SAYSA has teams for players five years old through high school.

For younger players, 3 to 4 years old, Stoughton Parks and Recreation offers an introductory program called “Mini Ball.” Some 5-year-olds are age-eligible for this program.

Use the MAYSA Birth Year Chart on the MAYSA League Rules page to determine your player’s age group. Players classified as U15 or above are placed on SAYSA’s high school-aged teams. For high-school aged teams, girls play in fall and boys play in spring (opposite the seasons they play for teams formed by their high schools).

SAYSA does not hold tryouts for its intraclub or recreational teams. Recreational teams are typically formed with an underlying philosophy of balancing teams at each age level in terms of skill and experience, and players are guaranteed a minimum amount of playing time (at least half of each game). Formation of these teams may involve player evaluations by coaches and/or other evaluators. 

SAYSA does occasionally hold tryouts for competitive teams. Competitive teams play at a higher level of competition than recreational teams, involve a greater level of commitment in terms of practices and tournaments, and entail higher costs. These voluntary tryouts are usually held in early June (to inform team formation for the following fall season) and are announced to the club in advance.

8U and younger teams typically practice one weekday evening and late Sunday afternoons before games. For 9U and older, dates vary, but teams typically practice two times per week in the evening, for 60-90 minutes, depending on age. Some teams, competitive teams in particular, my practice three time per week.

6U-8U are in-house (intraclub) games and take place in Stoughton on Sunday afternoons. 9U and older games are interleague (against other clubs governed by the Madison Area Youth Soccer Association, or MAYSA) and are usually played on Saturdays, sometimes Sundays, and some games involve travel to other communities (usually within Dane County or directly adjacent counties). Travel time to away games is typically under an hour.  Occasionally, games get rescheduled on weeknights.

A full season takes places in two parts, fall and spring. The fall half season is mid-August to early November. The spring half season is early April to early/mid-June.

Players can register for full or half seasons, but full-season registration is encouraged for consistency of team composition and to get the most bang for buck out of registration fees. SAYSA offers a discount for half-season registrations (not all area clubs do), but it is not equivalent to a 50% discount because SAYSA’s managing club, the Madison Area Youth Soccer Association (MAYSA), charges the same amount for per-players fees whether a player is registered for a half- or full-season.

For high school-age teams, girls play in fall and boys play in spring (opposite the seasons they play for their public high school teams), so they only register for a half-season.

Registration fees are broken down below by program level and season option. A full season includes both fall and spring; a half season includes fall or spring only.

• Intraclub (6U-8U): $100 full season/$75 half season
• Recreational 9U-12U: $210 full season/$145 half season
• Recreational 13U-14U: $220 full season/$145 half season
• Recreational high school-aged teams: $200 half season only

Additional charges for jerseys (U9 and up), competitive teams, and unfilled volunteer hours may apply. 

Financial aid is available for any child who resides or attends school in the Stoughton Area School District and qualifies for the Free/Reduced School Lunch Program. SAYSA also has limited funds to help with the cost of registration for families facing difficult circumstances. Details on the financial aid page.

Uniforms are non-refundable.

6U-8U in-house teams are co-ed. In alignment with MAYSA rules, 9U-14U teams are technically either co-ed or all girls; however, rosters for co-ed teams, especially older than 9U or 10U, typically consist of all boys. For high-school aged teams, girls play in fall and boys play in spring (opposite the seasons they play for teams formed by their high schools).

SAYSA adheres to the U.S. Soccer policy on inclusion for the formation of gender-based amateur teams, which states:

“For the purposes of registration on gender-based amateur teams, a player may register with the gender team with which the player identifies, and confirmation sufficient for guaranteeing access shall be satisfied by documentation or evidence that shows the stated gender is sincerely held, and part of a person’s core identity. Documentation satisfying the herein stated standard includes, but is not limited to, government-issued documentation or documentation prepared by a health care provider, counselor, or other qualified professional not related to the player.” (Source: U.S. Soccer bylaws)

See our Volunteers page for details.

Please see our Referee page. If you’re interested in coaching, register as a volunteer during open player registration and select “coach” during the player registration process. Or send an email to the club.