The Enfield Competitive Soccer Program is the third part of the Enfield Soccer Club. The League's goal is to help each child reach their maximum potential as a Soccer Player. If a child is talented enough to go on to higher levels of soccer, the Competitive League would be a stepping stone in their development. The club has produced eight State Championships in the last 4 years and continues to field very competitive teams.

The Competitive League is part of the North Central District of the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association, just as the Recreational League and TOPSoccer™ are also part of that district. The league play for the Competitive Program is made up of teams from other towns located in Central and North Central Connecticut.

Many of the questions families have about the Competitive Program come up repeatedly. We have tried to list a number of them below in attempt answer those questions and De-Mystify the process.

 Is this soccer highly competitive?

 In the 9 academy program we work more towards practice/training then the actual game. We have a professional trainer work all the kids every practice and game vs U10 and up where we have trainers work with teams once a week and no games.U9- U10 age group, the emphasis is on becoming better soccer players. The trainer or coaches will be working on the basics and getting the players used to 8 v 8 games. There is no pressure put on the kids to win, just to improve.

How far will we have to travel?

 The league games, as mentioned before, are against other towns in the Central & North Central District. The farthest away those games would be is about 20 mile i.e.: Glastonbury, Farmington or Burlington. Most teams will elect to go to at least one tournament a season. Remember only half the games are away games! The U9 academy will have more practices than games and more than likely have only a couple away games and more home games.

 How many games do the teams play?

Each coach schedules the games for his team. The league games will be on a Sunday and the coach will generally schedule a "friendly" game for a Saturday game. An average number of games for a team is 13 - 15 games, plus a tournament. As a comparison, a recreational league team will play 10 games. The U9 Academy program will play 6 to 10 games and a tournament.

What are the Age Groups?

The Competitive League is divided into teams by gender and by the athlete's age, in one year increments. The age groups are determined by the child's age on August 1. There are age groups for, U-10, U-11, U-12, U-13, and U-14 in both a boys and girls league. U-9 has a two year range, players must be 7 or turning 7 by 7/31 Are there Tryouts? Yes there are tryouts. Tryouts are held annually in June and the players will be selected to play for that team for the Fall and Spring seasons. U9 Academy program is a sign-up/register and play, no try-out for this age

Are players cut?

Ideally there are no cuts. As many players as possible will be kept. If there are enough players to field 2, 3 or even 4 teams, we can enter that many into the CJSA leagues. The problem comes when there are an odd number of players to round out a team. That is when athletes have to be cut. The Academy program does not make cuts, as long as you are age appropriate and sign-up you will be in the Academy program.

Are there "A" and "B" teams?

No and yes. U-10 age groups Enfield Soccer Club makes every effort to divide the teams as evenly as possible. After the age of 10 the teams are divided into "A" and "B" teams. The Academy program rotates players for games so they all get to play with each other. There is no A, B,C team everyone is equal.

Do the Competitive teams get put into situations where they are not competitive?

No. The league play in the CJSA is determined by a team’s record the prior season. Each age group has several divisions within a given age group. An Enfield "B" team may be equivalent to another town’s "A" team or our "A" team may compete better in a "B" level league. By considering the prior year’s record, a team can be moved up or down and a competitive balance is found.

Where do you find Coaches?

All Competitive League coaches are required to go through a licensing program through CJSA. Many continue to attend clinics beyond what is required by the league. We also provide Professional Trainers to work with each team and coach individually, which has proven to be very successful and popular with the teams. For the Academy trainers will be either a college coach/trainer, ex professional player, or someone with a high degree of knowledge of the game and kid friendly.

Is the Competitive Soccer expensive?

While competitive soccer is slightly more expensive, the extras such as backpacks, tournaments alternate jerseys and sweats are usually covered by team fundraisers. For most, there are no extras expenses beyond club and league fees. Equipment: Uniforms, cleats, shin guards and size appropriate soccer ball.

Competitive League Information:
Competitive League Policy (updated)
Medical Form
Registration Form

Additional ESC Forms & Documents
Enfield Soccer Club By-Laws
Enfield Soccer Club Zero Tolerance Policy
CJSA Volunteer Disclosure Form
Enfield Soccer Club Medical Form
Enfield Soccer Accident Report Form
Resource Links