FEDERAL WAY, WASHINGTON (Thursday, May 24) – On May 20, 2007, the Washington State Youth Soccer Association (WSYSA)’s Board of Directors unanimously approved to move the girls club soccer season from fall to spring. This change will impact approximately 2,000 players who make up the Girls Under-15 through Under-19 age groups of two key programs, the Washington State Premier League (WSPL) and Washington State Youth Development League (WSYDL). With this change, WSYSA is attempting to alleviate the conflict between the high school and club soccer seasons as well as strengthen the overall development of women’s soccer around the state.     For years, many individuals within WSYSA and the greater soccer community recognized heightening demands on young athletes’ time and energy due to increased academic, social, and athletic involvement. Though not limited to women, these increasing demands are especially challenging to female athletes playing high school and club soccer as their seasons overlapped during the fall. As the number of injuries increased and overall player count decreased for female athletes especially in this age group, WSYSA re-evaluated its year-round soccer calendar and made this significant decision in an effort to adhere to its overall mission to foster the growth and well-being of its athletes.   The move to this new time of year will impact girls playing soccer throughout the state. For players, the move to a spring season will bring with it many positive benefits including fewer conflicting obligations with high school soccer and other sports, a lower number of injuries due to over-exertion, and improved focus on training during each season.   “As with any far-reaching change, we understand this new format may pose challenges and cause initial frustration among those involved,” stated Todd McGann, WSYSA Executive Director. “WSYSA made this decision with thoughtful consideration of the membership, believing that the benefit to the players’ overall physical, emotional and mental stress would ultimately outweigh these difficulties. It is the mission of this association to foster the development of the State of Washington’s youth through the sport of soccer and we feel this decision is a good step forward in achieving that goal.”    The change to the spring season is effective immediately and will consist of a schedule beginning the first weekend in February and ending in April, 2008.  Additionally, the Challenge Cup and Championship Cup dates for Girls U15-U19 and Boys U19 will move to April and May, respectively. As such, teams winning the State Cup will be better prepared to compete at the US Youth Soccer Regional Championships held in June.

To ensure a successful program for the players and teams affected by this change, the new format will be evaluated by the WSYSA Board of Directors according to set objectives at the conclusion of the 2008 season. 

For additional information, please contact Doug Andreassen, President, at statepresident@wsysa.com or Todd McGann, Executive Director, Todd@wsysa.com 

Washington State Youth Soccer Association is the largest youth soccer organization in Washington. Washington State Youth Soccer Association is the state’s affiliate for US Youth Soccer, which is the largest sports organization in the United States and the most populous member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body for soccer in the United States.  The WSYSA is the sixth largest membership in the nation; our organization represents over 123,000 players (ages 4-19) and their families, 15,000 coaches on 11,000 teams and 6,500 referees in the state of Washington.  The WSYSA’s mission is to foster the physical, mental and emotional growth and development of the State of Washington’s youth through the sport of soccer at all levels of age and competition.