| Q: |
How big is
Pembroke Youth Soccer?
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See Prior Years
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| A: |
Pembroke Youth Soccer has 923
players. The graph on the right shows the breakdown across our different
divisions. All together we field about 70 teams. To help support those teams we have
over 100 registered adult volunteers.
Update: We are now over 1,000 players strong. New info is coming soon! |
| Q: |
When
can my child enter the soccer program?
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| A: |
Players born on or before July 31st, 2003, or entering Kindergarten
in the Pembroke public school system in the Fall of 2008, can register for soccer. If your
child is born after August 31st, 2003, and is attending a private Kindergarten program,
you should contact the registrar to check eligibility.
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| Q: |
How
much does registration cost?
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| A: |
Registration costs vary
according to the age group and whether or not you register over the internet. This year,
there is a $15 field improvement surcharge being added to each registration. This is a one
time fee to help cover the costs of the extensive improvements we've made to our complex
in the past year. Below is the fee schedule showing the extra charge for online
registration. There is a family max of $340 (not including online registration charges).
Registration Costs
(including field improvement surcharge) |
| Age Group |
Paper
Registration Cost |
Online
Registration Cost
** Including Processing Fee |
| U6 |
$70 |
Not Available |
| U7/U8 |
$95 |
$102.18 |
| U10, U12, U14 |
$125 |
$134.13 |
| U16, U18/U19 |
$95 |
$102.18 |
Internet registrations carry an extra surcharge that varies based on
the registration fee charged. The entire surcharge is paid to the vendor who is
providing the internet registration service. The surcharge is applied to each
player registration.
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| Q: |
Why
does registering over the internet cost more?
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| A: |
We use a service called Active.com to process our Internet
registrations. Active.com charges a processing fee for each registration and we are
passing this charge on to those people who want to have the convenience of internet
registration. The surcharge is currently 6.5% + $1.00 for each registration. To register
over the internet, visit Online Registration.
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| Q: |
Why is
there a $10 late fee after May 20th, 2008?
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| A: |
Running a program the size of
ours is hard work. We need to know months in advance of the season start date how
many teams we will have so we can get enough coaches, order uniforms, register
players/coaches with the state, and schedule field space. Also, a key component of a
quality soccer program is an appropriate team size. We want to minimize the number of
late signups as much as possible so that our team sizes are not compromised. The late
fee will be waived if you recently moved to Pembroke. Also, the late fee does not
apply to U16 and U19 players and others who are only playing in the spring only.
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| Q: |
Can a
player play for Pembroke as well as a club soccer team?
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| A: |
This is not a problem through
the U14 age group. However, once a player reaches U16 or higher, US Soccer dual-rostering
rules prohibit a player from being on more than one roster that is affiliated with Mass
Youth Soccer. Teams affiliated with Mass Youth Soccer include town teams, Mass
Premier Soccer teams (MAPLE), or any team competing for the Mass State Cup. If a
club competes in the Super-Y League and also the Mass State Cup, it is OK to be rostered
on a town team as well as the club team Super-Y league roster so long as you are not on
that clubs Mass State Cup roster.
This restriction would not apply to a U14 player "playing up" into the U16 age
group. Please note that Pembroke also has it's own "play-up" policy.
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| Q: |
Can I
play in Pembroke even though I don't live there?
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| A: |
If your town offers a soccer
program that is affiliated with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association (MYSA), then
you can not participate in the Pembroke program. If your town does not have a soccer
program, then we will accept your registration and treat you like everyone else.
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| Q: |
Why do
we need to show a birth certificate or proof of age at registration?
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| A: |
Every town or club soccer
program is required to validate the birthdates of the players they register. This
requirement is passed down by the United States Youth Soccer Association. It exists in the
interest of fair play as well as for insurance reasons. Providing false information can
have serious consequences including player suspension from organized soccer, team
forfeiture of any games where this player was rostered (whether or not they played), or
sanctions against the club or town in which they participated.
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| Q: |
How do
you determine what age group a player belongs in?
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| A: |
The cutoff date used between age groups in soccer is dictated by the
policies of the US Youth Soccer Association (USYSA). This date, August 1st,
indicates that a player must be under a certain age prior to that date (e.g. U10,
U12, etc). For U10 and older we use two year age groupings. Our younger age groups, U6,
U7, and U8, use single year age groups. PYS allows players who are grade appropriate to
"play up" into the older age group in order to play with their classmates. For
parents with players who have August birthdates, all you have to do is ask. If your
birthdate is after the 9/1 school year cutoff, we require proof of grade.
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| Q: |
Registration
can cost over $100 per player! Isn't that too expensive?
|
| A: |
PYS has to balance maintaining
a quality program while still covering its costs. PYS feels its fees compare
favorably to those of other towns. Many towns charge similar fees and have an
additional fee for the uniform - in Pembroke it's included. Also, most towns charge
separately for the Fall and Spring while in Pembroke, one price covers both seasons.
PYS has never denied a childs participation in the program due to a family's financial
situation. If you need financial assistance, contact the PYS Registrar (e-mail Andy Goodman) to see what arrangements can be made.
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| Q: |
Why do
I have to buy a new travel team uniform every year?
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| A: |
Pembroke used to have a 2 year
uniform policy where a uniform could be used for two years thus reducing the registration
fee. This program was difficult to maintain because of issues with uniforms being
discontinued and the effort involved to keep teams from having duplicate numbers. As a
result, we now have a policy where a new uniform is issued every year. This policy is
subject to review so feel free to attend one of the PYS Board Meetings listed on our home
page and let us know how you can help.
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| Q: |
Why
don't travel team players get their uniform for the fall season?
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| A: |
Travel team uniforms are
needed for the spring season when Pembroke teams play other towns in the Coastal Youth
Soccer League. In the fall Pembroke teams play in-town against other Pembroke teams
so the uniforms would not help since everyone would be wearing the same color. It would
also not be possible to issue the uniforms in the fall since the U12 and U14 teams are
re-drafted for the spring season and we need to ensure that each player on a team has a
unique jersey number. During the Fall season, these players receive colored t-shirts
for the fall in-town season.
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| Q: |
What
is the refund policy?
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| A: |
Refund requests
should be made through the PYS Registrar (e-mail Andy Goodman). Requests received by July 31st will receive a full
refund. Requests received after July 31st but before the second scheduled
fall game will be subject to a $15 withholding fee.
For players playing spring only (i.e. PKH), requests received by January 31st
will receive a full refund. Requests received after January 31st but before the
first scheduled spring game will be subject to a $15 withholding fee.
Requests due to extenuating circumstances such as injury or ineligibility will be
considered on a case by case basis and expenses paid on behalf of the player may be
withheld. Late fees are not refundable. U10s, U12s, and U14s who play in the fall only can
request a $30 refund for the cost of their spring uniform provided they notify the
registrar prior to November 1st.
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