U6 is the entry point for many of our players. At U6, teams are co-ed and play 4 players on the field at a time with no goalkeepers. CPSC will provide U6 coaches with portable pop-up folding goals to place on the field for games.
These games will have no assigned referees. Teams are coached by parents... we do not hire professional coaches, we are a volunteer-run club. U6 parents should expect, even if they are not their team's coach, to be involved with managing the kids due to their age and maturity levels. You may be asked to help corral kids on the field, on the bench, or help officiate the game. Coaching U6 requires a team effort from all of the team's parents.
The home field for CPSC U6 home games will be Old Main Park. CPSC asks that parents look at the field description and honor parking requests in that area to minimize problems for residents. There will be a field striped at that location during the season, which runs August through September.
Teams play about one game a week (there may be one or two two-game weeks) scheduled for 5:30 PM or 6:30 PM before school starts, then at 5 PM or 6 PM after school starts. Game nights are Mondays and Wednesdays. Most teams opt to practice on Sunday afternoon or evening as well, but as this is rec soccer, practice is not mandatory or necessarily expected.
Most U8 players have one or two years of experience playing with CPSC. At U8, teams are co-ed and play 5 players on the field at a time, one of whom is the goalkeeper. CPSC's home field for U8 is Rose Park. When playing games at Rose, we ask that all parents park on the unpaved road around the park, rather on the streets where neighbor driveways can be blocked.
These games will have no assigned referees. Teams are coached by parents... we do not hire professional coaches, we are a volunteer-run club. For U8 parents who are not involved in coaching their kids' teams, they should EXPECT to help out by refereeing occasionally. This will allow the coaches to coach the players and help them improve.
Teams play about one game a week (there may be one or two two-game weeks) scheduled for 5:30 PM or 6:30 PM before school starts, then at 5 PM or 6 PM after school starts. Game nights are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Most teams opt to practice on Sunday afternoon or evening as well, but as this is rec soccer, practice is not mandatory or necessarily expected.
U10 teams are divided by gender, the first age group in AYSA soccer that has boys and girls teams. U10 teams play nine players per team with a goalkeeper.
U10 games are the youngest age level with AYSA-assigned referees, and with larger teams and more mature players, CPSC does not ask or expect parents to help out their coach the way we do at U6 and U8. However, we do ask that you be respectful of the very young and inexperienced referees who work these games by themselves. There are no standings and no playoffs at U10.
The home field for CPSC U10 home games will be at Jean Duluth Field. The season runs August through September, with 10 games in a season. Several game weeks will likely have more than one game. U10 plays on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Almost all U10 teams practice once a week, usually on Sunday afternoon or evening. As this is rec soccer, attendance at practice and/or games is not mandatory, but it is hard to hold practices if nobody shows up!
U12 teams are divided by gender with both boys and girls teams. U12 teams play nine players per team with a goalkeeper. U12 is the first division in AYSA soccer that has playoffs at the end of the season.
U12 games have at least one referee and occasionally a referee and two assistants.
The home field for CPSC U12 home games will be at Jean Duluth Field. It is possible (though it has been awhile since this has happened) for U12 teams to have to travel to the Iron Range for one road game. The season runs August through September, with 10 games in the regular season and at least two playoff games. Several game weeks will likely have more than one game. The week of Labor Day will not likely have any games originally scheduled but may be used for make-up games. U12 plays on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Teams that do well in the playoffs can advance to the AYSA Final Four, held the last weekend in September.
Almost all U12 teams practice once a week, usually on Sunday afternoon or evening.
As of 2018, CPSC has opted to field U14 teams. We have attempted to do so every year for the past 5 years, and so far have been able to field approximately one team in both the Boys and girls division. It is often difficult to get enough players at this age because kids choose to play for fall competitive teams or are old enough to play on the East High School JV-C teams. However, we also work with the surrounding clubs, such as Woodland Soccer Club, to find either open spots for players to play, or additional players to fill out the team roster. The goal for CPSC is to help ensure that CPSC players continue to play, for as long as they desire.