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 30-40 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.

Practices

Teams typically practice twice a week. Many teams attend tournaments, particularly on Memorial and Columbus Day weekends. Playing in the travel program requires a commitment to attend two practices per week and all games, both home and away. If you and your player cannot make this commitment, please consider the lesser requirements of the intramural program. It is not fair to teammates and coaches to sign up for a team unless a player and their family can make the necessary commitment.

 

Teams are formed in the Fall and stay together through the Spring. Registration for all age groups is for a full year. Sometimes there are spots available for newcomers in the Spring, but this is not guaranteed.

NYS Travel teams play in the Boston Area Youth Soccer league — or BAYS for short. Your players team could be placed in a section that contains teams from any town that’s a member of BAYS, and you will have one away game per season at each town in your section. The furthest towns in BAYS are approximately 22 miles from Newton.

Travel Team Commitment 

Before registering your player for the travel program, please understand the program is a two season commitment. If there is any doubt that your player will be able to fully participate, please consider registering for the Intramural Program instead.

Note: Players are expected to prioritize their travel team commitment during the soccer season.  Athletes who play private club soccer or other sports in the same season should only register for the travel program if they will consistently attend at least one travel team practice per week and make a sincere effort to attend every game.

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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 2024/25 Tryout information, go HERE.

Key details:

• Registration opens week of 5/7/2024
• 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: week of 5/6/2024
• Registration will close 48 hours prior to the age group tryout. Example: 4th grade will close on 6/7 with tryout on 6/9.
• Specific tryout times to be communicated the week prior to your age group tryout.
• Tryouts occur between June 2nd and June 15th
• Teams are formed: June 17th-July 7th
• Communication of teams to families & players: Estimated the week of July 9th
• Travel practices begin: week of September 2nd

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

We recognize youth sports and other activity fees can be expensive.  NYS offers a Scholarship Program to waive or reduce registration fees for any family in need of financial assistance.  This is a confidential program that can include tuition, along with the uniform kit and other equipment, as needed.  

If you need financial assistance to be part of NYS, contact us here: [email protected]

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)