Yes! Our goal is to provide the environment for all players to develop no matter what exprience they have or ability level they are currently at. Per our DC Soccer Club Rec League policy, every player must play at least half of each game.

In our Rec League, players are placed on teams with others based on school or neighborhood. Recreational team practices are arranged by volunteer coaches who select fields--based on availability-- in neighborhoods as local as possible to the school where the majority of players attend. Games are located as central as possible to accommodate the league's more than 400 teams each season, but it is based on field availability and scheduling. 

Information pertaining to where and when your child's team will practice will be coordinated by the Coach and/or Team Manager. Practice and game information will not be known until the schedule has been released a few weeks before the start of the season.

In our Recreational league, we try to maximize participation. What this means is that often we haven’t finalized the number of teams until right before the start of the season, as we work to get everyone who is registered placed on a team. At the same time, we try to maximize the number of games on our best fields. In addition, we often receive the field allocations from DPR/DCSC very late leading up to the start of the season as there is substantial competition for fields with all school programs (who have priority) and all community groups. We have found that it creates more confusion to release a schedule and then revise it, so we hold schedules until we’re sure they are correct.

Age Group Commissioners are volunteers who roster players to teams within one of the 20 age groups in the Recreational program. Commissioners work with the coaches and team managers prior to the season to build rosters, schedule games, and provide support as needed. Age Group Commissioners for the current season are listed on this page. Email is the best way to contact your Commissioner. If you are interested in volunteering as an Age Group Commissioner or have additional questions about the role of our Age Group Commissioners, please contact Rec Manager, Rebeca Mercado, for assistance.

During online registration, you will be asked, "Special Request: Does this player wish to play with a specific team or coach?" This request is reviewed by the Age Group Commissioner. You may contact your Commissioner if you would like to change your choice after registering. We try to accommodate requests but can not guarantee that space will be available on any chosen team.

If your child was rostered to a team during the previous season (Spring or Fall) they will be re-assigned to that team (if they want to, barring any extenuating circumstances)* by the Age Group Commissioner provided online registration is completed by Guaranteed Return To Team deadline. All roster decisions are made by Age Group Commissioners. Coaches have no authority to roster a player.

Team rosters and game schedules will be posted and accessible to parents a couple of weeks prior to the start of the season via the Playmetrics App. When the game schedule and rosters are released you will see the team listed in your SportsEngine dashboard and have access to the schedule. You may ask the appropriate Age Group Commissioner as well.

Starting a new team is easy! You simply need the players and coach(es) to register and the special request box within the registration mentions the same team or coach's name. Our Age Group Commissioners will roster everyone to the team and get you set up.

If the waitlist has been activated for a specific division, that means the division is close to capacity. However, that does not mean that there isn't availability on certain teams in that division. If there is availability, the Commissioner will begin to place players on specific teams. Players will be moved from the waitlist in the order in which they registered.

Coaches and Managers are generally parents who have volunteered to help run the team. Every team has a Coach and some teams will have Managers as well. Once you are assigned to a team and the rosters have been released, go to your PlayMetrics account to see your team, coach and manager. The easiest way to contact your coach or manager is to send them a message through the PlayMetrics app.

Games and practices most often proceed as scheduled regardless of weather unless fields are closed. However, there are sometimes weather-related concerns that force the club to err on the side of caution. The quickest and best way for DC Soccer Club participants to learn about field statuses is to monitor the DPR website and sign up for DPR email/text notifications. In some instances, an email may be sent to teams through PlayMetrics alerts/notifications.

Coaches and Managers are assigned by Commissioners, so please contact your Commissioner or the Recreational Program Manager. The US Youth Soccer Association requires that all volunteers register as a volunteer and agree to a background check. To register as a coach or team manager for the upcoming season, please the registration application under the "Registration" tab (required each season).

Yes! Volunteering as a soccer coach is a fun way for high schoolers to give back to the community and earn much-needed service hours. Students under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a responsible adult connected to the team during all DC Soccer Club events. High school students also make great assistant coaches supporting parent coaches who feel they lack soccer-specific knowledge and want some help in that area. For a description of how coaching youth soccer can contribute to service hours for high school students, please read this.

Our Coaches are most commonly parents who have volunteered. If no Coach is listed, it means that no one has stepped forward to volunteer on your team. Your Age Group Commissioner will reach out to team parents to find a volunteer Coach. If a Coach cannot be identified, your team may be disbanded by the Age Group Commissioner and players will be reassigned or fees will be refunded.

In order to participate in games, a player must wear the required Adidas DC Soccer Club jersey, as well as shin guards and appropriate shoes. Shoes can be soccer cleats, turf shoes, or running shoes. In order to participate in practice, a player must wear shin guards and appropriate shoes. Every player is encouraged to have their own ball and to bring water and sunscreen to games and practices.

The required jerseys may only be purchased through our partner, PJ’s Soccer/Lacrosse Shop of Bethesda. While all other equipment may be purchased anywhere, PJ’s does offer competitive pricing and gives all DC Soccer Club members a 10% club discount on non-uniform and non-sale items.

Home  = Navy and Away = Red. In the Calendar section of PlayMetrics, your scheduled game will appear with an indication of home or away. For example, if your game listing starts with "Home vs" then your team should wear navy jerseys; if your game listing starts with "Away @" then your team wears red jerseys. 

 Players in second grade and younger should have a size 3.

Players in grades three through six should have a size 4.

Players in grade seven and older should have a size 5.

Being one size off is generally okay. For example, a second-grade player with a size 4 ball and a sixth-grade player with a size 5 ball will be fine.

Please click on the following to review

● Player Code of Conduct

● Parent/Guardian Code of Conduct

● Coach Code of Conduct

● Rec Program's Administrative Rules

Additionally, the laws of the game are specified for each age group. Check out our Recreational Rules Summary and Gameday Rules & Reminders for your age group.