Frequently Asked Questions

1. Find the program you want to register for and click Register Now when the registration period is active.

2. The registration system is new and will require all players, both new and returning, to create a new account. New players must upload a birth certificate 

3. Complete the registration form and your credit card will be charged at the end of the process.

Please Read The Following Before Registering Your Player

• Birth Certificate
  A copy players birth certificate is required ALL players.  A player cannot be placed on a team until the date of birth is verified. Please upload in the appropriate section of registration. Take a photo of it with your phone or scan it and upload in the appropriate location in registration. 
  
  
• Player Requests
  Every effort is made to honor a player's team request, but there are no guarantees and EMSA must adhere to the team formation guidelines when assigning players to teams.
  
  

Soccer balls used in youth leagues come in sizes 3, 4, and 5.

• 3-7 Years Old (U4-U8): Size 3
• 8-12 Years Old (U9-U12): Size 4
• 13 on up (U13-U18): Size 5

A Size 5 ball is the same used by adults. There are also Size 1 balls, which are often called 'skills balls' that players can use to practice foot skills.

Eagle Mountain Soccer Association provides a Jersey and Shorts for recreational youth players to use during their games.  Additional items that parents must purchase are shin guards, soccer cleats, and an appropriate size ball. Also, extra soccer socks, shorts, and practice shirts to be used during practices will be necessary.  Players should be wearing athletic apparel to practices and not blue jeans, polo shirts, jewelry, etc.  

Eagle Mountain Soccer Association sells practice t-shirts and spirit wear through a separate vendor.  Parents are also encouraged to purchase these for themselves to wear to games and show support for your team and Eagle Mountain Soccer Association.

Soccer balls used in youth leagues come in sizes 3, 4, and 5.

• 3-7 Years Old (U4-U8): Size 3
• 8-12 Years Old (U9-U12): Size 4
• 13 on up (U13-U18): Size 5

A Size 5 ball is the same used by adults. There are also Size 1 balls, which are often called 'skills balls' that players can use to practice foot skills.

Shin guards have sizing charts on the package. Please pay special attention to this and get a pair of shin guards that fit the player.  Too small or too big can hamper the protection the shin guard is supposed to offer.  

Soccer cleats are very specific.  The most noticeable difference is that soccer cleats do not have a toe cleat at the front of the shoe.  A player cannot play if they have the wrong cleats on.  Regular athletic shoes are allowed but may cause the player to slip and cause injury during a game.

Jewelry of any kind, including earrings (even if covered with a band-aid or tape), are not permitted while playing soccer.  Jewelry can cause injury to the player and/or other players during the match.  

Referees will not tell you that you have to take the earrings out, they will just tell you that the player cannot play with them in.  The parent is responsible for deciding what they would like to do at that point.

A child with any type of cast may only practice or participate in games if it is covered with foam padding.  Bubble wrap is not acceptable. The player may be eligible for a refund for the season – check our website for more information.  How the cast is covered and whether or not it is acceptable for play is still up to the referee of the match.  It is best to check with the referee before the match to allow for any modifications that must be made.

At the bare minimum, you need some disc cones (20 or 30 is ideal) and some pinnies. Players can bring their own soccer ball. However, most coaches will accumulate additional equipment over time that can come in very handy. Optional equipment includes:

• A coach's first aid kit
• Pop up goals or even portable full size goals like GOLME
• A dry erase clipboard with a soccer field stenciled on it. Handy for keeping papers together and drawing out things you may try to explain
• A stopwatch - handy for keeping track of time during matches
• A small ball pump
• A colorful keeper jersey and gloves
• Extra balls are always nice.  It helps keep the practice moving if you don't have to chase balls all the time

For older players - training aids like an agility ladder, hurdles, ball hoops, poles, etc.

You'll notice one item that's not on the list - a whistle. Most experienced coaches won't use a whistle and instead teach the players to listen to what they say.

This will depend on the type of team and age level of the team you are coaching. Recreational teams will often practice 1-2 times a week and play once a week. So you can expect a commitment of about 3-5 hours total including setup, picking up, etc. Add in an additional hour or so for preparation (practice plans, paperwork, etc).

Regardless of the age of your team or level, you should recruit a team manager to handle all the league paperwork, snack and make-up schedules, etc. It can be a huge help.

A good recreational team schedule to follow is:

• U4 - once or twice a week for 30-45 minutes each session
• U6-U8 - once or twice a week for 45-60 minutes each session 
• U9-U12 - twice a week for 60-90 minutes each session
• U13 and up- twice a week for 90 minutes each session

After teams are formed, they are usually placed into a playing league.  The playing league is governed by the officials that run that specific league.  The rules of play and administrative requirements may vary, as will the locations the games are played.  Eagle Mountain Soccer Association teams participate in the following playing leagues:

The coach chooses the practice night(s) that best fits his/her schedule. Eagle Mountain Soccer Association does not dictate when or where a coach practices his/her team. Because of the number of teams we have, Eagle Mountain Soccer Association also does not have a master schedule of practices or locations teams practice at.

Coaches set the practices times, but generally begin between 5:30-6:30pm depending on the time of the year. They tend to last around 1-2 hours depending on the age group (practices are shorter for younger age groups, longer for older age groups).

Each coach sets the practice schedule with a suggestion of two nights per week for children U8 and above and one night per week for U4, U5 and U6. The first week available for practice is mid to late March for the Spring season, and early to mid August for the Fall season for youth recreational teams.  Academy and Select teams may practice year round.

Game times depend on the age group. Regular season Saturday games start around 9:00 am and are slotted all day long. Each game last roughly 45 - 90 minutes (younger ages play shorter games). Weeknight evening games start after 6:00 pm.

During tournaments, games may start as early as 8:00 am and last until after dark depending on light availability at the field being played on. Sunday tournament games may occur in the morning in order to get all the game completed.

Practice Fields

• William Houston Memorial Park, 620 Park Center Blvd Saginaw Tx 76179
• Lakeside (Azle) practice field coming soon!

Game Day Fields

• U4-U8 (Littles Games) are played at The Table Community Church Turf Fields
• U9-U19 home games are played at West Park. Hickman Rd, Fort Worth, Tx 76108

We are mindful of the holidays and try to respect everyone's ability to celebrate, however we must get the required number of games in during the season.

• Easter Weekend: No games (but there are games in the proceeding week).
• Mother's Day: Yes, games may be scheduled on this day, but not ususally for the younger teams.  Your team might also choose to participate in tournaments, so confirm with your coach.
• Memorial Day: The recreational season is typically over at this time. Your team might also choose to participate in tournaments, so confirm with your coach.
• Father's Day: The recreational season is typically over at this time. Your team might also choose to participate in tournaments, so confirm with your coach.
• Labor Day: No regular season game are scheduled during this weekend. However, your team might choose to participate in tournaments, so confirm with your coach.
• Halloween: Yes, although late afternoon games might be rescheduled.
• Thanksgiving: There are many tournaments that happen the weekend after Thanskgiving if your team chooses to participate.  Invite the family to come out and watch.
• Christmas & New Years: There are many tournaments that happen around this time if your team chooses to participate. Invite the family to come out and watch.

You should respect the difficult job that referees have and recognize that the referee, according to the FIFA Laws of the Game, is the ultimate authority on the field. Whether a coach, spectator, player or parent, you should not vocally dispute a referee call (or even call out for an explanation) during the game.

The coach may speak privately with an adult referee at halftime or after the game to seek an explanation. Youth referees should NOT be approached at half time or after the game to discuss calls. If you have a question, it may be directed to the youth referee through the Referee Assignor or Director of Referees.

At no point in time, in the history or future of soccer, will a referee's decision be reversed.  You must consider this when deciding if you want to argue with the referee about a call or seek clarification as to why a call was made.  In the end, you still may not agree with the call, but you will at least know why the referee made the call.

Many of our referees are young.  They are some of the best kids around and have played soccer and respect adults.  Do not take advantage of that respect by bullying them after they have made a call.  It teaches your players bad sportsmanship and may get you removed from the game and/or coaching.

Many of our referees are also coaches. This means they have been subjected to disagreeable calls from other referees.  Understand that the referee cannot see everything and what they do see, they may see differently than you. This is a part of the game and you must teach your players to adapt and overcome any obstacles to perceive are out there.

Teams are formed during the 2 weeks after registration ends. Players will be assigned to teams based on our team formation policy. Players are placed on teams based on appropriate age grouping in their neighborhood PUBLIC school area.

We do not honor requests for players to be placed on a specific team. 

Player Statuses

• Returning Player
  players who played in the previous season will return to the same team by default
  
  
• Open Draw Player
  players who played in the previous season but do not want to return to the same team may go open draw which will place them in the open draw to be placed on any other team; requests are not allowed
  
  
• Former Player
  players who have played with EMSA previously but not in the last season will be placed in the open draw; special requests may be considered for any player who has not played with EMSA for 2 seasons or more
  
  
• New Player
  players who have never played with EMSA will be placed by our team formation standards; buddy requests may be considered
  
  

Buddy Requests

In order to promote soccer participation, a player may invite a friend from the same Member Association who was not registered in any Member Association during the last two seasons to join his existing team with the permission of the Member Association. Requests are not guaranteed.

Late Registrations

After registration closes, the registration committee will open up late registration to fill available spots on teams. Team placement is not guaranteed for players who register late. All late registrations will incur a late fee.

Waitlist

Once an age group is full, we will allow players to register to a waitlist. We have players who may choose not to play, allowing a spot to open up and be filled by someone on the waitlist. Waitlist players are not charged unless they are removed from the waitlist and placed on a team's roster.

Our coaches are all volunteers and set the schedule for practices. If you have schedule limitations, we encourage you to step up as a head coach for your child's team so you can choose practices days, times, and location.

Once you've registered and have been assigned to a team, your coach will reach out to you approximately 2 weeks prior to the start of the season with your practice and game schedule.

As a parent, the most important thing for you to do is have good communication with your child's coach. Talk to the coach about the situation. We want to encourage good sportsmanship, fun, and safe play.

We rely on volunteer coaches for all of our recrational teams. If you have a young child, please just allow them to have fun on the field. If you have an older child whom you feel is more competitive than the recreational team they are on or whom you would like to be come competitive, you might consider a select club. There are many select leagues in the DFW Metroplex.

Please remember that a recreational team is comprised of many different playing abilities, coaching levels, parent expectations, and referee skill levels.

You cannot request the same coach but with different players. You do have the option to request your child not play on the same team and be placed back in the Player Pool for random assignment.

On the registration form, just indicate that you do not want to be on the same team and your child will be removed as a core player from that team. Your child will be placed in the Player Pool for random assignment to a new team. NTSSA rules require that children be assigned to teams in a fair manner.

As long as there are more than two teams/coaches in a division, you may request that your child NOT play for a particular coach by designating this in the appropriate area on the registration form.

In order to promote soccer participation, a player may invite a friend from the same Member Association who was not registered in any Member Association during the last two seasons to join his existing team with the permission of the Member Association. Requests are not guaranteed.

We try to honor such requests and urge you to register by the deadline, although we cannot guarantee requested placements.

If your child is a returning player, every effort will be made to place your child on the same team as last season, as long as the coach and team are returning and you've not requested that your child be assigned to a new team. Please keep in mind that it's our policy to place additional players on teams with the shortest roster and without going over state-regulated roster size.

Coaches may NOT request that you play for their team.  This is a serious violation of the recruiting rules.

The decision to have your child play-up is something that requires careful consideration. Such a request is generally made when a player demonstrates a skill level above his/her age of play and when there is a team available. Such a request should be made to the appropriate age group commissioner and requires board approval if the player is requesting to play up more than 1 year.

Two things to note: you need to register your child in their correct age-group, using the Special Request Form to request that they play-up.  Eagle Mountain Soccer Association has final approval of any player requesting to play-up.