Please review our FAQs, if you still need specific questions answer contact us through the website or email us.
What are the COVID rules?
DDSC is obligated and committed to following our parent organization (Cal North), and league (RCYSL – River City Youth Soccer League) COVID guidelines. The COVID guidelines are subject to change, and continually being adjusted to current circumstances. DDSC will update and communicate the league any COVID-specific guidelines when they are available.
Is my child old enough to play soccer?
Your child must turn 4 during the calendar year to play at DDSC. For example, a 3 year old can play U6 at DDSC just as long as they turn 4 by December 31st of that year. We encourage parents to bring the kids out as soon as possible to learn the game, just keep in mind that it may be difficult for the young kids to stay focused during practice and games so keep your expectations low and your encouragement POSITIVE!
What age-group will my child be placed in?
DDSC must follow the age-group rules used by the league, RCYSL. RCYSL currently uses the USSF recommended age grouping for players, which is based on calendar birth year (i.e. not academic year). The “U” designation (e.g. U6, U8, etc…), means the player must be under this age for the current calendar year. A player cannot “play down”, meaning play in an age group where they are older than the age range (i.e. play in a younger age-group). A player may “play up” if they request it (during registration, note the player “play up” request), meaning they can play with older kids.
Note that RCYSL only has “even-year” age groups, i.e. U6, U8, U10, U12, U14, etc…
If your child birth-year falls in an “odd-year” age group i.e. U7, U9, U11, U13, etc.., then they will be grouped with the next, higher age-group. Example: U7 will play U8, U9 will play U10.
Please see this age matrix for more details: Age-Matrix
Must I complete registration online?
Yes. All registration must be completed online.
Do I need to email a birth certificate every year?
No. Just upload if you are a NEW player at time of registration.
Do I need to submit a photo?
Yes. Please upload a photo of your child/yourself for use on identification badges and cards online when you register, note the size requirements. The photo should be a recent likeness (taken within the past 6 months) a head and shoulder only (like school photo) shot, a clear image, in color, and with a full front view of your face. Hats, sunglasses, and head covering are not allowed. No goofy faces.
I want my child to be on the same team as last year, or play on the same team with a friend. How can I ensure that will happen?
During online registration you will be asked if you have a team preference. The club will strive to honor player and team requests but must always defer to the best interests of the club. In short, we will try, but there are no guarantees.
”What about Play Up requests?
You must complete a player up request during your online registration.
What are uniform requirements?
All players must wear Del Dayo Soccer Club uniforms, including shin guards and cleats. Uniforms can be purchased by accessing the link on the Registration page. Do not contact the registrar about uniforms.
When and where are practices?
Official practices start August 1st each year. Practice times and locations vary by team. In general, all U12 and below practice at Del Dayo School. All U14 and above practice at Ashton Park. Typically teams practice twice a week – most commonly Mon/Wed or Tues/Thurs.
Why is my team practicing on a field we don’t play games on?
One of the most difficult things to do every year is to fit all the various teams into the fields we have. We try to be accommodating to our volunteer coach’s schedules, which means we will have times that a team will practice on a field that is a different field size than what they play games on. That being said – it doesn’t matter. We encourage our coaches to follow recommended guidelines for how to conduct practices which typically start with individual skill drills, small-sided games, then large-sided games. None of these techniques require the use of a full field so where the team is practicing should have no impact on how they develop.
When and where are the games?
All U6 games are played at Del Dayo school on Friday nights. For U6, we play our internal DDSC teams so this leads to a great atmosphere with everyone out on the fields a the same time playing games.
For U8/U10 teams, they will play home (Del Dayo school) and road games during the season. Approximately 5 home and 5 road. The road games for U8/U10 will be within our River City Soccer League which include Arden Park, Sierra Oaks, Rosemont, BAC, and St. Ignatius. Essentially all games are within 5-6 miles of Del Dayo School.
For U12/U14 teams, they will play home (Del Dayo school/Ashton Park) and road games during the season, but their travel will be a bit larger. For U12/U14 we play not only our River City Soccer League teams but also teams from Capital Valley Soccer League. Capital Valley includes teams from Carmichael, Citrus Heights, La Sierra, Del Campo, Mission Camino, North Highlands, and St. Johns. However, with the additional of more teams to play there are typically more divisions of play. Once the teams are seeded into their divisions, there is no guarantee you will have teams from every location in your league. There are typically 6-8 teams in a Division so you are likely to have some combination of 5-6 clubs to play against.
How do I become a referee? How does my child become a referee?
The easiest answer to this is sign up at Opening Day. DDSC will have information available at Opening Day each year about being a referee. There are online and in-person training, the level of which will vary depending on the age you will be working with.
More information here: http://deldayosoccer.net/club/referees/
How much will my son/daughter get to play?
Del Dayo if a recreational soccer club and follows the guideline that each child should play a minimum of half the game each game. That being said, there could be special circumstances due to injuries, a player not arriving to the game on time, etc. that may prevent that from happening. As far as the balance of playing time for each player, that is solely up to the discretion of the head coach and will often be dependent on a variety of factors such as participation in practices, behavior, performance, position on the field among other things. There is no expectation that all players will play the same amount of time each game.