Summer Travel Soccer: Important Information and FAQs (Summer 2025)

League Info
Age Brackets
In WFLYSL, teams are divided by "soccer age," not by grade. See FAQs below for a definition of "soccer age." We use age brackets U11, U13, U15, and U18, where the number represents the oldest "soccer age" for that bracket.
Note that each registered player will automatically be assigned to an age bracket according to his/her birth year. You can use the comment field to request assignment to an older team instead. All decisions regarding final assignment are made by the coaching staff and the Club President.
Pricing
[subject to change by the time registration opens]
Cost per player is $85.00 (discounts may be available). If this cost is an obstacle to your child participating, the club offers financial assistance where needed. Please contact the Club President (palmacsoccer@gmail.com) to discuss.
A new uniform costs approx. $35.00 (TBD).
Uniforms
We use uniforms for a two-year cycle. 2025 is year one of the cycle, so every player needs a new uniform kit. A uniform includes a numbered soccer jersey with the Pal Mac Soccer logo, one pair of shorts, and one pair of soccer socks). Players must also wear shin guards and sneakers (or rubber cleated soccer shoes) for all practices and games. These items are not included in the uniform.
Eligibility
Players from Pal-Mac school district, or who have registered with us in prior years, or with permission from the Club president. If you don't yet meet one of these requirements, please contact the Club President to see about eligibility, prior to registering.
Proof of Birth Date
You must enter the player's date of birth. If we have already seen proof of that birthdate in the past, that's all you have to do. If we haven't, we will follow up with you and request a digital photo of a birth certificate or other official document.
Roster Size
Team rosters are limited in size. If registrations exceed roster limits, tryouts and/or cuts may be needed, but that is a rare occurrence.
Playing Time
This is a travel league, so playing time is determined by the coach as a function of skill, effort, attitude, and game situations. That said, at the U11 level, we aim for each player to participate on a nearly equal basis.
Payment Methods
We welcome full payment via Paypal, at the end of the registration process.
If you cannot pay at that time, or if you wish to pay via Venmo instead, simply skip out when you are directed to the PayPal site.
After you have left the registration process, payment methods are as follows: No player is considered fully registered until payment is settled.
Club Players
Players registered with Empire, RFC, and the like can still play in this league as long as they are a member of only one other team. (This is a state rule, not a local rule.)
By custom, such players will be primary to their club team, and secondary players to Pal-Mac.
Refunds
Refunds are available under most circumstances if the player withdraws early enough. The refunded amount does not include the small processing fee that was deducted by Paypal. Any costs already incurred by the club prior to withdrawal (state registration fees, player pass fees, etc.) are not refundable.

Answers to frequently-asked questions:

  1. What is my child's "soccer age?"
    Soccer age, as a worldwide standard, is defined as the current year (2025) minus the birth year.
    This means that someone born in January is the same soccer age as someone born in December of the same year.
    This is the source of many complaints, because of the age variability within a bracket, but our league is sanctioned by US Youth Soccer and we must adhere to this rule.
  2. What does U11, U13, etc. mean?
    U11 means a soccer age of 11 or under. For 2025, this means born 2014 or later.
    U13 means a soccer age of 13 or under. For 2025, this means born 2012 or later.
    U15 means a soccer age of 15 or under. For 2025, this means born 2010 or later.
    U18 means a soccer age of 18 or under. For 2025, this means born 2007 or later.
     •  Usually, U18 players must still be eligible to play for their school team in the coming fall season, but the WFLYSL league often waives this restriction.
  3. How young can players register for the U11 teams?
    Preference is given to players with a soccer age of 10 or 11, but younger players are welcome if numbers dictate. Younger players may be evaluated via a tryout before being placed onto a team. Please contact the Club President to discuss your child's situation.
  4. What does 'playing up' mean?
    Playing up means being rostered on a team that is older than a player's soccer age would dictate. For example, a 12 or 13 year old would naturally be on a U13 team, but can request to be on the U15 team instead.
    Note: the opposite ("playing down") is not permitted.
  5. What does 'double-carding' mean?
    Double-carding means having a player pass for two teams in this club at the same time, for example, when a 15-year old would like to play for both the U15 and the U18 teams.
  6. What is 'guest play'?
    WFLYSL allows for players to "guest" up to an older team on a game-by-game basis. The player remains "officially rostered" only on the team they were assigned to, but can bring their player pass to play as a guest in a game involving the older team. This is to help with teams that find themselves short-handed due to vacations, absences, etc. In any one game, no more than four guest players are allowed.
  7. How often are games, and practices?
    Games are twice a week for 5-6 weeks between mid-June and end of July.
    Practices: Depending on the coach and player availability, there are about 5-10 pre-season practices, beginning in May.
  8. Which nights are games played?
    The league schedule is nominally set as defined here. But lots of things (field availability, team conflicts, holidays, etc. can cause games to occur on nights different from this guidance.
  9. What kinds of referees will we have?"
    The league staffs each game with certified referees. There is a real shortage of people who choose to get certified, so occasionally we will have games where no referee is available. In those cases, the coaches can agree to appoint an uncertified person (or persons) to referee the game.
  10. What are some of the travel locations?
    You can see all the clubs (and therefore locations) of all clubs who have been in this league for the past few years, by looking at a recent schedule on the league website.
  11. How long are uniforms used?
    We have a two-year uniform cycle.
  12. What does my registration payment go toward?
    You do not pay for team staff -- all coaches and assistants are volunteers, who have submitted to a background check performed by the State Association.