Parents and Players

Overview

South Portland Strikers fields teams from the U8 through U14 age groups. These teams participate in two leagues administered by Soccer Maine, which is the governing body of youth soccer in the State of Maine, and compete against teams from other towns. Each annual season runs from the fall through the spring, with teams playing in the Fall Classic League from August-October and the Pine Tree League from April-June.

Leagues at the U-11 age and below are considered non-competitive and Soccer Maine requires any club with more than one team in these categories to create balanced teams.

U-12 is considered “transitional-competitive.” The same requirement to field balanced teams applies.

U-13 and U-14 leagues are considered competitive, and teams are divided into two divisions (Division 1 and Division 2), with clubs required to declare which division each team will participate in at the beginning of the season.

Players are expected to make a full commitment to Strikers and their team and to participate in as many practices and games as possible. Conflicts between Strikers games and practices and participation with other sports or teams may result in reduced playing time.

Leagues

Fall Classic League

The fall season typically runs from August through late October, with occasional post-season games in November. There are 6 league games, most of which are scheduled on Sundays, with the first game typically on the last Sunday in August.  In addition, coaches may schedule exhibition ("friendly") matches. 

Teams have two practices each week. U12-U14 teams have single-elimination playoffs after the regular season, and U9-U11 teams participate in an end-of-season festival. 

Spring Pine Tree League

Team participation in the spring Pine Tree League is at the discretion of the coach and the availability of players. It is open to returning Strikers fall players only, with rare exceptions. The season consists of six games, usually on Sundays, beginning in late April. Because some families and coaches are not available for the spring season, we often combine multiple fall teams into a single spring team. Players may have different coaches than they had in the fall. In the unlikely case that we 

Registration, Player Evaluations, and Rosters

Registration

Registration for the 2025 fall season opened April 1, 2025 and closed on May 15.

We use the online platform GotSport for registration and club management. All players will need to have a Gotsport profile, and parents/caregivers will need an account in order to register a player.

While registering your player(s), please make sure all information is up to date, such as email, cell phone, and emergency contact information. Most communication from South Portland Strikers will be conducted via the email that you have listed on your player profile in GotSport, so please make sure your email address is correct.

2025 Pine Tree League registration was open February 15 - March 8, 2025. Refunds on spring registration fees must be requested by March 31. 

The 2025 Fall Classic League registration window was April 1 - May 15, 2025. Refunds on fall registration fees must be requested by July 15. There will be no refunds after these dates. 

Player Evaluations

All U11-U14 players must attend the evaluations held in May (specific dates and locations to be announced). 

At the U11-U12 level, evaluations give players experience with what a tryout feels like, and they help the club create balanced teams for the fall. In some cases, players may be encouraged to join the town’s rec soccer program to work on their skills or fitness for next year. At the 5/6th grade level, the South Portland rec department has a team that travels to play other towns. The players and coaches take practice and games seriously, and the competition is at a level just below our Fall Classic league, perfect for those players who need a bit more time on the ball to develop their confidence and skill.

At the U13-U14 level, evaluations are used to establish Division 1 and Division 2 rosters. In the event that we do not have enough players to fill two teams, evaluations help us determine options that include making cuts and encouraging players to join the middle school teams, offering a “practice player” role, and/or creating a coed team.

Rosters

Fall rosters will be announced by the end of June. The configuration of teams depends on registration numbers, the availability of coaches, and what the Board and coaches determine is in the best interest of each group of players as a whole. Please note that where there is more than one team per age group, there is no guarantee that a child will be on the same team from year to year. Requests to “play up” an age group will be considered by the Strikers Board of Directors and will be granted only at the Board’s discretion.

Additional information about evaluations is included in our FAQs.

Fees and Financial Aid

We are committed to helping every child to play regardless of their financial status. We make every effort to avoid fee increases for paying players, and our fees are lower than those of most neighboring clubs. For the 2024/2025 season we instituted a modest fee increase for the first time since 2019.

To request financial aid or speak to someone about fees, please email strikerssouthportland@gmail.com or contact a coach or Board member who can direct your request to the right person.

Our 2025 fees were as follows:

Fall 2025:

• U8-U10: $125

• U11-U14: $175

• Early-bird discount: $25 discount per registration through April 30

Spring 2025:

• U9-U10: $50

• U11-U14: $65

Uniforms

All players are required to have a uniform with a unique number. Players may use their uniform from the prior year if it still fits and can use hand-me-down uniforms provided there are no duplicate numbers on a single team. We will send all registered players a link to the uniform store in late April, which remains open for a limited period.

New uniforms cannot be ordered for the spring season. 

It is essential that you communicate with your coach and/or the club if you need to make a uniform change, because we must adhere to Soccer Maine's roster policies regarding jersey numbers.

Player Eligibility (Fall 2025)

We adhere to all eligibility policies established by Soccer Maine, our governing body. 

For the upcoming fall 2025 season, any child born between August 1, 2011 and July 31, 2018 is eligible to play.

Any child who is 7 years old by July 31, 2025 is eligible to play in the 2025 season.

AGE GROUP          TYPE OF LEAGUE          FORMAT          AGE ON JULY 31, 2025 MOST COMMON PLAYER GRADE

U9                               Non-Competitive           7v7                                  7-8 2 & 3

U10                             Non-Competitive           7v7                                  9 4

U11                              Non-Competitive         9v9                                 10 5

U12                                   Competitive                 9v9                                 11 6

U13                                   Competitive         11v11                                12 7

U14                                   Competitive                11v11                                13 8

Requests to “play up” an age group will be considered by the Strikers Board of Directors and will be granted only at the Board’s discretion. 

Policies

We follow all rules and policies established by Soccer Maine, our governing body.

Player code of conduct

Parent code of conduct

Concussion policy