Grade 2 – Grade 8

Who can play

The Somerset West Soccer Club boundaries are the attendance boundaries of the following public elementary schools: Lenox, Bethany, Rock Creek, Springville, McKinley, and Elmonica. All children in grades 2-8 (based on school grade beginning fall 2024) living in those attendance areas can play with the Club. State and national soccer association rules preclude restriction of play based on geographic “boundaries”, so children living outside the Club’s boundaries are also welcome to play with the Club.

Players on a Somerset West Soccer team cannot be also rostered/playing on a Classic, or Competitive team during the same season that they are playing on a SWSC recreational team. This includes Premier Developmental teams that some clubs now include.  Players on regular developmental teams are allowed to also be rostered/play on an SWSC team during the same season.

The Somerset West Soccer Club programs are affiliated programs of the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District (THRPD). All participants in the Club’s soccer programs must have a THRPD ID number to play. Participants living inside the THPRD boundaries can obtain an ID number at no cost. Participants living outside the district boundaries must pay an “Out-of-District” fee to obtain an ID number. This fee can be paid on an annual basis or per season basis. More information about THPRD’s “Out-of-District” fees is available on their Web site at www.thprd.org.

Note:  THPRD considers all players who live inside of the Beaverton School District boundaries to be “in-district” for the purposes of our soccer program.

Teams

All teams are formed according to the Club’s team formation policy. For the 2nd through 8th grade program, boys and girls play on separate teams organized by school grade.

For the Fall season, teams will be officially formed and rosters created after regular registration ends in mid-June.  Our team and coach list must be finalized in July.

For the Spring season, teams are officially formed and rosters created after regular registration ends in mid-February for grades 2-8.  Our team/coach list must be finalized by the end of February for scheduling.

We try to leave space on teams as we create them to accommodate late registrations and players who have moved into the area.  After the regular registration period is over, registrations are accepted on a space-available basis.

Note that we do our best to place all players who register during the regular registration periods but this is dependent on having enough coaches sign up.  In the rare event (it has only happened twice in many years) that we cannot recruit enough coaches, we will do our best to provide options for those affected players with other clubs and will fully refund their SWSC registration fees.

Our teams are designated by grade rather than age.  While competitive teams use a calendar age placement, our recreational clubs create teams based on players’ grades.  The old U# designations have been replaced by G# per the table below.

Grade

Previous

Current

Players on the field

2nd grade

U8

G2

4

3rd grade

U9

G3

7

4th grade

U10

G4

7

5th grade

U11

G5

9

6th grade

U12

G6

9

7th grade

U13

G7

11

8th grade

U14

G8

11

Games

The Fall season for the Grades 2-HSRec begins with practices in August and then teams play 8 games on Saturdays beginning on the Saturday after Labor Day.  The Spring season (no HSRec) begins the week after Spring Break with teams practicing once/week and playing 6-7 games through the middle of May.  Microsoccer will follow a similar schedule with 2 practice/game sessions each week.

Game schedules will be posted by THJSL no later than Labor Day (and hopefully the week before) for the Fall and by Spring Break for the Spring season.

Links to the fields can be found in the Players>Field Locations section of the Milltown United Soccer Club at https://www.milltownsoccer.org/players/field-locations/ers/field-locations/.

Practices

Practices will begin in August for the fall and after April 1 for the spring.  In the fall, teams have 2 practices/week, either M/W or T/Th. For Grade 2 teams, there are 3 practice slots:  5-6, 6-7, and 7-8.  For Grade 3-HSRec teams, there are 2 practice slots:  5-6:30pm and 6:30-8:00pm.  In the spring, teams have 1 practice/week and use the same practice slots as in the fall..

Equipment

Players must wear shin guards and proper shoes at all practices and games. Baseball/softball/football cleats are not allowed. Players should bring an appropriate size ball and water to all practice sessions. G2 (2nd grade players) use a #3 ball, G3-G6 players use a #4 ball, and G7-G8players use a #5 ball.

Uniforms

Grade 2-Grade 7:  Grade 2-Grade 8 players no longer receive a uniform from the club. If you played with us previously, please use the uniform you purchased for that season.   If you did not play with us previously, you will need to purchase a jersey for your player(s) from Tursis, a local soccer store which is used by several of our THJSL clubs.  Our color scheme (blue/gold) remains the same and your players will be able to use their purchased uniforms for multiple years.  And, you can select the number that you want (recreational teams are allowed to have multiple players with the same number). Only the jersey is required but you can also purchase shorts and socks.  For returning players, you are welcome to use the yellow socks you received previously.

We highly recommend going to the store and trying on the uniform before purchasing.  You can also order online but until you know the correct sizing, it is likely better to go to the store.  The jerseys are dry-fit Nike shirts.

Note that microsoccer  players will continue to receive a t-shirt or jersey from the club for the Spring 2024 season.  For the Fall 2024 season, microsoccer and High School Coed Recreational players will receive a jersey from the club.

Rules

All games are governed by rules adopted by the Tualatin Hills Junior Soccer League. The rules, which are modifications of the international rules (i.e., FIFA’s Laws of the Game) are updated annually and provided to coaches and player families online at Tualatin Hills Rules of Play. Practice sessions are governed by disciplinary rules adopted by the Club.

Fall Registration opens May 1