As of Spring 2023

1. When does the season start? One season consists of two sessions. Fall Session = August – November. Spring Session = February – April/May. Tryouts are generally in May.
2. How much will this cost? Fees are approximately $825 per season (includes fall and spring sessions) for those playing 7v7 and above. Fees are approximately $425 for those playing 4v4. For High School players playing one session (Girls - fall, Boys - spring) the fees are approximately $535. Fees are due at the time of accepting a roster spot. Installment payments are available.
3. How much are uniforms? Approximately $160 for a kit including home and away jerseys, at least one pair of shorts and 2 pair of socks. A warm up, bag, sweatshirts, and similar items are available for an extra cost.
4. What do my fees pay for? Club fees cover the league fees, game field rental, referees, player cards, training fees, team app for scheduling and communication, website, practice facilities, goalie training, speed and agility training, extra ball skills sessions, insurance, field maintenance, accounting and legal fees and club administrative costs. All teams receive training from paid trainers. The vast majority of fees paid are for the league fees and training costs.
5. Are there additional costs beyond the fees? These fees do not include uniforms, tournament fees or indoor soccer fees. The anticipated life of uniforms is two years (four sessions). Tournament fees usually run between $50 and $65. Indoor soccer is optional, with fees paid directly to the facility where games are played. Fundraising will help reduce these costs. See “Are there fundraisers to help offset fees?” below.
6. Are there fundraisers to help offset fees? Yes. Individuals may voluntarily participate in the pizza sales fundraiser – with families receiving 35% of total sales. The amount of money that can be raised is unlimited. This past year one family reduced their fees $440 through the fundraiser.
7. Where are the games played? Most games are played near River Port Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, MO (off I-70) or off 370 in St. Charles however games could be throughout the St. Louis metro area including O’Fallon Illinois, Edwardsville Illinois, Chesterfield, Missouri, and similar locations. We do occassionaly have home games at Gordon Moore Park (Alton) or Glazebrook Park (Godfrey).
8. Where are practices/training held? Glazebrook Park on Stamper Lane in Godfrey IL or Gordon Moore Park (College Avenue/Rt 140) in Alton.
9. How many games are there? 8-10 league games per session.
10. Are there week-night games? Most games are played on weekends. There are occasional weeknight games.
11. When are practices and games? Our teams train twice per week with one session conducted by a trainer and focusing on technical skills and one session conducting by their coach.  There will be a few weeks in the season where no games are scheduled. Games are not scheduled over Easter, Memorial Day, Labor Day or Thanksgiving weekends. Occasional additional practice or training sessions may be held at the coach’s discretion in a unique situation. Coaches may not have a combination of team practice/training any more than 3 times per week (7 day period).
12. What league will we play in? Will our team be able to compete? Our teams play in the St. Louis Youth Soccer Association League (SLYSA). The league has over 1,100 teams from throughout the Metro St. Louis region as well as Quincy, IL, Southeast Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky and Southern Illinois. They come to the St. Louis region because the league is well organized and structures teams in divisions to make the games competitive. There are usually 6-8 divisions per age group with 8-9 teams each. New teams are first placed in the bottom division. If a team wins more than .750% of their games they may be moved up a Division. The top division is the Premier Division, then Championship, Division, 1, Division 2, Division 3, etc. If your team practices and trains with the trainer consistently, has players with good attitudes and who give their best effort - then your team should be able to compete at the appropriate competition level.
13. What is the difference between “Training” and “Practice”? Practice is conducted by the team coaching staff and focuses on individual skills, small group play, position play and team concepts. The trainer is not present for practices. Training is conducted by the trainer and focuses on individual skills development and small group play with a focus on “touches on the ball”. Coaches are usually present to observe but play a support role, if any.
14. Do you have a standard curriculum that the coaches and trainers follow? Yes, all teams follow a structured curriculum designed to provide age appropriate, and skill appropriate, development. Sessions are scheduled to provide equal focus on core areas to develop well rounded players. All coaches and trainers are certified through US Soccer.
15. Do you play in tournaments and do you travel to out of town tournaments? This is at the discretion of the coach. As players get older each team typically plays in 2-3 local tournaments. Some teams do travel out of town. Tournament fees may be included in overall fees at the discretion of the coach and typically run $50-$70 per player. Younger teams typically do not travel to out of town tournaments. When they do play tournaments they are within the St. Louis area. As teams improve and get older out of town tournaments would first be discussed with the parents before a commitment was made. Premier and Championship level teams will most likely attend an out of town tournament but again this would be discussed with the team before commitments are made.
16. Is there “equal playing” time? Our coaches are encouraged to play each player a minimum of 30% in each game. The coach may use their discretion and playing time may be impacted by several factors including, but not limited to, game situations, attendance at practice and training, attitude, tournaments, grades, injury, etc.
17. Can my child still play on their “rec” team? Players who are U10 and younger may continue to play on their rec team provided parents agree their son or daughter will attend Club events if there is a conflict. Players may not play indoor soccer during any Irish season at any age. Once players reach the U9 level they will not be permitted to play on a “rec” soccer team.
18. Won’t my child get burned out playing “club” soccer? We follow the US Soccer guidelines for how many hours a player should spend on soccer in a 7 day period. We do not play “year- round”. Breaks are built in for major holidays such as Easter, Memorial Day, etc. For example, players at the Kindergarten-3^rd grade level will only attend one practice and one training session per week and each session will be limited to one hour. Time increases to 90 minutes at the U10 level. There are only 8-10 games per session (similar to a Park and Rec schedule). There are games or structured activity June – August or December – February, although individuals can voluntarily choose to play indoor soccer, 3v3, futsal, etc. The investment of time is increased with age and skill level but even still is less than many other sports, especially compared to many other select sports.
19. Can my child play other sports and play for the Irish? The overwhelming majority of our players are involved in other activities such as track, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, music, math competition, dance and many other activities and we work around them to the best of our ability on a case by case basis. Because of the financial investment families are making as well as the investment of effort and time, we ask club members to attend Irish events if they have a conflict with another event.  In the event this is not possible in a unique situation, please communicate with the coach in advance to ensure the absence does not negatively impact the team.
20. Is my son/daughter good enough for club soccer? Your son or daughter does not need to be the best player on their “rec” team in order to develop into a good soccer player. Players of all skill levels should show improvement after a few full sessions of training and league games, assuming they attend training and practice regularly and make a conscious effort to listen and learn. Many of our players have gone on to play in college. Often, local high school teams are filled with Irish Soccer Players. Our players have competed against players from the top platforms and done well.
21. How do I know if this is for me? If your child is able to make the majority of practices/training sessions, has a good attitude and is willing to listen and learn then there is no reason this should not be a positive experience for you and your child.