What ages can play soccer with Marshalltown Area Soccer Club?
The "age" of a soccer player is determined on August 1 of each year, and your "age" holds throughout the academic year until the next summer. The youngest players for the Marshalltown Area Soccer Club are "U6" which stands for "Under 6" You have to be "4" or "5" to play U6. For 2010-2011 academic year, a child must have been at least 4 or 5 years old on July 31, 2010. You have to be "6" or "7" to play U8, etc. In the Fall, we run leagues U6 through U18. In the Spring, most of our 14+ year old players play high school, so we play U6 through U14. A current listing of the age brackets is kept on the "Sign Up to Play" page.
Who runs the Marshalltown Area Soccer Club?
The Marshalltown Area Soccer Club is a volunteer-based community organization run by its members, using a volunteer board of directors. There is almost always an open board position, so please feel invited to get involved!
Who chooses the coaches?
Coach's are volunteers who love the game and desire to support youth in our community. They often follow their children as they grow in the sport
If I sign my child up, how much will s/he get to play?
Our typical seasons are 7-8 weeks long, usually spread over 9-10 weeks because of holidays or weather cancellations. For all U6-U10 teams, everybody plays at least half of the game. Most teams, however, have far fewer than double the number of players than are on the field at one time, and players get to play most of the game. For U11 and older teams, all players will receive at least 50% playing time within the in-town league and in the GDMJSL league. Playing time is not guaranteed for tournaments or within the IPSL League.
I've heard through the grapevine that Marshalltown Area Soccer Club is "competitive". What does that mean?
Frankly, this is a bit of a misnomer for our younger age program. Our U6-U10 program (pre-K-4th grade) is strictly recreational. No scores are kept at within the in-town program andno standings are kept. Team formation is based on registration receipt and is done by a computer algorithm. We emphasize individual player development over trying to win as a team at these ages. We emphasize teaching soccer skills "the right way" in a fun, age-appropriate, game-based environment. We emphasize the importance of good sportsmanship with players, parents, and referees. There are no tryout or player evaluations of any sort. You just sign up and we get you on a team!
For our older players (beginning with the U10 year), we do run a competitive program, again with an emphasis on player development. Here, we do run tryouts, in conformation to the league rules. This is designed not to exclude, but to place players sensibly on appropriate teams and to be able to place those teams in the various divisions within our league. The cost of the competitive program is higher, but each team receives direct professional coaching, both at practice and at a number of games.
Where/When will the Marshalltown games be played?
In town league games will be conducted at the Fisher Memorial Soccer Complex located at the corner of E. Olive Street and 18th Avenue. The vast majority of these games will be conducted on Saturday mornings. We try to arrange games so that players with interests in multiple sports can compete in those sports as well. However, there are times where schedule conflicts cannot be avoided. Competitive matches are conducted at locations usually within 75 miles of Marshalltown including Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls, etc.
The older players (U11+) now play in the Iowa Premier Soccer League (IPSL), run through the ISA. This league offers flexible rostering and flexible registration of teams, so that we can place our most competitive teams against the best competition in the state, while other teams can be placed against appropriate somewhat less stiff competition. These teams play some home games in Marshalltown Area and some travel beyond Marshalltown Area.
Who coaches the teams?
U6-U14. Parent coaches are the direct game-day coaches and also are expected to be leaders practices. Please let us know if you are interested in being a parent-coach. We continue to work with other area clubs in order to provide additional support and coaching training opportunities.
Within the competitive program, a combination of parent coaching and professional coaching are applied.
My child has signed up for soccer. When will I hear something?
Updates regarding team assignments and coaching assignments are posted on the MASC web site and updated regularly. Team and coaching assignments are done based on the date that registration is received. Coach's are to contact players approximately 1 week prior to practice. If your child has not been contacted, you are urged to check the web site. If no coach has been assigned to your child, that usually means the club is still working to obtain a volunteer coach. If the club is unable to get a parent or volunteer to step up, your registration fees will be refunded.
We're going to our first practice next week. What should we bring?
A big smile. A water bottle. Shin guards with socks that cover them. A ball. (U5-U8: size 3; U9-U12: size 4; U13+ size 5) Sneakers or soccer shoes are ok, especially for the youngest ages. Cleats are recommended for U10 and older players. Soccer cleats are different from baseball cleats in that they do not have a central cleat in the front toe area. If you have rubber baseball or multi-purpose shoes that have a central, front cleat, just cut it off. No metal cleats are allowed.
Are there special rules for the younger kids or do they play the regular game?
As part of the Iowa Soccer Association, we play "small-sided games" on smaller fields in our younger age divisions. We strongly endorse these small-sided games, because they give greater opportunities for every player to touch the ball and achieve success, something that is critically important for our younger players. There are some other simplifying rules as well. You can see all of them on the appropriate age group program pages, but here are the highlights:
- U6 plays 3 v 3 with no keeper. No penalty kicks.
- U8 plays 4 v 4 with no keeper. No penalty kicks.
- U6, U8, and U10 play with no "offsides" rule.
- U10 plays 6 v 6 with a keeper.
- U12 plays 8 v 8, but otherwise full rules
- U13 and higher play full rules.
What about tournaments?
Generally, U10 and older teams make the decision whether to play in extra tournaments on their own. We encourage teams to play in local tournaments, such as the Kohl's American Cup and the Iowa Games but the decision is yours. Teams are responsible for their own entry fees.