Welcome to the premier soccer club of Montana -- Magic City Soccer! Our club has been playing soccer in Montana since 1978. The goal of the Magic City Soccer Club is to enhance players' skill levels, technical abilities, and tactical awareness, both as individuals and as team members. With training provided by some of the finest coaches in Montana, Magic offers players a high-quality, competitive, and enjoyable soccer experience. We are concerned not only for the soccer well-being of our players but also for their development as well-rounded individuals. We offer Micro soccer (rec plus soccer with little travel) for ages 8 to 12 and competitive traveling soccer for ages 11 to 18. Please check out the Programs tab for this year's Magic offerings.
Location and Office Hours
Our office is located at 2222 Broadwater Avenue (in the basement of the Red Terrace building). Go to the back of the building and down the steps. The mailing address is: P.O. Box 22522, Billings, MT 59104. Our Website is magiccitysoccer.net .
*** New hours for the Magic City Soccer office will be Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12:30 - 2:30 pm, effective August 25, 2010. ***
For quickest response, please send your questions to our registrar on the Contact tab of this Website. You can also call and leave a message at 294-9480. Forms and brochures for camps, etc. are located in wall racks outside the office door and are available anytime the building is open (8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday). Slide registrations, payments, contracts, etc. in envelopes addressed to ‘Magic City Soccer’ under the door, if the office is closed.
Deciding on a Program
Read the About Magic and Micro tabs, figure out your player's 'soccer' age from the age matrix, and discuss the programs with your player. Be sure to consider on what level your family will be able to meet the time and financial commitments and voluntarism expectation.
2010-2011 MYSA Player Age Matrix
A competitive traveling player (U11-U18) will be evaluated or try-out for the age level (NOT GRADE IN SCHOOL) that corresponds to his or her birthday. Use the age matrix below to determine your player’s eligibility and soccer age group:
Soccer Age Group Player Birth Date
U18 8/1/92 to 7/31/93
U17 8/1/93 to 7/31/94
U16 8/1/94 to 7/31/95
U15 8/1/95 to 7/31/96
U14 8/1/96 to 7/31/97
U13 8/1/97 to 7/31/98
U12 8/1/98 to 7/31/99
U11 8/1/99 to 7/31/00
U10 8/1/00 to 7/31/01
U09 8/1/01 to 7/31/02
U08 8/1/02 to 7/31/03
Evaluations for competitive traveling players in the U11-U14 age brackets take place at the end of August at Amend Park for spring play in the following year. Players in the U15-U18 age brackets will try-out in early November after the high school soccer season is completed. Please watch the calendar for specific times and dates.
Soccer Offerings
--> Try-outs for U11-U14 competitive, traveling teams were completed in late August. We hope to be posting the rosters in September and October. <--
Please go to the Programs and Micro tabs to get specifics about each of the following programs:
Micro Magic: Micro soccer is a recreational plus division of Magic City Soccer Club with limited travel (teams may attend one outside tournament) for Under 8 to Under 12 boys and girls.
Classic U11 & U12 (Magic 8's): Magic City Soccer Club sponsors teams in an 8v8 league at ages Under 11 and Under 12 for boys and girls. This is a competitve traveling league and is considered a developmental league between Micro and Premier & Select.
Premier & Select U13-U18: The purpose of the Under 13 to Under 18 competitive division is to enable youth soccer players, their families and coaches to enjoy the game of soccer at a competitive traveling club team level. This experience is expected to be a step toward upper division play. Select teams are dependent on adequate numbers and are formed with players that were not placed on Premier teams.
The Registration Process
Competitive registrations must be received before the first day of try-outs, in order for the player to be properly listed in the try-out roster and insured. Competitive 2011 U11-U14 registrations received after August 20, 2010 will be charged a late fee. Competitive 2011 U15-U18 registrations received after October 31, 2010 will be charged a late fee. DO NOT REGISTER ON THE DAY OF TRY-OUTS!! Registering on the day of try-outs slows the whole try-out process down.
The office starts accepting Micro registrations on September 1 and until November 30 and places Micro players on teams on a first come, first serve basis. Micro registrations received after the due date will be charged a late fee, wait-listed, and not guaranteed placement. Incomplete registrations will be returned.
By submitting a hard copy of your ONLINE registration form and attending the evaluation, parents/guardians are asking Magic to put their player on a competitive (Premier, Select, or Classic) or a Micro team and will abide by any team placement made and/or team formation decisions made by the Director of Coaching or the Magic board. Depending on try-out turnout numbers, player/team playing ability, and coach availability, or state team formation rules, some age groups may be combined. No refunds will be made to players that drop after evaluations and try-outs. Before submitting this registration, please be sure to speak with Magic personnel regarding any questions or concerns that you may have. If Magic can not place a player on a team, most, if not all, monies will be refunded.
- Do registration ONLINE by completing a 'Player Account' at the Gotsport.com button on the home page of this Website (if you are new to the club) and registering/paying at the appropriate 'spring registration' button on the club home page. Be sure to notarize a hard copy of your ONLINE registration and return it to the office.
- Complete and fill out page 4 of the contract (located under the registration buttons and on the Forms tab).
- A check for the $100.00 nonrefundable registration fee made out to ‘Magic City Soccer Club’ must be included with all competitive registrations if payment was not made with MC/VISA. Micro will be paying their fee in full. Fundraising discount cards, available in February, and scholarships, for those who qualify, are available to assist with fees.
- A copy of the player's certified birth certificate is required for all new players. Returning players' birth certificates are kept on file.
- If you are registering after the deadline, enclose a CHECK for $25.
Financial Commitments
The following is approximate, may change, and is a quote for a new club member:
- Total competitive traveling player fees may be found under the Register Online spring registration buttons. All fees are an estimate; fees will be firm after MYSA receives all of the state Premier team registrations. Players with outstanding balances from the previous spring soccer season will not be allowed to try-out until their balances are paid. The balance is due two weeks after the spring roster is posted under Teams on the Website. No bill will be sent. Players that do not pay their balances in a timely manner will have their player cards withheld or could be dropped from the club.
- The uniform fee for competitive players is approximately $65, paid to our uniform vendor in January. We will be buying new uniforms for 2011.
- Competitive traveling players will be responsible for significant travel expenses for regular season away play, away tournaments (two days in length), the state tournament (three days), and the regional tournament (four days) if team is a NCSRQT winner.
- Teams that are given permission to practice at Amend Park will pay a user fee.
- Depending on a coach’s license and amount of preseason practice, if a player is in a competitive U13-U18 age level, the coach will be compensated by the team. Download Coach Compensation (.doc) here.
- There are substantial fines levied by MYSA and Magic on teams that do not register the appropriate number of referees before their state tournaments.
- Each team is responsible for obtaining advertising for the Stockman Bank / Magic City Classic Tournament in March; target ad amounts not made by a team are divided among the families on that team.
- Teams that do not show up for a scheduled league game, for reasons other than MYSA game cancellation due to weather, will forfeit a significant bond which must be repaid before a team's next game or all of their remaining games will be cancelled. No-show RQT winners at the regional tournament will have a very significant fine levied against the team.
- There are no refunds for league game cancellations due to weather or Classic game cancellations due to lack of outside team registrations.
To help offset these expenses, the club offers fundraising in the form of local merchant discount card sales in the winter.
Scholarships are also available to players who qualify. If financial aid is needed, the office must be contacted immediately, and aid forms must be obtained from the office by December 15 and submitted every year that aid is requested, no later than February 1. Download financial aid documents under Financial Aid & Fundraising tab on this Website.
Magic City Soccer Club is a nonprofit organization that attempts to keep costs at a minimum. Compared to other clubs in the state, Magic club registration is one of the lowest in the state. Total player fees pay for:
- MYSA registration
- Evaluations
- Micro tournament and competitive tournaments--state tournament, Magic City Classic, and one other tournament
- Coach expenses (not compensation): travel, licensing, and educational clinics
- Equipment: goals, balls, cones, pennies, field striping equipment, field paint, and a portion of the maintenance of Amend Park
- Office expenses: office rental, phone, postage, printing, office supplies, insurance, and a small stipend for the registrar and office administrator
- Club Director of Coaching
- Referee reimbursement, fines for teams lacking refs for State Cup
- Uniforms (Micro only)
Player/Family Expectations
Besides the financial responsibilities of members and their families, the club also expects all families to volunteer their time towards their team and club. All families are expected to volunteer for at least 10 hours (5 hours for Micro) for their player’s team or forfeit $100 ($50 for Micro). All teams are expected to provide an assistant coach, a team manager, a team rep, two certified referees, a field marshal, three field and equipment personnel, a tournament ad manager, and a tournament helper. These positions are filled at the first parent meeting. If you can not attend the first parent meeting or volunteer or adequately complete the job that you signed up for, please do not register your child in this club.
If you sign up to be a referee, you are expected to watch the Website for training dates, attend and complete the training, referee league games, and signup and referee at your player’s state cup.
All Magic City Soccer Club coaches, players, parents and administrators are expected to be informed about and to abide by the MYSA ‘ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY’ covering verbal and physical abuse directed toward any player, administrator, coach, referee, volunteer, parent, or anyone else.
The Evaluation and Try-out Process
Micro players do not try-out. In order to obtain a fair evaluation, attendance by all competitive players at all sessions is necessary. If a player is sick or injured, contact the office immediately. The office will try to make arrangements to evaluate the player at another time. Be aware that a player who is absent from try-outs might not make an ‘AA’ team. If a try-out day is shortened because of inclement weather or if the evaluator needs more time, some or all players may be called back.
Be sure to preregister ONLINE! Practice and attend soccer camps during the summer. Be physically fit; the tryouts are demanding. Arrive at least thirty minutes before the beginning of try-outs. Be dressed and ready to play. Wear a white t-shirt; do not wear club jerseys. Bring shin guards, soccer socks, a ball, and a water bottle. Check in at your age level table and get a number. The club uses numbers, instead of full names, to give the players anonymity, in order to make try-outs fair and impartial. After receiving a number, find your age level and stretch out.
Evaluators will begin the try-out once all players have been checked in, and they have received their try-out rosters. Roll will be called. It is the player’s responsibility to try-out in the correct age group; please speak with your evaluator if you are not sure if you are in the correct age group! Family members are asked to leave the fields after check-in and not watch try-outs, so that players are not distracted and may concentrate on their performance. The try-out will run about one and a half hours; parents are asked to return a half hour early, in case the try-out ends early. Player should meet their parents in a prearranged spot. Players should keep their numbers for the second day of try-outs and report directly to the field and evaluator that they had previously, where roll will be taken again. After the final day, all numbers are to be returned to the check-in area.
Team Formation for the U11 and U12 Brackets
Teams of 11 to 12 players will be formed with relatively equal skill levels, based on the player evaluations. Team formation may also be dependent on the depth of the player talent pool as determined by the Director of Coaching. The number of teams formed depends upon the number of players for the age bracket and the number of available licensed coaches. Players not put on a competitive U11 or U12 Classic team will have first priority placement on a Micro team. Parents will attend the Micro parent meetings in February to receive their player's Micro team assignment.
Team Formation for the U13-U18 Brackets
The most competitive Premier ( ‘AA’) team possible will be formed, based on player try-out information, for U13 and above. The Premier teams will roster approximately 16 to 18 players, and the Select (‘A’) teams will roster approximately 18 players. The number of teams formed in an age level, the type (Premier, Select, or Classic) of teams rostered, or any age level combination made is a function of the number of players registered for each age bracket, the depth of talent of the players, past commitment of players and parents, and the coach availability. Be aware that Montana Youth Soccer Association is combines U15 with U16 playing as U16s and U17 with U18 playing as U18s.
Team Notification
Competitive rosters will be issued as soon as possible under the Teams tab of the Website. If a player drops after team selection and rostering, he or she may not be allowed to register and play with the club in the future. Significant work and time is spent in forming these teams. It is a major problem to reorganize the affected teams. After a player receives notification of placement on a competitive team, the remainder of club fees will be due in the office within two weeks. At this time also, a color head shot of the competitive player must be uploaded to their 'Player Account' at Gotsport.com.
Other Important Soccer Dates
Parent team meetings will be scheduled in the Magic office with at least one board member in attendance, as soon as the rosters are put out and a coach is recruited. Do not miss your first parent team meeting! Team volunteer jobs are chosen, and the team’s league schedule and other team business are discussed.
Parents need to check the Website regularly, especially in late December for uniform try-on schedules (usually the first or second weekend in January at Scheels), the Annual General Meeting (later in January at Rocky Fortin Center), and the parent Micro meeting (first week in February at Rocky Tech Hall). Do not miss either of these events! Micro parents will receive their player’s roster, meet the coach and other Micro parent, and choose volunteer positions at the Micro parent meeting.
Competitive and Micro teams need to start obtaining ads for the Magic Classic tournament booklet in early March.
Practice for the new season will follow in March. The first game will be the first Saturday in April for U13 and above. Micro and Magic 8’s play will begin the second or third Saturday in April.
The competitive season closes June 30. ALL Micro and competitive teams are required to attend the Stockman Bank / Magic City Classic the last weekend in April or the first weekend in May.
The NCSRQT Premier State Cup date will be over Memorial weekend in May and may include Monday. The Regional tournament will be in mid June in Boise, ID. NCSRQT winners must attend Regionals or forfeit a significant bond!
The MT Cup tournament for Select U14 and Select U16 teams will be mid-June.
The MT Showcase for Classic U11-U12 teams and Premier U13 teams will be at the end of June.
Other Magic Soccer Programs
The club offers the Fall Academy that runs from the middle of September to the middle of October, twice a week. Winter indoor soccer will be offered, if there is enough interest. Please watch the Website calendar for more information.
