This page provides a comprehensive overview of the summer soccer league program for the U11 and higher age groups. You will find information on:

» See also: Tryout Info U11–U19 • Planned Coach Assignments by Team

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Coaching Philosophy

Saint Paul Blackhawks Soccer Club is committed to giving each player the tools to become a complete player. A complete player displays mastery of both technical and tactical aspects of the game as well as character growth. We believe that soccer can be a medium to develop youth physically, mentally, and socially. We aim to produce skilled players who exhibit respect, dedication, and a passion for soccer within a highly competitive environment. Our club is dedicated to prepare youth players for the next level whether professional, collegiate, or amateur.

The path toward developing a complete player recognizes different developmental levels and utilizes developmentally appropriate activities toward the goal.

  • Technical: A Complete Player masters all aspects of ball control such as dribbling, passing and receiving, ball striking, heading, and tackling.
  • Tactical: A Complete Player understands the fundamentals of defending and attacking individually as well as a team. They understand their role on the field in different formations such as 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1.
  • Character: A Complete Player is a leader on the field who knows how to handle adversity, be a team player, and is respectful to others.

Season Previews by Division and Age Group

The following tables help to set expectations for Blackhawks’ competitive age groups and divisions. While these descriptions may be a general guide, each team’s season plan will vary due to that team’s goals and circumstances.

Blackhawks places teams in a various leagues to provide the best developmental experience for players. These include MYSA‘s leagues, which operate under US Youth Soccer. Blackhawks may place certain teams in the US Youth Soccer National League Midwest or Great Lakes Conferences. We also place teams in TCSL National, Regional, State, and Cities leagues, organized under US Club Soccer.

Soccer is a team sport requiring commitment from each individual player. The most competitive teams (Premier, National and Regional Leagues) require substantial commitment of priority, time, and effort throughout the year. We encourage players who also compete in other sports to consider the level of commitment when registering. Please contact the Director of Coaching if you have questions about appropriate placement.

Blackhawks U15 players have a long tradition of traveling to Denmark and Sweden to compete in the Gothia Cup. The trip is independent of this summer league program.

Blackhawks team naming conventions follow a tiered developmental designation of gender, age group, and color; color does not necessarily correspond to a league competitive division. We assign the “Black” color to the top team in a given age group, regardless of the league and division. Some age groups will have top teams in the National League conferences, others may have top teams playing in the TCSL regional bracket. So team naming reflects where a team falls in the developmental spectrum of our Blackhawks teams and not the level they are playing at. You will receive information about play level and team plan with your team placement announcement.

Team colors: black, red, gold, white, gray, silver

Program at a Glance

The summary below describes the Competitive program, designed to develop teams across a range of competition levels. Club Fees (registration) vary somewhat for teams training at different levels, and the Team Fees (tournaments, travel, etc.) vary widely. While no two teams have identical needs, this summary will help set expectations for program, time commitments, and costs.

Tier I Fee
Structure		 Tier II Fee
Structure		 Tier III Fee
Structure
Birth Years 2001–2005 2001–2005 2001–2005
Game Format 11-v-11 11-v-11 11-v-11
Play Level MN League One (Premier I or II) TCSL (National or Regional) TCSL (State or Cities)
Fall Season No No No
Winter League MN League One or TCSL TCSL In-house futsal
Winter Contacts 4–5 per week 3–4 per week 3 per week
Spring/Summer Training 4–5 per week 3–4 per week 3 per week
Summer League MN League One MN League One or TCSL TCSL
In-State Tournaments 1–3 2–3 3
Regional Tournament Yes Yes No
State Cup or US Club equivalent Yes President’s Cup
if appropriate		 No
National League or Conference Yes: ’04 and ’05
No: ’03, ’02, and ’01		 No No
Club (Registration) Fee $1800 $1750 $1450
Team Fees $1000–$2000 $500–$1000 $0–$150
Full Uniform $130 $130 $130

Participant Costs

Cost of participation on a Blackhawks team has several components:

  • Club Fee: paid to the club at time of registration or utilizing our online automatic payment plan
  • Team Fee: paid to the team manager based on the team’s season plan
  • Uniform: approximately $130, purchased independently on a two-year cycle

Club Fee Covers (per chart above): team coach wages, team winter training indoor field rental, spring outdoor practice field rental, coach training and mentoring by club professional staff, winter goalkeeper training, player registration, league registrations, insurance, summer field rental, referees and officials, Minnesota State Cup entry fee (for appropriate teams), Summer/Fall State Championship tournament registration for qualifying teams, allowance for tournament registrations (varies per tier, teams may exceed this depending on team plan and need to collect additional team fees), practice shirt, and all club administrative costs.

Club Fee Does Not Cover (among other things): uniforms (required) and warm ups (optional), which are purchased individually; player/coach travel expenses and tournament expense in excess of the club allowance (these will be collected as team fees by your team manager after determination of your team plan).

Payment Plan: Families now have the option to either pay their club registration fees in full by August 15, or subscribe to the automatic payment plan through our registration platform. The six-payment plan installments will be processed as follows:

  • 10% due by August 15—required to accept and secure you player’s team placement
  • 20% due September 15
  • 20% due October 15
  • 20% due November 15
  • 20% due February 15
  • 10% due March 15

Financial Assistance: Blackhawks is committed to making soccer affordable to those who need assistance. Award amounts vary depending on need and go toward paying Club Fees. They do not cover any of the player’s Team Fees or uniform. If you receive an award, you are still responsible for paying: (1) Club Fees not covered by the award; (2) All Team Fees and (3) Uniform costs. You must submit 10% of the Club Fees at the time of registration. Online application for financial assistance can be found on this site at About » Financial Assistance. Financial assistance is made possible through member contributions as a component of dues, individual donations, fundraising.

More Information

This program page answers many questions about our competitive program. For other questions, please contact: