USClub Soccer (alongside most other youth soccer sanctioning organizations) has decided to switch back to a school-year-based age group system beginning in the 2026/27 season.

See the tryout age matrix page for additional help

When you join a team, you’re committing to that team for the entire registration year, June through May. The club has not yet published its 2026-2027 registration fees and dues; you can view the prior year’s registration dues. The club will continue to offer more payment options this year, including Credit Cards, Checks, and an 11-month payment plan.

Starting in 2023, Woodland Soccer Club began formalizing the process of player-to-team assignments post-tryouts, with the goal of producing the most competitive teams and providing players with the best match of skill level to competition. Woodland Soccer Club Coordinators created ranked teams in each age group and assigned an ‘Orange’, ‘White’, and ‘Black’ team order. During tryouts, players will be selected for a team in the order of the team’s rank. The coach of the ‘Orange’ team will be granted first rights to offer a squad position on their team to any player in the age group; the coach of the ‘White’ team is granted second rights, and so on, depending on how many teams are present in that age group.

A player/parent may reject a coach’s offer to join a higher-ranked team, in which case the coach of the next lower-ranked team can then offer a position on their team to that player. Players and family should have candid and open discussions with the Director of Coaching, Coordinator, and the coaches about what is best for their player’s development.

Tryouts run for 3 days, and to give coaches the best opportunity to evaluate the player and their skill level, it is best to attend all tryout days. However, the minimum is 1 tryout day.

Woodland Soccer Club cannot guarantee a spot on a team to every player who attends tryouts. Unlike recreational soccer, a competitive soccer club seeks to produce the most competitive team(s) possible given the available player pool. The following situations may result in your player not being asked to join a team.

1. The available player pool exceeds the number of spots across all teams in that age group. This number can be different for different age groups and for teams, as the age group and coach determine how many players they need for their team.
2. There is no team (Coach) available for a specific age group; this is particularly an issue for the youngest age groups if no team has yet been formed.
3. The player’s skill level does not match the competitive level of the team(s) in that age group. For example, if all teams in a particular age group are playing in the Gold and above divisions and the player trying out is a novice/beginner player, the competition level of the team is much higher than the skill level of the player, and would be a poor fit.

Every effort will be made to provide each player during tryouts with the best option that matches their skill level with a WSC team. Some new teams may form from the process, and new coaches may be sought. Every family, however, will receive some form of notification and explanation.

Playing Up an Age Group

Beginning with the 2026/2027 season, Woodland Soccer Club will transition from birth-year teams to school-year–based teams (August 1 – July 31). Due to this significant change, approval to play up an age group will be granted only in limited and exceptional circumstances.

Tryout Requirement

All players are required to attend tryouts for their school-year-eligible age group, unless approved by the DOC to ‘play up’. This requirement is mandatory and applies to all players, including those requesting to play up. Coach suggestion, or approval does not constitute acceptance by the club to play up.

1. Playing Up Criteria
   1. A player may be offered the opportunity to “play up” one school-year age group only onto an Orange team if all of the following conditions are met:
      1. The player is in the top 1/3 of the older age group team as determined by the DOC and Head Coach evaluations, and
      2. The head coach and Director of Coaching determine that playing up supports the player’s development, and
      3. Playing up does not negatively impact the player’s physical safety, emotional well-being, and social/team dynamics.
   2. The California school year runs from September 1 to August 31.  Players born August 1-31 can choose to try out with their current school grade or the younger age group they qualify for.  
   3. The Director of Coaching (DOC) may allow players to ‘play up’ in limited, exceptional circumstances. These circumstances include, but are not limited to:
      1. Roster Needs: Addressing specific roster-number requirements after tryouts and once the player’s natural school-year age group needs have been met.
      2. Developmental Placement: Situations where the DOC, after discussion with the relevant head coaches, determines a player is at a developmental level that necessitates playing up, provided the higher-age team competes at an equal or higher division level than what is available at the player’s current age.
      3. Administrative Needs: Considerations such as sibling placement or other unique conditions as determined by the DOC.
2. Playing Up Approval Process
   1. The Player must receive a formal invitation to tryout with an older age group from the club Registrar. Any player who has not received an invitation will not be eligible to be rostered on the older age group team.
      1. A player may receive an invitation prior to tryouts if they have been pre-determined to meet any of the conditions in section 2 above.
      2. A player may receive an invitation from the Registrar at the end of the tryout day if the age-group coach/DOC believes the conditions of 2(a) would be met. 
   2. Players born in August are pre-approved to play up one age group.
   3. Age-group coaches will submit rosters to the DOC and the Registrar for verification that all conditions above have been met. Players without approval will not be rostered at an older age group.
   4. Final approval shall be made by the Director of Coaching. 
3. Communication
   1. The club will continue to provide clear communication to families about the new age-group structure, evaluation process, and implications for each player.
   2. Players playing up will be informed of placement decisions during the normal team invitation process.

A player approved to play up and offered a roster spot on more than one team may choose the team they feel best fits the player’s developmental needs.