Age 3 · Pre-K · K · 1st Grade +
Players in Age 3, Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade, from both Dover and Sherborn, practice and play one day per week. Players who are four years old at the start of a season are invited to join the session. We ask parents to be the judge of whether a child who has just turned four will be fine in this environment playing with five-year-olds, or whether it is better to wait six months when the child is four and a half.
Our 3-year-old program is a coed program with an emphasis on fun, introducing the ball and goal, and teaching the fundamentals of kicking and dribbling. Pre-K children will be divided into two groups: 4/5-Year-Old Boys and 4/5-Year-Old Girls. Children must be at least four years of age to participate in our Pre-K program. We do not permit "playing up," so please register your children for their appropriate age groups.
Please visit the Practice Schedules page for more information on practice timing and location for the current season.
2nd Grade +
In 2nd grade, we introduce a more structured game (with referees) in order to prepare the players for travel season starting in 3rd grade. New concepts include goal kicks, throw-ins, corner kicks, and free kicks. Please refer to the Rules of the Game for details about how the second grade games are organized and run.
The Director of Coaching (DOC) will lead a practice once per week for 45 minutes, with volunteer coaches running an additional 30 minutes to cover a variety of topics (new concepts, scrimmages, game prep, etc.).
Please visit the Practice Schedules page for more information on practice timing and location for the current season.
3rd Grade (U9) +
3rd grade is the first year of "travel" soccer. DS Soccer teams practice once per week and play league matches against teams from other towns once per week. Practices are arranged by the DOC and volunteer coaches, who will host practices as necessary and will accommodate as many players as possible.
Teams are formed to allow the players to develop optimally with and against players of similar ability. Based on our club's mission statement and philosophy, this is the first year that teams are "tiered" as opposed to "balanced." The teams are formed using coach evaluation sheets from previous seasons and input from the DOC. While we have a default structure based on the number of teams (e.g. 4 Teams AABB, 3 Teams ABB, 2 Teams AA), the coordinators, in coordination with the DOC and President, will have the option to make modifications to the default structure for particular cohorts based on the data.
We believe in exposure to as many coaches as possible and spend a great deal of time providing opportunities for coaches to be educated in soccer matters, and also try to rotate coaching exposure where possible for the children to benefit from varied styles and methods. Following that philosophy, balanced teams will be "reshuffled" from one season to the next. We do not consider parent requests for a particular coach for their child.
Players, coaches, and families are encouraged to understand the Club Identity, and coaches are encouraged to use the support of the 3rd grade Curriculum.
Please visit the Practice Schedules page for more information on practice timing and location for the current season.
4th – 8th Grade +
Teams practice twice per week in the Fall and once per week in the Spring. Teams play one game per week over a 10-week season. Coaches are encouraged to arrange one of their practices per week to be alongside all other teams from their age/gender group (e.g. 6th grade boys). As far as possible, coordination and efforts are made with other sports and events to cause as little conflict as possible: we want our players to be able to play!
Teams are formed through the club's Player Evaluation Process. Players play in U10 (4th grade), U11 (5th grade), U12 (6th grade), and U14 (combined 7th and 8th grade) teams. While we have a default structure based on the number of teams (4 Teams ABCD, 3 Teams ABC, 2 Teams AB), the coordinators, in coordination with the DOC and President, will have the option to make modifications to the default structure for particular cohorts based on the data (coach evaluations, tryouts).
Players, coaches, and families are encouraged to embrace the Club Identity, and coaches are encouraged to utilize the support of the club's age-specific Curriculum.
Moving from Grade 6 to Grade 7/8: At Grade 7 and 8, blended teams are formed from the two-grade cohort. This is intended to be a gentle half step for the players before they go to high school and play in teams from a four-grade cohort. Please know teams are formed on merit only and have no quota for each grade at this age.
Please visit the Practice Schedules page for more information on practice timing and location for the current season.
TOPSoccer +
TOPSoccer is a US Youth Soccer program providing community-based training for all athletes with intellectual, emotional, and/or physical disabilities. The program provides meaningful learning, development, and physical participation opportunities to young athletes through the game of soccer. The emphasis of this program is on development, training, and meaningful participation, rather than competition.
Each participant has the support of a high-school-aged "buddy" who supports, encourages, and cheers them on during practices and games. Practices take place once a week during the Fall and Spring season, and include various drills and games.
This program is open to players from any town, PreK–12th grade.