How long is soccer season in high school? [ANSWERED!]
For both soccer players and soccer fans alike who are in high school, it’s useful to know how long the typical soccer season lasts when it comes to high school soccer. Because the school year is shorter than the calendar year, it would make sense why the high school soccer season might be shorter than the typical soccer season, but how long is it exactly?
Soccer season in high school lasts three to four months out of the school year. High school soccer season most commonly takes place during the autumn season, from late August or early September until November, though some states have later soccer seasons or even multiple seasons.
To learn more about soccer season in high school and how it compares to the typical soccer season, keep reading!
How long is soccer season in high school?
With soccer season most commonly taking place in the autumn season, it’s more common that soccer season is 3 months long, though it can last for as long as 4 months with some exceptions. If the high school team is successful in their season and qualifies for post-season, then they will take an extra month for the additional three games in an attempt to qualify for championships.
If soccer takes place later on in the year, it will typically be 4 months long, especially for the winter season (excluding the time off for Christmas and New Years’ observation). If high school soccer season takes place in the spring, which is typical for girls’ soccer teams, it can last anywhere from 3 months to 3 and a half months. More particularly, high school soccer season can typically last as short as 10 weeks and as long as 14 weeks.
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 to 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, simultaneously with American football, 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 have other opportunities to play another sport if they desire to do so.
States that start soccer season later in the school year
There are some states that have soccer season schedules that differ from the rest of the states. These states include Florida, Texas, and California. California’s soccer season is typically a few weeks longer than most other states. This is because the climate in these states, especially California, is warm enough for soccer to be played in months that are usually colder in other states. When it comes to 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 is three months long. It 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 is four months long. It begins at the start of January and ends sometime in April. Despite the fact that 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 high school soccer season is also paired with the winter season, but it goes on a bit longer and begins at a different time. Much like Florida, soccer season begins in November, but instead of going through January, it continues all the way through to March. Given this, high school soccer season in California lasts nearly 5 whole months.
Length of high school soccer season compared to other soccer level seasons
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 length |
| High school | 3 to 4 months, or 12 to 16 weeks; August/September through November, November through February, or March through May/June. |
| Major League Soccer | 11 months, late February through December (only month MLS doesn’t play is January) |
| Youth Soccer (prior to high school) | 3 to 4 months or 12 to 16 weeks; there are two available seasons (to allow for more flexibility for parents/youth): February through May, and September through November |
| European Soccer | 9 months, late August through May |
How many games are in a high school soccer season?
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). This 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 additional games, such as the Premier League playing 38 games, and the Major League Soccer teams playing 34 total games plus 13 playoff games.
When it comes to how long the game lasts, 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 for just over 80 minutes. This differs from professional soccer games which are typically made up of two 45-minute halves.