Guide
How to run a youth soccer league
By Michael Montalbano, founder of Beleeg · Last updated
To run a youth soccer league, set age groups by birth year, pick the team and field size for each group, open registration with the fee and the forms parents must sign, find a volunteer coach for every team, book fields and referees, and build a schedule of 8 to 10 weekends. Write down the rules for weather, playing time, and standings before the first game. Many leagues keep no standings for the youngest players.
The short version
- 1Set age groups by birth year, usually in two-year bands.
- 2Pick the number of players on the field and the field size for each age group.
- 3Open registration: the fee, the forms parents sign, and a sign-up deadline.
- 4Recruit one volunteer coach per team, and have every coach cleared by your state association.
- 5Book fields and referees for every weekend, plus one make-up weekend.
- 6Make balanced teams and build the schedule.
- 7Send the schedule, the rules, and the weather policy to every family.
- 8Each weekend, play, record the scores, and move rained-out games to the make-up weekend.
How do I set up age groups?
Youth soccer leagues in the United States group players by birth year, following US Soccer’s birth-year age groups. Most rec leagues combine two birth years per group, such as U8 or U10, so each group has enough players for several teams.
- Count sign-ups before you split groups. A group needs at least four teams to make a real schedule.
- If a group is short, merge it with the next age up rather than cancel it.
- Decide early whether girls and boys play separately or together in each age group.
- Make teams as even as you can: spread the returning and stronger players across teams, and keep siblings or carpool requests only if you promised to.
How many players per team, and how big should the field be?
Youth soccer uses smaller teams and fields for younger players. A common pattern, based on US Soccer’s small-sided standards, is 4 v 4 up to age 8, 7 v 7 for ages 9 and 10, 9 v 9 for ages 11 and 12, and 11 v 11 from age 13.
| Age group | Players on the field | Roster size | Typical game length |
|---|---|---|---|
| U6 and under | 4 v 4, no goalkeepers | 6 to 8 | Four quarters of 8 to 10 minutes |
| U7 and U8 | 4 v 4, no goalkeepers | 6 to 8 | Four quarters of 10 to 12 minutes |
| U9 and U10 | 7 v 7 with goalkeepers | 10 to 12 | Two halves of 25 minutes |
| U11 and U12 | 9 v 9 | 12 to 14 | Two halves of 30 minutes |
| U13 and older | 11 v 11 | 16 to 18 | Two halves of 35 to 40 minutes |
A roster of about twice the players on the field gives every child real minutes and still covers absences.
What should registration collect?
Youth soccer registration should collect the player’s name and birth year, a parent’s name, email, and phone number, the fee, and the forms your league and its insurer require, such as a liability waiver, a medical release, and photo consent.
- Ask your state association or insurer which forms are required, and keep the signed copies for the whole season.
- Collect an emergency contact and any allergies or medical notes, and give coaches a copy for game days.
- Set a sign-up deadline two to three weeks before the first game, so you have time to make teams.
- Offer a sibling discount or a hardship waiver only if you can track it, and write down who gets it.
How do I find coaches and referees?
Most youth rec leagues are coached by parent volunteers, one head coach and one assistant per team. Referees for the youngest groups are often coaches or teenagers; older groups need referees certified through your state’s referee program.
- Ask for volunteer coaches on the registration form, and do not form a team until it has a coach.
- Most state associations require every coach to pass a background check and complete SafeSport training before working with children. Check yours.
- Hold one short coaches’ meeting before the season to go over the rules, playing time, and the weather policy.
- Agree the referee fee per game before the season, and decide who pays the referees and when.
What rules should I decide before the season?
A youth soccer league should settle playing time, heading, substitutions, weather, and sportsmanship rules in writing before the first game, and send them to every coach and family.
- Playing time: many rec leagues require every player to play at least half of each game.
- Heading: US Soccer’s guidance is no heading for players 10 and under, and limited heading in practice for ages 11 to 13.
- Substitutions: when they are allowed, such as at quarter breaks, on throw-ins, or on any stoppage.
- Score limits: many leagues ask a team leading by five goals to stop running up the score, and count no more than a five-goal margin in standings.
- Sidelines: parents on one side, teams on the other, and no one coaching the referee.
What does a sample season schedule look like?
This sample youth soccer schedule is for a 6-team age group playing Saturday mornings on three fields: five rounds so everyone plays everyone once, a skipped holiday weekend, and a make-up weekend.
| Weekend | 9:00, Field 1 | 9:00, Field 2 | 9:00, Field 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team 1 vs Team 6 | Team 2 vs Team 5 | Team 3 vs Team 4 |
| 2 | Team 5 vs Team 1 | Team 4 vs Team 6 | Team 3 vs Team 2 |
| 3 | Team 1 vs Team 4 | Team 5 vs Team 3 | Team 6 vs Team 2 |
| Holiday | No games | ||
| 4 | Team 3 vs Team 1 | Team 2 vs Team 4 | Team 5 vs Team 6 |
| 5 | Team 1 vs Team 2 | Team 6 vs Team 3 | Team 4 vs Team 5 |
| 6 | Make-up games for rained-out weekends |
For a longer season, play the same five rounds again with home and away swapped. With more teams than fields, add a second kickoff time, such as 10:15.
What is a good weather and lightning policy?
A youth soccer weather policy says who cancels games, by what time, and how families hear about it. For lightning, stop play at the first thunder or lightning and wait 30 minutes after the last one before restarting.
- The league, not each coach, calls off games for field conditions, at least two hours before the first kickoff.
- Send the decision to every family the same way every time.
- Heat: add water breaks in each half on hot days, and shorten or move games in extreme heat.
- Move rained-out games to the make-up weekend rather than squeezing two games into one day.
Should a youth soccer league keep standings?
Many youth soccer leagues keep no standings for players under 10 and record scores only from about age 10 up. When standings are kept, a win is worth 3 points and a draw 1, and ties are broken by head-to-head, then goal difference, then goals scored.
Capping goal difference at five goals a game keeps a lopsided result from deciding the standings and takes away any reason to run up the score.
Where Beleeg helps
Everything above works with a spreadsheet and a group text. If you would rather not keep them up to date by hand, this is what Beleeg does for you:
- Soccer is set up already: two halves, draws allowed in the regular season, and 3 points for a win and 1 for a draw, which you can change.
- Standings update as scores come in, with the tiebreakers you choose, such as head-to-head, goal difference, goals scored, and goals let in.
- The schedule builder asks for your first match date, how many games each team plays, how often and on which days, and the start time. Block out holidays and the season moves later so every team still gets all its games. You see the whole schedule, game by game, before you save it.
- Type each game’s field, or bring in the whole schedule from a spreadsheet with a field column. Beleeg warns you when a team, a field, or a referee is booked twice.
- Assign a referee to each game by hand.
- Rained out? Postpone the day’s games in one step and pick the new date.
- Families pay the registration fee online; Beleeg keeps a flat $3 per payment and the rest goes to your Stripe account. It is free for organizers.
- See who has paid, mark cash payments as paid, and send one reminder to everyone who still owes.
- Each team gets a chat and a calendar link for phone and Google calendars, and you can email one team, one age group, or the whole league.
- Beleeg has no separate parent accounts, waivers, or medical forms. Keep signed forms in your own registration paperwork.
- Already running your league on a spreadsheet? We move your league over for you.
Choosing software for your league? Read the best league management software for adult and rec leagues, or compare Beleeg with TeamSnap, LeagueApps, or SportsEngine.