Panther and Lady Panther Middle School Program Information 

The Sumner County School Board system has not recognized soccer (and many other sports) as school  sports.  Middle School Teams in Sumner County Tennessee are organized by interested parents, individual school faculty, or local soccer clubs.  For Portland, the Panther and Lady Panther Middle School teams are overseen by the Portland Soccer Club and are covered through a private insurance policy.  Here are the general expectations for our teams:

  Team is formed by players that reside in Portland school districts (could include Westmoreland 
for girls’ soccer because girls’ soccer is not offered for Westmoreland High School). 
  Team will play full sided soccer adhering mostly to the TSSAA / NFHS laws of the game. 
  Season dates: 
    o Panthers may begin training/conditioning in January with games starting in early March and ending at the end of April/first of May 
    o Lady Panthers may begin training in July with games starting in August and ending at the end of September/first of October 
  Team Practice: 
    o Practices will primarily be held at Richland Park in Portland.  Local gyms may be an option. 
    o Practice on weeknights (except in a rare instance). 
    o Practice duration is typically 1.5 hours. 
    o A normal soccer schedule may have 1 to 3 practices and 1 to 2 games per week with coaches typically limiting total weeknight activities to no more than 4. 
  Games: 
    o Most games will be played on week nights.  Teams may participate in one to two Saturday tournaments.  The maximum number of matches is 16 per season. 
    o Team will play most games in Sumner and Wilson County.  If active in the Sumner County league, most game start times are between 4:00 and 5:00.  If active in the Wilson County district, most game start times are between 5:30 and 6:30. 
  Cost for the program is highly dependent upon fund raising efforts by the individual teams.  
Over the year’s an average of individual costs is around $250, but it is routine that each player’s payment ends up being around half of that cost due to fund raising efforts. 
  Transportation for players may be difficult for some.  We encourage parents to organize carpooling groups for both practice and games if necessary. 
 
**Please see the adopted PSC’s Competitive Team Formation, Composition, Tryouts, and Coaching Requirements Policy for more detailed information on those items. 
 
Thanks,
Coach Nick
PSC, Dir of Training/Select