With spring comes hopes for summer and then it's fall and soccer time! Be active, happy and healthy throughout your summer and we'll see you on the soccer pitch before you know it.
Who Are We?
The Merrimack Valley Soccer League is dedicated to recreational youth soccer in central New Hampshire. We are a group of 17 town recreation leagues, school teams and recreational clubs with soccer and the kids in mind. On a typical fall weekend, more than 2,200 athletes can be seen playing soccer on 114 teams in MVSL. Each year, games are scheduled by MVSL in the following divisions:
Third/Fourth Grade girls and boys
Fifth/Sixth Grade girls and boys
Seventh/Eighth Grade girls and boys
High School Level coed
Many groups also develop player skills and interest beginning at the kindergarten through second grade level.
Soccer develops many things. Player skills, team interaction, healthy bodies and clear minds. After you have run around our website, get out there and kick a soccer ball around with your friends. We’ll be here when you get back!
Interested In Joining MVSL?
If you are interested in having your league or organization join the MVSL, just let us know. Please contact a member of our
Board of Directors
for more information.
BULLETIN BOARD
Breaking news and important information:
ANDOVER SOCCER REGISTRATION -- Andover residents can find their registration form by clicking here! Open the file and follow the directions on Page 1. Forms are due to the Director by June 30. If you do, you enjoy a $5 discount on your registration fee. Please get your registration form back quickly to help us determine how many kids and teams we have. Soccer on! --Updated 5/9/2012
ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT PIERCING YOUR EARS? -- The FIFA soccer Laws of the Game prohibit all jewelry on the field of play. Taping is not allowed. Many things may catch on necklaces and earrings or one player's head may strike another's earrings, causing cuts to either player or violent removal of the earring resulting in significant damage to the ear lobe. According to the Laws of the Game, "Rings, earrings, leather or rubber bands are not necessary to play and the only thing they can bring about is injury."
If you plan to play soccer in the fall, please plan your piercing carefully to allow the time necessary to heal. When soccer starts, the earrings must come out, at least during the games and practices.
This rule is purely for every player's safety. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Play on!! --Updated 5/9/2012
CONCUSSION IN YOUTH SPORTS -- Confused about what a concussion is and why you should treat this brain injury with respect? Check out the CDC's webpage titled Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports. There you will find fact sheets for the coach, the player and the parent. Help prevent serious permanent injury by seeking medical attention and keeping your player off the soccer field until the injury is completely healed and they get the all-clear from your doctor. --Updated 9/22/2011
LIGHTNING SAFETY -- There is NO safe place out-of-doors during a lightning storm. If you can hear thunder, you are within lightning's reach. When a lightning flash is followed within 30 seconds by the clap of thunder, the storm is within 6 miles and within striking distance to objects (and people) in the area. Immediately seek shelter within a sturdy building or enclosed vehicle until at least 30 minutes after the last thunder is heard. It's the steel roof and frame of a car that protects you, not its rubber tires, which would have to be a mile thick to save you. A baseball dugout or open-sided picnic shelter is NOT adequate shelter! Visit NOAA or this guidance for additional information.
Soccer - A Sideline Guide for Parents -- Don't understand the offside rule? Want to be a Star Parent? Wonder what the difference is between a direct and indirect penalty kick? Search no more! We found an excellent Parent's Guide. This should be required reading for all parents and coaches alike. We encourage parents to learn more about the game and become role models for their children and neighbors. We know the distracting spectators on the sideline. Please don't be that person!
You should also check out other websites that offer parenting tips for the soccer family, such as soccer-for-parents.com. Tons of tips. Take a look!
LAW 11 - OFFSIDE -- There still seems to be much confusion among players, coaches, referees and spectators regarding Law 11 - Offside. FIFA has an excellent animated tutorial at FIFA's Interactive Guide to Offside Law 11. Please check it out. For a quick illustration of situations where a player can be in an offside position without being called "offside", click here. These illustrations are straight out of the FIFA Laws of the Game. But please remember that the referee's call is the final say.
Follow us on Facebook. Look for "Merrimack Valley Soccer League"
