What should I do if I want my child to be on a team with a particular friend?
On your registration form, you will be asked to choose your top priority between (1) playing at a particular time; (2) playing with children from the same school; and (3) playing with a particular friend. You will be paired with your child’s friend if you choose “Friend” as your priority, but that also means that you could be assigned to any time slot regardless of your preference, and you might not be assigned to a team with children from your elementary school. Regardless of what you choose as your priority for team placement, however, we will do our best to honor all friend requests that are entered properly.
Please name one child whom your child would like as a teammate, and please ensure their name is spelled properly and that it matches the name they are using to register themselves. Also, please make sure that your child’s friend also requests your child. We can only honor friend requests if both children request each other. (If we didn’t have this policy, it would be logistically too challenging to put the teams together.) Also, be sure that both you and your friend register before the deadline, because we cannot always honor friend requests after the deadline. Every effort will be made to grant these requests, however, we cannot make any guarantees.
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What should I do if I want my child to play on a team with other kids from our elementary school?
Subject to individual parents’ requests for time slots or friends, we try our best to group kids by their school. Some teams will have children from more than one school.
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Will our team be the same as the last season?
Probably not. If your child would like to play with a friend, please request that friend, and make sure that friend also requests your child.
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What should my child wear?
Their Kindergarten Soccer t-shirt and shin guards are mandatory. Please dress your child in layers when it is cold. Sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat are recommended in the spring season, especially during the 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. timeslot.
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When will we receive the team shirt?
Your coach will have your team shirt ready and waiting on the first day.
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I’d like to coach, but I have no experience and/or I don’t know anything about soccer. Should I volunteer?
Absolutely! There is no experience necessary. We will provide you all the training and information you need. The time commitment is only the coaches’ meeting before the season starts and then just the Saturday sessions for which your child is registered. It is not a problem if you are going to miss one or two Saturdays. If you think you would enjoy being a coach, we’d love to have you.
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When will we hear from our coach?
You should hear from your child’s coach(es) one or two weeks before the season starts.
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I can’t remember – did I register online?
When you register online, you should get a confirmation email from SPORTS CONNECT and your credit card will be charged. If after checking your records you are still not sure, please email us.
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My child is on the older side for their grade – how should they register?
This is not a problem, but you will need to list a false birthdate for your child as a workaround. Due to restrictions from our vendor, the system will automatically recognize children who are 5+ on September 1 of the applicable school year as being eligible for our Kindergarten program only and not Pre-K. Likewise, the system flags children who are 6+ on September 1 of the applicable school year as being ineligible for the program. Due to safety reasons, we cannot accommodate children who are more than one school year older than their peers in the Newton Public Schools.
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My child is technically too young for the program. Is there a way around that?
No. We place children on teams with others in their grade, helping them meet future classmates. We recommend checking the YMCA or Newton Community Education for soccer programs for younger children.
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Do you offer sibling discounts?
If you have more than one child registered in the same season, there is a $10 discount.
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Can I register my child after the deadline?
If there is room in the program, you may register your child. Please remember that we work hard to craft teams of friends and neighbors. A late registrant will only be placed on a team with an opening – we can not always accommodate requests after the deadline. There is a $25 late fee after the deadline.
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What is your refund policy?
A refund of your registration fee, minus any administrative fees assessed by our vendor, will be provided until the date noted on our website’s homepage. We do not provide refunds after that date. If sessions are canceled due to weather, refunds are NOT PROVIDED.
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What is your make up policy?
We schedule 7-8 games. If the school calendar/holiday schedule and field availability allows for it, we may arrange for one make-up game at the end of the season, however, this is not always possible and will be specified in the details on the registration page.
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How do you decide to cancel a game?
We cancel for heavy rain/expected thunderstorms, if the City of Newton closes the fields, or if we judge that the fields are too wet to use.
We also get up early on Saturday morning and consult the weather predictions and radar and satellite images. We may make a different decision than other soccer/outdoor sport organizations. We send out an email to all coaches and parents advising of cancelation.
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What if my child is hurt?
First aid should be available during the games. If your child needs more than first aid, please seek professional medical care immediately.
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Can my child wear cleats?
Your child may play in soccer cleats. Since this is a social introduction to soccer, we do not require them.
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How do I register online?
Check this website a few months before the season to register online.
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Any more questions? please email us.