When does high school soccer season start?
If you’re a soccer fan or soccer player in high school, you may be curious to know when the soccer season starts. We’ve got everything you need to know about the soccer season in high school and how it differs from the typical soccer season for other soccer levels so that you can know when to anticipate the start of one of the most popular sports seasons in the United States.
Soccer season in high school starts in August, just before the fall or autumn season begins and simultaneously with the beginning of the school year. The soccer season will end at the beginning of November before temperatures start dropping significantly.
To learn more about the soccer season in high school, how it differs from traditional soccer season, as well as how boys’ and girls’ soccer season differs, keep reading.
When does soccer season in high school typically start and end?
Typically speaking, a soccer season in high school will start at the beginning of the school year, which is usually mid to late August or even early September, and it usually ends in November before the temperatures drop significantly in most states. It’s more typical than not for a high school soccer team to play in the autumn season so that there is more room for other high school sports teams to shine throughout the school year, and the season is a bit shorter than a typical soccer season because of this and the fact that the school year doesn’t typically run through the summer.
Given that the soccer season for high school is typical, there are some exceptions to this in which some schools start and end their soccer season at a different time, or they simply have three different soccer seasons so that the school can have three different soccer teams throughout the year. This also allows students who play soccer to also play another sport without having to sacrifice time from one sport to put more focus on another.
Some states have different start and end dates for high school soccer season
There are some states that have soccer season schedules that differ from the rest of the states. These states include Florida, Texas, and California. This is because the climate is warm enough for soccer to be played in months that are usually colder in other states. For Florida and Texas, it is also likely because these states start and end their school year a month later than most other states.
In Florida, the high school soccer season begins in November, the start of the winter season in Florida, and typically ends towards the end of January, typically the second to last week in January. The season is the same for both boys’ soccer and girls’ soccer.
In Texas, the high school soccer season begins at the start of January and ends sometime in April. Despite much of the end of the season is in the spring, soccer is still considered a winter sport in high school soccer, much like it is in Florida, although the start and end dates are different.
In California, it’s no surprise that soccer season is also paired with the winter season. Much like Florida, soccer season begins in November, but instead of going through January, it continues all the way through to March.
How high school soccer season differs from traditional soccer season
Because high school doesn’t typically span the length of the entire calendar year, and instead summer break subtracts months from the school year, it’s going to be different from traditional soccer season, especially that of professional soccer. High school sports teams are also going to be shorter than professional sports seasons because the school year is typically shorter than the calendar year.
Here are some other levels of soccer seasons in comparison to the traditional high school soccer season:
| Soccer team level | Typical season start and end |
| High school | August through November |
| Major League Soccer | Late February through December (only month MLS doesn’t play is January) |
| Youth Soccer (prior to high school) | Two seasons (to allow for more flexibility for parents/youth): February through May, and September through November |
| European Soccer | Late August through May |
Girls vs. boys soccer seasons
There are many high schools throughout the United States that splits up the soccer season between boys’ soccer and girls’ soccer. If that’s the case, then boys’ soccer typically takes place in the fall season, which begins at the start of the school year, which is late August or early September, and ends in mid to late November.
The girls’ season typically runs through the spring season in the school year, which typically begins in early March and ends at the end of the school year, which is late May or early June. There are also some schools that don’t have separate seasons for boys and girls, and instead have them both play in the fall, but still have a spring soccer season for practice and for building up skills to better prepare for the competitive fall season.
Different seasons for soccer in high school
Because states have various different climates, there are some states that start and end soccer season at different times to match up with other seasons. This will allow for states that have warmer winters to more easily split up the school year when it comes to sports seasons, as well as to help schools balance the use of their sporting facilities. Keep in mind that a majority of the states will keep soccer season during the autumn or fall season of the school year, which is late August or early September through November.
The winter high school soccer season, which is generally more common in states with warmer climates and winters that are much less harsh than in other states, typically begins and November and ends in February.
High schools that schedule soccer season to be in the spring (typically for girls’ soccer only, but oftentimes for both girls and boys), will have soccer season that begins in early March and ends at the end of the school year, whether that be late May or the beginning of June, depending on the school.
How often do high school soccer teams play and how long are the games?
How many games are in a high school soccer season is different from a typical season. There are typically much fewer games (as the focus of sports is not to take away from the student’s education but rather to enhance their college experience and exercise their sports skills), which makes sense given that the seasons in high school are much shorter than they are in most professional soccer seasons.
High school soccer typically only has 10 to 12 games, in addition to the post-season games if the team qualifies for it, which will add a few extra games. This is much fewer than the average college season, which typically goes on for 18 to 20 games. For more professional teams, there are quite a few more games, such as the Premier League playing 38 games, and the Major League Soccer teams playing 34 total games plus 13 playoff games. A typical high school soccer game is made up of two 40-minute halves, with an intermission in between the halves, so a full game lasts just around 80 minutes.