Juniors: 1st Grade

Season Dates

Fall 2023

The 2023 fall season starts on Saturday, September 9 and ends on Saturday, November 11. Sessions are held on the Saturdays around holidays, including Rosh Hashanah, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day. Please take a minute to read our holiday policy. It is not a problem if your daughter must miss a few sessions this season. The program is designed to be very flexible.

Spring 2024

The 2024 spring season starts on Saturday, April 6 and ends Saturday, June 8.  Sessions will be held during the Saturdays around NPS spring vacation and Memorial Day (April 13, April 20, and May 25). Please take a minute to read our holiday policy. It is not a problem if your daughter must miss a few sessions this season. The program is designed to be very flexible.

Session Time

The NGS Juniors Grade 1 (J1) program meets only on Saturdays for 75 minutes and takes place at 8:30 AM or 10:00 AM. There are no additional practices during the week. Please arrive 15 minutes before the session starts. The weekly match schedule is posted in TeamSnap just before the season starts. Check the schedule each week for any changes.

  • Home team listed wears ORANGE jersey and supplies game ball.
  • Visiting team listed wears WHITE.

Location

Teams will be using fields 1 – 4 at Hamilton Field. (Click on link to view field map.)  Meet your team, parent volunteer coach, and professional coach at your assigned field a few minutes before your session begins.   The weekly field assignments are posted in TeamSnap. Check the schedule each week for any changes.

Teams

Players are assigned to teams with parent coaches for organizational purposes and participate in the same session each week. We create teams with consideration for the session time and friend requests from each and every one.  Please understand that with more than 100 soccer players in the first grade and the need to balance the sessions, we can not always meet every request.

Fall teams are announced in late August. Spring teams are announced in late March. NGS uses TeamSnap for communication and scheduling.

What to Expect

Structure: Players engage in FUN warm-ups and soccer learning activities led by the NGS Professional Coaching Staff during the first half hour, then play small-sided (4v4) scrimmages for the remainder of the session. There are no goal keepers or scores in the J1 program.

Coaching: NGS Coaching Guidelines K thru Grade 2

Key reminder: Please do not coach, direct or shout instructions to the girls from the sidelines.

What to bring / wear:

  • Soccer ball (size 3)
  • Water bottle
  • Hand sanitizer
  • NGS Jersey
  • Shin-guards
  • Cleats

You can buy all the gear online at https://newtongirlssoccer.org/store/juniors-uniforms/.

NGS Safety Policy: NGS has a strict NO JEWELRY policy. This means no earrings, no taped earrings, bracelets, necklaces or rings. Players may not wear beads, barrettes or other hard/sharp items. Players may not participate with casts or splints of any kind. Remember to remove all jewelry at home so that it does not get lost on the field. Please do not ask for special permission and make it difficult for the coaches.

Weather Cancellations & Field Closures

For rainouts, check the NGS home page or fields page.  Field status is updated by 7am on Saturdays, but be sure to check just before your session time as conditions sometimes change.  You can also sign up for texts or tweets regarding field status by following @newtonfields.