How to Join a Soccer Team Near You

How to Join a Good Adult Soccer Team Near You

Finding the right team can be difficult. There are so many options out there in the adult soccer world. Navigating these options can be time consuming, overwhelming and sometimes outright frustrating. You should consider a number of factors when looking for a good team to join. Below I will list 8 items you should consider when looking to join an soccer team:

1. Competition Level
   1. Is this team recreational, mildly competitive or highly competitive?  
   2. Do they care more about winning or is it just about having fun and getting some exercise? This is a really important question to ask yourself so that you will enjoy the game and team throughout the entire season.
   3. Are there tryouts? Some of the more competitive teams and higher divisions will require tryouts in order to maintain and improve the level of skill on their teams
2. Costs
   1. Most teams will require some sort of team fee, nonetheless, they can vary quite significantly depending on:
      1. Type of Season (Outdoor vs Indoor)
      2. Number of players
      3. Type of team/club (Public vs Private)
      4. Uniform fees included?
      5. Budget for your soccer cleats and shin guards (a soccer ball maybe a great idea as well)
      6. Do your research and understand the full costs before signing up. Although soccer is probably one of the most cost friendly sports in the world (technically all you need is a ball and a pair of cleats) there can often be other costs you should be aware of such as:
         1. Special tournament fees
         2. Additional fees for officiating
         3. Parking fees at some facilities
         4. Extra goalie equipment if you are a keeper
         5. Insurance
         6. Beer / apres soccer social activities which are often more important than the actual soccer itself especially in recreational leagues and beer leagues.
         7. Other special league fees
3. Player Development
   1. Does this team care about improving as a team, thus, improving their players?
   2. Do they have practices? 
   3. Can you commit to this? 
   4. This is likely related to the competition level you are looking for as well.
4. Practices
   1. Does the team practice? If so, when and how often? 
   1. Any skill development in practices?
   2. Consistent cardio maintenance and development at practices?
   3. Is there an actual structure at the practices or are they just casual drills or scrimmages? Do they practice set plays and apply strategies?
   4. Do teammates actually show up for practices?
   5. Does the coach actually show up for practices as well?
5. Coaches
   1. Does a coach show up?
      1. Coaching by a parent or friend of a player on the team, nonetheless, is he or she fair? Do they unfairly allocate playing time?
      2. What experience does the coach have?
      3. Is the coach positive or negative?
      4. Is the coach quiet or loud? Does he or she scream and yell at players and/or referees?
   2. Do you even care if there is a coach? Related to your competition level.
6. Facilities
   1. What pitches are games played on? Natural grass or artificial turf, nevertheless, important to note especially if you have nagging injuries
   2. What is the quality of the pitches the games are played on? Typically the higher level you play, the better your chances at playing on nicely maintained fields, however, no matter your level, I don’t think anyone really enjoys playing on pitches as dry as the Sahara desert , as hard as concrete or a meadow with uncut grass and weeds.
   3. Lines clearly marked and field up kept?
   4. Do the goals actually have netting?
   5. Do the fields have proper lighting for later games or games that extend into dusk or evening?
7. Games
   1. League, tournament play or both?
   2. Out of town matches or tournaments?
   3. Are the games played at different pitches each week? Nonetheless, are they held at the same facilities? This can be a real pain sometimes when leagues are spread across a large region and you are looking for a different location, parking, entrance or facility every week (even with google maps!).
   4. Regularly scheduled day-time of the week matches or does the game day and time vary each week. Again, this can be a real inconvenience and also affect the attendance and commitment level of your teammates. We all live super busy lives!
   5. Be sure to consider all the different types of soccer games you can participate in.
8. Other items for consideration
   1. Do players actually show up for games? Reliability? There is nothing worse than joining a squad with unreliable attendance, especially not having a reliable and committed keeper
   2. Quality of refereeing. This is not really a team consideration but can really affect the quality of your games, thus, more a league consideration.
   3. What do you value most and what is most important to you before joining a team?

In Conclusion

Before even considering how to join a soccer team, be realistic and realize that not every team is a right fit for every player and vice versa. It’s better to understand this ahead of time before you commit your time and effort to a team and feeling terrible about it after. Refer to our 8 Steps to help you find a quality soccer team once you are ready.

Many teams actively look for good reliable players of all skills, thus, consider listing yourself on Subsneeded.com to get yourself noticed! If you are in a high demand position such as a quality goalkeeper or rock star striker, you may even consider charging a fee for your services. Refer to our blog for tips on how to get paid to play soccer.