There is often confusion about the difference between the “soccer season” and the “Club Year.” The explanation below should help clear that up. Simply put, the Club Year is the contract you sign with the club. For younger players in Southern California, it typically runs from March 1 to the end of February. The “Season” can mean many different things. However, in Southern California, it usually refers to the fall soccer season.
There are also two separate cycles—one for the “youngers” and one for the “olders.” The break between the two happens around high school age. Other states follow a similar yearly cycle, but the “Season” months may vary. The structure stays the same, yet the specific timing within the calendar year can be different.
Youngers
For the “youngers,” the “Club Year” generally follows this pattern. It begins with a team-forming phase, where rosters are put together. During this phase, there is time for the team to gel. Teams may enter a league, play several friendlies, join tournaments, or focus on training.
After the forming phase, teams usually move into the tournament season. This is followed by the main season for the sport. After that, teams may join an alternate season such as indoor soccer, small-sided games, or a state-level tournament.
Tryouts are also part of the cycle. They usually happen right before the forming stage.
By way of a specific example, in Southern California the club year for “youngers” runs from March 1 to the last day of February of the next year.
During the “Club Year” the months are broken down into typically identifiable phases as follows:
Phase 1 of the Club Year is the “Pre-Season”
March to June is considered the “pre-season.” During this time, teams have the freedom to decide what works best for their development. Some teams choose to play in competitive leagues. Others may join a recreational league. Some may focus on training and play only friendly matches to build the team. Many factors influence this decision, and there is no right or wrong choice. It all depends on the team’s needs and goals.
Phase 2 of the Club Year is “Tournament Season”
June to August is when most club teams engage in multiple tournaments. Depending on the level of the team, the number and quality of tournaments will vary. Many clubs take a “club break” at some point during the tournament season as well. Trying to align summer schedules is tough, so guest players are frequently used (you can see the article on guests here) to ensure that rosters have enough players on them to compete in these tournaments.
Phase 3 of the Club Year is “The Season”
September – December more specifically the weekend after Labor Day until Thanksgiving. When thinking of the soccer season, this is the main or prime “season” for soccer. It is at this time when multi-sport athletes need to be focused on soccer and where leagues have official standings, playoffs, etc.
Phase 4 of the Club Year is the “Post Season”
December to February is marked by the most stressful portion of youth soccer, the tryout (yes I know the games are tough, but this is the worst). We will have a post on tryouts in the future, please subscribe so you don’t miss it. During this window, many teams will focus on building their teams for the next year, so the players get an opportunity to focus on their individual skills, by continuing to train, but perhaps also entering in Futsal leagues or small sided leagues.
Many multisport athletes are practicing other sports, so the small-sided games are a great way to focus on skills and keep the core of the team together. For the younger teams, this is also when you see end of the season parties to put some closure on the season for everyone. End of the season parties are good for everyone and are often mixed in with holiday parties. It is customary to get the coach a little something for the season and we will have a post in the near future on that as well.
During this post season phase, many states run their “State Cup” which is the culminating year end tournament for all teams in your state or region. It is a tough time though as many rosters are in flux during this period and many of the two sport athletes are training multiple sports. So at events like the State Cup there are often a mix and match of the types of teams that you see. Some teams are newly formed and trying to figure out where they should play, some have their core together and others are filled with dedicated single sport athletes hitting on all cylinders.
Conclusion
Having an understanding of the club year is important to making decisions about your player. We hope that you found this informative as to the club year and that the information can help you plan your year! You can see that there are important windows in the process and if you miss them, it could cost your player a year of development. The Olders are similar, but they have to fit in a High School season somewhere in those four phases. That is a post for another day.
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After the forming phase, teams usually move into the tournament season. This is followed by the main season for the sport. After that, teams may join an alternate season such as indoor soccer, small-sided games, or a state-level tournament.
Tryouts are also part of the cycle. They usually happen right before the forming stage.
By way of a specific example, in Southern California the club year for “youngers” runs from March 1 to the last day of February of the next year.
During the “Club Year” the months are broken down into typically identifiable phases as follows:
