CHANGES FOR FALL '22: Charlotte Junior Soccer has grown along with our city. This past year, CJ experienced the biggest registration in our almost 50-year history. We now find ourselves approaching limits in terms of field space and coaches for our players. 

In the past, we’ve been able to accommodate every player signed up by the deadline and most from the Waitlist.  CJ will continue to place everyone on a team that signs up prior to the deadline to the absolute best of our ability.  We can succeed only if we have enough fields AND lead coaches for our players.

CJ recently added more fields to our inventory through Mecklenburg Parks and Rec. We can accommodate ALL returning players from Fall ‘21/Spring ’22 on our fields, with room for additional growth.  Now we need parents to volunteer in a very big way so we can form manageable, appropriately sized teams for your children.

Team creation and placement are totally dependent on Parent Volunteers to coach. The CJ Volunteer Division Coordinators (DC) will form teams based on the number of lead coaches for each age group. The DC uses age-appropriate roster sizes to guide them in team formation (see chart below). 

CJ provides the team equipment, practice field, and game schedule for all coaches. Pre-season coaching clinics, coaching manuals, and side-by-side coaching support at practices are provided free to all teams by our Director of Coaching, Bryan Mogford. We’ve had many parents coach for the first time throughout our history and most consider it the best “job” they’ve ever had.

Starting this fall:

1.     We will apply caps to divisions that exceed our new field capabilities.  Players registered by the deadline and under the cap will be placed on teams with priority given to parents who sign up to lead a team as coach. Those players registered after the August 1^st deadline or after the division cap is reached are automatically put on the Waitlist. Waitlisted players will not be charged until they are placed on a team. Lead coach volunteers on the Waitlist will have priority in creating new teams.

2.     Team creation and player placement is totally dependent on parents volunteering to coach. Each team must have at least 1 volunteer lead coach. Players will be assigned to a team with a lead coach until all spaces are filled on that roster.  If there are any unassigned players, they will be grouped into teams and parents will be asked to volunteer to coach. If we are unable to secure a parent or parents to coach, that team will unfortunately be disbanded; those families receiving a full refund.  Our priority remains finding a place for every player.

3.     Roster sizes will be based on age as outlined in the chart below. Any exceptions will be extremely limited and at the sole discretion of each Division Coordinator.  The goal is to keep rosters within each division of similar or equal size. No one benefits from oversized rosters. The DC will continue to work closely with our coaches in this process. Players can only be added to a roster by the DC.

4.     Division Coordinators will continue to form teams using requests as a guide. Note that some teams are over-subscribed so your child may not get their first or even second choice as we balance rosters within a division. Please bear this in mind when registering and stay flexible.