Age Requirements & Levels of Play

The following provides a summary of the different levels of play (Recreational and Competitive) offered by Santa Fe. Should you have any additional questions, please contact our Registrar.

•  Age bracketing is based on birth year (U means UNDER). We combine our brackets (U5/6 | U7/8 | U9/10 | U11/12)  The table below shows the required age bracketing based on birth year. Players can register on teams in older brackets (i.e., they can “play up”), but not on teams in younger brackets. Note that playing up is limited to two age divisions.

US SOCCER AGE MATRIX
CURRENT SEASONAL YEAR: 2025-2026

 

• U6 and U8 teams are coed and only play teams within the Santa Fe system.  Games are on Saturdays and typically scheduled (depending on number of teams) 8:30 am – 12:30 pm.
• At the U10 and up levels, separate boys and girls divisions are offered and the game schedules include teams from outside of the Santa Fe system (under the Coastal Bend Youth Soccer Association). This requires some travel. Games are typically (but not always) on Saturdays. Coaches will be given access thru gotsport for virtual player ID cards and all players must have  an up to date photo on their gotsport account. The ID cards are required to be provided to the referee prior to each game.
• The following levels of play are offered through Santa Fe Soccer:

Age Group	Level of Play	Recreational or Competitive
U6 (min. age of 4)	Division IV	Recreational
U8	Division IV	Recreational
U10	Division IV	Recreational
U12	Division III	Recreational
U11 and Up	Division II	Competitive

Division IV – Recreational – Under-10 and younger players

Children learn the basics of soccer through positive, fun training sessions that include short demonstrations and lots of participation.  The primary goal of this play level is fun and the opportunity to play. There is a requirement that coaches make every effort to play each player at least 50% of each game.

Division III – Recreational – Under-11 through Under-12

Designed for players who enjoy the sport for the social aspect as well as developing their skills, recreational teams in these age groups are formed through assignment of all interested participants to a team.   There is a requirement that coaches make every effort to play each player at least 50% of each game.

Division II, Super II, Division I – Competitive – Under-11 through Under-19

This introductory level of competitive play is designed for those who enjoy the social aspect of the game and want to continue to develop their skills through better competition. Competitive (DII, SII, DI) teams will hold tryouts that are performed by the coach and/or associated trainers. Games for competitive teams will likely involve more travel than recreational teams, including travel beyond the Corpus Christi metro area.

Santa Fe Game Format and Roster Sizes

Age Group	Format	Min. to Play Game	Min – Max Roster
U6	4 v. 4	3	4 – 8
U8	4 v. 4	3	4 – 8
U10	7 v. 7	5	6 – 12
U11-U12	9 v. 9	6	6 – 16
U13-U15	11 v. 11	7	7 – 18
U16-U19	11 v. 11	7	7 – 22 (only 18 in uniform for games)