Park and that is the location of all games for players in U15 and below. The Heartland Soccer fields are located off McGavock Pike and Fernbrook Drive. For your convenience, we have a map here to help you find us. In addition, you can obtain complete driving directions from http://www.mapquest.com - enter 3135 Heartland Drive as your destination.
For the High School age division, NYSA very often partners with other leagues in the area to provide games. Leagues that we have worked with in the past include those in Gallatin, Goodletsville, Hendersonville, and White House. When we schedule games with outside leagues, we schedule at least one home (NYSA) game and one away (other league's fields), so there may be some travel for this age group. Because the High School age group of the various leagues (including NYSA) often contain a number of the youth referees as players, the games for this age group are generally scheduled for the afternoon. Games are typically scheduled to begin between 12:00 noon and 4:0pm. Occasionally, this age group may also play a small number of games on a weeknight if the home league is one that has lighted fields.
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| · When
are practices held? What days? What time? Where?
Because NYSA is an all-volunteer organization,
each coach determines the practice day and time for his/her
team. NYSA does not assign practice days and
times to teams.
However, NYSA has found that most teams practice one
weeknight evening each week most practices are about an
hour in length (depending on the age group - older ages may practice an hour and a half). Per the NYSA Coach's Code of Conduct, U4, U5, U6, U8 teams practice only one day per week. Teams in the U11, U15 and U19 divisions may practice 2 times per week, but the total time practicing is not to exceed 3 hours per week.
Most practices start between 5:30pm and 6:30pm on weeknights. NYSA understands that most parents of youth players work, and must get home, pick up their child, and then get to the fields for practice and cannot meet much earlier than 5:30pm. Each season, NYSA asks coaches NOT to practice before 5:30pm on weeknights unless EVERY parent on the team agrees that they can meet for practice at an earlier time.
All teams are to practice at the NYSA fields - there are no exceptions.
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| · Can
I request that my child be
placed on a team that practices
on a specific day?
Unfortunately, no - since NYSA does not know at the
time a child is placed on a
team when the coach will have
practice, we are unable to
place children on teams that practice on specific
days.
NYSA completely understands the desire to know practice schedules, game schedules, etc. in advance. Every season, dozens of NYSA families have multiple children playing soccer and other sports. Much of the time, several Board Members will have three or more players playing - so we are very sympathetic to this question.
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· How many players are on a team?
The depends on the age of the team - the older the players are, the more players are on the team. For example, on the U4 teams, there are only 6 players per team and the U15 teams have about 15-16 players per team. Please see our page containing the modified FIFA rules at http://www.nysa-soccer.org/rules.htm and click on the specific league you're interested - the document lists the maximum number of players.
For the U4, U5, U6, and U8 age groups, the number of players on a team is limited so that every players is guaranteed to play half of each game. For example, in U4 there are six players assigned to a team so that while three players are on the field, the other three are resting. In these younger age groups, substitutions are only made at the quarter breaks.
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· Are the teams co-ed, or are there all girls teams and all boys teams?
The league is a co-ed league. We make a very strong effort to make sure that all teams are co-oed. However, if we have many more boys than girls register in a given season, we may not be able to place girls on every team.
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| · The registration form includes a section about volunteering. Do I *have to* volunteer?
No, NYSA does not require parents
and/or guardians to volunteer
- but we respectfully ask that
you DO volunteer at least one
hour during the season for
something.
Because NYSA is
an all-volunteer organization
(there are no paid positions
on the Board), volunteers
are absolutely vital to the
success and growth of NYSA.
It also doesn't matter how old you
are: we have volunteers
as young as seven years old
as well as grandparents helping
out on game days. There
are many areas that you can help
- see http://www.nysa-soccer.org/faq-vol_coaches.htm#1 for
a description of some of
the areas where we could
use your help.
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| · How
do I register?
You may register online by clicking here,
or you may download
the PDF Registration form (link for the form is on the front page of the NYSA web site during registration) to
be filled out and mailed to
NYSA with your payment. You
can also watch the website
for sign up dates and locations
that will take place in the
final few weeks prior to the end of Priority Registration.
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· When does the season start and end?
The Spring 2013 season will begin with the first games on March 16, 2013 and end on May 18, 2013.
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| · What is the cancellation/refund policy?
All requests for refunds must be in writing and signed by a parent or guardian. E-mailed requests are not acceptable. Requests for refunds should be mailed to:
Nashville Youth Soccer Association
P.O. Box 140454
Nashville, Tennessee 37214
Refund requests received on or before the last day of Priority Registration are refunded in full. If you register your child "late" (after Priority Registration has ended), the late fee is non-refundable. Please refer to the dates and refund amounts below:
Spring 2013 season:
- Refund requests received on or before February 23, 2013: Full refund
- Refund requests received after February 23, 2013 but on or before March 9, 2013: $25 cancellation fee
-Unused uniform must also be returned by this date, or no refund will be made
- Refund requests received after March 9, 2013: No refund
No refunds will be granted to those who break the rules or the policies of NYSA.
If you register online, the processing fee charged by the vendor for the credit card transaction is non-refundable.
If you register your child late, and NYSA is unable to place your child on a team, NYSA will issue you a refund for the fees paid (minus the non-refundable late fee).
Refunds are usually processed within a few weeks after the season begins.
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