Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What age group does my child belong to?

The age categories for the Indoor 2024/2025 and Outdoor 2025 seasons are as follows:
Under 5 - players born in 2020 and 2021
Under 7 - players born in 2018 and 2019
Under 9 - players born in 2016 and 2017
Under 11 - players born in 2014 and 2015
Under 13 - players born in 2012 and 2013
Under 15 - players born in 2010 and 2011
Under 17 - players born in 2008 and 2009
Under 18 - players born in 2007

Senior aged players transition to the next age category up every fall at the start of the indoor season.

What is the difference between the Development Center, Skills Center and Emerging Talent Center programming?

Beginning at U11, athletes choose an appropriate centre for their level of aspiration. The biggest difference between the Development Center(formally Competitive Stream) and Skill Center/Emerging Talent Center(formally Excellence Stream) is the number of training hours per week. U11 athletes in the Skill Center train 3.75 hours per week, U13 athletes in the Emerging Talent Center train 3.75 hours per week and U15 - U18 athletes in the Emerging Talent Center train 6 hours per week; whereas all age groups in the Development Center train 2.5 hours per week.

The other major distinction between the streams is the Emerging Talent Center is a full year commitment (October - July; periodized breaks are built in) with intake/registration once per year in the fall (athletes can enter the program throughout the year but only if space is available). The Development Center has 2 distinct seasons: Indoor (October - March) and Outdoor (May-July). Intake/registration for the Development Center occurs prior to each season.

The Emerging Talent Center targets athletes pursuing a high performance sport experience and athletes in this stream must maintain age-appropriate technical, tactical, social, psychological and physical development standards.

What is the Facility Fee?

The Queen City United Soccer Club is a non-profit organization and the cost of operating our own facility is high. Players are charged a Facility Fee once per session or season. Players can opt into the raffle fundraiser and not pay the Facility Fee. The Facility Fee for each stream is outlined below:
Grassroots Stream (U5 - U9) - $50 per child
Competitive Stream/Excellence Stream (U11 - U18) - $150 per child

What is the raffle ticket fundraiser?

The club has two raffle ticket fundraisers per year (once in the Indoor season and once in the Outdoor season). Past raffle prizes have included electronics and gas or grocery gift cards.

Players can opt in at the time of registration to participate in the raffle fundraiser to offset their Facility Fee. Once players have opted in, they will be given booklet(s) as follows to sell:
Grassroots Stream (U5 - U9) - 1 booklet of 10 $5 tickets
Competitive Stream/Excellence Stream (U11 - U18) - 3 booklets of 10 $5 tickets

Raffle booklets are generally distributed within the first few weeks of the season. Players are then responsible to sell the tickets, return the ticket stubs and proceeds of the ticket sales to the club before the draw date later in the season.

What equipment to players need to participate?

Players are required to have shin guards and cleats. For younger players participating in the soccer camps or U5/U7 Grassroots programming, they can wear running shoes. Please note that all footwear worn on the QC turf at the QC Facility needs to be clean. Players should also bring a water bottle to all training sessions, camps and games (only water is permitted on the turf field at the QC Facility). We do have a selection of shin guards and cleats(new and used) available for sale at the QC Facility (upstairs) during office hours.

What do the players need to wear for training?

Players are required to wear the QC practice kit to all training sessions. For the Grassroots Center, the practice kit includes the yellow QC t-shirt, black shorts and black socks. For the Under 11 and up players, the practice kit includes the QC practice jersey, black shorts and black socks. Players participating in camps are welcome to wear whatever they like. Please see the following sizing chart for clothing sizes: https://www.macronontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/SIZING-CHART-and-WASH.pdf. Grassroots Center players will have pick up times for their practice kits communicated to them prior to the start of the season. The Under 11 and up players will be handed out their practice kits by their Team Manager at the start of the season.

What do players wear for games?

Grassroots Center players will be given a game jersey to wear for the session. A $25 deposit will be collected when they are handed out (cash or post-dated cheque). Under 11 and up players will be given two game jerseys to wear for games by their Team Manager: one dark jersey and one light jersey. A $100 deposit will be collected when the game jerseys are handed out (post-dated cheque). The deposit is returned or destroyed (cheques) at the end of the session/season once the game jersey is returned. The jersey deposit covers the cost of replacing any unreturned or damaged game jerseys. Players are also required to wear black shorts (same shorts as the practice shorts) and black socks (same socks as the practice socks) for Under 7 and up players. Under 11 and up players are required to also have green game socks (to go with their green game jersey) and Skill Center/Emerging Talent Center players are also required to have green game shorts.

What fundraising opportunities are available and what can the proceeds be used toward?

Players can earn fundraising credits for their family fundraising accounts by participating in various fundraising activities offered by the Club. Some of the current fundraising opportunities include: extra club Raffle Fundraiser ticket sales, concession at Mosaic Stadium, Trip of the Month ticket sales, magazine delivery, etc.

Fundraising credits can be used towards future registrations (including camps). These fundraising activities are optional and sign up opportunities are emailed to membership as they are available. These credits cannot be paid out directly. To request fundraising credits to be used, please complete the Fundraising Usage Request Form.

What is the volunteer commitment?

We rely on volunteers to run activities like our game days, tournaments and other QC events. There is a 4-hour volunteer requirement per season/phase per player in the Development Center (two distinct seasons) and Skill Center/Emerging Talent Center (two distinct phases) programs. There is no volunteer requirement for Grassroots Center players.

A $200 Volunteer Deposit (postdated cheque) is collected at the beginning of the season/phase and will be returned/destroyed at the end of the season/phase, provided the full 4-hour volunteer requirement is fulfilled. Volunteer opportunities will be emailed out to players and parents as they become available and sign up is available on our website. Older athletes can work their volunteer hours themselves where indicated in the Volunteer Shift type description.

What are included in the Team Fees?

In addition to registration fees, athletes in the Development Center, Skill Center/Emerging Talent Center programs are required to pay fees to their team manager at the beginning of each season or phase. Team fees cover the player's portion of the team's registration fees for any tournament they attend and the coaches' expenses for out of town tournaments (gas, meal per diem and hotel). The team manager will collect a predetermined fee to cover the anticipated team costs for the season (this estimated amount is included on the program information sheet). If there is any remaining at the end of the season, it will be refunded back to the players. Please note that all the players are responsible for their portion of the season/phase's team fees whether they are able to attend all the tournaments or not.

What are Kidsport and Jumpstart?

KidSport and Jumpstart are organizations that provide funding based on financial need for children for sport registration fees. The application form and details on the application process is available on their websites:

Regina KidSport: http://www.kidsportcanada.ca/site/assets/files/7905/kidsport_regina_application_form.pdf/
Jumpstart: https://jumpstart.canadiantire.ca/pages/apply-for-individual-child-grants

What is the Family Discount Discount?

QC offers a Family Discount to families registering 3 or more members. For details and to obtain the Promo Code to use online when registering, please contact the club Registrar, Sarah Cooke, at registrar@qcsoccer.ca.

What is the Legacy Fund?

As an organization, we recognize that the benefits we enjoy today are the result of the hard work and sacrifice of all those who came before. It is imperative that we ensure QC United continues to lead the way in player development for years to come. To that end, Queen City United has established a Legacy Fund for the purpose of funding future capital improvement projects. These funds could be directed toward turf replacement, outdoor field improvement, or even a new facility. The Legacy Fund will not be used for day-to-day operations. Beginning with Indoor 2020, each registration will include a payment to the Legacy Fund; there will be further initiatives launched in the coming year that will serve to accelerate the growth of this fund. The payment per registration is $25 for the Grassroots Stream players, Competitive Stream and Excellence Stream players.

Can we register in person?

All registrations are required to be done online through our website as required by the Saskatchewan Soccer Association. If you require any assistance, the QC Registrar has regular office hours at the QC Facility(upstairs):

For the Indoor Season(October-March):
Tuesdays 5-8 pm
Wednesdays 3-6 pm
Thursdays 5-8 pm

For the Outdoor Season(May-October):
Tuesdays 5-8 pm (May-September 15th)
Thursdays 5-8 pm (August)