(non team-based play/optional training is listed in Indoor Training and Camps)

Fall (U8-U14 only): late August - mid October

Six league games, on weekends

2-3 practices most weeks (approximately 4:30, 6:00 or 7:15pm weekdays, anytime weekends)

U9/U10 Edina locations: Creek Valley, Yancey, Braemar Turf

U11/U12 Edina locations: Creek Valley, Lewis Park, Pamela North (grass), Strachaeur, Braemar Turf

U13/U14 Edina locations: Lewis Park, Pamela Turf, ECC Turf, EHS Turf

Select U13/U14 teams have a travel event in October.

Winter (U11-U19): early November - mid March

U11-U19 Green and Black teams: two practices per week

U11-U19 Green teams: six league games (weekends)

U11-U12 Gold and Silver teams: one practice per week

U13-U19 teams (all levels): two practices per week

All teams have additional practices and scrimmages scheduled through the indoor season.

U11-U19 Edina locations: Braemar Dome and First Athlete

Some of our top U15-U19 teams will choose a travel event in February.

Spring/Summer (U8-U19 teams): late March - mid July

10 league games, on weekdays, May - early July

Indoor through late April: two team-based practices per week (times starting at 4pm for youngest/elementary school-aged players, ending as late as 9pm for oldest/high school aged players) - Braemar Dome or First Athlete

Outdoor, late April through mid-July: 2-3 practices most weeks (approximately 4:30, 6:00 or 7:15pm weekday, anytime weekends) 

U9/U10 Edina locations: Creek Valley, Yancey, Braemar Turf, Braemar Dome (winter)

U11/U12 Edina locations: Creek Valley, Lewis Park, Pamela North (grass), Highlands North, Strachaeur, Braemar Turf, Braemar Dome (winter)

U13-U19 Edina locations: Lewis Park, Pamela Turf, ECC Turf, EHS Turf, Highlands South

U9 teams participate in one local weekend tournament in June

U10-U19 teams participate in 2-3 weekend tournaments April-July

U9-U19 Green teams typically participate in one Midwest travel event; other U11-U19 teams may as well based on team preferences.

-Attendance at all practices and games is expected.

-Coaches do understand that there are family and school commitments that are unmissable, as well as illness and injuries that take players away from soccer.

-All players are expected to state Yes or No for EVERY practice and game listed on their TeamSnap availability calendar. “No” or the occasional “Maybe” should be accompanied by a comment with reasons/specifics, using the Comment function.

-Last minute changes to availability should be communicated DIRECTLY to your coach (direct message or phone call).

-Commitment to attendance and communication is an important factor in team placement for the following season.

-Balancing high school sports or other club sports with soccer is possible only with accurate and timely communication with the coach: both about attendance and physical health.

A competitive soccer player is bound to a club for the year once they’ve registered with that club/paid a registration fee: this is per TCSL (Twin Cities Soccer Leagues) and US Club Soccer rules.

For U8-U10 these are separate fall and spring commitments (tryouts in July and January).

For U11-U14 this is an August through July commitment.

For U15+ this is a November through July commitment.

Players have an opportunity to change clubs in July, between competitive soccer years. Player transfers outside the July tryout and team formation period will only be considered if a player moves/changes their home community. Rosters are carefully formed in July/early August, and player withdrawal affects the viability of these teams at all clubs.

-Our teams play in the NPL (National Premier League) or the TCSL (Twin Cities Soccer Leagues).

-NPL is the highest level of play between Minnesota teams; there are two tiers of this league. “Super” is the higher tier, “Premier” is the 2nd tier.

-TCSL serves all U8-U12 teams as well as teams U13-U19 that are not in the NPL.

-U8: participate in the TCSL “Fives” program: multiple playing days on special 5v5 fields that are appropriate to their age and development.

-U9-U10: participate in one of three TCSL leagues: Red (top tier); White (2nd tier) or Blue (3rd tier). Most teams in the league participate in the Blue league. U9s and U10s play 7v7 soccer. These games have two 25-minute halves with a short halftime. There is one center referee.

-U11-U12: participate in one of four TCSL leagues: National (top tier); Regional (2nd tier). State (3rd tier) or Cities (4th tier). Most teams in the league participate in the State and Cities leagues. U11s and U12s play 9v9 soccer. These games have two 30-minute halves with a short halftime. There is a center referee and two assistant referees.

-U13-U19: participate in the NPL or in one of three TCSL leagues: Regional (1st tier). State (2nd tier) or Cities (3rd tier). Most teams in the league participate in the State and Cities leagues. U13-U19 teams play 11v11 soccer. U13/U14 games have two 35 minute halves with a short halftime, U15/U16 games have two 40-minute halves with a short halftime, and U17-U19 games have two 45-minute halves with a short halftime. There is a center referee and two assistant referees.

League games' times and places:

Away games will be within a 30-minute radius of the Minnesota United’s Allianz Stadium.

Home games will be played in Edina: Braemar Dome for November-March games, and outdoor game fields in Edina for fall and spring league games.

U9/U10 home games: Creek Valley, Alden Park, Yancey Park

U11/U12 home games: Lewis Park, Creek Valley, Braemar Turf, Braemar Dome (winter)

U13-U19 home games: Lewis Park, ECC Turf, Braemar Turf, EHS Lower Turf, Braemar Dome (winter)

TCSL teams

U9-U14 TCSL (non-NPL) teams: Six games in the fall (three home, three away), on the weekends (could be a Friday night); early September - mid-October.

U11-U12 Green (National) Teams: Six games in the winter (three home, three away), on the weekends (Friday-Sunday); late November - early March.

U9-U19 TCSL (non-NPL) teams: Ten games in the spring/summer (five home, five away), weeknights; early May - late June.

NPL teams

U13-U14 NPL teams: Six games in the fall (three home, three away), on the weekends (could be a Friday night) early September - mid-October. 6 games in the winter (three home, three away), on the weekends (Friday-Sunday); late November - early March. 6-8 games in the spring/summer (half home, half away), weeknights; early May - late June.

U15-U19 NPL teams: Six games in the winter (three home, three away), on the weekends (Friday-Sunday); late November - early March. 8-10 games in the spring/summer (half home, half away), weeknights; early May - late June.

U9: These teams will participate in one local weekend tournament in June. Families will be surveyed for availability in February. These teams will also participate in ESC’s annual Jamboree mid-July at Braemar Field.

U10-U19: these teams will participate in 2-3 weekend tournaments April - July. Team Managers and Coaches will work together, sometimes with a family survey, to select tournaments/weekends. For U11-U19 TCSL teams (not NPL), this could include the league championship event in July for the top four teams in each league (who register) - the “TCSL Final Four”.

Some teams are expected to travel as part of their season plans:

U9-U12 Green teams: A weekend travel tournament in April or May (within four hours)

U15-U19 Green teams: Some of these teams attend President’s Day Weekend event in Phoenix or Las Vegas

U13-U19 Green teams: These teams attend theUS Club Soccer National Cup Midwest in Chicago. Teams that win this event (at any level) advance to the USCS National Cup in July in Colorado.

U13-U19 NPL “Super” Tier teams (most Green teams): Teams that win their league advance to the NPL Finals in July in Colorado, and teams are required to attend.

U13-U19 NPL “Super” Tier teams (most Green teams): Most of these teams will participate in the Minnesota Cup in late May: teams that win this travel to the USCS National Cup in July in Colorado.

U10-U19 teams outside of the list above may consider a driveable travel tournament; interested teams should have their coach and team manager contact the Operations Director for guidance.

July tryout dates will be posted approximately six months in advance; registration for tryouts will open in June.

Per US Soccer, the governing body of US Club Soccer as well as our Minnesota-based league (TCSL), players are placed onto teams based on their BIRTH YEAR (not grade).

During the tryout process - which for our returning players is an ongoing endeavor year-round - we are assessing players for the appropriate levels of skill for the teams we are able to form, as well as that team’s placement within the TCSL League’s different levels of play.

Forming teams of an appropriate number of individual players is very consequential to this process as well. Our U9/U10 teams play 7v7 and would have 12-14 players. Our U11/U12 teams play 9v9 and would have 13-16 players. Our U13-U19 teams play 11v11 and would have 15-22 players. Unfortunately the number of players interested in playing competitive soccer does not always conform to multiples of these team sizes.

Positional needs for each team (attacking, midfielders, defenders, goalkeepers) become more important in older age groups. Previous season’s attendance, commitment, communication and maturity, based on Coach and Director assessments conducted throughout all seasons, are all taken into consideration in the placement process.

Goalkeeping: tryout registration includes a question about whether a player is trying out as a goalkeeper. If “Full-Time Goalkeeper” is checked, and your player is placed on a team, that player is expected to potentially serve a minimum of 50% and up to 100% of game time as a goalkeeper. If “Part-Time Goalkeeper” is checked, and your player is placed on a team, that player is expected to potentially serve a minimum of 50% of game time as a goalkeeper. Players who select “Part-Time Goalkeeper” are placed on teams based on their abilities as field players.

In addition, goalkeepers are encouraged to attend the GK training sessions offered in various formats in the different outdoor and indoor seasons.

If your player cannot attend tryouts: While we appreciate that these tryouts are during the busy summer vacation, the assessments we do at the tryouts are critical to player selection and team formation. These dates are posted months in advance - please plan to have your player attend.  

For returning ESC players: We can use your player’s previous rankings by coaches and Directors, attendance, and attitude/commitment to place your player on next year’s team - however, some decisions must be made by what is seen on the field during the process, absences may impact player placement.

For players new to ESC: if we have seen your player in another context (indoor training or a recent previous season), we might be able to appropriately place your player on next year’s team - however, some decisions must be made by what is seen on the field during the process, and in these cases absences do remove a player from full consideration. Depending on timing and other considerations, we may be able to see your player on the field once training begins, for a late team placement.

Tryout Procedure:

Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to allow for check-in.

Players attend both sessions.

All players NEW to ESC must bring a completed copy of THIS US Club Soccer Medical Form.

Players should wear a t-shirt/jersey and shorts and be comfortable; they MUST be wearing shinguards with socks that cover them.

Any kind of general athletic shoe is fine, although soccer cleats are recommended.

Please have your player bring a soccer ball clearly labeled with their name and a phone number (size 4 for U8-U12 tryouts, size 5 for U13-U19 tryouts)

Bring adequate water.

At check-in, players will receive a numbered pinnie; they'll then move to the field and can warm up until our Directors of Player Development gather the pool of players to the center of the field. The players will be told there what happens next.

Parents are asked to leave the Braemar Dome/Lewis Park during the tryout: soccer players, especially our youngest, are more comfortable and relaxed without additional adults watching, even from afar. January: the walking track is closed to the public during tryouts. You can return to the dome a few minutes before the end of the session to help your player exit through the dome's airlock door.

Our Directors and Coach Evaluators will be assessing players as they move through game play. At this age, they are looking for holistic readiness to participate in competitive soccer. This includes soccer skills, but importantly an appropriate level of psychosocial maturity to be ready to focus at this enhanced level as compared to recreational soccer.

Teams will be posted within days of tryouts (an email will go out when posted), we will indicate the names of the players for each team, and the name of the ESC team, along with which league that team will be playing in (more on that below).

We may not place all interested players: this can be due to players not being ready for competitive soccer, players unable to be assessed in some format, and other constraints. We encourage those players who are still interested in competitive soccer to continue to play recreational soccer, enroll in our summer camps, and/or participate in our winter indoor training. Players who are not placed are automatically put on our waiting list, as there could be some roster movement.

Each player placed on one of our competitive training pools will have approximately 48 hours to accept their roster spot: they'll do this by completing a Commitment Form and paying the fee for the spring/summer season as well as ordering an ESC uniform.

ESC’s Coaching Staff is composed of paid, professional coaches: they are hired for their soccer qualifications as well as their ability to work with children and families both on and off the soccer field. Our coaches plan winning strategies for league and tournament play while not sacrificing development, which is at the heart of our organization.

All of ESC’s coaches undergo an annual background check and complete mandatory SafeSport training, including injury evaluation. ESC’s coaches are supported by multiple Coaching Directors as well as Operational Directors.

ESC families should expect their coach to hold team meetings, manage attendance, and plan and execute training sessions as well as league game play.

Team Managers are parent volunteers who assist the team coach with team calendars, communication, social events (can be delegated to another team parent) and tournament planning. 

All team managers must pass a background check every two years and complete the required SafeSport online training every year (this is Federal law for adults who have leadership positions with youth and is enforced by US Club Soccer).

ESC’s staff (primarily the Team Manager Director) will create each team’s TeamSnap roster and calendar of training sessions. Team Managers will be responsible for adding league (TCSL and NPL) games to the team calendar when games schedules are released each season. Some league games may require rescheduling; Team Managers coordinate that effort on behalf of the team (in coordination with the coach).

Team Managers lead the planning of tournament selection and registration (for most teams, this begins in January for April - July events; a few teams participate in October or February travel events).

Depending on the coach (some may do much of this themselves), Team Managers will produce consistent communication with the team families and coach by email and group messages - generally schedule reminders, answer questions, surveying families for tournament selection, last minute schedule changes, etc.

The hope is that the Team Manager is a particularly well-informed member of the ESC Community for the rest of the team families, and can reach back to the Team Manager Director or Operations Director when there is a question or concern relayed from a team parent that did not got to the Director staff directly.

Players who accept a roster spot on an ESC team pay team fees for the season/year.

For U8-U10 there is Fall fee (one payment) and a Spring fee (two installments).

For U11-U14 there is an annual fee paid in four installments (July/tryouts, November 1, January 1, and March 1).

For U15-U19 there is an annual fee paid in four installments (July/tryouts, November 1, January 1, and March 1).

Tournament costs are additional: the cost of tournament fees as well as any costs related to coach out-of-town travel are divided evenly among team members and this fee is paid in May.

Uniform costs are additional: every player must have a full, current ESC uniform set - this is approximately $200.

There is a fee for Team Formation/Tryouts, due at registration: this is due regardless of attendance at tryouts.

Team fees are not refundable except under very specific circumstances, such as moving out of the area and a season-ending injury.

Financial Aid is available directly from ESC based on income and family size; please visit the Team Formation page for Financial Aid information as well as an application. We will also accept payments from third party activity support programs.

ESC runs 4-day camps in June, July and August for U8-U15 players, generally at Braemar Field. Camps are run for subsets of these age groups and each has a different emphasis. We also run camps and events for our Goalkeepers. Please visit our Camps page for camp listings including dates and prices.

ESC players train indoors from early November through late April. 

ESC primarily uses Braemar Dome, First Athlete, Calvary Church on France (futsal/gym) and South View City Gym (futsal/gym).

Our indoor training schedule is heavily dictated by limited time at Braemar Dome as well as First Athlete. We make this schedule cognizant of the school release times in Edina for each age group as well the actual ages of the players. 

Our elementary (U8-U11) players can expect training as early as 4:00pm and will not be slated for our latest (7:30-9:00pm) timeslots.

Our middle school (U12-U15) players can expect training as early as 5:00pm.

Our high school (U15-U19) players can expect training as early as 6:00pm and are generally slated for our last two training slots (through 9:00pm).

Team-Based Indoor Training

-All of our U13-U19 teams have at least two indoor training sessions per week.

-Our U11 and U12 Green and Black teams have at least two indoor training sessions per week.

-Our U11 and U12 Gold, Silver and Steel have at least one indoor training session per week.

-Our U11-U19 Green teams participate in league play (TCSL or NPL) during the indoor season, playing in three home and three away full-length games.

Opt-In Indoor Training

We have multiple options for U8-U19 players in the indoor season.

Age Group Training: available for U8-U10 players. This is once per week training with players in the age group and gender.

TechPro Training: available for all ESC U8-U19 players. This individual, technically-focused training is led by our Directors and Senior Staff Coaches. Sessions are planned by age group and gender.

Futsal: available for U8-U12 players. Futsal is played on hard-surface courts (Calvary Church Gym and South View City Gym) and is a small-sided, fast-moving game with lots of touches for all players. This is once per week training with players in the age group and gender.

TrainingHaus: ESC partners with TrainingHaus (the performance division of Twin Cities Orthopedic) and has them provide strength, agility and speed training as well as injury prevention to enrolled players. TrainingHaus offers our players two 6 to 7-week sessions each indoor season, and players can select one or two sessions per week. All registration and billing is done directly with TrainingHaus.

Refer back to the Indoor Training page for details on each of these Opt-In programs.

-All players are required to have the full uniform set, which changes every two years during the winter: light and dark jerseys, light and dark shorts, and light and dark socks.

-Players are also required to have and wear a black ESC training shirt at all training sessions.

-Backpacks, warmup gear and other apparel for players and fans is available at Soccer.com

-Teams looking to coordinate an apparel item for all players on a given team MUST coordinate this through the Club Director, no exceptions.

-During outdoor season, players should arrive with appropriate layers for the weather.

-During indoor season, players should have appropriate layers for indoor training as well as their transitions from indoors to cars.

-Shoes: Players should own a pair of soccer shoes that are suited for play on natural grass and artificial turf surfaces. For participation in the futsal program (U8-U12), indoor soccer shoes are recommended but any flat-soled athletic shoe will suffice.

-No jewelry, including earrings, is allowed during league games - there are NO exceptions, and putting tape over them isn’t allowed either, they must come out. Please avoid new piercings 6 weeks before and during league play.

Injuries can and do happen to our players on our soccer fields, in their other sports, and in daily life. If your player is experiencing an injury or ongoing medical condition, it is important that you communicate this to your coach and/or staff member in charge of the program in which your program is participating. Coaches are expected to maintain an understanding of any limitations placed on players by their doctors or medical professionals, and always take these into account in planning for that player’s participation or restrictions from play.

In the event of a season-ending injury, our staff will work with you regarding your player fees.

ESC uses many different outdoor field complexes April - October, and multiple indoor facilities November - March. All of our field addresses are posted on our Fields and Facilities page.

Soccer training sessions or league games may be canceled in advance of a session due to weather/field conditions:

Fields may be closed by the City of Edina, generally by 3pm weekdays.

ESC Staff may close fields to play due to field conditions if needed to protect the important assets that are our grass fields.

If there is obvious severe weather arriving during training sessions or games, ESC may cancel individual sessions and direct coaches/managers

If a session is to be canceled, it will be communicated by 3 pm that day, either directly from ESC staff to families, or through the coach and team manager.

Outdoor soccer training sessions or league games may be canceled during a session due to weather conditions:

Visible lightning strikes will produce a 30-minute delay (managed by the referee during a game, or coach during a practice), during which people should seek shelter, generally in cars.

Otherwise unsafe playing conditions may cause a session to end early; please be alert to your player’s team communication app during inclement weather.

Indoors/Winter Weather

Indoor soccer training sessions or league games may be canceled in advance of a session due to weather conditions:

Facilities can be closed by the City of Edina

Obvious severe weather arriving during training sessions, making transportation difficult, may result in ESC staff canceling a session or delivering an advisory.

If a session or game is to be canceled, it will be communicated as early as possible that day, either directly from ESC staff to families, or through the coach and team manager.

Because players are grouped into teams based on birth year, our teams have players from two different grades on each team. Players born January-August are typically in the “older” grade while the players born September-December are typically in the “younger” grade.

This presents a challenge for our U15 group each fall: typically the 9th graders on these teams are playing high school soccer, but most 8th graders are not and have an “empty” season. (U15-U19 Club Soccer play begins in November).

We make every attempt to create a custom soccer environment for the U15 8th graders: we inquire during tryout registration about U15 8th graders’ interest in playing in the fall. We take the group of interested players and depending on numbers and skill level, we can either form an entire team that is allowed to play at U14 in the TCSL Fall League, take individual players and put them for the fall only onto an existing U14 team, or provide a training-only environment.

ESC takes the behavior of players, families and staff very seriously: we are invested not only in the players’ growth as soccer players on the field, but in their growth as people in our community. 

To that end, we have several Codes of Conduct that every player and family member are required to abide by in order to remain a member of good standing in ESC. You can find these Codes of Conduct on the Parents’ Corner page of the ESC website.

ESC uses MAT Assigning to hire and place paid, certified soccer referees at all ESC games. There is one referee for U8-U10 games; there are three referees (one center and two linespeople) for U11-U19 games. 

Referees must be 13 years old to become certified; they are certified through online and in-person training annually. Referees 18 years old and above also have cleared a background check and completed SafeSport training.

It is critical for the continued development of our sport and the development of our soccer-playing children that referees are treated with respect by families, coaches, and players. Referee abuse will not be tolerated by ESC staff: please contact a Director if you have concerns about referees or the treatment of referees.

ESC has several paid professionals who support the players and the coaches; you can find the contact information for all ESC Directors HERE: please don’t hesitate to contact the appropriate Director with questions or concerns.

ESC has a volunteer Board of Directors that advises the professional staff on budgetary, programmatic, and legal issues. For information about the ESC Board, please click HERE.