Why play?

You will need running shoes if it is Summer, but usually rubber molded shoes for turf or Football boots (molded blades) for grass. Metal studs are usually too rough for untrained feet and more suited to very soft/wet ground. Shinpads are required, and need to be covered by long socks - otherwise they can get caught on other players and cause injury instead of preventing it. Shorts and shirts are required, but often provided by clubs on registration. During Winter you will want to have thermals underneath and take a warm jacket for times when you are not playing. In senior leagues these underclothes need to be the same colour as the playing kit.

No matter where you play, you usually need to register somewhere. This is to let organisers know who is there, what to plan for, and your details in case of emergency. You should ensure you know what you are signing up for (length of time, cost etc) before you do. It is not ideal to take a place in a team then withdraw, since remaining players may be left a player short, or have to cover the cost of registration that you are not paying. Also, some leagues may be longer or shorter seasons than others, so knowing exactly what you are getting helps to ensure you receive value for money.

After registering and getting your equipment sorted, then you should know who the coach and/or team manager are, and their contact details. This is sometimes clear from registration or sometimes a club administrator will be in touch with you. If it is not obvious (it often is not at all clear in junior grades) first ask the team name and grade you are in - you may be team yellow in 12th grade black etc. Get hold of the link to find the draw online (save it). It is also helpful to know how each person plans to communicate with you, since it is easy to be missed off a cancellation message if you are not already communicating well.

Winter season is March to August for Senior players, and generally term 2 and term 3 for junior players - recognising Sport NZ Balance is better. Winter is usually for Football (11v11 in senior grades, different numbers as you go down the junior age grades). Summer season is October to the start of December, and the end of January through to March in senior grades, and usually term 4 and term 1 in junior age grades. Term seasons usually can be used for variations on the usual i.e. if a senior 5v5 season was run during Winter (usually 11v11) it might be term 3 only.

This depends on what you are registering for. Senior Winter Football is usually 45mins for each half, add in 5mins halftime and at least 30mins to change and warm-up - thereby two hours minimum time commitment. A 9yr old playing Summer twilight is usually 18-20mins for each half and 5mins half time - thereby 45mins minimum commitment, but I highly recommend some warm-up time! No injuries allowed. Social (and junior) Futsal is 20mins each half and 5mins halftime - thereby 45mins minimum commitment, but again - warm-up as well.

Most junior grades have traditions like a different parent bringing oranges every week for kids to eat at halftime. Sometimes another parent brings chocolate for after games.

Sometimes the kit is washed by the team manager every week or sometimes that duty is rotated around a different parent (or player in senior grades) each week. Usually in the younger age grades, players keep their shirt/shorts to wash themselves - so no changing rooms are needed. These are things you can discuss with a team manager or grade coordinator instead of the club administrator (who is usually very busy).