Be a star with us.
Our youngest teams are Under 6, so most players start at five. If there is space in a team, you are in. If not, we will offer your child a place in one of our development squads until we can get them into a team, or until we can make one.
How to register
Six steps, in the order they actually happen.
Fill in the registration form
It takes about five minutes. Basic details, medical information and an emergency contact. Nothing to pay at this point.
We reply to you
A person reads it. We will tell you which team or session your child is joining, where it is and when it starts, rather than leaving you to guess.
Start in a development squad if there is no space in a team
If the team at your child's age is full, they start in a development squad straight away. These are proper coached sessions, not a waiting room, and they are how most new players arrive. They join a team when a place opens or when there are enough children to make a new one.
Get stuck in
Every team here is parent-led. That is not a slogan, it is the mechanism: no parent stepping up means no team. So there is an honest expectation that you will take a role at some point, whether that is coach, team manager or administrator. Come and put your boots on early rather than waiting to be asked, and the whole thing is more fun.
Pay your subs
After a couple of sessions with the team or the development squad, once you know it is right, we will ask for your subs. One payment for the season or four monthly instalments. If money is tight, say so: nobody misses out on playing for Summertown Stars because of it, and the conversation stays between you and the Treasurer.
We register you with the FA
Last, not first. We send a link that creates your child's FA number and registers them to Summertown Stars in one go. It is free, takes five minutes, and needs a recent head and shoulders photo. Please wait for our link rather than going direct. Your child can train before this is done, but cannot play competitive fixtures until it is.
Registration is open year round.
What to expect
Training: Most teams train once a week on a weekday evening and play a match at the weekend. The night and the ground depend on the team, so we will tell you yours rather than guess here. Our Under 6s and Girls Under 6/7 do not train separately: they play on Saturday mornings as part of the development programme, because competitive fixtures are not available at that age.
Who coaches: Volunteer parents, whom the club trains and qualifies. The person running your child's session is another mum or dad who said yes, and whose FA course we paid for.
Kit: Every child new to the club is given a match shirt, shorts and socks, which we expect to last two years. After that a replacement is paid for by parents or by the team's sponsor, and outgrown kit is handed down to younger teams. You will need boots and shinpads. We also run a well-used kit exchange for any family who needs it, and keep a boot swap and spare kit at the club cafes, so nobody has to buy new to play.
Costs: £170 for the season, or four monthly instalments of £42.50 starting the day you sign up. That covers league fees, pitch hire, equipment and coaching. There is also a training-only membership at £100 for children who would rather train than play league football on a Saturday, which is a real choice here and not a lesser one. If money is tight, email treasurer@summertownstars.org before you pay. Nobody misses out on playing for Summertown Stars because of money, your coach is not told, and your child's place is not at risk.
Parents: We ask every family to do something, a touchline, a bag of bibs through the wash, a lift to an away match, an hour on the committee. About an hour a week is the honest answer, and it is the only reason a club this size can exist without charging what it would otherwise have to.
Team full?
Don't worry. Join a development squad and your child is playing football within the week, and into league football as soon as a place opens or we can create a new team at their age group.
Register your child