Newton Youth Soccer ("NYS") participates in BAYS, the Boston Area Youth Soccer League. BAYS is one of several regional leagues across Massachusetts that provide "travel" soccer, allowing teams from different towns to play one another. Each season, Newton fields about 40-50 teams from players in 3rd Grade through High School. Travel teams practice twice a week and have a game on Saturdays (High School age teams play on Sundays) for 10 weeks in the Fall and 10 weeks in the Spring.  3rd through 8th Grade Travel players are expected to commit to playing BOTH Fall and Spring Seasons.  Teams are created to play together for Fall and Spring.

BAYS teams are organized by age groups depending on a player's school grade AND date of birth. In the fall season, NYS has teams that compete in the following age groups: 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 8th Grade (8th Grade includes players in 7th Grade) and a BAYS league for high school students in grades 9-12. In the spring, teams compete in all the same age groups as well as 10th and 12th Grade teams. Within each age group, players are placed on teams based on a variety of factors including player performance at tryouts and player evaluations by IM or BAYS coaches from the previous season.  BAYS defines Age Groups here.

The BAYS High School age groups play games on Sundays. Half of the games are played in Newton and the other half are played in nearby towns. The longest travel for an away game will be 45 minutes, but most away games will only be 15 to 30 minutes away. In addition to the weekly games, teams practice two times per week at a field in Newton. In the fall, teams sometimes compete in a tournament over Columbus Day Weekend and, in the spring, teams can compete in a tournament over Memorial Day Weekend.

In the 3rd Grade and 4th Grade age groups, teams compete in 7v7 soccer and team rosters have 12 players. In the 5th and 6th Grade age groups, teams compete in 9v9 soccer and team rosters have 14 players. In the 8th Grade and High School age groups, teams compete in 11v11 soccer and team rosters have 18 or more players. 

For 9-12th grade travel soccer, go HERE.

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Travel Tryouts

 

BAYS tryouts for Newton Youth Soccer are held once a year in the spring for the 3rd through 8th grade groups. Tryouts for the Spring season 9th through 12th Grade age groups happen in the late Winter months. The Fall season BAYS 9-12 High School teams do not have tryouts.  Tryouts for the upcoming season are typically scheduled in late May/early June. Once these dates are confirmed, information will be posted on this website and NYS will send out tryout information to all families. In order to participate in tryouts, players need to officially register for the upcoming season on the NYS website.

Once registered, your child will receive a tryout time.  You will receive notice of this tryout time approximately 1 week prior to the tryout date. 

Due to the large number of players involved, NYS does not offer make-up tryouts. If your child has an unavoidable conflict, please speak with your current coach and Age Group Coordinator.

For 2022/23 Tryout information, go HERE.

Key details:

• Registration opens 5/11/21
• Tryouts begin in June - details HERE
• Rising 3rd grade players must attend both tryout dates
• Teams are formed and communicated by mid-July.

Timelines:

• NYS Travel registration is open: May 11th
• Registration will close on May 28th
• Specific tryout times to be communicated the week of June 2nd
• Tryouts occur between June 6th and June 19th
• Teams are formed: June 20th-11th 
• Communication of teams to families & players: Estimated the week of July 14th
• Travel practices begin: week of September 6th

For more information, or for questions, please contact your Age Group Coordinator or DOC Ed Jenkinson.

Elementary & Middle School Programs

3rd Grade
 - Those players that are 10 and younger AND in the 3rd grade
 - Games are 7v7
 - Players 9 and younger are not permitted on BAYS teams unless in the third grade.
     They may play in 3rd grade (or 4th grade if the club does not offer 3rd grade) only.

4th Grade
 - Those players that are 11 and younger AND in the 4th grade and lower
 - Games are 7v7

5th Grade
 - Those players that are 12 and younger AND in the 5th grade and lower
 - Games are 9v9

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Age Restrictions and Specifics

As defined by US Soccer and age group denoted by a number and the phrase and younger is any child born during the calendar year that many years from the year of the end of the competition. For example for a competition that ends in Spring of 2017 an 11 and younger eligible player would be born during calendar year 2006 (2017 -11). Mass Youth Soccer Association requires that the player both be born during the calendar year specified (or later years) and be in the maximum grade or lower.

Home schooled children may play in the correct birth year without a grade restriction.

In compliance with US Youth Soccer and Massachusetts Youth Soccer requirements no exceptions will be approved to permit players older than the specified age to play in any age group except that:

An age exception may be granted under bylaw 3 (ADA waivers)