Frequently Asked Questions
Present Stanford Strikers Players
Yes, all current Stanford Strikers players who want to play in 2026/27 (fall and/or spring) must register due to the age group changes.
Yes, all current players must attend the tryouts if they want to be placed on a team next playing year. These tryout sessions will be in lieu of practices during tryouts week.
The tryout is one piece of the assessment, though not the most important part. The assessment of the player’s present coach and technical director over the course of the past season(s) is the biggest part of the player assessment.
Typically, teams have some roster movement each season as players' levels of play change. This is normal for any competitive sports club as players don’t all grow physically, psycho-socially, tactically or technically in unison.
New Players Trying Out for Stanford Strikers
It’s important to register in advance. We will take walk-ups but in order to properly staff the tryout and make the process of getting the tryout started on time and smoothly it’s a huge help for the club to know who will be attending. If a player does walk up for tryouts, they’ll need a parent to help with registration, prior to joining the tryout session.
Attending both tryout dates for the player’s particular age group is not required, but is a big help to get an accurate assessment of the player.
General Tryout & Stanford Strikers Information
We will send team invitations to new players immediately after tryouts. Once you receive your invitation, you have 48 hours to confirm your spot by registering for the playing year. An initial payment of $500 is required when setting up a payment plan and serves as a non-refundable deposit.
Practices and games are predominantly located on fields in Menlo Park and in a few surrounding towns. We make every effort to keep the practices and home games local to the individual teams. We work diligently with our partner cities and schools over the course of the summer to ensure the best field allocation possible for our players and their families. Those city and school field allocations will be available late in the summer and we’ll share them with our families as soon as possible to help families plan.
The number of practices depends upon the age and level of play with our youngest, newest teams typically practicing two weekdays per week and our more experienced, higher level teams practicing three weekdays per week. Most age groups practice three times a week.
Our teams compete in one of three leagues: ECNL RL, NPL, and Norcal Premier League. For all three of these leagues, teams typically play 8-10 league games per season. In addition, the teams typically play in one or two tournaments or showcases per season. All games occur on Saturday or Sunday.
The fall season generally starts the first week of August and ends generally around Thanksgiving or the end of November. During the months of January and February, we offer a variety of outdoor training and indoor futsal opportunities at an additional registration fee. The spring season generally starts at the end of February and ends at the end of May or early June. We also offer summer camps.
For new teams (typically the youngest age group just getting started), coaches are assigned once the teams are formed (after tryouts). For existing teams, coaching assignments will be announced prior to tryouts.
The cost (club fees) is dependent upon the number of practices and level of play. All of our age groups register on an annual basis as 90% of our players participate in fall and spring seasons. There will be a spring opt-out form to complete by December 1 for those you do not plan on playing in the spring. The cost for the full year ranges $3,100 to $3,800.
A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to accept your spot on a team after you have been invited to a team.
Yes, the club does offer considerable support for families who have a financial need. Families who apply for financial aid will have the $500 deposit waived. After the scholarship committee reviews all the applications and allocated the funds, families will receive an email letting them know the award amount and will be billed for the remaining balance. Typically we award scholarships between 20% to 70% of club fees depending on the financial situation of each family. The application process and supporting documents will need to be submitted to the scholarship committee by the deadline that will be communicated to interested families. For more information, please email scholarship@stanfordstrikers.org.
The club fees cover the following items:
- Salaries (coaches & directors)
- Practice and league games
- One tournament/showcase events
- Referee fees
- Field fees
- League and governing organizational fees (Norcal Premier)
- Background checks on all coaches and volunteers
- Club operations & admin
- Continued coaching education
- Training equipment
- Additional skills training (athletic performance, goalkeeping)
The club fees do NOT include the following:
- Required uniform and practice kit through Capelli Sport
- Optional summer camps, winter clinics, and winter futsal
In competitive youth soccer, it is typical to arrange the players according to their current development level. The color designation scheme described in the question is the common way that youth soccer clubs designate their team levels. This color designation will be different for each club. In the case of Stanford Strikers, ECNL RL, Pre ECNL RL , or Black indicates our first team, Red is the second team, White is the third team, etc. You will also see a “G” or “B” designation for “Girls” or “Boys.” And some teams may have a “N” or “S” designation which is for teams that are primarily based in the “North” which means in Menlo Park and surrounding towns and “South” which are primarily based in Palo Alto and surrounding towns. The ECNL-RL designation means the team is playing in the National Premier League or Elite Clubs National League - Region League which are the highest level leagues in NorCal.
Please note, however, that it is very common, especially at the youngest age groups, for kids to move around these teams (both up and down). This is because kids develop at very different rates and it takes time for the coaches to fully understand the players abilities. Sometimes, parents get upset when their child moves from an upper team to a lower team. However, this should be looked at as a helpful opportunity for the child to develop, rather than a punishment for not being good enough. In many cases, moving down to a lower team allows the child to obtain more playing time and presents a more suitable playing environment for children to develop their skills.
