The Lower Merion Soccer Club is now accepting registrations for their Spring Intramural Program, which will be open to boys and girls born between 1998 and 2003. Players born before 1998 are not eligible to play. Previous soccer experience is not needed to play in the Spring Intramural Program. The program will start on Sunday, April 13th and run every Sunday through June 15th, except for Memorial Day Weekend.

Cost for the season: For registrations postmarked on or before March 20th, the cost is $85. The fee for registrations postmarked after March 20th is $120 (except for the Atoms, Neutrons, Bantams and Microns Divisions which will remain at $85). Please note that all divisions have limited openings. Once these divisions are filled, we will not be able to take any more players, even if they sign up before March 20.

The different programs that will be offered this spring are listed below. Players are not required to follow the age division guidelines. Parents may select whichever program they feel their child is best suited for. Players may request to switch to a different division during the season if they feel they are in the wrong division. We will make every attempt to accommodate such requests, but cannot guarantee it. The LMSC Officers reserve the right to move a player to a different division if necessary.

NOTE: Due to the limited field space we have in the spring, we are unable to offer the boys Majors Division or the girls Cosmos Division (1995, 1996 and 1997 births) until the fall season. We will have the Majors and Cosmos Divisions in the fall for children of that age.

ATOMS, BANTAMS, NEUTRONS and MICRONS - Each week, players in these age groups will be led through a 25-30 minute skills clinic, led by members of the LMSC coaching staff. During this time, each child will have his or her own size 3 soccer ball to work with. The primary emphasis of the skills clinic will be for the players to develop soccer skills, as well as develop their coordination and agility as related to the game of soccer.

After each skills clinic, the players will be divided into teams of 4-6 players. Each team will play a 30-40 minute game, playing four players against four. Players in these age groups will NOT be placed on set teams for the year. This is done so that players will be able to enjoy themselves in a non-pressure soccer environment and so that their parents will not have an incentive to worry about having a “winning season,” “undefeated season,” etc. All players are strongly encouraged to bring a size 3 soccer ball, with their name clearly written on it in magic marker, to each session. All players will receive an LMSC game shirt at their first practice. These divisions will all play at Penn Wynne Playground.

JUNIORS, INTERMEDIATES, QUASARS AND PROTONS - Each player in these divisions will be assigned to a team of 12-14 players for the season. Each team will have it’s own coach. Each week, the players will meet for 90 minutes. The first 30 minutes will be devoted to working on soccer skills. Each player will be expected to bring a soccer ball (size 3 for Juniors and Quasars, size 4 for Intermediates and Protons) each week. During this 30 minute period, the coach will lead the players through various skill development activities.

This will be followed by a 50 minute soccer game where each team will play against one of the other teams in their division. Teams will play two simultaneous games of 5 vs. 5, similar to the format used in the Fall Program.

Team records and standings will NOT be kept, there will be no championships and no all star games. The emphasis of the program will be on enjoying the game of soccer itself.

ELECTRONS AND SENIORS - Each player in these divisions will be assigned to a team of 12-14 players for the season. Each team will have it’s own coach. Each week, the players will meet for 90 minutes. The first 30 minutes will be devoted to working on soccer skills. Each player will be expected to bring a size 4 soccer ball. During this 30 minute period, the coach will lead the players through various skill development activities.

This will be followed by a 50 minute soccer game where each team will play against one of the other teams in their division. Games will be played 8 vs. 8. Team records and standings will NOT be kept, there will be no championships and no all star games. The emphasis of the program will be on enjoying the game of soccer itself.

FIELD LOCATIONS - The Atoms, Neutrons, Bantams and Microns will all play at Penn Wynne Playground. Field assignments for all other divisions are not yet set. The exact field location for each division will be posted on our web site well before the start of the season.

TIME COMMITMENT - Players in the 7 - 10 year old divisions are placed on teams. As a courtesy to teammates, coaches and the LMSC program, players in these divisions will need to make a strong commitment to being at all games during the season. There are no games over Easter Weekend or over Memorial Day Weekend.

EQUIPMENT - By rule of the United States Soccer Federation, ALL players MUST wear shin guards to games and practices. For safety reasons, soccer shoes are strongly recommended instead of sneakers. Players should wear dark soccer shorts (navy or black) and white soccer socks. These items are available at most sporting goods stores including Sneaky Pete's Discount Sneakers in Ardmore, which carries our full line of LMSC items.

FINANCIAL AID - Our club is not-for-profit. Our objective is to provide all soccer loving youngsters with a chance to play. Players who are in need of financial assistance in order to play should state this on their registration form. One of the primary goals of LMSC is to not have any child be unable to play soccer due to financial reasons.

COACHING VOLUNTEERS - Our intramural program is dependent on having parents of players volunteer as coaches. PLEASE give consideration to volunteering as a coach. We provide head coaches with ample coaching material in order to make the program a success. You do not need to have played the game, you only need to have an interest in working with a small group of children and an ability to stay one or two steps ahead of them in learning the game.

REFUND POLICY - Requests for refunds will only be honored through April 1st. There will be a $20 service charge for refund requests made before then. We will NOT issue refunds for any reason after April 1st.

Atoms, Neutrons, Bantams and Microns Divisions: The cost to register is $85. Registrations should be received no later than March 20th although we will accept late registrations for these divisions if there are still openings. We will accept on-site registrations in these divisions ONLY IF there are still openings in the desired division.

Juniors, Intermediates, Quasars, Protons, Seniors and Electrons Divisions: The cost to register is $85 if the registration is postmarked on or before March 20th. After March 20th, the registration fee is $120 and we cannot guarantee a spot in the program. Once a division is filled, we will NOT be able to accept additional registrants, no matter when the registration is received. Be sure to register early, before the division that you requested becomes filled. Our web page will be updated regularly, showing which divisions still have openings. Since the players in the older divisions will need to be assigned to teams, we will need to receive all registrations by March 20th.

To register, please fill out a Spring Intramural Registration Form and mail it, along with your check (payable to LMSC) to: LMSC, Box 360, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010.

Team assignments, field locations and game times for the older divisions will be posted on our LMSC Web Site on April 1st. All players will need to visit our web site (www.lmsc.net) on or after April 4th for this information. You will NOT receive a confirmation notice in the mail.

Players in these divisions may request to be on a team with friends playing in the same division. We will make every effort to honor these requests but we cannot guarantee honoring such requests. Since we make team assignments starting March 20th, we will not be able to honor any car pool / teammate requests for registrations received after that date even if there are still openings in the specified division.