The soccer landscape in Michigan and the United States is complex and can difficult to understand. Hopefully, the information on this page will help you understand the overall landscape and how Mount Pleasant Soccer Club fits into the larger picture.

Youth soccer is built like a pyramid with more advanced leagues and programs being at the top with fewer teams or player while the bottom of the pyramid tends to be more inclusive with more opportunities for teams of all skill level. Below is an abridged breakdown:

1. Town Recreational Leagues (Mount Pleasant Parks and Rec Youth Soccer Program)
2. Town Travel Leagues (Mount Pleasant Soccer Club – This is us)
3. Youth Academy
4. National League Conferences: NPL and ECNL Regional Leagues
5. USYS National League

For more information about the youth soccer landscape, visit https://soccernovo.com/youth-soccer-levels/ for a larger overview.

Organizations

US Youth Soccer (USYS), the largest youth sport organization in the country, is on a mission to provide world-class support, resources, and leadership, helping every member fulfill their goals on and off the field of play. It does this through its members, a collection of state associations.

The Michigan State Youth Soccer Association (MSYSA), the premier governing body for soccer in the state of Michigan and a member association of USYS. MSYSA operates a variety programs of different skill levels to provide opportunities at nearly every age range.

The Mid-Michigan Youth Soccer League (MMYSL) is the league in which the Mount Pleasant Soccer Club participates in. The league consists of several clubs in the central Michigan area registering as far south as Lansing and as far north as Petoskey and Traverse City.

Programs

MSYSA offers several programs, our club participates primarily in two Premier league and Select League. The premier league is aimed at age ranges U13 and up and is a more competitive tier than Select. Teams at this level compete for state cup. Premier league is broken up into several divisions itself, more information about those divisions can be found on the MSPS website.

Select offers a more competitive experience than a local recreation league. This league is aimed at age groups U9 through 14. The programs offer the best opportunities for players to develop skills, compete at a competitive level, with a travel being limited to the local region.

Rules

The rules of soccer vary between leagues and age groups. The official rules for soccer are often referred to as the “Laws of the Game” and regulated by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). These are the rules by which our league follows.

In addition to the game rules, our league maintains a set of rules that govern how clubs are to conduct themselves before, during and after the games. These rules can be found on the MMSYL website.