Soccer
Athletes for the Cross offers AFC United, our youth soccer program for kids as young as 3 years old. We have fall and spring programs, and some of our more competitive teams also play during winter.
Eligibility for all of our soccer programs is based on a child's birth year, in accordance with US Soccer standards.
4U/6U Soccer
Our AFC United in-house U4/U6 program is designed to introduce young children to the game of soccer. Each week your child will enjoy a fun 60-minute session of soccer-centric skills and games, along with faith-based activities like prayer time and Bible lessons.
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Available during fall (September/October) and spring (April/May)
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Players must be 3 years old in order to participate.
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Prior soccer experience is not required.
Please note that eligibility for all of our soccer programs is based on a child's birth year, in accordance with US Soccer standards.
Program details:
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Program consists of a single weekly session, in-season only (no preseason activities).
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There is minimal travel (weekly sessions are conducted at Bethany Macungie).
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Schedules are established by AFC United, in collaboration with the coaches.
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Sessions are not normally scheduled for Sundays.
8U Soccer
Our intramural program is designed to introduce young children to the game of soccer. Each week your child will participate in one or two practices, and then play a 4v4 game against a faith-based or secular opponent. Our sessions include faith-based activities like prayer time and Bible lessons.
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Available during fall (September/October/November) and spring (April/May/June)
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Prior soccer experience is not required.
Please note that eligibility for all of our soccer programs is based on a child's birth year, in accordance with US Soccer standards.
Program details:
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During preseason, the team's coach may schedule practice time.
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During the season, expect one or two practices per week, and a game on the weekend. Game play follows the US Soccer 4v4 Standards.
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Travel of up to 30 minutes (one-way) can be expected on gameday.
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Practice schedules are established by the team's coach, in collaboration with the AFC United Soccer Coordinator.
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Game schedules are established by the league in which we play.
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Games can be played on Saturdays or on Sunday afternoons; makeup games can be played on weeknights.
9U and Older Soccer
For older kids, our AFC United soccer program provides formal gameplay.
Please note that eligibility for all of our soccer programs is based on a child's birth year, in accordance with US Soccer standards.
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Our teams normally play in the Reading-Berks Junior Soccer League, a grassroots-level travel league.
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For U9 and U10 (7v7), novice teams can play in Division 3 -- a de-facto recreational level -- and teams with more experienced players can play in one of the two traditional travel divisions.
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For U11 and U12 (9v9), there are normally two travel divisions; placement depends on the skill level of the team.
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For U13 and up (11v11), there is normally a single travel division.
Our teams may be expected to play some of their league games on Sunday afternoons. For those teams that choose to enter tournaments and/or play in winter indoor leagues, Sunday morning games are possible.
We strive to have a family-first, Christian soccer program. We want our kids to be passionate, and we want them to be as competitive as possible. But we don't want "travel soccer" to be a scary phrase. We want our families and our kids to breathe easy when something that's more important than soccer prevents them from participating in a practice or game. We do our best to support our kids who are involved in other activities and other sports.
As with all of our programs, our sessions include faith-based activities like prayer time and Bible lessons.
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A fall and spring commitment is preferred, for team continuity.
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Fall season is August - November.
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Spring season is March - May (some teams may choose to play into June).
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Some teams may choose to play in tournaments and/or winter indoor leagues.
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Prior soccer experience is preferred but not required. We value the desire and commitment of our players and families at these older age groups.
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Tryouts may be conducted if there are more registrants for a team than there are available roster positions.
Program details:
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Practices will begin about one month prior to the first league game.
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During the season, expect two practices per week, and a game on the weekend. Teams may play in tournaments in addition to their league games.
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Travel to league away games is often 30-60 minutes (one-way), but there are some clubs who are located as far as 75 minutes away.
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Practice schedules are established by the team's coach, in collaboration with the AFC United Soccer Coordinator.
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Game schedules are established by the leagues in which we play, and the tournaments in which we're entered.
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Games can be played on Saturdays or on Sunday afternoons; makeup games can be played on weeknights.