Considering Competitive Soccer?

What is competitive soccer? How does it differ from recreational soccer? Should my child join a competitive soccer team?

• Competitive soccer offers local players the opportunity to compete against skilled teams from outside our region.
• Competitive soccer in MN includes 4 competitive divisions at each age group.  These are (in order from most to least competitive) Premier, Classic 1, Classic 2 and Classic 3.  While area competitive clubs offer  options at many age and competitive divisions, there will not be opportunities at every age and competitive level.  For example, currently there are no teams in NE MN at the Premier level. 
• While it is difficult to generalize, the AYSA spring Upper Division Recreational Program will offer the same or slightly better competition than MYSA competitive Classic 3, and not quite as high a level as many Classic 2 teams.
• Competitive soccer usually includes more practice and development work, and requires more commitment from both players and parents.
• Leagues include teams from the Twin Cities.
• Teams could play between 5 and 7 away games in the Twin Cities on weekday evenings. Some of these games may occur on school nights in May.
• Some competitive programs use tryouts or selection to determine which players will participate.
• In AYSA recreational soccer, each player that attends a game will play a minimum of half of that game.  There is no playing time requirement in competitive soccer, though many teams or clubs have established rules on minimum playing time.

The cost for competitive soccer varies by club or team, but is usually between $250 and $500.

If you have questions about competitive level soccer, please contact Dave Geary at 624-1713.

Confused about which soccer option you should choose? Contact Dave Geary at 624-1713 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.