FAQs for Spring 2013 Season and Registration
Note from Registrar: Top 3 things you can do to avoid registration frustration.
1- Do NOT attempt registration on smart phone or tablet. Use only a laptop or desktop. The system does not interface well with mobile devices.
2- Use Explorer as your internet browser. There is success with Firefox, but Explorer has been this best interface (with the exception of Explorer 10, it does not work). Chrome and some other browser are not compatible.
3- REGISTER EARLY, REGISTER EARLY!! Every season I have angry parents that cannot get their child on a given team. Even if you register inside the regular registration window, i.e.,not late registration, the later you register the more risk you run of your team filling up without you. Please read the full FAQ section for detailed information on how recreational registration is administered. Once a team is full it closes and your child will be directed to an alternate team. Milltown is constantly sending updates on registration dates and other important information. Please read these and check our webpage and FB page to keep up on important dates and deadlines.
For your convenience we have compiled a list of useful facts and commonly asked questions. Please check appropriate online material before contacting Milltown for general information that is likely contained here.
When does spring registration open?
Registration will begin on January 7th and end on February 15th. Please register early for best team placement. While Milltown does it’s best to accommodate team requests Milltown does not guarantee a spot on any team. Registration after February 15th will not be accepted.
How do I register for spring season?
Go to Milltown’s webpage at www.milltownsoccer.org and click on the “Registration” tab. Follow the links to sign up for a player or coach as needed. Please note, for a successful experience, use Internet Explorer as your browser and work from a laptop or desktop. Devices such as tablets and smart phones do not interface well with our registration system.
What age groups is spring soccer offered for?
Milltown offers spring soccer for boys and girls falling between the U6 and U14 age groups. Please note that the minimum age requirement for a U6 player is 5 years old. It is intended for children that are 5 and in Kindergarten. There will be no exceptions for 4 year olds.
How long is the spring season?
Practice fields will be available starting April 1st through May 31st. Games will begin on April 13th with the last game on June 1st.
How many games will there be and when are they?
For U8-U14 each team will receive 7 games. Most of these games will be Saturday morning or afternoon. There is a chance of playing an occasional game mid-week due to scarce field availability for spring season. No games on Memorial Day weekend. For U6 and U7 teams, games will be from 1 - 2:30pm for all girls teams and 2:45 - 4:15 for all boys teams on Saturday afternoons at the Tektronix field. There will be 6 games, beginning on April 13th and ending May 18th. There will be no games on Memorial Day weekend.
Where will the games for spring season be?
Most games for U8-U14 will be scheduled on soccer fields throughout the THPRD service area, which coincides roughly with the boundaries of the Beaverton School District. However, because the spring league includes teams from outside this area, it is likely that some games for teams U10 and older will be scheduled in Forest Grove and Hillsboro. These locations will typically be no more than 20-30 minutes away and your team cannot opt out of this travel. U6 & U7 games will be at the Tektronix soccer field.
What are the registration costs for spring soccer?
U6 and U7 will be $35
U8-U14 will be $65
Will there be a coaches meeting for the spring season?
Yes. There is a mandatory coaches meeting run by THJSL on February 27th. Time and place are TBA.
Will my child need a new jersey for this?
Your child will not need a new jersey if they have a green, numbered Milltown jersey from last season. If you’d like to purchase a new jersey you can do so at Tursi’s Soccer which is located at:
3122 SW 87th Ave, Portland, OR 97225
503-297-2241
Please call for current store hours.
What day will my practice be?
TBA – Look for practice schedules to be available Mid-March. When they are available, coaches will be notified and responsible to notify their teams.
How many practices will I get?
All U8-U14 teams will get at least one. Soccer is not a priority spring sport so field space allocated to this sport is limited. If more field space becomes available, this will be allocated to all teams fairly. U6 and U7 will have a 30 minute practice followed by a 40 minute game with a 5 minute half time on Saturday afternoons. There are no weekday practices for this age group.
How many players are allowed on each team?
U6 & U7 will be dependent upon registration numbers. The probable number will be 4v4 with no goalie.
U8 will be allowed 10 players. They will play 5v5 including a goalie (total of 5).
U9 will be allowed 12 players. They will play 6v6 including a goalie (total of 6).
U10/U11 will be allowed 14 players. They will play 8v8 including a goalie (total of 8).
U12/U13/U14 will be allowed 18 players. They will play 11v11 including a goalie (total of 11).
If I registered as a coach for fall, do I need to register again for spring?
Yes. Coaches must register for each session of soccer they coach. Once registration is open, please register as a coach early to allow time for your background check to process and be approved. Once you have submitted your online registration please send an email to: milltownregistrar@gmail.com . Unfortunately the registration system does not automatically assign you to a team, nor does it flag the registrar that you have registered. For a smooth process a follow up email to the above address will help ensure you are assigned to the appropriate team in a timely and efficient manner.
When should I expect to hear from my child’s coach?
All teams should be formed and assigned coaches by March 10th. You should be hearing from coaches by mid-March.
I see the drop down menu on the registration page, but I don’t know which team to choose for my child.
All teams will start with the heading MUSC, this stands for Milltown United Soccer Club
Next it will say either G or B. This indicates either a girls (G) or boys (B) team
It will be followed by a number such as GU09. This is the age of the child. U is for “Under”. In this example this means Girls, Under 9, as in 8 years old. (Please check the included table to confirm your child’s age bracket)
Next it will either have a last name of a coach or a “TBA” if a coach has not already signed up to take that team.
Last will be the school that is associated with that coach.
A full example looks like this:
MUSC – GU09 Brown (West TV) This is a Milltown team, for girls that are under 9 who are looking for Coach Brown from West TV elementary.
If it is your first year playing with Milltown or you can’t find a coach you were looking for, use the criteria to make the best choice for your child by placing them in a correct age and gender group in either your school or one close to you.
Keep in mind that this is a request for a specific team and not a guarantee. Many factors enter into the team formation process and while Milltown tries very hard to honor such requests, it is not always possible or practical.
How do I know what age group my child is supposed to play in?
Age Group *Minimum age to participate is 5 – no exceptions | Birth Dates | Grade in School |
U6 | 8/1/06 - 7/31/07 | Kindergarten |
U7 | 8/1/05 - 7/31/06 | 1st Grade |
U8 | 8/1/04 - 7/31/05 | 2nd Grade |
U9 | 8/1/03 - 7/31/04 | 3rd Grade |
U10 | 8/1/02 - 7/31/03 | 4th Grade |
U11 | 8/1/01 - 7/31/02 | 5th Grade |
U12 | 8/1/00 - 7/31/01 | 6th Grade |
U13 | 8/1/99 - 7/31/00 | 7th Grade |
U14 | 8/1/98 - 7/31/99 | 8th Grade |
U15 | 8/1/97 - 7/31/98 | 9th Grade |
U16 | 8/1/96 - 7/31/97 | 10th Grade |
U17 | 8/1/95 - 7/31/96 | 11th Grade |
U18 | 8/1/94 - 7/31/95 | 12th Grade |
What Size soccer ball should I use?
U8 players use a size 3 ball.
U9-12 players use a size 4 ball.
U13-14 players use a size 5 ball.
Can my child play up/down a year?
In recreational soccer, children are encouraged to play in their appropriate age groups but we can make exceptions as needed. If your child is a strong player and a coach from the prior season feels the child is clearly more skilled than other members of his/her age appropriate team we will typically allow that child a bump of one year. Bumping a child more than one year is highly discouraged and will involve review by the board and head coaches. This is for the safety of all players. We don’t allow children to play down unless there is a case to be made about a child who might not be in the same school grade as other children their age. In this case we will most often allow children to play at the same level as their classmates. If you feel your child needs an exception, please contact the registrar at milltownregistrar@gmail.com .
Last season my child played with Coach (X). How do I make sure they are on that team again?
Early registration is essential for priority team placement. Sometime even registering your child close to the date of open registration will not ensure a spot on a team however. All Milltown teams are formed on a first come basis and are open registration. Teams are limited to a certain number of kids based on age group and once that number is registered to a team that team closes and is pulled off line. Some teams fill up very quickly. In recreational soccer, coaches are not allowed to pick and choose players (we do make an exception for the coaches own child).
The team I want my child to play on is full, if the coach says its “OK” to add more kids will you put my child on the team?
Typically, no. We do try and meet reasonable requests, but if a team is full there is often not an option to add additional players. There are several reasons Milltown does team formation the way it does. The first is that in recreational soccer, coaches are not allowed to pick and choose children. In recreational soccer this is considered stacking. Also, in recreational soccer the aim is to have kids play equally and approximately 50% ogame. If the team is too large, playing time is reduced and the ability to experience and learn soccer diminished. The coach does not have access to other team’s information either. That coach may not realize that other teams actually need more players to finish forming a team.
But I know last year a team had more players than you are allowing this year. Why is that?
Occasionally, especially during Kick and Chase ages the number of kids exceeds the number of coaches we can recruit. In this case we make efforts to place any child registered inside regular registration deadlines on a team best suited to take them. We feel that this practice, as well as the one detailed above about the number of kids on a team, benefits the general best interest of all Milltown children.
I want my child to play with his or her best friend/our carpool family. How can I ensure that happens?
We understand these are important factors for many families. Unfortunately, with the number of children that play with Milltown it is impossible for us to assume any responsibility in your personal scheduling. The best way to ensure your child is playing on a team with a friend is to coordinate this effort with the other family early in the registration process. Communicate with the parents of that child and figure out if they are currently registered and if so, to what team/coach and for you to register to the same team if it is available. There is a field for special requests that will pop up during registration, but as a warning, MILLTOWN DOES NOT CHECK THIS FIELD UNLESS MILLTOWN IS REBALANCING A TEAM. Responsibility for correct registration falls on the parents. If a problem occurs, you can email the registrar and if a switch can be made we will. Unfortunately however, Milltown never guarantees placement of any child on a requested team.
What if I decide I want a refund?
Milltown will grant a refund minus $10 administrative fees if the request is made 7 days or more prior to the first scheduled practice or game of the season for that child’s team. Requests after this will not be honored without documentation of a new medical condition or extreme family hardship.
What if I can’t access the online registration because I don’t have access to a computer?
Local libraries offer free internet services if you do not have access to a computer. Milltown does offer a paper registration for those who simply cannot register online. Paper registration requires an extra $10 administrative fee that must be added to the registration fees in order to be processed.
What gear is required for my child to practice?
All children will be required to have shin guards for their own protection. Additionally, proper footwear for outdoor soccer is a considered a soccer cleat (absolutely no metal cleats, baseball cleats or football cleats will be allowed) but in younger children if they are more comfortable in a sneaker this will be allowed for Kick and Chase age children. Make sure your children are dressed in comfortable active wear that is appropriate for the ever changing Oregon weather. Water or Gatorade to drink is also highly recommended. If your child would like to bring their own ball we encourage this as well. Please check the “What size ball should I use” topic for proper ball size.
Does Milltown have any co-ed teams?
Milltown offers gender specific teams from U6-U14, so all girl’s or all boy’s teams. High school age, U15-U19 is co-ed. At this time, Milltown is not allowing girls to play on boy’s teams or boys on girl’s teams in the other age groups.
My child recently had a piercing they are not allowed to remove for several weeks. Can we just tape up the piercing? What about an injury with a cast?
No. We do not allow any sort of jewelry, including new piercing, barrettes, hair beads etc. This is in line with THJSL refereeing guidelines. If your child is going to get a piercing, we recommend you do this between seasons. Children who are injured and have a cast, hard or soft will also not be allowed to play until they are completely healed and cast free.
