Soccer:
By age group
| We have
lots of soccer resources in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut, but finding out
just what is available for a particular age group can be complex. This page takes a stab at simplifying that task. We are grateful for both suggestions and corrections. Assumption #1: you are looking for soccer for young people somewhere in the Northwest Corner (the northwest six townships) of Connecticut. Here are the townships, all in Litchfield County, that we're considering (note that some of the resources are located outside this area). Kent, Canaan, North Canaan, Salisbury, Cornwall, Sharon Here's a convenient table of options (links are available on the main soccer resources page) The information below applies to Summer 2010 if we have it, although some is considerably older than that. One reason this page exists is that our local soccer community is not terribly good about communicating outside the organzaaions that make it up, sadly. We'll continue to update this page as information comes in.
|
| Age Range | Options | Comments |
| Under 3 | No formal soccer programs for this age group are known to us. Best advice: active little tiny kids make better soccer players when they get older. Encourage lots of active free play: running, jumping, etc. | |
| 3 - 7 | The former Berkshire United
Soccer Club day camp has had sections for children aged 3 - 7.
Some town recreational soccer programs (notably Kent and Salisbury) start this young. Rumsey Hall Summer Soccer "Soccer Kool" program. FC Sarum Soccer Camp has a week just for 5 - 8 year olds. The two subsequent weeks also include 7, 8 and 9 year olds but are intended mainly for older players. |
 (click the image to see this pic from the 2006 BUSC clinic day larger) The Rumsey Hall program is for ages 4 -6 and is a half day program.
|
| 8 - 12 | The former Berkshire United (team, day
camp, clinic) FC Sarum Soccer Camp (first week is for 5 - 8 year olds; next two weeks are for 7 - 15 year olds) Rumsey Hall Summer Soccer advanced program and striker academy program Town recreational programs -- BUT, for kids who are 12 before August 1, there is NO team for you in the Rec leagues -- you'll have to make do with school soccer, or try out for Berkshire United. Public school intramural programs (a few) Public elementary school teams (mainly grades 7 - 8, with a limited number of sixth graders) Berkshire County Day School, Indian Mountain School United Soccer Academy at South Kent School (starts with age 9) |
 (click on the images to see the above pics from BUSC's 2006 clinic day at Hotchkiss larger)  (click the image to see a larger pic from Trinity Lime Rock Summer Soccer 2006) The Rumsey Hall programs are for ages 7 - 14 and are full day programs. |
| 13 - 14 | Berkshire United (teams, day
camp, clinic) FC Sarum Soccer Camp (second two weeks are open to ages up to and including 15) Rumsey Hall Summer Soccer advanced program and striker academy program Public elementary school teams (grades 6 - 8, with acceptance of 8th graders pretty much assured) Berkshire County Day School, Indian Mountain School United Soccer Academy at South Kent School NOTE: Town Rec Departments in our area do NOT have U-14 teams. The assumption is that kids will play school and Berkshire United if they fall in this age group. |
 (click the image to see a larger pic from the 2006 BUSC clinic day at Hotchkiss) The Rumsey Hall programs are for ages 7 - 14 and are full day programs. |
| 14 - 18 | Secondary school programs
(public and private). Housatonic Valley Regional High School is
particularly strong in Women's Soccer. CJSA ODP program and premier level soccer -- the nearest club with this level for this age group is Yankee United, mainly located in Fairfield County. United Soccer Academy at South Kent School. FC Sarum's Soccer Camp's second two weeks are open for players up to and including age 15. (See also Berkshire United's occasional U-19 teams) |
Many of the participants in Berkshire United's spring U-19 teams are in this age group. Also, sometimes young people in the age group find opportunities coaching or officiating in Town rec soccer -- a great chance to pay back, a change to make some pocket money, and it looks super on college applications! |
| 18 - 21 | Berkshire United occasionally fields U-19 teams for Spring Soccer when there are sufficient players | |
| Adult | Kids get to have all the fun!! Except for volunteering as a coach or obtaining certification and working as a referee, there are no adult soccer opportunities in our immediate (Region 1) area. However, if you are an adult and would like to play -- and are willing to drive a little way to do it -- thanks to Rich Horosky, we can recommend two organizations to you: the Connecticut Soccer League, and the Shoreline Amateur Soccer League. Links to both organizations can be found in the Links section of our main soccer page. | |
to return to our "Soccer in Northwest Connecticut" page,
where links are available to many of these resources
