Metro Home >> Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What's the difference between the Gold Country Youth Soccer League and Gold Country United?
A. The Gold Country Youth Soccer Leagues is the playing league that contains all of the teams in Nevada County. The majority of the teams are recreational teams. Gold Country United is part of the Gold Country Youth Soccer Leagues and contains the Metro and Competitive teams (hereafter referred to as Club teams).
Q. What's the difference between a recreational, metro and competitive team?
A. The main difference is the level of competition. Metro teams face a higher level of competition than recreational teams, and competitive teams have the highest level. For a detailed break down of the other differences, please see the League Comparisons.
Q. If my child has never played soccer before, which program is best for them?
A. In general, it is best to start new players in the Recreational league. This league is designed to teach children how to play soccer.
Q. I see flyers coming home from school in the spring about soccer tryouts. Does my child need to try out to get on a recreational team?
A. No, the flyers are to announce tryouts for Club teams. The recreational program is open to all players from 4-13 years of age. Registration for the Recreational League is during May & June. Notification of this will be by mail to all returning players. Information will also be available on the web site.
Q. When should my child move into the Metro or Competitive program?
A. When your child is no longer being challenged by the competition in the Recreational program, its a good time to consider one of the advanced programs.
Q. My child wants to play on a High School soccer team. Does he/she need to have played on a Metro or Competitive team first?
A. While playing on a Club team is not a prerequisite for playing on a High School team, generally the level of competition in the Metro and Competitive Leagues better prepares athletes for the competition in High School.
Q. Is there a conflict with my child playing Metro or Competitive and High School Soccer?
A. For girls there is no conflict at all. Metro and Competitive seasons are in the Fall/Winter. The high school season is the spring. Playing on a Club team in the fall actually keeps the girls in soccer shape for the spring high school season. For boys, the seasons run concurrently. It works for Fall Metro teams and Winter Competitive teams, but not Fall Competitive teams. For Fall Metro teams, practice is greatly reduced once high school practice starts, and games are on weekends.
Q. My child wants to play with an older aged team. Will that work?
A. The philosophy throughout the Gold Country Youth Soccer Leagues, including Gold Country United, is to strongly encourage children to play within their age groups. If a child finds that the competition is not strong enough within the age group they're in, they should move to the same age group within the next level league; i.e. move from recreational to Metro, or from Metro to Competitive.
Q. What happens if there's not a team in my child's age group within Gold Country United, or my child does not make one of the teams within Gold Country United?
A. Tryouts for Metro and Competitive teams are scheduled such that players still have time to register for a recreational team if they aren't selected during the tryouts. Players also have the option of attending tryouts in a league other than Gold County Youth Soccer Leagues. This also applies if there is no team in the player's age group within Gold Country United.