Newton Girls Soccer provides both intramural and travel programs. In the spring of 2002, we have over 1200 girls and 250 coaches participating in our programs. In the fall and spring, the intramural program is available to girls from Grade 1 through Grade 8. This program involves approximately ten games played in Newton against other Newton teams. Girls are assigned to teams that include players with a wide range of skills in order to create competitive balance. When possible, groups of at least two girls from each school are placed on a team. Intramural teams in grades 2-6 generally practice once per week. This program is supplemented by clinics conducted by professional coaching organizations.
The travel program provides a more competitive alternative (at higher levels) and placement on these teams is determined by a tryout process. Teams are placed at levels from division 1 (highly skilled, highly competitive) to division 4 (less skilled, more recreational). No matter what the divisional level, girls enjoy wearing the Newton travel uniform and representing NGS in spirited competition with teams from other communities. Travel teams play a ten game schedule with 5 home and 5 away games. Teams usually practice twice per week. Many teams attend tournaments, particularly on Memorial and Columbus Day weekends.
In both the intramural and travel programs, NGS seeks excellence in skill training, a high level of sportsmanship, quality field play appropriate to the players involved, and a fun experience for our players, parents, coaches and referees.
Our first grade intramural program provides a fun introduction to soccer for both players and parents. A professional soccer organization organizes Saturday sessions that teach the basics of soccer and generally includes a scrimmage. This is a great chance for parents to volunteer to coach and learn the game right along with their girls. Players will be notified of their team assignment by mail in late August (fall season) and mid-March (spring season).
The second and third grade intramural programs are also intended to stress fun, learning-oriented soccer. Girls who have not played soccer are always welcome to join. We play 4-aside soccer, which allows girls to touch the ball many times during Saturday games. Teams also practice once per week. Professional soccer organizations provide several clinics during the season. Occasionally, we organize fun tournaments. Players will be notified of their team assignment by mail in late August (fall season) and mid-March (spring season). Note that third graders are not eligible to participate in the travel program.
For fourth graders, NGS offers a fourth grade intramural program and a U10 travel program (which is also available to some younger 5th graders born after July 31). These are both strong programs and parents are encouraged to select the program that works best for their child. Travel teams typically practice twice per week, travel to at least five "away" games, and play competitively at the upper division levels. Intramural teams practice once per week, play locally, and emphasize recreational soccer. Travel teams are selected based on evaluation and tryout results. Intramural teams may provide a better opportunity to be placed on a team with a friend or schoolmate. Both intramural and travel teams play 6-aside soccer.
Some girls at the U10 level are ready for, and interested in, a more competitive travel soccer experience. In the fall, NGS offers a four-team travel program. Teams play a ten game schedule that includes travel to five communities in the Boston Area Youth Soccer (BAYS) league. These communities range from those directly adjacent to Newton to communities approximately 45 minutes away. A tryout for these teams was held last Spring. The four teams remain together for the fall and spring seasons.
Girls are selected for the four teams on the basis of their tryout results and evaluation of their previous spring coaches. Girls interested in playing on a fall travel team (principally this year's third graders and younger fourth graders) must submit a registration form and should attend the tryout. Girls intending to play intramural soccer in the fall should not attend. Any fourth grade girl who tries out for, but does not make, a fall travel team will be placed on an intramural team - there is no need to reapply.
In the Spring season, the U10 travel program is expanded so that any girl wishing to play on a travel team may do so, provided that a sufficient number of coaches are available. On November 3, 2002 at Brown Middle School, NGS will hold placement scrimmages for new U10 girls to appropriately place them for the spring season. Therefore, girls may play intramural in the fall and travel in the spring, or may elect to play intramural in both the fall and the spring. See the Spring registration form (available on the website) for additional information and specific times
Girls who try out for fall travel teams will be notified if they make or do not make a fall team by mail in late June. Intramural players (including those who do not make a fall travel team) will be notified of their team assignment by mail in late August (fall season) and mid-March (spring season).
Fifth and sixth graders have the option of playing in Grade 5-6 intramural program or playing in the U12 travel program. The intramural program is offered in both the fall and the spring. At this age, any girl wishing to be on a travel team will be placed on a team if sufficient coaches are available. Girls who play in the intramural program in the fall may apply to play in the travel program in the spring, and will be placed on a team if openings are available. Younger 5th graders born after July 31 also have the option of playing in the U10 travel program (see above).
Grade 5-6 intramural teams play on Saturdays and end the season with a tournament. Teams usually practice once per week, and clinics are available during the season. The focus is on fun, recreational soccer.
Because Newton has such a large number of girls playing travel soccer at this level, we place girls at both the U11 and U12 age groupings within BAYS. Girls who wish to play in the travel program must submit a registration form and should attend the U12 tryout to be held at Newton South High School on Saturday May 4th at 3:00 p.m. Pre-registration is required. Girls intending to play in the intramural program should not attend. Teams are selected for the full year (fall 2002 and spring 2003 seasons).
Beginning in the fall 2002 season, some higher division U12 teams will play in an 11-aside format. This change has been instituted to be consistent with other town programs in the area and to provide all of our teams with a better level of competition. All U11 teams and most U12 teams will play in a 6-aside format, which NGS believes promotes greater technical and tactical development, and greater player involvement and enjoyment. All intramural teams play 6-aside soccer.
Grades
7-8 IntramuralFor the first time in the fall 2002 season, NGS will have a combined grades 7 and 8 intramural program as an alternative to the travel program. Games (6 v 6) will be on Saturday afternoon and there are no practices. If 40 or more girls sign up for the Grades 7/8 program, teams will be formed, coaches assigned, and game schedules formally arranged. If fewer than 40 girls sign-up, the games will be conducted as a "pick-up" game at a scheduled time, under adult supervision. Players should sign up on the Fall 2002 Intramural form, which may be downloaded here. Tell your friends!
The U14 travel program includes 7th and 8th graders and a few younger 9th graders. The travel program offers teams from the highly competitive to recreational level. All teams play a ten game schedule with five of the games played in other BAYS towns. Teams typically practice twice per week. All teams play 11-aside soccer, and for many girls, this will be their first 11v11 soccer experience. It is strongly recommended that all girls attend a tryout, which is scheduled at Newton South High School on Saturday May 18th at 3:00 p.m. Pre-registration is required. Team placement is based upon tryout results and spring 2002 coach evaluations. Teams play together during both the fall 2002 and spring 2003 seasons.
There is no intramural option for 7th and 8th graders, although adding a program is being considered. Please contact the intramural coordinators (see below) if you would be interested.
Girls in the Fall high school program range from freshman and junior varsity high school players to girls who have traditionally enjoyed playing NGS recreational soccer. All teams in the high school program play 6-aside soccer on Sunday afternoons. Due to the busy schedules of high school athletes and the recreational nature of the program, there are no practices. Last fall, we offered a league that included Newton and Brookline teams and played all games in Newton. Most high school freshmen enjoy playing with their high school friends rather than at the U14 level (if eligible), so it is recommended that younger freshmen (i.e., those born after July 31 and, therefore, eligible next fall to play either U14 or U16) carefully consider their selection of fall programs, and make an informed decision. Younger freshman who play in the U14 program in the fall must also do so in the spring.
In the Spring high school program, new teams are formed to play 11-aside travel soccer within BAYS. Newton places teams at the U16 and U18 levels. Teams are placed in several divisions offering alternatives for both highly competitive and recreational players. Players in the spring program range from varsity players at Newton North and Newton South to players who enjoy recreational soccer. Beginning in the fall of 2002, a tryout scrimmage for spring teams will be held for any player who would like to participate. This will be especially helpful for non-varsity players who may be less visible to NGS coaches. Players are placed based upon the knowledge and observation of the coaches and high school coordinator. Registration for these teams is in the late fall, and additional information is mailed to eligible players in the fall. Please see the registration form on the web site or contact Tom Fletcher at 617-964-7118 for additional information.
Applications are available here.
| Program | Available | Due |
| Travel U10 (new players) |
Sep |
October 27, 2002 |
| Travel all others |
Sep |
November 1, 2002 |
| Intramural grades 1-3 |
Nov |
January 17, 2003 |
| Intramural grades 4-8 |
Sep |
November 1, 2002 |
| High School* |
April |
November 1, 2002 |
* Note that the High School program uses the same application as the Travel league, but has a different due date.
Newton Girls Soccer goes to great lengths to ensure that every girl has the opportunity to tryout for a team and be fairly evaluated. Because this process involves a degree of subjectivity, and because some girls inevitably are not placed on the team that they would like, the tryout process is often open to question by girls and their parents. The philosophy of NGS is that each girl deserves the chance to try out for a team on annual basis. Efforts are made to avoid "tracking" of teams and to recognize that a young girl's skills and motivations change over short periods of time.
For many years, tryouts for the younger girls consisted of a set of skill stations. Recently, in keeping with a national trend, tryouts have evolved into a series of small-sided (4v4) soccer games. Each of these games is watched by a group of evaluators who are experienced soccer coaches and, where possible, who are not directly connected or interested in the age group trying out. Also, the evaluators are not involved in selecting the actual teams within the age group, but are assigned to provide an impartial evaluation. These evaluations are coupled with the written evaluations of spring coaches to be used during the player selection process. Coaches' evaluations from prior seasons are not used in this process, so that girls start each season with a "clean slate."
The age group coordinators try to organize the tryouts in a way that will be fun and will lessen anxiety among the girls and their parents. Parents are typically asked to stay away from the field and to refrain from cheering or making any comments. Any type of tryout involves some level of anxiety, and it is important to have the support of parents to keep things in perspective.
Some age groups may have a "callback" tryout after the initial tryout date. Callbacks are a way of allowing coaches and coordinators to more closely observe a smaller group of players. Often, those girls about whom the coaches need more data are invited. An invitation to a callback does not necessarily mean that your daughter has made or not made a particular team.
In June, after completion of the spring season, meetings are held to select players for fall travel teams. In attendance at each of these meetings is a group of coaches involved in the selection, an age group coordinator who is not involved in coaching in the age group, and an independent observer. The role of the age group coordinator and independent observer is to assure that all girls have been fairly treated and considered during the selection process. The goal of the age group coordinator and independent observer is to make sure that each girl is placed on a team appropriate to her skills. Their job is to see that tryout and coaches' evaluation information is properly considered by the coaches. The presence of these two outside individuals is to create a fair process recognizing, again, that some level of subjectivity is involved team selection.
As parents, the most important thing that you can do is to help to provide your daughter with a positive soccer experience. Support her if she chooses to tryout for a team and support the team for which she is selected. Volunteer to coach or be the assistant coach or team manager. If you or your daughter are disappointed with the team selection, please know that these things tend to equalize over time. It is our goal, within the limits of our volunteer organization, to provide girls in Newton with the best soccer experience possible, whether they play travel or intramural on any one of our approximately 100 teams.
Girls will be notified of their team selections in late June or July. Coaches are asked to keep team selections confidential until all teams have been chosen. At that time, a postcard is sent to all girls notifying them of their team selection. The post cards are mailed after the Newton public school schedule has concluded for the year. For U10 fall travel teams, a postcard is also mailed to girls not selected for a fall travel team.
One of the wonderful things about participating in Newton Girls Soccer is the opportunity to meet and play with girls from all over the city. Older girls who have played in the NGS program find that they know many girls throughout the city when they move to middle school and high school.
In the intramural program, every effort is made, whenever possible, to place at least two girls from the same school on each team. Requests for friends to play together and requests made for carpooling reasons are honored when possible. NGS specifically encourages teams composed of girls from different schools. NGS also believes that it is beneficial to expose girls to new and different coaching styles each season, and it does not serve girls well to request the same coach each season. Teams in the second grade and older are competitively balanced based on coaches evaluations from prior seasons.
Travel teams are not selected on the basis of keeping either friends or girls from the same school district on the same team. To do so would be unfair and inconsistent with the selection criteria. Unfortunately, requests to play with friends or neighbors cannot be accommodated.
If you are unhappy regarding your daughter's placement, or have any questions after she has received her placement, please call the grade/age group coordinator or the intramural/travel chairs for additional information.
Tournaments are an exciting part of the soccer experience. In the intramural program, we provide a tournament at the end of the season in grades two through six. These are typically "non results oriented" where the emphasis is on fun and everyone is a winner.
Travel teams typically play in tournaments on Columbus Day and Memorial Day, and occasionally on the weekends after the fall or spring seasons. This is determined on a team-by-team basis. No player is required to participate in a tournament.
NGS sponsors one of the premier girls' soccer tournaments in New England over Columbus Day weekend. Many of the upper level teams in Divisions 1 and 2 participate in this tournament, and it is expected that all NGS teams invited to play will do so. For other teams, a variety of other tournaments are available, both locally and out of state. NGS believes each of these tournaments provides a very positive and enjoyable experience for the players, coaches and families.
NGS encourages all parents to become involved in coaching, no matter what their soccer experience. Many opportunities are available to attend clinics, get helpful materials and obtain coaching licenses. Even the most experienced coaches in our system were coaching novices at one time, so don't be intimidated! We especially encourage women to get involved as role models for their daughters.
Parents who would like to volunteer to coach in the intramural program should so indicate on their daughter's registration form. These parents also must complete and return the Intramural Coaching Application form available on our website. No experience is required other than a desire to learn, a willingness to uphold the philosophy of the intramural program, and a commitment to creating a good experience for the players.
Those interested in coaching in the travel program must complete the form available on the website and return it no later than May 4. The Travel Committee of the NGS Board of Directors then meets in May to consider all coaching applications. The Travel Committee, which consists of 20 members of the NGS Board, carefully considers each application to determine the level of training, experience, and effectiveness of each coach. [Please see our web site for specific criteria.] Because of the level of interest in coaching, particularly for the higher level teams, there are often many more qualified candidates than there are positions available. This makes the Travel Committee's decisions difficult. The committee attempts to place coaches on a team that is generally consistent with the skill level of the coach's daughter. Consistent with this goal, coaches are not placed until tryout information is available.
No girl is denied an opportunity to participate in Newton Girls Soccer due to financial need. Requests for fee waivers may be submitted by checking the appropriate box on the application form. Assistance is also available for travel uniform purchase and travel tournament and team fees. In addition, NGS offers scholarships based on financial need to several summer soccer camps. For more information, contact either the chairman of our Scholarship Committee or the president.
There is a grade coordinator assigned to each intramural grade and an age group coordinator assigned to each travel age group. Because we are a large volunteer organization, we greatly appreciate your effort to direct your question to the appropriate person and to use e-mail if possible. Current e-mail addresses and changes in board member responsibilities are here.
Grade 1 - 3 Intramural applicationsMicrosoft Word Format Grades 1 -2 due by
Grade 3 due by |
Intramural and Travel league applicationsMicrosoft Word Format First-time U10 applications were due by All
other applications were due by |
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