Youth Recreational Soccer Leagues

The YMCA's Spring, Winter and Fall Soccer Leagues are coed, with an optional girls division being offered starting at age 8 in Leland and Wilmington. We support each player at their current level of play and provide opportunities to increase their individual skills. Through participation in practices and games, players learn sportsmanship, how to work as a team and to build quality relationships with fellow players and coaches.

We are a 100% Volunteer Coaching League. YMCA athletic staff are available during practices and games to assist our soccer family. Soccer is a game for the players, we let the kids play. We believe one of the best teachers of the game is playing it. Most importantly it should be fun. Join our soccer family, awesome coaches, great families, amazing players and a dedicated YMCA staff.

Select a location below to learn more:

Leland & Wilmington

 

Leland, Wilmington and Hampstead Offerings

Summer 2026 Soccer Academy Training Program

Join YMCA Soccer Staff and work on your soccer game before the Fall Season starts.
2 Small Group Sessions a week.
Tuesdays and Thursdays at Nir Family YMCA or Hampstead United Methodist Church
Mondays and Wednesdays at Mid Town YMCA 
Ages 4 & 5 meet           6:15 PM to 7:00 PM
Ages 6 to 14  meet       6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Keeper Training meet    6:30 PM to 7:30 PM   (Nir Family YMCA location only.  Ages 8 to 14)
 

Ages

4-14 Years
 

Practice Locations

Nir Family YMCA
2710 Market St. Wilmington, NC 28403 
 
Midtown YMCA
2710 Market St. Wilmington, NC 28403
 
Hampstead United Methodist Church
15395 US-17, Hampstead, NC 28443
 

Program Fees

Summer Session 2026
Set 1:  June 15th through July 10th  (4 Weeks / 8 Sessions): $100
Set 2:  July 13th through August 7th  (4 Weeks / 8 Sessions): $100
 

YMCA Members Receive 20% Off

Financial Aid is offered to those that qualify. 
 

REGISTer onlilne

 

FALL 2026 Youth Soccer League

RegistRATION OPEN

More Info/League Home

Schedule

05/01-08/01: On-time Registration Open
08/02: Late registration opens and $20 late fee is added.
08/12: Notification of Team Assignments through PlayerSpace!
08/14-08/17: Dicks Sporting Goods 20% OFF Weekend
08/22-08/29: Coaches Meeting and Free Coaches Training
08/24: Practices Start
09/02: Entire Seasons Game Schedule Released
09/7-09/11: Uniforms are distributed at practice
09/12: First League Games
09/14-09/18: Itty Bitty Clinics Start this week.
10/31: Last Games of the Fall Season  (Note rainouts are rescheduled to the end of the season, so could be later.)
11/21-11/22:  3v3 Tournament  $30 per player (3 to 6 players) – Ages 6 to 11
 
 

Ages

4-5   Years: Coed Divisions
6-18 Years: Boy and Girls Divisions  [Girls may play on Boys teams.]   
 
*Fall 2026 / Spring 2027 age is determined on a player's age on 8/1/2026.
Players must be 4 on 08/01/2026 to play at the league level.
 
 
NEW AGE DETERMINATION Starting Fall 2026
Following extensive review and discussion, US Youth Soccer has decided to move to an age group player formation cycle that runs from August 1 to July 31, starting with the 2026-27 season/registration year. This change was made based on additional critical feedback, data, and expert input to better align players with their school-grade peers. USYS feels that this age group player formation will be the most inclusive and help increase participation.  YMCA has always followed the US Youth Soccer guidelines.  Our league allows kids to play-up one birth year up to the MS division, so most kids will be able to continue with the team they played on this past season.
 
YMCA explanation: 
Before our division started with a U, stood for under, so U8 so would be those that were 7 on 12/31/2026.  The the U is now after so 8U is our 8-years-old's and under.
 
If your child was born in 2018, this last Spring they would have played in our U8 Division, you would have moved up to our U10 Division (our U9 and U10 were a combined division) this Fall.  With the new rules is based on players age on 8/1/2026 for this Fall and Spring 2027.
If born between 8/1/2018 and 7/31/2019 you will now play in the 8U Division, same rules as our previous U9/U10 Division.
If born between 8/1/2019 and 7/31/2020 you will now play in our 7U Division, same rules as our previous U8 Division, same as this past Spring.
 
Our league is keeping the rule that kids may play up one birth year until they hit Middle School.  For our Middle School and High School divisions you must be enrolled in the appropriate grade.  Example being we do not allow a 5th grader to play in the Middle School Division.
 
For those that played with us last Spring 2026 that were on U10 teams and below we will do our best to try and keep players together.  For those that played in our U12 Division, Fall is when our teams that had 4th and 5th graders start to split up.  At our MS and HS divisions we play 11v11 full field soccer, same as school ball.  Middle School we have both boys and girls divisions.  (12U players will be in the MS Division this Fall.)  For our HS divisions, we do open up both boys and girls divisions but have not had enough girls to do their own division.  However, we had more girls playing MS soccer than we had boys, so we hope to see some of those players continue playing with us and help us build the girls recreational HS division.
 
 

Game & Practice Locations

Nir Family YMCA
2710 Market St. Wilmington, NC 28403
 
Midtown YMCA  (Games are played at Hoggard High School on Saturdays for most.)
709 George Anderson Dr. Wilmington, NC 28412
 
Ogden Park/Eaton Elementary School
6701 Gordon Rd. Wilmington, NC 28411
 
Long Leaf Park Athletic Complex
4305 Shipyard Boulevard, Wilmington, NC 28403
 
Hampstead United Methodist Church  *New 2026, games will be determined by total sign-ups.
15395 US-17
Hampstead, NC 28443
 

Practice Locations Only

Veterans Park Sports Complex (Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays Only)
835 Halyburton Memorial Parkway, Wilmington, NC 28412
 
N-CINO SPORTS PARK (Leland Families) (Tuesdays or Thursdays Only)
(Formerly Known as Cape Fear Soccer Park)
205 Sutton Steam Plant Rd, Wilmington, NC 28401
 
We want kids to play. Don't see a location but know of one available? Let us know! Homeschool and private school teams welcome!  
 

Program Fees

4-5 years: $100
6-7 years: $120
8-9 years: $130
10  years: $140
Middle School Division: $140
High School Division: $140
 

YMCA Members Receive 20% Off

Late Registration Processing Fee of $20 if after on-time registration (February 1st).
Financial Aid is offered to those that qualify.  
  
  

 

 

 

Spring 2027 Youth Soccer Leagues  - Registration opens on November 15th  

Schedule

11/15-02/02: On-time registration
02/03-03/07:  Late registrations accepted, $20 processing fee.
02/10-02/11: Notification of Team Assignments through PlayerSpace!
02/13-02/20: Coaches Meeting and Free Coaches Training
02/25: Practices Start
02/27-03/01: Dicks Sporting Goods 20% OFF Weekend
03/03: Entire Seasons Game Schedule Released
03/01-03/05: Uniforms are distributed at practice
03/06: First League Games
03/08-03/13: Itty Bitty Clinics Start this week.
05/01: Last Games of the Spring Season

 

Hampstead, Leland & Wilmington Contact:

Lee Spooner
Athletics Director
(910) 251-9622 x232
[email protected]