FALL SOCCER

The Fall Season is our primary soccer program that follows the core AYSO philosophies to make sure of a fun and rewarding experience for all players and their families.

WHEN & WHERE – Fall Season 2024

• Games start August 17th. No games Labor Day weekend. Season ends October 26th (World Cup October 27th). November 2nd/3rd is reserved as a rainout make-up weekend. 10 games minimum.
• All games take place in the Concord/Clayton area.
• 10U & up teams will participate in the end-of-season competitive MDSA World Cup to determine who will represent Mt Diablo Soccer in the Area 2C tournament.

INTERPLAY

• Teams 12U and older play in Area 2C Interplay to support regions with smaller numbers of teams to provide a wider variety of play than would be possible within our own region.
• Area 2C will schedule home and away games for participating regions which may include Concord, Pleasant Hill/Martinez, American Canyon and Delta (Rio Vista). Travel will be kept to a minimum wherever possible; teams can expect 2 to 3 weekend games outside of immediate neighboring cities.
• Interplay may also involve games against an Area EPIC (Everyone Plays In our Community) team, a program for players with physical and mental challenges that may prevent them from participating on a mainstream team. Our players and families often tell us these are the most enjoyable and rewarding games of the season!

REGISTRATION FEES

• EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION: $135 plus a non-refundable AYSO Annual Membership Fee of $25 for registrations completed on or before 5/29.
• GENERAL REGISTRATION: 5/30-7/9: The 2024 Fall Player Registration Fee is $160 plus a non-refundable AYSO Annual Membership Fee of $25. Included is a full uniform (jersey, shorts, socks), appropriate size soccer ball for each player, field rental fees, equipment, and other incidental expenses.
• WAITLISTED (LATE) REGISTRATIONS: $210 for Registrations received on or after 7/10 ($160 + $25 AYSO Annual Membership Fee + $25 Late Registration Fee for waitlisted registration). Guaranteed Placement ends 7/9. Registrations received after that date will be accepted on a waitlist basis and placed on a team as space is available.

DIVISIONS

• See the Age Chart below to determine your child’s division for 2024-2025.
• Players will be placed in the applicable Division based on the calendar year in which they were born. E.g. players born in 2017 will play in the 8U Division, with all players born in the same year; players born in 2016 will play in the 10U Division, with all players born in 2015 and 2016. Players may not “play down” with younger children. “Play up” requests should be noted on the player registration form and will be evaluated on an individual basis.
• Our Jamboree 5U & 6U Program is overseen by our professional Coaches from AMO Soccer Academy, assisted by volunteer team coaches. All teams in other are run by volunteer team coaches. Each team must have a registered Coach Volunteer to begin practice and play. For more information on coaching, please click here.
• 5U & 6U Divisions: 30 minute practice with professional Coaches, followed by 30 min scrimmage; Saturdays only
• 7U & 8U Divisions: 1x 60 minute practice midweek, plus 1x game on Saturdays
• 10U & Up: 2x 60-75 minute practices midweek, plus 1-2 games on Saturdays until the World Cup begins mid-October.
• 16U/19U: Divisions are combined in a co-ed program.
• Please note: we CANNOT accommodate any buddy/carpool/coach requests, due to the large size of our Fall program, and our registration system does not support accommodating specific player/team placements following the principle of Balanced Teams. The only exception to this is the pairing of Coach/Assistant Coach volunteers who request to work together. For more info on volunteer pairings, contact our Coach Admin team.
• EPIC (Everyone Plays In our Community) Program: MDSA is proud to support AYSO Section 2C in running our Area’s EPIC (VIP) Program for children and adults age 4 and up whose physical or mental challenges prevent them from successful participation in mainstream teams. Please visit Concord AYSO for more information.

EQUIPMENT

• Players receive a shirt and socks in their assigned team’s colors, plus black shorts and a soccer ball.
• Cleats/athletic shoes and shinguards are to be provided by the parent.

VOLUNTEERING

• Each team requires at a minimum one fully registered volunteer Head Coach
• At least one Assistant Coach is highly recommend
• Coaches may request to be paired together (max. 2); this should be noted on the registration form or via email to Coach Admins
• 10U-14U Teams must have at least 2 fully certified Referees. Teams participating in the MDSA World Cup have a Referee Points Qualification that is met through Team Referees participating in games throughout the regular season.

REFUND POLICY

• Withdrawal requests received on or before July 9th will receive a Full Refund less the $25 AYSO Annual Membership Fee (as applicable) and a $5 Processing Fee ($30 Total)
• Withdrawal requests received on or before August 16th will receive a 50% Refund less $25 AYSO Annual Membership Fee (as applicable) and a $5 Processing Fee ($30 Total) if all distributed equipment has been returned.
• No Refunds will be issued after August 17th which is the Fall Season Opening Weekend.
• Click here to use our online withdrawal request form. Refunds may take up to 2 weeks to process.

SCHOLARSHIP POLICY

• Mt. Diablo Soccer offers a Scholarship Program for local families that may not otherwise be able to participate due to financial need. This is a formal process for requesting and awarding scholarships as we feel strongly that it is important to be sensitive to the needs of our community.
• Mt. Diablo Soccer is a non-profit organization and is run by volunteers. Each player’s registration fees help to cover costs associated with uniforms, insurance, equipment, field usage fees, maintenance and upkeep. We encourage families to pay as much of the fees as possible to help Mt. Diablo Soccer cover these costs.
• If considered for a scholarship, Mt. Diablo Soccer asks for in return several hours of parent time, signing up for one of our volunteer duties. The volunteer duties can range from: coaching and refereeing to registration, field maintenance and field marshall duties.
• Scholarship Request Form (pdf format) may be downloaded, and for privacy reasons should be filled out completely and submitted directly to our Registrar via email at registration@mdsoccer.org.

• Waiting List Registration means that your player is on a first come first served list (based on date and time of registration) awaiting placement on a team.
• The ONLY exception to the first come first served rule is the situation where a wait listed player moves to the front of the line because their division needs a coach and their parent or guardian volunteers to take this role. If your player is on the waiting list and you want to coach a team, please send an email to coachadmin@mdsoccer.org.
• The following will result in your wait listed player being placed on a team from the waiting list:
  – Space is available on a team in the players division when teams are formed (generally prior to season start);
  – If there are enough players on the waiting list and an available coach which results in a new team being formed (note the coach volunteer provision above);
  – If any players withdraw after the season starts, the available spot will be given to the player at the top of the waiting list.
• Generally all players that remain on the waiting list after two weeks of games have been played will be issued a refund of the both the Fall Player Registration Fee and the AYSO Annual Membership Fee (a player’s application for AYSO Annual Membership is not submitted until they have been removed from the waiting list). If a player is removed from the waiting list, assigned to a team, and then withdraws; the AYSO Annual Membership Fee of $25 is non-refundable.
• If a player on the Waiting list submits a Player Withdrawal Form they will be removed from the waiting list and issued a refund at that time.

QUESTIONS?
Contact fall@mdsoccer.org