League Transition: Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ gives every SSA family, whether rec, travel, or graduated, a clear picture of what is being proposed, why, and what we need from you.

Last Updated 16 October 2026

The Basics

  • SSA is seeking to move its travel program from the South Shore Soccer League (SSSL) to Boston Area Youth Soccer (BAYS). The eligible travel program moves together. It is not a team-by-team choice.

  • No. Under the Massachusetts Youth Soccer (MYSA) movement policy, the move requires written notice to SSSL, a poll of SSA membership households in which more than 50% of responses favor the move, and a vote by BAYS member organizations to accept SSA. There is also an objection and appeals period. The timeline below shows each step.

    • October 1, 2026: SSA notifies SSSL of formal intent

    • October 28- November 8, 2026: MYSA membership poll

    • January 1, 2027: BAYS member organization vote

    • Spring 2027: any objection or appeals process

    • If approved: move to BAYS in Fall 2027

  • No. The move applies to SSA's travel teams. Rec programs are not part of this league change. However, since most of our rec players will move into travel soccer sometime between grades 3-5, it is extremely important that rec families also make their voices heard as this decision will impact their future as well.

Why We Are Proposing This

  • Because too many of our kids are playing games that aren’t close, and it’s impacting their love of the game. Most Sharon families know the feeling of a season where you can tell in the first ten minutes how the game is going to go, week after week. Sometimes that's your kid's team getting run over. Sometimes it's the other way, and the game is over by halftime. This fall alone, there have been games with upward of 10 point differentials, in both directions. Either way nobody learns much. The question of whether Sharon is in the right league has been raised numerous times over the years by coaches and families, including at our most recent coaches meeting.

  • No. The pattern has held across different administrations and coaching staffs. When a league has too few places to put teams, the result is games that are lopsided in both directions.

  • No. Our board has questioned the viability of staying SSSL vs. moving to BAYS for several years. In early 2026, we began the process of reviewing the data for multiple years of games.  After reviewing the results, our board raised the question of whether Sharon is in the right league at the May 2026 coaches meeting. The board voted on July 13, 2026 to explore a move.

  • SSA is in good standing with SSSL and Mass Youth Soccer and values the relationships built there over many years. This review is about whether the league's structure fits our program needs.

Why BAYS

  • BAYS has more than 50 member organizations (towns and cities). Like SSSL, it has four divisions, but each division is split into lettered sections by grade, gender, skill level, and geography. That gives SSA more ways to place the same range of teams. BAYS also plays 10 games per season instead of 8, which is 25% more games and better information for placement.

  • Division 4 teams in Foxboro, Holliston, Canton, and Mansfield won 46% to 51% of their games, compared with 25% for Sharon in SSSL. Girls teams in those towns won 43% to 65% of games overall, compared with 29% for Sharon. No league can guarantee results, and BAYS teams do lose. The point is that teams in the lowest division are much closer to being evenly matched there.

  • BAYS publishes score-management guidance asking coaches to keep winning margins within five goals, and standings points decline for larger margins. SSSL has no comparable policy that we found.

  • Sharon High School soccer competes against many fellow BAYS schools, such as Foxboro, Canton, and Mansfield. Our players would face the programs they will compete against later.

  • BAYS divisions are organized by single grade, but that does not force every town into a strict single-grade model. Nearby towns including Medway, Foxborough, King Philip, North Attleborough, and Dedham combine grades when registration numbers or competitive balance call for it, and Millis enters younger players in higher grade divisions. As in the past, SSA would continue deciding how to form teams based on our registration and number of participants.

Cost and Travel

  • No, there will be no increase in cost to families as a result of the proposed league change.

  • Based on discussions with BAYS leadership and neighboring BAYS towns, SSA leadership has learned that BAYS sections take geography into account, and many teams do not need to travel more than 30-45 minutes for away games. However, with more than 50 member organizations, specific teams’ schedules will not be known until placement.

Referees

  • Yes. In BAYS, referee assigning is handled locally, usually by a town assignor. Many BAYS towns run a local referee pathway with training and mentoring, and SSA plans to begin offering local referee opportunities. Details on how to get involved will follow.

The Process and What Families Need to Do

  • You will receive a poll directly from Mass Youth Soccer Association (MYSA). The poll will arrive by email around October 28th and you will have until November 8th to respond.

  • The policy requires a survey of the program's membership, not just travel families, and the move can go forward only if at least 25% of membership households respond and more than 50% of responses are in favor. Today's rec players are tomorrow's travel players, so this decision shapes the league they will play in. Families of graduated players are part of our membership and have a say.

  • Watch for the MYSA email and respond as soon as it arrives. Help spread the word to friends in the program. Join our Family Town Hall on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 at 7:30pm with questions. You will receive an email with a link to the Zoom meeting. You can also email president@sharonsoccer.org.