Parents and Players

Overview

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

We are an all-volunteer organization, including our dedicated coaches and board members.

Players are expected to make a full commitment to Strikers and their team. Conflicts between Strikers games and practices and participation with other sports or teams may result in loss of playing time. This is a commitment to your team, and all players should understand their obligations.

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: April 27, May 4, May 11, May 18, June 1, June 8. 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 are unable to form a team for your child’s age group, we will issue a full refund. Fees are noted below.

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. 

• Players are expected to make a full commitment to Strikers and their team. Conflicts between Strikers games and practices and participation with other sports or teams may result in loss of game playing time. It should be noted that this is a commitment and all players should understand their obligations. It is a team sport.

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

• Registration opened April 1, 2025 and will close on May 15.

Registration, Player Evaluations, and Rosters

• We use GotSport for registration and club management. All players will need to have a Gotsport profile, and parents will need an account in order to register their child.

• While registering your player(s), please make sure all information is up to date, such as new email, cell phone, and emergency 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.

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

• The Fall Classic League registration window is April 1 - May 15, 2025. Refunds on fall registration fees must be requested by July 15. 

• There will be no refunds after these dates. 

• 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 D1 and D2 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.

• Fall rosters will be announced by the end of June. The configuration of teams depends on registration numbers, the availability of coaches, and what is in the best interest of each age 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.

Fees and Financial Aid

• We are committed to helping every child to play regardless of their financial status. If you need financial assistance, please submit a request here: https://forms.gle/BybAmhKhMowNJDjV7.

• In addition, 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.

• Our 2025 fees are 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

• In late April, we will send all registered players a link to the uniform store. 

• New uniforms cannot be ordered for the spring season. 

• It is critical to 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.

Eligibility (Fall 2025)

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

For the Fall Classic League 2025, any child who is 7 years old by July 31, 2025 is eligible to play.

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: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13UJ-kpb1MecYBdWRnyJV0XAfOkkdwSKtCW5WggzsJkM/view

Parent code of conduct: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17RiUvdUFtPYGeQM6GJquZItCiDVaEIAAZqjdq5Ub5Zs/view

Concussion policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19DSihyAGqHqNPWoD-A81k2E_B9N-KW91vhUZXTecdtA/view

Other resources

USYS pocket soccer guide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bQ7h5OKgE1PtXUMhytrDRGIsKClM_-IN/view

CDC concussion fact sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/u/0/d/1H5IPUNjqP2vDMBmeS7qdCVDZawyH_p3r/view

Contact

Still have questions about travel soccer? Please see our FAQ page or email us: strikerssouthportland@gmail.com. We look forward to answering any questions you may have or providing you with further information.