Please review our frequently asked questions (FAQs) below. If you still have additional questions, please email our Club Admin.

CAN MY CHILD PLAY ON A SKYLINE TEAM?

Skyline welcomes players living in Oakland, Piedmont, Castro Valley, and San Leandro. Players living in areas surrounding Oakland and Piedmont that have their own local lacrosse teams are encouraged to play on those teams. Returning players will be given priority registration above new registrants.

WHEN DOES THE SPRING LACROSSE SEASON START?

Registration for the spring season opens in September/October. Registration will be opened for two weeks for returning players, then we will open it up to new families.

Practice begins in mid-January. Games begin in late February and runs through mid-May. Exact practice dates/times will be available in late December. Game dates/times will be available in late January.

WHICH AGE GROUP DOES MY CHILD BELONG IN?

As a general rule of thumb, for both boys and girls:

8U: Kinder, 1st and 2nd graders
10U: 3rd and 4th graders
12U: 5th and 6th graders
14U: 7th and 8th graders

More specifically, if your child is under 8 years old on August 31, then he/she will be part of the 8U age group from September 1 for the next 12 months. The same applies for each of the age groups. If your child is older or younger than these guidelines but wish to play with kids in their grade, please email our Club Admin for guidance.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO PLAY?

Please see our current programs for details on fees.

We are a non-profit organization and work hard to keep our fees affordable for all families. However, operating costs dictate the fees we must charge. The cost for our programs include: field rentals, coaches' pay, referee fees, league registration fees, goals and maintenance, practice equipment, first aid kits, insurance, and administrative costs. Individual equipment costs are not included, and players must supply their own lacrosse equipment.

As a requirement for our insurance, all players are required to have current USA Lacrosse membership in order to participate.

ARE THERE SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE?

Skyline believes that every child who is interested should have the opportunity to play lacrosse regardless of financial circumstances. We will make our best effort to offer financial assistance to players in need and have set aside funds for that purpose. Requests may be directed in confidence via email to our Club Admin.

WHAT IS THE REFUND POLICY FOR SKYLINE'S PROGRAMS?

Please see our Refund Policy for more information. Direct any additional questions to our Club Admin.

WILL WE BE REFUNDED FOR CANCELED PRACTICES OR GAMES?

If a practice or game is canceled or delayed due to weather or a change in field availability, Skyline admin, coordinators, or coaches will send emails and/or messages through TeamSnap. It is the player and family's responsibility to provide an accurate email at registration. Refunds will not be provided for canceled games or practices. All attempts to reschedule will be made, and players will be notified as soon as information is available.

WHAT IS THE RAIN PROTOCOL?

Lacrosse is an all weather sport. If we are playing on turf, in the event of drizzling to steady rain, practices and games will still be on. In the event of flooding, practice cancellations can be made at the coach’s discretion. If there is lightning, practice will be canceled. Grass fields may be closed by field owners in inclement weather. Skyline aims to make decisions on practice/game cancellations at least two hours in advance.

On rainy days, we suggest ensuring your player has a water resistant jacket, a change of dry clothes for after practice, and a clean garbage bag to put over their bags to keep dry.

WHO PROVIDES THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT?

Families are responsible for purchasing their own equipment, but we may have loaner gear to borrow temporarily. Please see the list of required equipment.

DO WE NEED TO ATTEND ALL PRACTICES AND GAMES?

Practice days during the spring vary from 1-3 days per week depending on the age division. Practice times typically run from 4-7pm on weekdays but may occur on the weekends depending on field availability. Players are expected to attend all scheduled practices. If you need to miss a practice, you must communicate this to your coach at least 48 hours prior to practice via TeamSnap.

Games during the spring can occur every weekend when they begin in March. Expect to play at least one or two games per weekend for the duration of the lacrosse season. Games can be as early as 8am and as late as 5pm. Players are expected to attend all scheduled games. If you need to miss a game, you must communicate this to your coach at least 72 hours prior to the game via TeamSnap.

Attendance is critical to your child and their team's growth and is the driver for a positive experience. However, we understand there may be schedule conflicts throughout the season. Our coaches spend a lot of time planning for practices and games, and marking your child's availability in TeamSnap as early as possible is extremely helpful. Marking your child's availability for games as early as possible also reduces the burden of unnecessary and last minute tasks for coaches and volunteers to ensure we have enough players for any given game.

ARE WE EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE ON SUNDAYS?

We face a great challenge as to the number of fields we have available to us, the cost of additional fields, and the number of teams who need the fields and coaches availability. Therefore we may have practices, games, clinics, and events on Sundays. Our coaches will excuse a player for family requirements as long as there is clear communication in reference to Sunday participation prior to our player evaluations.

WHAT ARE THE PARENT OBLIGATIONS AND HOW CAN I HELP?

We cannot overemphasize that Skyline is run by parent volunteers who all have a common goal of creating an unforgettable experience for our children. For this reason, parents are required to be involved in whatever way they can. Parent volunteer time averages around 10 hours for the season. Examples of parent volunteer jobs are:coaching, Board positions, team manager, goal maintenance, game set up and take down, bringing snacks to games, score keeping, timekeeping, special events, etc.

I'M NEW TO LACROSSE. HOW CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SPORT?

Skyline loves to introduce new players and families to lacrosse! Please see our About Lacrosse page for more information about the sport. Volunteering as a timekeeper or scorekeeper at games is also a great way to learn the sport up close.

IS LACROSSE A CONTACT SPORT?

Body checking is allowed for boys (U12, U14, and High School). Boys in U8 and U10, and all girls are allowed some controlled contact as in other sports such as basketball and soccer. Players may be allowed to have stick-on-stick checking with different rules for boys and girls. Please see Lacrosse Rules to learn more.

WHAT ARE THE SKILL DIVISIONS?

Within each age group, NCJLA has three skill divisions: A, B Veteran (Bv), and B Rookie (Br) to ensure fair competition. Before each spring season, Skyline Boys/Girls Coordinators and coaches determine the appropriate division for Skyline teams based on player evaluations and the number of kids who register.

DOES MY CHILD NEED TO ATTEND EVALUATIONS?

For the spring season, Skyline typically holds evaluations in November and requires all 12U and 14U players to attend for team placement and team registration purposes. Players wishing to "play up" in these age groups are also required to attend evaluations. It is our strong preference that players play within their age division but understand that there are circumstances in which it would be beneficial for a player to play up. Exceptions to this policy will be approved only by the club President and Boys/Girls Coordinator.

For multiple Skyline teams within an age division, players that exhibit by position the most experience, lacrosse skills, lacrosse IQ, athleticism, and attitude/effort will be selected to play on the highest level team within a division. The number of players that try out at specific positions also influences the decision.

If Skyline fields an "A" team, all players that are selected to play on an "A" team are reminded that their commitment to this competitive level team is critical both in terms of effort and their availability. Players who cannot make this commitment may be asked to play on a "B" team. The club President and Boys/Girls Coordinator will have final say on player placement in all cases.

In the event that Skyline has too many players to form one team we will attempt to form a second team. Additionally, as we grow and become oversubscribed, we may not have the resources to accommodate every player that registers. During this growth we will select during evaluations the most competitive players for the teams we form. This includes players with developed lacrosse skills, strong athleticism, and mental ready for the rigors of competitive lacrosse.  We will do our best to accommodate every child, but if we are unable to, players not placed on a team will receive a full refund.

WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS FOR PARTICIPATION ON SKYLINE "A" TEAMS?

Skyline "A" teams represent the highest level of play in our club.  These teams will typically be smaller in size, travel more often, and have more regularly scheduled games and practices than B teams. Additionally, equitable playing time guidelines are not in place for these teams. Playing time will be determined by skill level and team need and will vary from player to player and by position. Lacrosse is expected to be the "A" team player's primary and first priority sport during the spring season.  "A" level players are expected to work to improve their game off-season via camps, clinics and regional travel teams. Players and parents should understand these guidelines before committing to a Skyline "A" team.

Playing at the A level is a mental and emotional challenge which not every youth player will appreciate or embrace.  However, for those players driven to compete and with the focus required to work at their game all season long, A level play is not only the best fit for their growth as players, but also provides the best readiness training for High School play and beyond.