• Registration is open from February 3 – 28, 2025 and is done online at www.emsasoccerportal.com. If you have never registered for soccer before, you will first need to register a household account on the portal before you can register a player. This can be done anytime and you do not need to wait until February 3rd to set up your account.

• Incomplete/not paid registrations after February 28 are considered late registrations and will be placed on a waitlist, this includes not paying the volunteer bond.

STEP 1: Community League Membership

• A valid 2024-25 Community Membership is required to register; otherwise, you will not get past Step 1 of the online registration. Community League memberships are valid from September to August of each year so if you have purchased one for the 2024-25 indoor season, 2024-25 basketball season, playschool or using the outdoor rinks, it will still be valid.

• If you purchased one to register for the 2024-25 Indoor Season, it would still be valid.

• Visit www.lessardcommunity.ca/memberships to purchase your membership.

STEP 2: Register online

• Log in or create an account at www.emsasoccerportal.com

• Please do not try to set up another account. Contact the office for help at  [email protected] if you have trouble logging in.

• For new accounts: once you have validated the account, you can add/register your player(s) and/or team officials.

• EMSA has additional help for registration available here.

STEP 3: Payment

• Please note: The registration is not finalized until payment has been received.

• Online – Visa/Mastercard can be paid on the last step of your registration.

• In-person – Please contact [email protected] for alternative payment methods if you are unable to pay online.

• Late registration: Anyone who has not completed their registration (payment included) or registered after February 28 will be consider late. While we will do our best to place your player on a team, spots and requests are not guaranteed. You may be placed on a waitlist or transferred to a different community team with space. Please register early.

The community soccer program in west Edmonton is run by EMSA West and you register to play in your home community. If your home community does not run a program, your child will be placed in the closest community that does. Lessard, Willowby, and Westridge, Wolf Willow & Country Club all currently run community programs.

If you do not know which community you live in, you can use the online community league search tool from the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues

The Lessard Soccer program is run with volunteers and your contribution of time allows us to keep fees low. Volunteers are required for the soccer program to successfully run as well as other events and tournaments throughout the year put on by EMSA. One volunteer bond is required per family and registration will not be considered complete without the $75 volunteer bond being paid via credit card online at https://lessard.getcommunal.com/programs and selecting the Family Volunteer bond. If you prefer to pay via eTransfer, please email [email protected] to arrange an alternative payment method.

As mentioned above, the soccer program is heavily dependent on volunteers for the program to run and we would prefer you take the time to have a positive impact through volunteering. We recognize that this isn’t always possible for everyone so those who are opting out of volunteer, will pay the bond not receive a refund at the end of the season.

There are a variety of ways to meet your volunteer commitment for the year including:

• Signing up to be a coach, assistant coach or team manager. Signing up for any of these positions can be done through the EMSA soccer portal.

• Volunteering on the Community League Board.

• Completing a Casino shift for the Community League.

• Assisting with soccer equipment organization, distribution, or collection at the end of the season.

• Volunteering with EMSA/EMSA West tournaments and other events that will be emailed out throughout the season.

• Other opportunities throughout the year with Lessard Community League will be communicated out to those with outstanding volunteer bonds

At the end of the soccer season, if your volunteer commitment has been met, you will be refunded the volunteer bond in the same way you paid.

If your volunteer commitment has not been met, the Lessard Community League will provide you additional opportunities to meet the bond with volunteering at other league opportunities (hall, outdoor rink, etc.). By the end of the December, if the volunteer bond is not met it will be forfeited to the league.

Please note, if playing U9 and above, it is expected you return your jersey in the same condition it was received. If the jersey is damaged or lost, you will be invoiced $35 for the replacement. This will either be deducted from your volunteer bond refund or will be placed on your account and you will be unable to submit future soccer registrations until this is paid.

When registering on the soccer portal you can list a friend or a coach you would like to request to play with under the “I want to play with…” or “Coach Request”. If there are any other specific requests, those can be included under “Comments/Requests”. Alternatively, you can put Lessard under “Comments/Requests” if there isn’t a specific player or coach you want to request to play with.

Yes you can and we will work with the other community league to see if it is possible! If you want to play with Lessard but live in a different community select Lessard as the community when registering on the soccer portal and follow the same steps as above if there is a specific coach or player you want to play with. You do not need to purchase a new Lessard community league membership as long as you have a valid membership in your home community.

• All players are required to have shin pads worn underneath socks.

• For U4/U5 players, a shirt will be provided by EMSA through the community league which is yours to keep at the end of the year. You are responsible for shinpads, socks, shorts, and running shoes. If purchasing socks or shorts, purchase black. Although soccer cleats are not required, it is great to get players used to them from the start and they provide additional grip if the field is wet.

• U7 teams are sponsored by Tim Hortons and provide each player with socks, shorts, and a jersey that you get to keep at the end of the season. A ball is also provided for each player which will be used for practices and given to players at the conclusion of the season. You are responsible for shinpads and shoes. Soccer cleats are recommended.

• U9 and above, jerseys are provided by Lessard. You are responsible for black socks, black shorts, shinpads and soccer cleats. Jerseys are expected to be returned at the end of the year in the same condition they were received.

• The season is tentatively scheduled to start May 1, weather dependent, and run until the end of June. Teams will do their best to play all scheduled games but depending on weather as well as other factors like smoke, this may not always be possible.

• Schedules for U9 and up will be posted on April 28, 2025, after 5 pm to the EMSA site.

• Teams will be created in late April and you will be notified of which team you are on prior to April 28th.

• TeamSnap is used for all communications from teams including team rosters. If you have previously played soccer, hockey, or basketball you are likely familiar with this tool. If not, you can sign up at TeamSnap.com or by downloading the mobile app.

• Rosters will be added to TeamSnap in late April potentially prior to being contacted by your coach.

• While we strive to place your player on a Lessard team this isn’t always possible if there are not enough players for that age group or if there is no coach. If you register late, you may also be placed on a team in a different community if there is no space in Lessard for that age group.

• The best way to avoid this is to register early and talk to your child’s friends from school or the community to ensure they register to play soccer. Also if you are interested in coaching (there is no soccer without coaches), please reach out to [email protected] as soon as you can so that we know we have coach(es) for that age group.

• If there is no spot on Lessard for your player, you will be notified and options will be discussed at having them play for another team in EMSA West.

The outdoor soccer season has very tight timelines from registration closing to the season start. It is likely you will not hear from your coach until just before your first game in late April.

• While we do our best to have everyone play soccer who wants to play soccer, it is not always possible. If there is space on a team, you can register. If team rosters are full, you may be able to register to play in a different community but this is also not guaranteed.

• Please register early to avoid disappointment.

• Reach out to [email protected] to discuss options

Please send an email to [email protected] with your question and we will get back to you.