The Southlake Recreational program is meant for youth that want to learn the game of soccer, but with more emphasis placed on playing with friends and having fun. Recreational teams have less time and cost commitment than select teams, and travel time to games is less than for select teams. Southlake tries to keep costs low so that all youth can play, regardless of the financial situation of their family. As a result, rec teams are coached and managed by volunteers. Coaches are encouraged to complete coach certification courses to provide them the skills to better train their players, but it is not required.
Southlake starts forming recreational teams at U9, and has teams at all age groups up to U19. All players on recreational teams should play at least 50% of the time during matches.
There are no tryouts for recreational teams. All youth that register get to play until team rosters are full. Returning players will be assigned to the team that they played on in the prior season, provided they register before the early registration deadline. Teams can start scheduling practices with Southlake during the summer at local turf or grass fields such as Hazen HS, Foster HS, Maywood MS, Starfire, McKnight MS, Ron Regis Park, Honeydew Elementary, among others. Select teams have priority at turf fields. All Southlake recreational teams play in the South Sound United League (SSUL) for both fall and spring seasons.
Southlake volunteers are happy to answer any and all questions about recreational soccer, but we very much appreciate you consulting this FAQ page first to see if your question can be answered without contacting us directly.
If your question is not answered below, feel free to contact any of the Southlake Board Members for help.
The cost is $150 for age groups U10 -U19. After early registration is over on August 1st, the registration fee increases by $10.
A uniform shirt will be provided by Southlake soccer club, or a team decision may require your player purchase a uniform. Players must supply their own soccer shoes, shin guards, and soccer ball. The appropriate ball sizes are:
*Yes, it really does matter that your child practice with the right size ball!
Practices may begin as early as late March. The decision of when to start practice is made by your player’s assigned coach. Please keep in mind that spring break is a time when many people take vacations, so some teams may begin practice earlier than others. The first regular season games for all teams begin the April 23-24 weekend.
Practices may begin as early as mid-August. The decision of when to start practice is made by your player’s assigned coach. Please keep in mind that August is a time when many people take vacations, so some teams may begin practice earlier than others. For U11-U18, the first regular season games begin the weekend after Labor Day. For U10, the fall season starts with the Southlake jamboree on the first weekend after Labor Day, with regular season games starting the following weekend.
Coaches packets and rosters will be handed out to coaches the second or third week of August. Coaches will contact their players and inform them of practice times and locations. As mentioned above, August is a prime time for vacations and some coaches will start practice a little later than others for this reason. Please allow time for the coach to contact you. We receive many calls during this time of year with parents checking on who their coach is – this creates a great deal of work for our volunteer staff. We appreciate your patience!
Practices for all age groups are held at various fields within the Greater Renton-Tukwila boundaries. Home games will be played within those boundaries, away games can be anywhere in the Puget Sound area.
Games are generally played on Saturdays, but older age groups can also have games on Sundays.
See the League Age Chart.
Typically game schedules come out 7 to 10 days prior to the first regular season game. Players and teams registering late can cause delays in finalizing the schedule. We appreciate your patience!
A lot of effort goes into keeping teams together. It is the preference of the club to keep kids on the same team as the previous year. However, the club may move kids from one team to another. Returning players tend to have priority, but some consideration is given to players that register early, as this eases the workload on our volunteer registrar. Typically, new players are placed on a first-registered, first-rostered basis after returning players have been placed. Returning players not registered before the registration deadline lose their priority status.
For the safety of the players, Washington Youth Soccer (WYS) forbids the wearing of any jewelry during practices and games. This includes rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, etc. WYS also forbids the use of hair pins, wooden hair beads, hats with hard bills or hats with loose parts. Medical Alert medals taped to the body are acceptable.