When are tryouts?
Tryouts are usually in January / February (U9 - U-14) and April (U15 and up). If you’d like us to send you an email when tryouts are near, click on this link and, on the second screen, sign up for the tryout alerts. You can also sign up for the club newsletter to get a sense of what’s up at the club.
If you missed the February or April tryouts, it may not be too late for an evaluation and a chance to join a South Bay Force team. Contact the coaches in your age group (you can find out who they are using the Boys Teams and Girls Teams menu items above), or send an email to info@southbayforce.net asking who you should get in touch with.
Where can I get more information?
If you have any questions that aren’t answered here or elsewhere on the club website, please email info@southbayforce.net.
How do tryouts work?
After one or two sessions of open tryouts, a smaller group of players is asked back for additional evaluation. There may be several of these before the coach makes his or her final decisions.
Do you offer “pre-club” programs?
Yes -- we have three programs for younger players.
The club’s Youth Academy program, for players age 4 - 9, runs for one hour a week at Manhattan Village field and North Torrance High School. Using US Soccer’s Zone 1 curriculum, kids spend about half of each session learning new skills, and spend the second half practicing them in small-sided games. Our nationally licensed staff ensures that the exercises are presented in a fun and safe environment. Each skill block runs for eight weeks. For more information, see the “Academy” section under the “Programs” tab here on the website.
We have year round developmental teams; for information on those, contact info@southbayforce.net.
In November, the club forms ‘Select’ teams for boys and girls age 6 - 8 (U7 and U8) who want to up their games. Consisting of the best players in our Youth Academy, AYSO, and surrounding leagues, these teams will train 1-2 times per week through April and play in local scrimmages and two local tournaments. For more information, see the “Academy” section under the “Programs” tab here on the website.
Do you offer off-season programs for older players?
Unfortunately, no.
Can my child get on a team at other times of the year?
Even after tryouts, many teams may have a roster spot or two open until the late spring or summer. You should contact individual coaches to see if they have openings and whether they can evaluate your child -- most likely at one or more training sessions with their team. To find out which coaches to contact, look under the Boys Teams or Girls Teams menu items above, or send an email to info@southbayforce.net.
The league we blong to, Southern California Developmental Soccer League (SCDSL) requires our teams to lock their rosters from August 15 through December 1.
Our coaches sometimes have prospective players come out to practices late in the year (December - February). This is not always the case since teams are also focusing on the season-ending State Cup / National Cup tournaments, and some coaches don’t like having guests at training during that time. Generally, if a coach does have a player out to training during this time, it would be for evaluation purposes.
What age group is my child?
It’s a little confusing because the teams form in the spring but the age group depends on the player’s age on August 1 of the current “soccer year.” For instance, someone who is 10 on August 1st is U-11 (because they are “under 11”) for the year starting several months before, in March, and ending the following February. Here’s the information for the 2012/2013 season:
| Under 8 |
August 1 2004 - July 31 2005 |
| Under 9 |
August 1 2003 - July 31 2004 |
| Under 10 |
August 1 2002 - July 31 2003 |
| Under 11 |
August 1 2001 - July 31 2002 |
| Under 12 |
August 1 2000 - July 31 2001 |
| Under 13 |
August 1 1999 - July 31 2000 |
| Under 14 |
August 1 1998 - July 31 1999 |
| Under 15 |
August 1 1997 - July 31 1998 |
| Under 16 |
August 1 1996 - July 31 1997 |
| Under 17 |
August 1 1995 - July 31 1996 |
| Under 18 |
August 1 1994 - July 31 1995 |
About South Bay Force
What’s so special about South Bay Force?
South Bay Force is a competitive club fielding teams that play at the highest levels of Southern California soccer. We offer our own goalkeeper program, run a program to prepare interested players and parents for the college recruitment process, and spend significant effort developing our coaching staff.
South Bay Force develops some of the best players and teams in Southern California. Most recently for the 2011-2012 season, we fielded 41 teams of which 39 competed in SCDSL including some of the highest ranked older teams which represent some of the best teams of any club in Southern California. IN 2011, our GU-16 team won the President’s Cup national championship. In a partnership with Orange County’s Pateadores, we play in US Soccer’s Development Academy, which is designed to develop the best young players in the country. We are the only South Bay club in that program. Our players have participated in US National Team trials and all major player identification programs (Cal South Olympic Development Program, US Club Soccer Id2 Program and Adidas ESP). Our teams regularly play in the major college showcase events such as Dallas Cup, Surf Cup, Nomads, Las Vegas Showcase, and Final Four Showcase.
Our coaching staff is the most highly skilled and qualified in the South Bay. Many possess a US Soccer “A” license, the highest level that can be achieved and one that requires hundreds of hours of work. Our coaches have professional and practical experience that includes:
- Current and former NCAA Division I and II College Coaches
- Current US National Team coaches
- Current and former Cal South Olympic Development Program Coaches
- State, Regional and National Scouts
- Former Major League Soccer Players
- Former US National Team Players
- Former NCAA Division I Collegiate Players
Where are you / where do you practice?
The club draws most of its players from the area between the 105 Freeway and Palos Verdes. Practices are at fields throughout the South Bay, currently including Manhattan Village, North Torrance HS, American Martyrs School, LA Harbor College, Mira Costa High School, and others.
What brackets do your teams play in?
South Bay Force is a founding member of SCDSL (Southern California Developmental Soccer league) and almost all South Bay Force teams play in that League, which covers most of the greater LA area. SCDSL divides teams into brackets so that teams of similar quality play each other. Ther are 2 levels - SCDSL-1 and SCDSL-2. Teams chose which level they play at for the year and are not required to win/lose a certain percentage of game to move up or down.
Our top teams in each age group generally play at or near the top bracket for their age group. You can see what bracket our teams are playing in at the SCDSL site here:
How many teams do you have in an age group?
We may have as many as three boys and three girls teams in an age group, which means about 45 players of each gender. If enough good players in an age group try out, we can add teams which is allowed under the rules of SCDSL.
Do you teach a particular style or philosophy of play?
We focus on teaching both technical skills and tactical awareness. Our style of play requires progressive skill development, a commitment to the understanding of possession, and tenacious individual and team defending. At the youngest ages our coaches stress building the foundation for this style over wins as it has been shown that this long-term focus is how champions are built.
Where / when can I watch your teams play?
During the fall, you can see a team’s schedule by visiting the list of all our teams at the SCDSL website here. Clicking on a team and you can see their 2011 scgedule and results.
At other times, you should contact coaches in the age group you are interested in and ask them. Outside of the SCDSL fall season, teams play in tournaments all over Southern California (and beyond), so it is difficult to catch them locally.
How can I contact the coach(es) for my age group?
You can find a list of the current year’s coaching staff at our website here for Girls and here for Boys. Coaches usually stay with a team for 3 - 4 years before turning it over, so teams often get new coaches after U-11 or U-12 and after U-14 or U-15 ... in other words, this year’s list won’t be exactly the same the same as next year’s list.
About Club Soccer
What is the weekly time commitment? How long is the season?
Club soccer requires a significant time commitment from team players and their families. Teams typically practice two times per week for at least 90 minutes each. Practice fields are located in Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance and other South Bay cities.
The soccer season for U9-U13 players begins in March and continues through February of the following year. SCDSL play, with one or two games per weekend, begins in September and continues through early December. State and National Cup competition begins in February or March. There is typically a break during the early summer months (June or July) and during the December holiday season.
The soccer season for some U14 and most U15-U18 teams differs slightly in that many teams take a hiatus from December to February as many of the Club players actively participate in High School soccer. Those teams then restart practices after High School soccer ends and go on to play Sate and National Cup competitions in April.
How much travel is involved?
During the SCDSL season it depends on the bracket a team plays in. In SCDSL-1, there are typically fewer teams in an age group, commonly eight to twelve teams in a region stretching from Santa Barbara to Orange County to San Bernardino, so teams may travel anywhere in that triangle for an away game. In SCDSL-1 , there are more teams and the teams are much closer together and travel for games is less.
In addition to SCDSL League games, teams will participate in tournaments that are played all over Southern California. Older teams and teams advancing in National Cup may travel around the country.
