Frequently Asked Questions

During the Fall season:

• Each team in the Boys 1 and Girls 1 and older divisions will start with 2 weekday (M-F) practices.
• The PreK/Kindergarten division will hold 1 weekday practice.
• And the Clinic 3 and Clinic 4 divisions do not have weekday practices; they meet only on Saturdays.

During the Spring season there are no weekday practices. The first Sunday of the season is used for the only practice.

During the Fall season games are held on Saturdays.
During the Spring season games are held Sunday mornings.

Absolutely! It’s one of the best experiences you can have. And the league offers coaching training, session guides and assistance for coaches of all levels. Just register yourself as a Volunteer the same way you registered your child as a player. And don’t forgot to complete the background check (required by Carroll County). The instructions are in the Handouts section. There is no cost to register to volunteer or complete the background check.

The day after the coaches meeting the teams will be released and you will receive an email from the registration site with information about your assigned team and coach. Soon after the coach will send you and email with more details about practice days and times and other team information. Clinic 3 and Clinic 4 teams may not be released until later, so those players may not receive their email until the week before the season starts.

Not in the Fall season. In the Spring season an exception may be granted, but only with approvals and the caveat that the player will “play up” an age group.

Sign up for Travel Soccer and do not sign up for Rec. If your child does not make travel, when you receive that notice complete a Late Registration form indicating, in the comments area, that your child had tried out for Travel. You will not have to pay the late fee. Refunds are not offered if a player withdraws to play with a travel team.

Yes, if the player is on the High School JV team.
No, if the player is on the High School Varsity team.

Register your child for Rec Soccer during our Registration dates and indicate, in the comments area, that your child is trying out for High School. If your child makes the JV team and wishes to play Rec also they can. If your child makes Varsity or makes JV and does not wish to play Rec advise the Division Coordinator.

With so many players in the league, registering early allows time to find the necessary amount of coaches needed and gives an opportunity to grant as many requests as possible for parents and players. Not to mention, the registration fee is cheaper!

Yes, the refund requests need to be e-mailed to freedomoptsoccer@gmail.com.

If the request is received on or before 15 July (Fall Season) or 15 March (Spring Season) you receive the entire fee less a $20.00 administrative fee.

Any refund request received after 15 July (Fall Season) or 15 March (Spring Season) will not be honored unless the request is due to an injury which would not allow the player to participate during the season or the player evaluates onto a High School team. Refunds are not offered if a player withdraws to play with a travel team.

Yes, if they have the physical and mental ability we will consider allowing a player to play up into a division ahead of their grade. Please make the request to the Age Division Coordinator of the division you wish your child to play in and the League Commissioner using the email addresses from the board link to the left. We ask that the parents in requesting this remember most kids enjoy playing in the same division as their friends from school or home.

The league will provide your child with a uniform which will consist of a shirt, pants (Fall) and socks that we require the players wear at each game. You will need to purchase shin guards, which must be worn under the soccer socks for each game. Your child should have a water bottle for practices and games to keep them hydrated. Your child can play in sneakers, but if you wish to purchase soccer shoes/cleats you need to make sure you purchase soccer shoes that do not have a cleat located in the front toe area (no football shoes).

If you wish to purchase a soccer ball for your child the following is a list of the soccer ball sizes for the divisions they play in:

• Size 3 Clinic, PreK-Kindergarten, Boys and Girls 1 & 2 and Coed 1-2 (Spring)
• Size 4 Boys 3, Boys 4, Boys 5, Girls 3-5 and Coed 3-5 (Spring)
• Size 5 Boys 7-8, Girls 6-8, High School and Coed 6-8 (Spring)

As per U.S. SOCCER’S PLAYER SAFETY CAMPAIGN: CONCUSSION INITIATIVES & HEADING FOR YOUTH PLAYERS, players 11 and under shall not engage in heading, either in practice or in games.

Therefore, during a game, whenever the ball strikes a player in the head, play is stopped. The proper restart depends upon whether the player deliberately played the ball with his or her head. If deliberate, the proper restart is an indirect free kick to the opposing team. If this occurs within the goal area, the indirect free kick should be taken on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred. If the play by the head is deemed inadvertent, then the proper restart is a dropped ball.