GSA NORTH 5U - 19U PROGRAM

IMPORTANT DATES - Fall 2024 and Spring 2025

• Fall Rec Registration Begins - May 1
• Fall Early Bird Registration Deadline - June 1
• Fall 5U-19U Rec Practices Start - The week of August 26th
• First Fall Rec Games - September 7th
• Fall 4U Soccer Sprouts Begins - September 13th
• Spring Rec Registration Begins - November 1st
• Spring Early Bird Registration Deadline - Dec 1
• Team continuation deadline for teams who wish to stay together from Fall to Spring - December 31st
• Spring Rec Registration Closes - February 7
• Spring 5U-19U Rec Practices Start - The week of February 17th
• First Spring Rec Games - March 1st
• Spring 4U Soccer Sprouts Begins - March 8th/9th
• TOPSoccer Starts - TBA

For Spring program ONLY: U16-U19 Rec Boys and Girls can receive a full refund (less processing fees) if they make a high school soccer team and opt out of the Spring Rec season if they notify the relevant director in writing by the 2rd Monday of January.

Questions? Email info@gsasoccer.com

All age groups will be split into boys and girls. The registration fee cover the costs of officials, concessions, field development, field equipment, insurance and affiliation with governing bodies.

Find your age group quickly and see an overview of the basic information below. Youth soccer age groups are determined by the YEAR your child was born "birth year". Please see the chart below to find out into which age group your youth player will fall. Please note that some age groups in recreation programs may be combined in order to facilitate appropriate team sizes. Our registration system will place your player in the appropriate age group automatically. The below age groups are for the Fall 2024/Spring 2025 seasonal year.

GSA PLAY-UP POLICY

Gwinnett Soccer Academy strongly encourages players to play in his or her proper age-group in all recreational programs, as we do not promote “play-ups” in any division. Requiring players to play in their correct age-group is best for technical development, instilling a passion and understanding of the game, social development and limiting physical and psychological differences that are magnified during the adolescent years. Playing in the proper age-group also develops stronger, fairer teams in each age division. 

To be considered for a play-up, each season, players/parents must play a full season within the GSA program then be recommended by the player's coach for the following season for a play-up. Any player that is approved to play-up would have to repeat this process each season. 

UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT

UNIFORMS: The uniform fee is roughly $35 (shipping and handling is additional). This fee will provide two soccer jerseys, one pair of shorts and one pair of socks for each player. Extra shorts, socks, and jerseys will be available for purchase if needed. 

Important: Fall 2023 begins a new uniform cycle at GSA. Any player who has not played in a season beginning in Fall of 2023 or LATER will need to purchase a uniform. These uniforms will be good for four seasons (through Spring 2025).

GSA uniforms are provided by a local vendor. We have moved to a local provider to improve the cost and turanround time for the uniforms. Information on purchasing uniforms will be sent via email about 6 weeks before the start of the season.

Uniform ordering link: https://krownsports.com/product/gsa-recreation-soccer-package/

Please make certain your email address is accurate when you register your player.

Once you’ve placed your order the uniform will be delivered directly to you. Orders placed after Feb 1 for the spring season or August 1 for the fall season, will likely experience delivery delays.

Looking for cleats, a ball, shinguards, etc? We would like to encourage you to purchase check out www.soccer.com for your equipment needs. They also have a rewards program, "The Goal Club". Earn points for free gear anytime you purchase a equipment or ANYTHING else on their website. 

EQUIPMENT: Shin guards are mandatory for practice and games for all players. Players must provide their own shin guards and soccer ball. Sizes of soccer balls needed: 4U- 8Uage groups use size #3, 9U - 12U age groups use size #4, and 14U and older use size #5.

GAMES, PRACTICES AND SCHEDULES

GAMES:  For the majority of our recreation teams, games will be played on Saturdays (5U - 13U). For our older (14U and up) teams, games are frequently played on Saturdays and Sundays. GSA does reserve the right to schedule games on Sundays and during the week for all age groups, if deemed necessary.

PRACTICES:  Practices are held Monday through Friday.  Unfortunately, we do not take requests for specific days, times or siblings' practice.

Coaches get to pick their practice days and times, so we do not know when coaches will practice until after teams have been formed. We want to be flexible to our coaches first, as they are volunteering their time and have busy schedules just like the rest of us. We will try to work with families who have practice conflicts, but we cannot make any guarantees.

SCHEDULES:  The practice schedule is put together by GSA staff members, based on each Coach's request. This usually doesn't occur till 2 weeks prior to the first week of practice. Game schedules are usually completed within two weeks of the first games.

7U Pool Training: The 7U optional training program is designed to give our 7U rec players an additional (optional) training sessions throughout the season, supplementing the weekly rec practices. With this format, players are allowed to train with other 7U boys and girls in a relaxed, fun-filled environment.  Training will consist of fun technical activities and small sided games, which are the foundation to development and success at this age.  Training will be done in a "pool" or group format and will be led by our GSA staff coaches.  The pool training program will cost $10 per player (this covers the entire length of the program and the fee is non-refundable).  Players will be sent a special invite, and will be asked to pay/register if interested.

In order to participate, ALL PLAYERS MUST BRING A BALL. If you come without a ball, your player may not get to participate, as most of our activities will require each player to have his or her own ball. 

Training will take place on the following Wednesdays at 6:00-7:00 p.m. on field 6C, which is located to the immediate right if coming in the main gate, on the lower soccer fields at Rabbit Hill Park.

Fall 2024 Dates:  No session the week of GCPS Fall Break

• September 18th
• September 25th
• October 2nd
• October 16th
• October 23rd
• October 30th

Players who attend will be expected to follow our 3 rules:

• Be a good listener
• Work hard
• Have fun! 
  

FAQ's:

1. Do I need to register or sign-up?
YES!  You'll be sent an invitation to join the program via PlayMetrics; the cost is $10.

2. I'm a 7U rec coach, do I need to be there?
No. Coaches can come watch, but training will be led by GSA staff coaches.

3. Can anyone come?
ONLY registered GSA North 7U players.

4. If training is canceled due to weather/field closure, will there be a make-up?  If not, will I get a refund?
There will be no make-up sessions, and this program is non-refundable.  We made it incredibly inexpensive for this reason.

5. Does my 7U player have to be there every week?
No!  Training is optional... come when you can!  Please update your child's availability in the PlayMetrics calendar though!

6. Do parents need to be there for training?
YES. An adult/guardian must be in attendance, on the sideline for the whole session, but are asked to leave the coaching up to the staff on the field :). 

7. What does my player need to bring/wear?
Players MUST bring his/her BALL and wear shin guards/cleats and appropriate dress.  Don't forget the water!

COACH AND TEAM REQUESTS

GSA does NOT take team placement requests for any reason, other than for siblings playing within the same division (and gender) who may request to be on the same team. First and foremost we strive to create balanced teams based on number of seasons a child has played, child's ability, and age. We have found this to be consistent with other leagues' policies as well. US Soccer Rules prohibit any player to play "down" an age group. 

COACHING

The recreational teams are coached by parents and volunteers. The only requirement is that our volunteers have a love for working with kids, enjoy helping kids and have a desire to be involved in the lives of children! Soccer experience is not a coaching requirement! There are many educational resources that can show the way. Our coaches are encouraged to get coaching licenses, which help coaches learn how to coach and what is age-appropriate. GSA strives to place every child on a team who wants to play, but we can only form as many teams as we have coaches for. Not only do we support our volunteer coaches, the success of the club relies heavily on families volunteering! The volunteer coach is one of the most integral parts of Gwinnett Soccer Academy and we value their dedication and commitment to ensuring that our kids are safe and having fun.

TEAM FORMATION

Each fall season GSA will create new teams as players move up into new age-groups. It is the intention of GSA to keep recreation teams together for both fall and spring seasons as players will remain in their age-group for both seasons (one school year). All players that register by the team continuity deadline should remain on the same team in the spring. Exceptions would be: late registration, parent request for a different team, no returning coach, etc. When creating new teams each fall, rosters are based on several factors, including number of seasons played in order to help create balanced teams. Registration will be closed when we have filled each coach’s team. Players are accepted into the program on a first come, first served basis. Please remember GSA does not take coaching or team requests. Volunteer coaches and assistants with kids playing will have their own children placed on their team. This is the only way to guarantee two players to be placed on the same team together.

OTHER INFORMATION

PLAYER COMMITMENT

The majority of our recreational teams will practice twice a week, with a game on the weekend. Our youngest age groups, 5U, 6U, and 7U only practice once a week, with a game on the weekend. Our U4’s (Soccer Sprouts) will have 1 session a week. There are also several other optional training programs for players looking for additional training opportunities. Fall seasons start in August and will run to mid/late November. Spring season starts in February and runs into May.

REFUNDS

No refunds will be given unless approved by the Gwinnett Soccer Academy board of directors. All refund requests must be put in writing and submitted by July 30 (fall season) or Jan 30 (spring season) with explanation by the parent. Please submit refund requests via email to the director. All refunds are subject to a $25 administrative fee. Refund checks will be sent out after the third week of the season. 

For Spring ONLY: 16U-19U Rec Boys and Girls can receive a full refund (less processing fees) if they make a high school soccer team and out out of the Spring Rec Season if they notify the relevant director in writing by the 2rd Monday of January

GSA will charge a $25 fee for all returned checks.

ACCEPTANCE/WAIT LIST

Once we have ample number of players and coaches in each age-group, we will begin accepting players during our registration process. The number of players that we can accept is based directly on the number of coaches that apply. We will continue to accept players throughout the registration period (January/February for spring, July/August for fall) all the way up to the first games. Parents will receive an email from the registration system informing them of their players' status. In the meantime, players who register, but do not get accepted right away will be placed on the “wait list”. Just because a child is placed on the wait list does not mean he/she will NOT get to play. Players can be accepted all the way up to the first weekend of games. We do a great job each season minimizing the wait list and maximizing the number of players and teams in every age-group.

By being "accepted", your player is guaranteed a spot on a team. Once regular registration ends, we will begin our team formation process. Players will be contacted by their coach approximately 2 weeks prior to the first practice, which is when practice days and times will be given out to players/parents.