Maldenyouth soccer
Intown soccer is for younger kids who practice and play against other teams from Malden. It is open to kids from 4 years old through 2nd grade. Players practice and play at a Malden field once a week. The objective of intown soccer is to lay the foundation for a life-long love of the game by focusing on basic skills, fun, and enjoyable exercise.
TRAVEL SOCCER
Travel teams compete against teams from other towns within the Middlesex Youth Soccer League. Teams are divided by gender, age, and skill. Our fall travel season is open to players between grades 3 and 8. Our spring season is also open to high school-aged players. Travel teams play competitive games on the weekends, and also have 2 team practices per week on several fields in Malden, twice a week for 1.5-2 hours, on days and times chosen by the coaches. About half of the travel games take place within Malden, and the other half are played in other towns within Middlesex county.
INTOWN SOCCER
our programs
Intown Soccer
For children from age 4 through Grade 2
Our intown ages are recreational with weekly sessions involving other teams within Malden. There is one weekend session per week during the season where players practice skills and play lightly competitive games against other teams in Malden.
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PreK (Age4) thru Kindergarten - Coed teams play Saturday mornings at Amerige Park
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Grade 1-2 - Coed and Girls-Only teams play Sunday mornings at Pine Banks Park
Seasons have between 8 and 10 weeks.
Fall intown: Early September thru early November
Spring intown: April and thru early June
Intown Registration Deadline: April 1
Travel Soccer
For grades 3-8
*Second graders may be accepted into travel soccer with permission.
Gender specific travel teams are competitive and practice two days a week with one home or away game on Saturdays.
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Grade 3-4: 7v7 on a small field
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Grade 5-6: 9v9 on a medium sized field
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Grade 7-8: 11v11 on a full sized field
5 skill divisions to support every skill level.
~9 games per season, with practices starting 2-3 weeks before games begin.
Fall Travel: Late August thru early November
Spring Travel: Late March thru early June plus possible championship play
Travel Registration Deadline: January 1
(maybe sooner for team placement)
High School+ Ages
For grades 9 thru 12+
High school and above players have the option of playing in the Spring season. This is available to players in grades 9 through 1 year after graduation (with some age restrictions). These teams typically practice twice a week and play games against other towns on Sundays.
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Grade 9-10 - 2 division levels
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Grade 11-12+ (one year after graduation) - a single, highly competitive division
Team placements are competitive and may be selective.
Spring High School: Early April through early June plus possible championship play
* High school age group does not play in Middlesex in the fall.
High School Registration Deadline: February 7
(or when teams are full)
TOPS
Ages 4-20
TOPSoccer (The Outreach for Soccer) is a nationwide program that provides soccer-based activities for players with physical or mental disabilities who are between 4 and 20 years of age. TOPS athletes meet at Devir park on Saturday mornings during the spring and fall.
FAQ
What equipment do I need?
See our What do You Need page.
What flexibility is there to move between age groups?
The rules are somewhat complicated, but it is sometimes possible to switch between designated age/grade groups. In most cases, it is best for players to stay with their group, but exceptions are permitted on a case-by-case basis. It is rarely permitted to allow players to “play down” in a lower age group. Players may “play up” one grade level depending on birth date, and only upon league approval which would consider skill and athletic ability.
How far do travel teams travel?
Travel teams practice twice a week on Malden fields and play a mixture of home and away games on Saturdays. Teams travel throughout Middlesex county, with the furthest games being in towns such as Lowell, Westford, Chelmsford, and Tewksbury. Expect a maximum of 2 games in these distant locations. Most games will be in Malden and surrounding towns.
What if I’m not ready to travel?
All 3rd and 4th graders may play travel soccer, regardless of experience! There is an a division for anyone who puts some effort into playing.
What is the level of competition in travel soccer?
In the travel age groups Grade 3-8, each gender/age group has 5 divisions of skill levels in the league. Division 1 is the highest skill & competition level. Division 5 is appropriate for new or developing players who are still working on basic skills, game awareness, or athleticism. Our policy is for every player to receive a proportionate amount of game time.
High school age groups only offer 1 or 2 divisions of play. These divisions are highly competitive and are less appropriate for new players.
We do our best to place players with similarly skilled players, but there are a lot of considerations and imperfections with placement.
How are players placed on teams?
Players are placed on teams by the administrators of Malden Youth Soccer using a combination of skill level evaluation in tryouts, coach evaluations, team history, and player request. It is not possible to satisfy all criteria for every player, but we try to embrace the diversity that emerges from the imperfect process.
