After being selected at tryouts and registering, teams typically begin training twice a week, either M/W or T/TH, 90-minute sessions. Some teams may participate in summer tournaments. The Fall season starts in late August and can run as late as the second week of December for older teams and may end as early as late November. During the Fall season, teams typically compete in a few local weekend tournaments. Some teams will elect to participate in the spring season, but participation is not mandatory for all teams.

No. Registration in a year-round competitive program typically includes Fall and Spring League play. Some year-round clubs also train and play in Winter League. A registered player with SSA is committing to play in the Fall season with the potential of additional play depending on their assigned team.

• 9U – 14U: The Fall season typically runs from June through early December. Tryouts are held in the Spring.
• 15U – 19U Tryouts are usually in May. Season play can vary by team, so teams extend tournament play into the first quarter of the following year.
• Practices begin in June/July. A few teams organize early to play indoor or in a Spring league or hold occasional informal scrimmages between March and June.
• League games running from late August through late November. There are typically ten regularly scheduled games. Some may require travel to areas in the greater Northern California region.

Approximately $500 – $800 per player for a season. The amount includes registration, uniforms, and tournament fees.

• SSA registration fees for the 2022-23 season will be $395. Players also need to purchase two uniform kits at $130-200 from our uniform supplier. The uniform usually lasts 2-3 seasons.
• Coaches choose tournaments for the team. Most are held within an hour’s drive of Sacramento.  Some teams travel to one overnight tournament per year. Tournament fees vary by team and are divided amongst the players. These fees are paid directly to the team’s manager.

Most league games are in the Sacramento and surrounding area, within a 30–45-minute drive.

As for tournaments, the team can register for events suitable to their skill level. Some teams only participate in contests close to Sacramento; others prefer to compete in one or more traveling tournaments that involve overnight travel.

Our teams compete in NorCal Premier League, Region 6. The make-up of these divisions can vary by season within Region 6, but generally, the higher level of competitiveness of a team, the greater the range of travel. Older age groups may have more significant travel as the overall player pool ‘size’ for all Region 6 teams can be smaller by high school.

Training sessions are usually 1 1⁄2 minimum to 2 hours each. Teams train 2x a week, typically in an M/W or T/Th split. Some teams may vary practice times and frequency. Soccer is a team sport that requires individual fitness and skills. All players must attend all training sessions. We know many families schedule their vacations in July and August. As long as you inform coaches of the situation, they usually have no issue.

Training sessions are held at local City of Sacramento fields in the general area of South Land Park, Land Park, and Pocket/Greenhaven area. Refer to the Fields tab of our website for current field locations.

Parents retain the authority to decide whether to allow their children to train on days when air quality is questionable.

The SSA supports a parent choosing to miss training session(s) due to excessive heat and poor air quality.   We recognize that players can respond or be affected differently when poor air quality.

If you choose to miss a training session, please inform the coach as soon as possible. This helps the coach plan the session accordingly for the players attending the training session.  

We want to remind parents and players:

• Player safety is our priority.
• Please inform coaches of any respiratory or medical issues immediately. It helps us understand the needs of the individual player.
• The SSA monitors weather and air quality daily.
• Monitoring begins in the morning and continues throughout the day.
• We look for trends and elevations in readings and evaluate how it compares to the AQI forecast.
• Coaches are contacted around 2 pm if training sessions will be canceled.
• If we notice an extreme spike or high readings, we will notify the entire SSA family via email no later than 4 pm.
• We use the AQI chart (click here for AQI chart) to establish our daily plan:
• 0-50 –  regular training
• 51-100 – regular training
• 101-150 – modified training
• increased rest breaks
• lower intensity training games
• Coaches may individually cancel their session if the perceived risk outweighs the needs the team may have for future match play.
• 151-higher ALL SSA TRAINING SESSIONS MUST BE CANCELLED
• We encourage parents and coaches to use the Sacramento County Air Quality mobile app to monitor air quality. Click here to learn about the mobile app.
• Understand that you play a part in helping keep the air clean. Click here to learn how you can help.

Yes. We understand that players develop by playing, and the SSA program is about player development. Therefore, our policy requires our coaches to play each player at least half of every regular-season game.

No. Like many competitive Clubs, we have a diverse membership base who live and work in various places. Parents should be conscious of the travel and time required to make weekly team training commitments for their players.

We understand that your player may not be ready to commit to soccer exclusively in the younger age brackets especially.

This is why many of our teams choose to play exclusively during the Fall season. This allows players the opportunity to play other sports in the Spring. We ask that parents consider making Fall play the priority, as teams and players develop through consistent play. Too many distractions from soccer typically end in a negative result for the player and the team. Both players and families must understand that the commitment level is elevated when accepting an offer to play competitive soccer. 

Players enthusiastic about soccer and want to improve their skills are encouraged to try out. You do not have to be a soccer star. Some indications are that the player:

• • Has a high-interest level in soccer and practices on their own or with friends outside of soccer practice
  • Is one of the better players on their current team and seems to want more than recreational level soccer
  • Sees higher-level players and wants to be like them
  • Is mature enough to commit to more frequent practices and more strenuous training
  • Wants more of a challenge on the soccer field.
  • Possesses a passion for the game
  • Has a supportive family network committed to helping the player train and develop

The US Soccer Federation sets the parameters for defining what age groups make up a team. SSA follows these guidelines for “age pure” play. For more information on this and a table providing a breakdown by age, please click here.

SSA builds teams through a tryout process to allow players to play for SSA. Teams are formed via tryouts, and new and returning players should attend tryouts to be evaluated. Interested coaches should contact the SSA President and Director of Coaching.