NEW TO SOCCER? NEW TO GEORGIA? NEW TO OUR ORGANIZATION?
DID YOU KNOW?
Soccer is the fastest growing team sport in the US. Every country in the world plays soccer. Georgia Soccer is very excited to be a part of this rapid growth surge. We welcome you to explore our pages and learn a little about the life of soccer in the state of Georgia.
Georgia Soccer is the coordination, service and de facto governance authority for soccer in the state and are comprised of individual member affiliate organizations that register players and form teams at the local level. We are the authorized state youth and adult association for Georgia within the United States Adult Soccer Association, United States Youth Soccer Association, and through them is part of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). Also, Georgia Soccer serves as the official National State Association of USSF making it responsible to act on behalf of USSF and provide licensing courses for coaches and certification courses for referees.
MISSION
“Georgia Soccer provides ethical leadership and fair standards to support development and growth of soccer as a life-long sport for all who love the Game.”
In becoming an affiliate of the Georgia Soccer, a youth affiliate has access to all of our programs, events and activities related to youth play while an adult affiliate has access to all our programs, events, and activities related to adult play. In addition, our member affiliates have access to the highest level of training for coaches and referees. As well, Georgia Soccer offers many other programs that make the game of soccer possible.
Have you considered affiliating with Georgia Soccer?
Georgia Soccer members/affiliates enjoy many opportunities through membership for growing soccer in communities across Georgia for youth and adult players. Georgia Soccer's affiliation is year-round. If you are interested in becoming a member please visit the affiliation page or call (770) 452-0505 for more information.
Information on Adult Soccer in Georgia
Contacting the appropriate Adult affiliate will allow you to find out more information about playing in Atlanta and Georgia as an adult.
Please note that several of the affiliates have hyperlinks embedded in their name listing on the this site.
While on the page, take the time to browse around and see what else might be happening in adult soccer in Georgia as well as soccer for all ages and play levels.
Explanation of youth levels of play within Georgia Soccer
Georgia Soccer is composed of four types of organized programs. There is the Select play (traveling teams) composed of Boy’s Select (known in our schedule as Classic), Girl’s Select (known in our schedule as Athena), and the Academy program. In addition, our largest program is Recreational play.
Our Select team and Academy team participants play games outside their home association/club with other member clubs in GYSA. Teams may become involved the Select level of play when their club/home association is willing to declare them/apply them to the Georgia Soccer State Select competition scheduling.
In Select play, here are divisions of, generally, ten teams each of within each Classic and Athena age group from U13 and up. The teams listed in Classic I or Athena A are the highest level of attainment within the Select program in that age group with the II and B being the next highest and so on. There are as many divisions of play as there is interest among our almost 100 member affiliates and by which our Select Committees both Boy’s and Girl’s feel are manageable.
For Select play for the U10 through U12 age groups, we have developed an Academy program which avoids standings, has flexible scheduling and rosters in order to promote more focus on training and development and less of a focus on competition. Since Georgia Soccer has a Fall and a Spring season (Spring season generally consists of ages U10 through U14 due to high school soccer occurring during that period), the U12 group in Academy may keep standings in order to align teams in U13 for regular Select competition for the upcoming Fall season occurs (attempting to pair teams up against their own level of competitiveness).At the U13 level, our Select competition becomes more pronounced where practices including promotion and relegation between divisions
Of course, we also have Recreation play by which teams are not formed on a selection basis of talent but with a focus on balanced teams. For some age groups, generally older age groups, Georgia Soccer provides the Recreation Inter-League Schedule process whereby the service of interscheduling among member affiliate organizations occurs to enable members to have games against other members where the number of teams within an age group is so small in number. For example, this allows a member with three U14 teams to interschedule with other member associations who also have only a few teams.
Helpful Information:
Please note that most of our affiliates conduct their soccer programs in the Fall (starting the first weekend after Labor Day with signups in June/July and going through most or all of August) and in the Spring (starting the first weekend in March with signups in January through February). Labor Day weekend which is highlighted by the Atlanta Cup - the largest 3-day youth soccer tournament in the country.
Placement onto a team after the season startup might be questionable but we would urge you to make the attempt as there is the possibility that the program is not full for your child's age group or opening might have been created from dropouts.
There are no geographical restrictions to playing soccer in Georgia. A player can sign up for team across town in Macon or drive from Columbus to Atlanta to play for his or her team.
- If your child is four (4) years old as of August 1st they are age eligible to sign up with a Georgia Soccer affiliate - Youth Affiliate Directory
- Each affiliate listings in our directories, Youth / Adult , should have a links to their specific web pages for information about registration to play, volunteer opportunities, tournament participation and coaching opportunities.
- You can search a listing of all member affiliates of Georgia Soccer and parks they play and practice at in the state of Georgia - Member and Field locator - This is helpful in aiding your decision making based on proximity to your home or community.
- Player fees to register with a member affiliate are handled at the affiliate level. These player fees vary for each affiliate.