Blackhills FC

What the club offers

Travel teams train about two or three times a week for roughly ten months each year, with intermittent breaks the club treats as part of a balanced family life. The model is player-centered: coaches hold U.S. Soccer licenses, stay active in coaching education, and work inside SafeSport and risk-management requirements. Beyond team practices, families can use skills sessions for ball mastery, specialized goalkeeper training, makeup or extra touches with other club teams when coaches approve, and two written player evaluations per year. The club also runs events such as college information nights, a club picnic, auctions, jamborees, and community service projects. A separate player development track lets athletes who are not rostered after tryouts train alongside age-appropriate teams for a monthly fee, and the club collaborates with partner organizations when families need a different competitive fit.

Seasons, tryouts, and league play

Boys U10 through U15 and girls U10 through U19 hold tryouts in April and May. Boys U16 through U19 try out in February because those teams pause during the Washington high school spring season. Families should register before tryouts when possible; if online signup is not available, a guardian can complete paperwork at check-in. Players check in, receive a numbered tryout jersey, and move through small-sided and full-sided games while multiple coaches evaluate. Returning players receive no automatic preference, and the club asks returners not to wear Blackhills apparel at tryouts. Offers are communicated by phone within about three days of the final tryout session. Anyone who must miss the main window can arrange roughly two weeks of training evaluations by contacting the technical director.

Younger travel groups (U9–U14) play a fall season from the weekend after Labor Day through mid-December and a spring segment that usually begins in January and runs into mid-March. U15–U19 teams follow longer single-season calendars that respect high-school soccer breaks. Teams enter two to four tournaments annually depending on age, and U12–U19 state-cup style postseason play is built into the bundled player fee, while younger groups only add that tournament if families opt in. Roughly half of league matches are hosted around Thurston County, with most away trips staying along the I-5 corridor and only occasional longer drives.

Fees, uniforms, and financial aid

The board sets an all-inclusive annual player fee before each tryout cycle; age-band dollar totals refresh every season, so ask the registrar for the figure that applies to your player. The full matrix for a given year may not be fixed until shortly before tryouts—always confirm the current amounts with the registrar before accepting a roster spot. That bundle covers Washington Youth Soccer registration, club administration, field rental, referees, the technical director, head and assistant coaches, two to four tournaments for most teams (including Presidents Cup or Washington State Championship pathways where the age group participates), and year-round team training with flexibility to join other approved club sessions when players need extra reps. Uniform kits are purchased separately. After a family accepts an invitation, they may pay in one charge or spread the balance across twelve monthly credit-card installments using Visa, Mastercard, or Discover.

Need-based financial aid is available each year; awards depend on household income, family size, special circumstances, and fundraising-driven budgets, and aid never covers uniforms. Application steps and deadlines change season to season, so families should request the current form and timeline from the financial aid mailbox rather than relying on older application packets.

Mailing address, training site, and contacts

General correspondence can be sent to P.O. Box 7293, Olympia, WA 98507. The Capital Soccer Fields practice hub is at 2832 93rd Avenue SW, Olympia, WA 98512. Program questions flow through the programs director, roster and registration issues go to the registrar, technical and tryout questions go to the technical director, financial aid questions go to the dedicated financial aid inbox, and board leadership is reachable through the president’s email.