Founded as Casco Bay Soccer Club in the late 1980’s, now known as Cape Elizabeth Soccer Club, CESC is a non-profit and entirely volunteer run organization that continues to provide soccer playing youth of Cape Elizabeth the opportunity to practice and play against other towns in Southern Maine.

Soccer Maine is the governing body of youth soccer in the State of Maine. Visit www.SoccerMaine.com to learn more.

Registration for CESC fall season typically occurs in the month of May, depending on various factors each year. You must register during that 3–4-week window that registration is open.

• April - Registration period (may go into May)

• May - late registration (only if numbers still needed at particular age groups)

• Assessments at U13 and U14 if needed

• June - Teams announced in mid-June typically

• August - Cape HS boys and girls soccer teams run a voluntary evening soccer camp that kids can register for. Players are strongly encouraged to attend.

• Third week of August - Practices begin (although this varies somewhat by team)

• Last Sunday of August - first league games typically begin

• Labor Day - Typically off, although some coaches may schedule friendlies (i.e., scrimmages)

• September/ early October: 6 league games, most on Sundays, but may have a league game on a Saturday. Coaches have discretion to schedule friendlies on a Saturday.

• Indigenous Peoples’ Day weekend - Participate in a local tournament (Falmouth or Sanford usually)

• Two weekends after Indigenous Peoples’ Day – U9-U11 Festivals, U12-14 playoffs

• Near end of October is State Final 4 - if playoff teams advance

Families new to town who did not have the opportunity to sign-up during the spring registration period will be placed at the top of any waiting list. There is no guarantee there will be room at their age, but should an opening occur, we will draw from the waiting list to fill spots.

Every team U9-U14 can expect to have 6 league games scheduled by Soccer Maine – 3 home and 3 away. Most of the games are played against teams in and around the Portland metro area, although occasionally travel is required to towns a bit farther afield. In addition, coaches can schedule up to 6 friendlies matches at their discretion.

A friendly is a scrimmage game that does not count toward the regular season standings. They are typically played on Saturdays, although that can vary. Friendly games are a way to gain additional playing experience. What’s a festival? Soccer Maine runs the U8/9 – U11 level as a developmental non-competitive level. This means no scores are recorded and no playoffs held. They do however have a year-end festival for each age group in lieu of playoffs. The festival is typically a one-day event in which 3 slightly shorter games are played all at one sight. It is not a tournament, as there is no opportunity to advance if you win. This festival is almost always during the last two weekends of October. Are there playoffs? The U12-14 level plays at a Soccer Maine competitive level which means the 6 league games have scores recorded. Those scores determine standings in the state. The top 16 Division 1 teams will be in a Champions playoff. The Division 1 teams seeded at 17 and below and all the Division 2 teams will be in the Classic playoff. In recent years the playoffs have been single elimination and held at the home field of the higher seed.

U9 - U11 play at a developmental non-competitive level. U12-U14 teams play at a competitive level. The competitive level is divided into two levels. CESC has determined that all teams should attempt to compete in Division 1 (highest competitive level) unless there is compelling reason, as determined by the board, that a team should compete in Division 2 (lower competitive level).

The full player registration fee is $175 for Fall Classic. This fee includes your player’s registration fee with Soccer Maine, their team registration fee in the Fall Classic League, a mid-October tournament fee, year end Festival fee, referee fees, and general club operation expenses. It does NOT include the uniform.

At the U13 and U14 levels there may arise the need to create training player spots based on numbers registered. (See U13 and U14 Team Formation). If that is the case the training player fee is $75. When registering for U13 and U14 if you wish for your child to be just a training player you may select that option.

Soccer Maine has 6 levels of play for town travel: U9, U10, U11, U12, U13, and U14. New in Fall of 2023 CESC introduced a House League for children who want to participate in the sport of soccer without the commitment of travel. See the age chart below to see the specific dates.

Soccer Maine has a cut-off based on birth dates. The “soccer year” for this purpose is August 1-July31st. For the most part it allows kids to play with their grade mates, however, occasionally a child may not be able to play with their classmates due to the age cutoffs.

CESC does NOT allow kids to play up by their choice. CESC wants as many kids as possible to play with their age group. Occasionally, due to registration numbers and team formation needs, kids will be asked if they would be willing to play on a higher aged team. This is only done by the CESC board and after consultation with coaches and parents involved.

The required CESC kit is a jersey, shorts, and socks. Uniform ordering occurs at the same time as player registration -- typically April & May. Ordering instructions are included as part of the registration process. The cost is approximately $65 plus shipping (to your home), however, one set of uniforms per year are subsidized by our sponsors and offered at $15/player. If you would like additional shorts, socks, etc, these are offered at the unsubsidized prices. YOU MUST ORDER IN THE WINDOW! Ordering late incurs a $40 late fee and there is no guarantee your player will have a kit by the time the season starts. For older players (u12 & up), this can mean missing games. For families new to Cape or kids who outgrow uniforms during the year, CESC maintains a very limited inventory of uniforms and may also be able to offer a second ordering window in July.

Uniforms are currently made by BeautyUnis, based in Windham. Our experience is that this brand runs on size or slightly larger than some of the other brands. If you hope to use the uniform for more than one season, order larger than you otherwise might. Remember, we play in some cool temperatures late in the season so the ability to fit an extra layer under it is beneficial.

Unfortunately, the answer is usually no. Numbers do matter. Your child is assigned a number that they will carry throughout their CESC years. If you have a child entering U9 and they had an older sibling and you hope to use their uniform for the younger child, please inform us and we will try our best to make it work. No guarantees though.

Practice days and times are determined by the coaches of each team. Every U9-U12 team can expect 2 practices a week. U13 and U14 can expect at least 1 and sometimes 2 practices a week. It is a bit harder at U13 and U14 as Middle School soccer games begin to influence the ability to conduct two practices most weeks. Typically, practices are at either 4-5:30 or 5:30-7. However, as the season moves on the practice times typically shrink in mid-September to 4-5:15 and 5:15-6:30 and by October have moved to 4-5 and 5-6 due to mother nature and the sunset.

Soccer Maine runs the U8/9 – U11 level as a developmental non-competitive level. This means no scores are recorded and no playoffs held. They do however have a year-end festival for each age group in lieu of playoffs. The festival is typically a one-day event in which 3 slightly shorter games are played all at one sight. It is not a tournament, as there is no opportunity to advance if you win. This festival is almost always during the last two weekends of October.

The U12-14 level plays at a Soccer Maine competitive level which means the 6 league games have scores recorded. Those scores determine standings in the state. The top 16 Division 1 teams will be in a Champions playoff. The Division 1 teams seeded at 17 and below and all the Division 2 teams will be in the Classic playoff. In recent years the playoffs have been single elimination and held at the home field of the higher seed.

U8 play in a local, town-only recreational level.

U9 - U11 play at a developmental non-competitive level.

U12-U14 teams play at a competitive level. The competitive level is divided into two levels.

CESC has determined that all teams should attempt to compete in Division 1 (highest competitive level) unless there is compelling reason, as determined by the board, that a team should compete in Division 2 (lower competitive level).

Historically, with other soccer options in 7th and 8th grade, Cape sees a slight decline in registrations in this age group because some players decide that Middle School soccer is enough soccer each week, some players decide to play in another soccer league, and some players decide to try a different fall sport. This has often led to a total number of registrations somewhere in the mid twenty range, which means our player pool is sometimes too large for one team but not large enough for two teams —-that hasn’t resulted in a lot of positives for anyone.

If we can avoid them, CESC does not want to make cuts and is dedicated to developing all soccer players who are dedicated to playing soccer and focused on their soccer development. That being said, everyone will not play the same amount and there may be games in which some players may not play. At this level, playing time is at the coaches’ discretion. There is an option to be a training player and this is a very good option for some kids (see below for more info on training players). Once we know how many players have registered, we determine how best to make teams for the fall season. In some years, we’ve simply formed one team at a given age group and everyone who has wanted to play can do so. Some years it may be necessary to have two teams, such as an “A” team (playing in Division 1) and a “B” team (playing in Division 2). We might even combine players at the U13 and U14 levels in some cases and play a U14 schedule. One of our goals, but not the only goal, is to form teams at the U13 and U14 age groups per the framework of the Fall Classic league set forth by Soccer Maine, which states the “ideal” team size is 16-18 players.

We are also focused on keeping as many kids playing and having a good experience as possible.

The following are the responsibilities and expectations of a rostered player.

● Expected to attend team practices and games with minimal conflicts. Repeated

conflicts may result in the loss of game playing time and in extreme cases

possible forfeiture of the player's place on the team.

● Responsible for arriving at games and practices on time and ready to play.

● Expected to play in:

○ Soccer Maine's six league games on weekends

○ Fall Tournament over Indigenous Peoples’ Day weekend

○ State Playoff games

○ Friendlies

● If unable to attend a practice or game, advance notice is requested and expected.

For starters, please register on time. If necessary, we will hold assessments depending on the number of registrants to place kids on teams. We also consider feedback from coaches from the prior year.

If we have A and B teams, players who do not make the team will not be cut from Cape Elizabeth Soccer Club. The options for players who do not make the D1 team are dependent on the number of total players registered at the U13 and U14 groups. They include:

● If there are enough players and volunteer coaches, at one age group or by combining age groups, to form a B or D2 team, then this will be offered.

● If there are not enough players to form a B team (either at one age group or by combining age groups) or a player would prefer to stay within their own age group, players will be offered a training player roster spot. They will practice with the team and may get the opportunity for friendly match game play if scheduling allows. They will be strongly encouraged to play Middle School soccer for additional soccer development opportunities.

● Anyone who chooses not to play on a B team or as a training player may, of course, get a full refund.

Because of the availability of the Middle School team for anyone who wants to play, there is more emphasis on being competitive and winning at the U13 and U14 levels than in the younger age groups. Winning is never the primary goal, however, as learning and enjoyment are priorities in our mission over competition. Development is always the priority and only after that does success follow. The practices and sessions are technical and challenging! Regular independent fitness and skills work on non-practice days is expected.

The competition level at U13 and U14 for the Cape travel league is always very high. Like in the younger years, we continue to play in Soccer Maine's Fall Classic League and expect to register teams at the D1 level (which typically includes larger towns with competitive player pools). At this level there is less emphasis on equal playing time, and more emphasis on competitive play. Equal playing time is no longer guaranteed. Playing time is at the discretion of the coaches.

Yes, this is encouraged for kids who want a lot of soccer in the fall. If most of the players play for the Middle School team, there will likely be fewer practices for the Cape Elizabeth Soccer Club team. As an example, in the past Middle School often played Monday through Thursday. In that case, we might practice on Friday and play on the weekend to try to avoid overloading the players (although the details will be worked out by the individual coaches).

How many games and practices per week?

The Middle School team typically plays 4 days per week: 3 for practices and 1 for games. All activities are on weekdays. Practices are usually right after school and kids are done in time to catch the late bus home. You read that right, no driving kids to and from practice!

Are there cuts?

There are no cuts in Middle School. Everyone makes it and everyone gets playing time.

What is the cost?

In the past, there has been a middle school athletic fee of $75 that once paid, covers your student athlete for all three (3) seasons of middle school sports. Uniforms are supplied by the school.

What is the competition like?

The competition is usually lighter for the school team as compared to the Cape travel league.

Can I play Middle School but not Cape Elizabeth Soccer Club?

Yes. For some players this is a sufficient amount of soccer each week. If your child plays casually, likes the social component and likes to get some exercise, Middle School may be the best choice.