It’s hard to believe, but the end of the 2019-2020 soccer year is coming soon! This means it’s time to document the transition from the current soccer year to the upcoming 2020-2021 soccer year.
May 20, 2020 update: NTH has canceled tryouts for the Junior Academy, Academy and Select programs. How does this affect your daughter?
Does your daughter want to stay in the Junior Academy / Academy program next year?
She can do so without requiring a tryout. (All 25 of our Junior Academy girls showed they belonged at this level between the start of team camp last August and the shut-down in mid-March.) Here’s what you need to do to make it official:
- If you have not yet done so, please register your daughter for tryouts (even though they are canceled). This gets you in the NTH database for fall 2020 and triggers your coach to issue an invitation for your daughter to return:
- For 2013 birth year girls, this means coach Ward and the Junior Academy program.
- For 2012 birth year girls, this means coach Kimmie and the U9 Academy program.
- Expect an email invitation from NTH to register for a specific program. (This will likely happen late in the first week of June.)
- Accept your invitation.
2020-2021 soccer year preview:
Parents will have questions related to the future: age groups, tryouts, coaching assignments and other factors. We’ll update this post with more details about the transition as more details become available. You can also ask your current coach.
Age groups:
Junior Academy Girls with 2012 birth years will graduate and become eligible to tryout for the U9 Academy Girls program. Girls with 2013 birth years will be eligible to return to the Junior Academy Girls program for a 2nd year. Link: soccer age chart
Differences between Junior Academy and U9:
There are many similarities between the Junior Academy and U9 Academy programs. Here are the main differences with the U9 program:
- Game format: The standard U9 game format is 7v7 including goalkeepers.
- Schedule: The majority of U9 game days are scheduled against outside opponents, with roughly a 50/50 mix of home and away games. Away games are usually in the metro Atlanta area.
- Tournaments: U9 teams typically play a local pre-season and post-season tournament.
- Ball: U9 (through U12) players use a size 4 soccer ball.
Pre-tryout camp: May 18-21, 2020 (canceled)
The 2020 pre-tryout camp has been canceled due to restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic. NTH offers an open Academy pre-tryout camp the week before tryouts. Link: 2020 pre-tryout camp details. The camp is free for current NTH Junior Academy and Academy players. It’s highly recommended for any players who will miss tryouts.
Tryouts: May 26-28, 2020 (canceled)
Tryouts have been canceled due to restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic. Check our tryouts page for more information.
Does your daughter want to stay in the Junior Academy / Academy program?
- If you have not yet done so, please register your daughter for tryouts (even though they are canceled). This gets you in the NTH database for fall 2020 and triggers your coach to issue an invitation for your daughter to return:
- For 2013 birth year girls, this means coach Ward and the Junior Academy program.
- For 2012 birth year girls, this means coach Kimmie and the U9 Academy program.
- Expect an email invitation from NTH to register for a specific program. (This will likely happen late in the first week of June.)
- Accept your invitation.
Tryout volunteers needed:
Coaches Kimmie (U9) and Ward (Junior Academy) are looking for 1-3 parent volunteers to staff the tryout sign-in tent each night. Roles include greeter, data master (confirming player info on pre-printed registration lists) and artist (marking tryout numbers on players’ arms).
If you’re available to help any of the nights, please e-mail the appropriate coach and include which night(s) you’re available: Kimmie O’Connor (U9 tryouts) or Ward (Junior Academy tryouts).
Coaching assignments:
NTH-Tophat North Academy Girls Groups (2020-2021):
| Academy Program | Eligible Birth Years (2020-2021 soccer year) | Coach | E-mail address |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Academy (U7 / U8) web site link | 2013, 2014 | Ward Swain | ward(dot)swain(at)nasa-ga(dot)org |
| U9 Academy | 2012 | Kimmie O'Connor | nasacoachkimmie(at)gmail(dot)com |
| U10 Academy | 2011 | Trey Daniel | trey(dot)daniel(at)nasa-ga(dot)org |
| U11 Academy | 2010 | Trey Daniel | trey(dot)daniel(at)nasa-ga(dot)org |
| U12 Academy | 2009 | Ashley Stinson | ashley(dot)stinson(at)nasa-ga(dot)org |
Other subjects:
Fees:
Fees for the 2020-2021 Junior Academy and Academy programs remain the same as they were for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 soccer years. Payment installments are also offered as a four month, a seven month or a ten month plan. Further details on payment plans are available within the NTH registration system.
Uniforms:
Under normal situations, NTH would start a new uniform cycle for all Junior Academy, Academy and Select players for the fall 2020 season. Players who are new to these NTH programs will need to order uniforms for the fall 2020 season. However, due to the pandemic and its impact on the economy, NTH is not requiring returning Junior Academy, Academy and Select players to purchase new uniforms this year.
Academy group names:
If you check the NASA Tophat web site, you may see some references to NTH-Tophat and NTH-Tophat North. When used in reference to teams or programs, NTH-Tophat refers to groups that play out of the Buckhead branch, and NTH-Tophat North refers to the groups that play out of the Metro North and Quest Park branches.
Academy Team Camps:
TBD. Camp information is usually finalized in early May. If past years are a guide, Academy Team Camp will take place in early August during after school hours.