Eligibility

Open to members of the Newton community.

NGS programs are open to players that

• live in Newton,
• have a parent / guardian that resides in Newton, or
• attend school in Newton.

Residency waivers may be granted in the following circumstances:

• A player is unable to join their town’s team due to either lack of space or a situation that makes playing in the town of residence difficult (e.g. bullying).
• A player moved out of Newton but played in NGS for at least two years of the prior three-year period and has not played elsewhere.
• A non-resident player no longer attends school in Newton but attended school in town for at least two years of the prior three-year period and has only played for NGS.

Open to players that identify as female.

NGS strives to be welcoming, accessible, and inclusive. Our programs are open to kids who identify as female (including cisgender girls, transgender girls, and nonbinary individuals).

Players in the NGS travel program participate in the BAYS league. They may be asked for gender-identity documentation or evidence that shows the stated gender is sincerely held and part of the person’s core identity. Documentation includes, but is not limited to, government-issued documentation or documentation prepared by a health care provider, counselor, or other qualified professional not related to the player.

NGS respects a young person’s wishes to be called by a chosen name and/or gender pronoun. Only your child’s preferred name and pronouns will be shared with their team. However, due to limitations imposed by our state governing body’s database, you are required to provide your child’s legal name and select “Female” during the registration process.

An exception to our gender rule may be made for kindergarten-aged boys who have a female sibling in the kindergarten program.

Divisions are grade and age based.

• Children attending traditional schools should register for the correct division according to their grade.
• Homeschooled children should play with their birth year peers.
• Divisions may be single or multi-grade groupings.
• For Juniors and City Programs, players are assigned to teams based on their grade in school only.
• For Travel and Academy Programs Players are assigned to teams based on their school grade AND their date of birth. See MA Youth Soccer Age Groups 2023/24.
• NGS does not allow kids to “play up”.