The goal of Neenah Soccer Club's 5U-8U recreational program is to teach players some fundamental soccer skills while emphasizing fun and instilling a love of the game of soccer in a supportive environment. Players will be exposed to age-appropriate skill building exercises and games for all ability levels. Tryouts are not required and all registered players will be assigend to a team; the club will make every attempt at keeping the teams at equal levels of play. 

Games will be played in a 4v4, small-sided format, allowing players to get more touches on the ball in a game setting. All players will have equal playing time. 5U and 6U are both co-ed leagues; at the 7/8U age levels, players can choose between co-ed or girls only leagues. 

The season begins in early May and runs through mid July. 5U-8U age groups play one night of week, holding a 30-minute practice, filled will a variety of exercise and games to teach basic skills prior to each game. Teams are coached by parent volunteers, under the guidance of a master coach. 

Registration for our Spring Recreational 2021 season will open on January 1, 2021.  To register, click here. 

Age Group	Birth Year	Registration Fee	Game Night	Practice Night
5U	2016-April 30, 2017*	$60	Wednesday	Before Game
6U	2015	$60	Monday	Before Game
8U Girls	2013 and 2014	$85	Thursday	Before Game
8U Co-ed	2013 and 2014	$85	Tuesday	Before Game

 

NOTE: Teams/Age groups are formed based on a child’s birth year - not on the school year calendar. All fees include a soccer jersey with a number on the back. For an additional fee during registration, you can add your child's name to the back of his/her jersey. Financial assistance is available by filling out the NSC Scholarship Form. 

* Players with a birth date of 1/1/2017 - 4/30/2017 will need to contact Mandy Fleege to register; a parent will be required to coach for any player falling in this age range. Registration for these players closes March 1, 2021. There will be no exceptions to this policy. 

Neenah Soccer Club is a volunteer-run organization. To help keep our costs low and offer these great programs for youth soccer players in our community, we require all parents of players participating in all program to volunteer two hours per player during the course of the season. 

Upon registering, you will be charged a $50 buyout fee per player (Family maximum $100), which will be reimbursed when your volunteer obligation has been fulfilled. You can read more about our volunteer policy here. 

All games are played at Great Northern Park: 771 Kensington Road, Neenah.

For each game, players from the same team will be divided into 2 smaller groups to play two concurrent games, side-by-side against the opposing team. At half time one set of teams will switch fields so that during the second half each team is playing a new opponent.  Games will consist of 8-minute quarters (5U-6U) or 10-minute quarters (7/8U) with short water breaks in between.

At the 5U-6U age group, coaches are on the fields with players to keep teams going in the right direction, provide encouragement, and help players control their bodies as they go after the ball; they will serve as referees. At the 7/8U age group, referees are introduced to help enforce rules and help teach players game mechanics. 

All games at this level will be played 4v4 with no goalie on a 20x30 field. 

Kickoffs

• The referee with team captains will decide which team goes first.
• A player will either kick or pass the ball to a teammate in front of the center line.
• Kick offs will rotate between teams each quarter.
• A goal cannot be scored on a kick-off.
• All players must be on their own side of the field.

Ball In and Out of Play

• Ball will be out of play when it has completely crossed over the white line on the side or end line.
• Ball will be put back into play with a “throw-in” by the team that did not kick the ball out of play.
• Goal kicks will be taken by the defensive team and be placed on the end line and kicked into play.
• Corner kicks will be taken by the offensive team and be placed on the corner by the flag and kicked into play.

Scoring

• A goal will occur when the ball has completely crossed over the goal line in between the goal.
• The score of the game will not be kept as the emphasis is on fun!

Free Kicks / Penalty Kicks

• Free kicks will be taken when an infraction (hand ball, pushing, tripping) has occurred by a player.
• All free kicks are indirect.
• A referee or coach will let the player know what he/she did incorrectly.
• No penalty kicks will occur during the game.

Offside

• Offside will not be called during the game.

Player Equipment

• Shin Guards must be worn and must be covered entirely by socks
• Soccer Cleats or Tennis Shoes (no baseball cleats allowed)
• Soccer Jersey (provided by the club)
• Size 3 soccer ball
• Water Bottle (labeled with player’s name)
• No jewelry can be worn

Game Cancellation

Game cancellation will be determined and posted to the Neenah Soccer Club website and social media pages by 4pm on gameday. Any cancellation after that time will be made at the soccer field. 

Soccer is played in the rain and will only be called off if there is thunder/lightning or if the fields are flooded. If storms look like they will end by game time we will not cancel the games; in these cases, the coaches or referees will be responsible for cancellations.