Fall Sports FAQ

Registration will begin May 1st.  The last day to register will be May 31, but teams fill up quickly, so please register as soon as possible.  Registration placement is on a first come basis.  Once teams are full, registration is closed.

ESCRA Soccer & Flag Football (1st-6th grade)

  • Coaches will notify the players on their teams in mid-August. Practice times are selected by the coaches. Most teams will practice one weekday in the late afternoon or evening and on Saturdays until the season begins. AOK participants will be walked to practice by AOK or CM staff if the practice is prior to parent pick up. You must notify the AOK staff in writing of the time of practice and the coach’s name.

  • You may add one teammate request. However, all teams have to be divided equally by age and ability, so not all requests can be granted. Both players must request each other. Requests must be on the registration form in the box area marked: “Comments and Special Requests.” No requests will be taken over the phone.

  • Schedules will be sent to coaches and participants via e-mail beginning of September. Games will begin on the first Saturday after Labor Day and continue through the second week of November. Game times will be on Saturdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., and occasionally there will be a game scheduled on a weekday early evening for rescheduled games and rainout games.

  • We play on fields at area churches and schools.

  • Each player will receive a jersey, shorts, and socks prior to the first game. It is the responsibility of the player to wear shin guards (no exception) under the socks. Your child will receive the size ordered on the registration. Cleated shoes are not required; however, if you do purchase cleats they cannot have the spike on the toe of the shoe (baseball cleats).

  • Each player will receive a jersey and flag. Cleats optional.

  • It is suggested that each child have a soccer ball to bring to practices. Size 3 for pre-K–2nd grade and size 4 for 3rd–6th grade. Again, shin guards are required. All other equipment is provided by CUMC.

  • Rainout days are posted on this website, and a message is recorded on the athletic desk phone, 683-6887. The information is updated on weekdays at 2:30 p.m. and revised as the day goes on. Saturday postings are recorded after 8 a.m.

Mini Strikers Soccer (PK-SK)

  • Teams will be divided by grade and ability. Each team will have six players.

  • Teams will practice one time prior to the start of the scheduled games. Teams will play six games at Cy's Field at CUMC on Friday evenings. All games will be played from 5:15-6:00 p.m.

  • All players will receive a jersey and socks. Shin guards are mandatory and must be worn under socks. Soccer cleats or athletic shoes must be worn (no baseball cleats with the spike on the toe of the shoe). For your child's safety and that of others, no Crocs, sandals, Merrells, Mary Janes, etc.

PAA/Shelby League (5th/6th grade)

Football | Soccer | Volleyball Cross Country | Cheer | Golf

  • Practices will be held after school and in the early evening; games will be weekdays in the afternoon and evening (soccer on Saturdays). Teams will practice 2 to 3 times per week depending on coaches’ schedules and play one game a week, volleyball sometimes two.

  • Each child will be loaned a uniform, and we will try to match the sizes requested on the registration form. The uniform is to be returned at the end of the sports season and in the same condition received. Any lost or ruined uniforms will have a charge of $50 per piece. Soccer players will receive a jersey, shorts, and socks. Cheer will receive a skirt, top, and poms. Football, volleyball, and cross country will receive jerseys. Golf will receive a golf polo and will not have to be returned. Helmet, shin guards, knee pads, and shoes are the player's responsibility.

  • We encourage those athletes who want to run cross country and play football, soccer, volleyball or cheer to register for more than one sport, and we will do all we can to prevent conflicts by scheduling around games and practices. They may also participate in outside sports programs, but we do require these athletes to place Guardian teams as a priority (attend all practices and games)—it is only fair to the coaches and teammates.

  • All CUMC Shepherd Coaches are selected by the Athletic committee and staff. The 5th/6th grade head coaches are usually non-parents with a few exceptions: someone who has been a dedicated coach for five years, coaching the 5th/6th graders before his/her child moved into that grade and someone who has a certification or coaches license for the sport.

    
All CUMC coaches have attended or participated online in the Protect My Ministry Program. The emphasis is on “being and doing their best” not “the best” (Colossians 3:23). As part of the Shepherd Coaches Training all coaches agree:

    1. to be committed to the sports ministry philosophy and leadership.

    2. to be prayerfully led to serve in this ministry.

    3. that Shepherd coaching is a ministry priority in their life.

    
Our program is not for everyone but is a program designed for a child to grow mentally, physically and spiritually. It is a program to transform lives and teach children and young adults how to be Christian athletes, to learn Christian values through sports and to reach the unchurched.