Region 114 Spring Select

What is Spring Select?

Spring Select is an extension of the Fall Core season for players whose families volunteered heavily in the Fall and for those seeking a more competitive atmosphere and to continue their development in the Spring. Players must have played in Region 114's Fall Core season.

The number of Spring Select teams is determined by two factors, availability of eligible coaches and player interest. In some cases, we may only have one team per gender and age group. If there is a high number of interested players and sufficient qualified coaches, we may have two or three teams per gender and age group.

How do I register for Spring Select?

Unlike Fall Core, our Spring Select does not have an open registration. Participation on a Spring Select team is by coach invitation only. The roster is completely at the Coach's discretion. (If you want your child to play Spring Select, consider volunteering to be a Spring Select coach!)

Keep in mind the invitation to play on a Spring team goes beyond skill level -- coaches are looking for families that are engaged -- Spring coaches reach out to the Fall coaches to ask about a player's attitude, family participation, likelihood of showing up on time, etc. Often, the decision between two players comes down to whose parents volunteered more -- usually referees are the most valuable to coaches. This is another reason you should sign up as a Volunteer Referee!

How does the Spring season work?

Like Fall Core, Spring Select teams practice during the week and play a season of 9 or 10 games, on Saturdays.

Unlike fall Core, Spring Select teams play against other Select teams in Area Z; expect travel 50% of the time, limited to about 30 minutes in any direction.

Some Spring Select Coaches opt to participate in weekend tournaments -- this may mean multiple games on Fridays and Sundays as well. (Tournament costs are divided among players, and are not included in Region 114 Spring registration fees.)

How much does Spring Select cost?

The cost varies each year based on the number of players and teams, but the Region 114 Registration cost is roughly $160. However, this does not include any tournaments in which your team may participate -- tournament costs are split among the families and usually come to roughly $50/player per tournament. Most Spring teams participate in two maybe three tournaments.

Traditionally Spring players and families purchase their own Region 114 Spring Select gear (hoodies, t-shirts, etc) -- these costs are not included above.

How do I sign up to coach Spring Select?

Check out our Post-Season Coaching page to learn more about what it takes to coach Spring Select.

What is expected of Spring Select families?

All Spring Select teams must have at least one team of three referees. Coaches need parents who referee. If you are a referee, seek out the Spring Select Coach for your age group and let them know how often you can referee. It doesn't guarantee a spot on the team, but often when evaluating players of equal skill, the parent who referees wins out.

I have questions about Spring Select

Please email our Spring Coordinator at [email protected].

Year Round Soccer Camps and Academies

The fun and development of soccer doesn't end when the Fall season ends. Whether or not you played in the Fall season or missed registration altogether, in the Winter, Spring, and Summer we offer Academies and Camps for any child who wants to play through our partner First Touch Soccer.

These include our Spring Development Academy, Skills Camp, Goalkeeper Camp, Summer Camp, Strength & Conditioning Training, and more! Please visit First Touch Soccer for information on current programs.

Academies

We host several Academies throughout the year. The First Touch Academies typically run about 10 weeks, and include a weekly, one-hour practice during the week with a professional, licensed coach from First Touch Soccer, plus a scrimmage every Saturday.

10 weeks of practices and 10 scrimmages -- our Academies are really not that different from our regular soccer seasons!

Camps

The First Touch Camps happen throughout the year -- typically aligned with school breaks / vacations. The Camps vary in length, but typically run several days up to a week. Each day of camp is multiple hours, sometimes with early drop off and late pick up options, depending on the time of year.

For questions and more information on any First Touch Academy or Camp, please reach out to First Touch Soccer.. Although Region 114 hosts the camps, Region volunteers cannot answer any questions about the camps or academies.

Does Region 114 have a Spring Core season?

Yes and no, mostly no.

In our Fall Core program (August - December), we have open registration -- meaning any player who wants to play gets placed on a team (as long as we have enough parents stepping up to volunteer as Head Coach).

However in Spring we do not have an open-registration Core program. Instead, we have a "Spring Select" program (Feb - May), which is made up of Fall Core players, but the teams are formed through Coach invitation only. Spring Select is a "closed registration," which means only those players who are invited to be on a team are able to register for the Spring Select team.

Our Spring Academy runs just like a Fall Core season!

Together with our Training Partners from First Touch Soccer, we host a Spring Academy, which runs 10 weeks just like the Fall season. The Spring Academy has weekly practices, just like in Fall, but with a licensed, professional coach from First Touch. In addition, the Spring Academies have scrimmages on Saturdays, just like the Fall season. Instead of having set teams, the coaches randomly throw some pinnies on the players and they have an informal scrimmage -- no referees, no coaches yelling, no pressure. In some ways, it's better because kids are free to make mistakes and develop without the pressure to win that some adults force upon them!