FLX SC

CASL runs our recreational program, and it isn't going anywhere. FLX SC is our competitive travel program — open to players across the Finger Lakes who want a higher level of play.

The Canandaigua Area Soccer League (CASL) Board voted 7–3 to rebrand our travel program as FLX SC. The three no votes weren’t against the change itself; those members simply preferred to launch it in 2027–28 rather than this coming season. The Board moved ahead now because the demographics across our region keep worsening and youth soccer numbers are shrinking. Smaller towns can’t always field a full, competitive team on their own. Marcus Whitman, for instance, recently couldn’t field a varsity boys team for lack of players, and when a team folds, those players lose their path. By welcoming players from across the region, not just Canandaigua and Farmington, FLX SC gives kids an option they might not otherwise have: a place to keep playing competitive soccer, even when their own town can’t field a team. And it’s nothing new: roughly 1 in 5 of our players already travel in from neighboring towns. The new name simply makes that reach official, and makes sure every family in the region feels welcome.

No — those clubs are something we aspire to, not compete with. Programs like Flash, Dynamo, and ROC play at a different level, with paid professional coaches, premier leagues, and multiple out-of-town tournament trips each season — all at a significantly higher cost.

FLX SC is built to fill the gap in between. Our tiered structure lets families choose how much they commit, and our pricing stays within reach — a genuine step up from recreational travel without the cost or the travel demands of a top-tier club. Think of us as the intermediate stage between rec travel and upper-level club soccer.

We do hope to grow toward that higher level over time — you can follow the path on our Roadmap. For now, our focus is serving the Finger Lakes region with competitive, development-focused soccer that meets families where they are.

Boys and girls, U9 through U18, from Canandaigua and the surrounding communities — Bloomfield, Naples, Red Jacket, Phelps, Clifton Springs, Geneva, Marcus Whitman, and beyond.

New players are welcome at our free evaluations, held Saturday, September 12 or 26 at FLCC in Canandaigua. You only need to come to one. Returning families don't need an evaluation unless your age group has more than one team — we'll reach out if that applies.

Not always. Depending on registration numbers and how teams come together, some players are placed in a combined age group or asked to play up an age. We always aim for the best fit for each player and the strongest teams we can field.

Starting with the 2026–27 season, U.S. Soccer is moving age groups off the birth-year system (January 1 – December 31) and onto a school-year window of August 1 – July 31. It’s the same cutoff used before 2017, now adopted nationally by US Youth Soccer, US Club Soccer, and AYSO. (A September 1 cutoff was proposed first, then revised to August 1.)

What it means for your family: a player’s age group is now based on how old they are on August 1, not their birth year. Most kids will line up with their school-grade classmates — but because everyone is used to thinking in birth years, some players will land in a different group than they expect. A few may effectively repeat an age year; a few may move up.

We use these school-year windows — the birth windows shown in our evaluation schedule — to place players, and when an age group has more than one team, evaluations decide the rest. If your player’s placement looks different than you’d expect, reach out and we’ll gladly walk through it. The fastest way to check is our Player Age Group Tool, which shows your child’s group for the 2026–27 season and whether they can play up. You can also use the official U.S. Soccer age-group tool.

Yes — play-up requests are considered case-by-case. If a player is ready for an older group technically, physically, and socially, we’ll look at it together with the coaching staff. We generally encourage players to evaluate in their own age group first, then talk through the right fit.

Teams are finalized in January, when roster counts are due to the league (RDYSL). Once you've registered and paid, your spot is locked in — your coach will reach out as soon as placements begin.

One caveat: if an age group doesn’t draw enough players to field a full team, you’ll be refunded. The exception is when we believe we can recruit the additional players we need before the RDYSL season begins in May. In that case, we’ll set the team and recruit to fill it out.

No. The tier you choose sets how much of the year your player trains and plays, not which team they land on. We build teams by skill and by who is registered, using the roster as it stands on January 1 to form complete teams in each age group.

In the future we hope to field two teams per age group, which would let us group players more by level. For now, with usually one team per group, players who choose Tier IV (our shortest, outdoor-only option) are often the ones who help round out a roster and complete the team.

We’re asking this year’s volunteer coaches whether they’d like to return, so coaching assignments aren’t final yet. Once we know who’s coming back, coaches will most likely stay with the same group of players they had last year. The one thing that can change that is the age-group shift: as groups move from the calendar-year system to the August 1 – July 31 window, where a coach’s own child now falls can determine which age group they lead. As coaches are confirmed, we’ll post a short bio for each of our volunteer coaches right here on the site.

Here’s how the coaching hours work: our volunteer coaches begin their one hour per week in January with Tier III (Spring Start). The remaining coaching hours for Tiers I and II are led by paid coaches from ROC Soccer Club, including Jaime Phillips, Joe Balls, and Keigan Young. You can meet their staff at rocsoccerclub.com/staff.

We built the tiers around the different kinds of players in our communities. Families want different things from a season, so each tier is meant to fit a real type of player and how much they can commit.

Tiers I and II are for players who love soccer as their main sport and want to play year-round. They get the longest season and the most coaching. Tiers III and IV are for players who also play other sports and can't commit to soccer alone. They start later and play a shorter season, so a multi-sport athlete can stay in the game without giving up everything else.

Tier IV has a specific purpose. A lot of smaller town travel programs charge around $300 and really only play once outdoor fields open in the spring. We wanted a tier that matches what those families are already used to, so if a player loses their home program because their town can't field a full team, Tier IV gives them an equivalent option with FLX SC.

At the other end, the most competitive clubs can run upward of $3,000 a season. We wanted the Finger Lakes to have a lower-cost way to play competitive soccer, so cost doesn't keep a player out of the game.

Four tiers from $300 to $975 per player, depending on how much of the year you play. Uniforms are a separate cost (about $125) and aren't included in the tier price.

A note on jerseys: uniform kits run on a two-year cycle, and 2026–27 is the final year of the current one. Returning players simply keep their existing jersey for 2026–27 — there’s no cost, since you already have it. New players don’t have a kit yet, so you’ll purchase one for 2026–27 (about $125), and it will already be in the new rebranded FLX SC design. When this cycle ends, the entire program moves to the new rebranded kit for 2027–28 — everyone pays about $125 — which kicks off the next two-year cycle (2027–28 through 2028–29).

Yes — payment plans are available for every tier, and need-based scholarships can help cover the cost so no player misses out.

Year-Round by Aug 1, Competitive by Oct 1, Spring Start & Outdoor by Nov 30. Registration becomes non-refundable after December 1, 2026, once teams are set.

To play in the 2026–27 season, your player needs to be registered by November 30. Here’s why the date is firm: in early January we have to commit the number of teams we’re entering into RDYSL, and once that count is locked, there’s no room to add. If you register after the deadline, we can’t guarantee a spot.

Late sign-ups also force us to rebuild rosters that were already settled, which isn’t fair to the players and families already placed. For that reason, refund requests received on or before December 1, 2026 are honored in full, less any processing fees charged by the registration system. Starting December 2, 2026, refunds can’t be issued for any reason, and we can no longer promise a place on a team. We’ll always do our best to welcome a late registrant, but only when there’s room on an existing team. We won’t break up teams that are already formed to make space.

Each tier has its own commit date, and that's when the $100 non-refundable deposit is due to hold your player's spot: Year-Round (Tier I) by August 15, Competitive (Tier II) by October 1, and Spring Start and Outdoor (Tiers III and IV) by November 30. The balance is due November 30 for every tier, so there's a single pay-in-full date no matter which one you choose.

Our winter indoor practices are held at FLX Turf in Canandaigua — 2625 County Road 22, Canandaigua, NY 14424. Open in Google Maps → Outdoor practices and RDYSL games move to our local fields from spring through summer.

Our game and practice fields are spread across Canandaigua and the surrounding area. You can find the full list of field locations — with addresses and directions for each site — on the Canandaigua Area Soccer League (CASL) field locations page. View field locations →

Not at all — Travel Plus is now included in Tiers I and II (Year-Round and Competitive), so there’s no separate program to sign up for. Here’s how the training runs: in November and December, players get 2 hours per week coached by Jaime Phillips of ROC Soccer Club. From January through March, that becomes 1 hour per week with Jaime Phillips (ROC Soccer Club) plus 1 hour per week led by our program volunteers.

Choose the Competitive tier rather than Year-Round. Year-Round includes Fall Ball, which overlaps with school modified soccer in the fall.

A player can be rostered on up to two teams — a primary and a secondary. Triple rostering isn’t allowed.

For example, a player could have FLX SC in RDYSL as their primary and a Wayne-Finger Lakes team as their secondary. Or their primary could be a Rochester club such as Dynamo or Flash in the Thruway league, with FLX SC in RDYSL as the secondary.

The moment a third club or league enters the mix — say a Rochester club, FLX SC in RDYSL, and a Wayne-Finger Lakes team all at once — the player can’t register for that third team. No triple rostering.