Do you have to have prior experience to sign up for recreational soccer?
- No, recreational soccer is open to all players, regardless of experience or skill level.
When is registration?
- There are 2 outdoor seasons a year, Fall and Spring. This is generally referred to as the soccer seasonal year. The soccer seasonal year begins September 1st and runs through August 31st. Fall registration begins online in May and is open through the end of July. Spring registration begins online in December and remains open through the end of January.
When will someone contact us after registration?
- After the final date of online registration, all coaches and players are placed onto teams by a draft and teams are balanced by taking in to account a players years of experience. Every season we are in need of volunteer coaches, so there is usually a 1-2 week period of the Rec Director and Program Directors trying to find coaches to coach the remaining teams. After all teams have coaches, the recreation coaching meeting is set and at that meeting, all of the coaches will receive their team contact information. The coaches are asked to contact all players, 2 weeks prior to the first scheduled game.
When does the season start/end?
- The fall season games begin the first weekend after Labor Day every year and ends around the beginning of November. The spring season games begin the first weekend of March every year and end around the beginning of May.
When do the teams start practicing?
- Teams are allowed to start practicing 1-2 weeks prior to the first scheduled games.
What age group will my player participate in?
- The current age group chart is listed on the RECREATION tab on the website.
Can my player play up an age group?
- Generally players will play in their own age group, but occasionally players will want to play up an age group. All requests for play ups are at the discretion of the Rec Director. The general rule on play ups is, the player must be in the last year of their current age group to play up. Players must request to play up at the time of registration.
Can my player play down an age group?
- No, we are governed by Ga Soccer and they have strict rules on the age group chart and will not allow any players to play down, regardless of size, skill or handicaps. Not even with a doctor’s excuse requesting that the player play down an age group will a player be allowed to play down.
Are the teams coed?
- Yes, U6, U8, & U10 teams will be coed. U12 may be coed if there are not enough participants in a specific age group to form that division. In that case, we will combine boys & girls. Parents will be notified first and given the option to remove their player from the program.
What equipment will my player need?
- All players must wear shin guards during all practices and games. Players will need soccer cleats, no baseball cleats are allowed. Athletic shorts of any kind to play and practice in. Every player will need a size appropriate soccer ball. U6 and U8 use a size 3 soccer ball. U10 and U12 use a size 4 soccer ball. U14, U16 and U19 use a size 5 soccer ball. Sunscreen is recommended for warm months. A water bottle with water or sports drink should always be available during all practices and games.
Is jewelry allowed?
- No. Jewerly cannot be worn during games or practices for the safety of all players. All jewelry must be removed or the play will not be allowed to play.
Who will coach my player’s team?
- Recreational coaches are parents that volunteer to coach a team at registration time. Most of the recreational coaches are a parent of a player on the team. Coaches volunteer their time to work with your player during practices and games. Some coaches grew up playing soccer, some have watched their children play and some have never played soccer or coached soccer before. We offer coaching classes and clinics before and during the season to help all of the coaches, no matter what their prior experience is.
What day and/or time will my player’s team practice?
- The coaches pick the time and day of practices since they have been kind enough to volunteer their time to coach the team. U6 usually practices once a week. U8 and U10 practice once or twice a week and U12 and above usually practice 2 times a week. Practices usually start 5:30pm or later. Practice times will vary depending on the coach. Most practices will last about an hour and a half. U6 and U8 practice for 45 minutes to an hour and U10 and older practice for an 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. We cannot guarantee what days of the week or times that your child will practice, and we do not know during registration. No refunds are given due to practice conflicts.
Where will my player practice?
- The coaches pick the location of the team practices. Practices are normally held at the RYSA complex.
Where will the soccer games be played?
- All games will be played at RYSA for U6, U8 and U10.
U12 and above, depending on the number of players in an age group and gender may be scheduled through Ga Soccer and the Recreation Inter-Affiliate scheduled program (RIAS). If that is the case, half of the games will be played at RYSA and the other half of the games will be played at other soccer associations throughout the metro Atlanta area. Most associations are on this side of the Atlanta area. The U14, U16 and U19 age groups are always RIAS through Ga Soccer, so plan on some traveling on the weekends for some games.
When will the soccer games be played?
- Most games are on Saturday’s. Saturday games start anytime from 8am to 5pm. Most U10 and above teams will have some games on Sunday’s with all Sunday games starting at 1pm or later when scheduled at RYSA. The U6-U10 age groups may have a game or two on a Friday evening. Friday evening games will start at 6pm or later and will end no later than 9:00pm. Due to the number of teams and the limited amount of field space and the possibility of rain-out weekends to be rescheduled, Friday and Sunday games for some age groups are required to fulfill all of the games for the season.
When will the game schedule be available?
- The game schedule is available approximately one week before the season starts. All teams must be formed before the scheduling process can even start. RYSA has in-house games to schedule which are easy to do since that only involves RYSA teams and RYSA fields. RYSA also has to schedule games involving other associations playing RYSA teams at RYSA. This scheduling is done through Ga Soccer and involves about 100 other leagues throughout Ga through the Ga Soccer website. Sometimes Ga Soccer does not release the schedules until the week of the start of the season, so that is usually the reason for the delay in the schedules being published. As soon as the schedules are done, they will be available on the Recreational Soccer link on the RYSA Website.
How many games will the teams have?
- All teams are guaranteed to have at least 8 - 9 games during the season.
Our team needs more players, can we pick up players?
- If your team is in need of additional players, please contact the Rec Director to see if there is anyone on the waiting list that can be placed on the team. All players must be registered and paid through EADL in order to play. Teams absolutely cannot pick up any players without the approval of the Rec Director.
Can I bring friends to practice and games to be allowed to play or participate in practice?
- ABSOLUTELY NOT. Due to liability issues, only registered players may participate in practices and games.
Can I request a coach or a team for my player to play on?
- There is a special request area when registering online. All special request are considered but are not guaranteed. Siblings will be placed on the same team as long as they are the same gender and age group. We try very hard to have evenly distributed teams and in order to do this, not all requests can be honored.
Can my player switch teams?
- Once the teams are drafted, players cannot be moved off a team onto another team. All U6 and U8 teams are redrafted every season. U10 and above teams stay together in the fall and spring. Any requests for U10 and above players to switch teams in the spring must be approved by the recreational coordinator and a $25.00 transfer fee will be required if the change is approved.
What if I need a refund?
- All refunds must be requested through the EADL Office and have to be approved. All refunds are subject to a $25.00 admin fee and once the season has started, no refunds will be issued. Please contact info@eastatlantadlfc.com with the reason for the refund request.
Does EADL offer financial assistance?
- Scholarship applications are available through the EADL office. All scholarships are confidential and require all proper paperwork to accompany the application before being considered. Please contact info@eastatlantadlfc.com to receive a copy of the form.
How do I check field status for games/practices?
- For practice cancellations, contact your coach. For game cancellations, please check the RYSA website at www.rysa.net. Any field closures on game day will be posted on the front page of the website.
If I have a problem/complaint, who do I contact?
www.rysa.net
Mailing Address
1780 Old Salem Road
Conyers, GA 30013
770.483.0284
