District Sports: I really have enjoyed playing soccer with District sports. I am realizing how much I miss playing soccer in the District Sports leage now in this Covid era where sports are off the table for a bit! Pros: Cost: Only about $80 for a season- not too bad, and probably breaks down to about $10 a game or less. Locations: The fields are pretty conveniently located, not too far to get to. Team captains have a say in what fields are played on, as well as the schedules of the games, and they take into account where players on the teams live. General game conditions: The fields were in good condition. Games were held on both grass and turf fields, and referees for the games seemed competent and always showed up on time. Diversity: There are lots of folks of all different ages and skill levels in this league. The league is coed. The average age is probably 28ish, if I had to guess. There are definitely more men than women in this league. Social element: There is a social element to this league. After wins, many teams go out for drinks or food. Friendships are definitely built in this league. Cons: This con is more of a pro, in some ways. Because the league is coed, but male dominated, there's a rule that asks that at least three female players be on the field at all times, for each team playing. If there are not enough girls, a team has to forfeit the win, regardless of the score. Because of this, sometimes, as a girl, when teams playing games either before or after your scheduled game are short on female players, they will ask you to play for them in their games. If you want to get some extra play in, it is very easy to play for other teams who need female players to have to not forfeit games. You also will get a lot of playing time as a girl in general, because of the way league rules are structured, and because of the general shortage of girl players. read more

District Sports - My amazing team! Pre-Covid days - Amateur Sports Teams Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Does playing on the company's softball league makes you want to take a nap? You've done kickball, your liver can't take it anymore, and you're wondering what's next? You may want to check out what District Sports has to offer. It's one of the better run amateur adult co-ed soccer leagues. It's a great league to break into the sport. All skills levels are welcomed. There's no "side tackling" and the field is shorter, so you're likely to survive. Soccer is only the beginning. They offer indoor soccer, futsol, frisbee, 7 on 7 soccer, indoor kickball, and basketball. There's plenty to do year round with this league and the fees are very reasonable. If you can sign up with a team, or just walking a meet some new people. Everyone is incredibly friendly, great adult recreational league. And, yes, they do like to party too. Just fyi, if you're very a competitive soccer player, this isn't the league for you. read more

District Sports - Amateur Sports Teams Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I've played in the District Sports league (in Div 2 for 7v7, 9v9 and 11v11) for a few years now. Alex Bearman and Zach Straus are incredibly responsive...If I have ever had feedback on unsportsmanlike behavior of opponent players or referees, they've received, listened and addressed the concerns. And they make District Sports the most well-organized league in the area. I've played in other leagues in the area which have had very poor leadership and organization by comparison. I've played in leagues where organizers never respond or randomly change or cancel games the day of. So for anyone complaining about the cost, they should know that it's well worth the money. I also like the players/community of people that are in this league. All have decent skill levels and provide fun, competitive play. *They also are active with the community and organize volunteer opportunities which I give bonus points for! read more

I've been playing in District Sports leagues for the last 3 years in DC. I've played in a variety of leagues all year round and have met many close friends through their wonderful community! 5v5 futsal - winter only 7v7, 9v9, and 11v11 outdoors They also run a couple of tournaments per year. From my experience, the organization, the level of play, and the reffing has been better than competitor leagues such as DC Fray + Zog Sports. All three leagues are similarly priced but District Sports is a not-for-profit that supports local, youth-focused initiatives such as DC Scores. Compared to other leagues, District Sports keeps their emails to what's important to know - game reminders, schedule changes, registration info, and occasional events. I've played in leagues where every weekend i get an email about random social events in DC but nothing about games or schedule updates (DC fray). The District Sports website is also easier to navigate. District Sports does a great job at maintaining the levels in the leagues. If a team is too good for the lowest division which is supposed to be recreational, they will require the team to move up. Id be annoyed if I joined a beginner league for a new sport and there were a bunch of seasoned players tearing apart the league! They really do try to make the leagues fun for everyone which I appreciate. Additionally, District Sports helps teams complete their rosters if needed and similarly helps free agents find teams. Most games are played in Columbia Heights (Cardozo, Roosevelt, Bell, Tubman schools), though I've had games at Bundy School in Shaw & McKinley Tech High School in Eckington. Some other positives - games usually start on time - league provides jerseys for new teams + returning teams (one time per year) - players are (generally) happy to be playing the game and not overly aggressive/ready to fight. - emails are replied to promptly! (Thanks, Zach!) - DC swag when you win the league read more

I love the competitiveness of all the teams that play. I've had the opportunity to play soccer on 7v7,9v9,11v11. It's a fun league, competitive to. For new players, make sure you contact the teams as they will give you an honest answer whether they have spots or not. Sign up and enjoy! read more

Great mix of teams / skill levels / locations and nice to receive a well made jersey with your registration fee. Professionally run league and typically a good group of people. The folks who run the league are also very responsive and do their very best to match individuals with a relevant team. read more

The leagues are pretty well organized, and the leadership is very responsive (as noted in other reviews). My low rating is based on one thing: the refereeing. From what I can tell, the referees undergo a fairly minimal standard of training and for the most part, are simply doing it to make a few bucks. They tend to take a laid back approach, handling games under of a general philosophy of "this is a rec league, so it gets a rec league standard of refereeing." The problem is rather than the friendly rec league they've envisioned it as, the games do get competitive and when you have (a) a system of only two referees and (b) fairly inexperienced refs, it leads to problems. The most glaring issue is the unwillingness to give yellow cards in circumstances that would lead to yellow cards in pretty much any league - challenging somebody to come over and fight you, loudly cursing at an opponent, catching the ball in the middle of a play, etc. A secondary issue is that the distance between referees makes it difficult for them to see the game well, especially smaller things like players kicking at the back of legs or stepping on feet. Sometimes, it feels like there are more dirty tackles than clean ones. While it might seem counterintuitive, the more officially the game is run, the more congenial it usually is - we've had scuffles in pretty much every game we've played and a lot of it comes down to players taking things into their own hands as a result of the referees failing to take control of the game. Since I don't really see a better alternative, I'll keep playing District Sports. But for the amount of money it costs ($1440/8 game season), they should be putting out three certified refs every game. read more

Good refs, good fields; standings and results get updated promptly.

District Sports is my favorite social league to play in ( have also played for NAKID, Zog, DCFray, WAKA, Metrosports, VOLO, you name it). You get jerseys (not cotton) once a year, eight guaranteed games and maybe playoffs, the refs are competent and the games are well organized on decent fields in DC. You can get text alerts for when games are cancelled or rescheduled. People are usually friendly enough, and if they're not, it's handled by the refs or league itself. The league reps are very responsive via email or calls. read more

Referees are not fair. Incidents are ignored and not acknowledged but we're expected to keep our cool.

I play on a 9v9 team. Sometimes people complain about the officiating etc., but I think District Sports makes it pretty clear this isn't meant to be some super competitive league (according to its webpage, it's a 503(c)(3) non profit that supports various youth soccer/ homeless programs etc), though there are def teams with a more competitive streak. But overall its a good time to go out and kick the ball around. Officiating aside, its well organized, you get a jersey with your registration fee, etc. etc. Oh yeah, if you are a female and a goalkeeper, let's talk. read more

I played soccer through District Sports and I really enjoyed it. Let me back up- even though I've played soccer for over 15 years, I've never been on a winning soccer team. Playing soccer to me is all about getting exercise and meeting cool people. District Sports allowed me to accomplish both of these. I played on both an 11 v 11 team and 7 v 7 team. Both were really fun experiences. The games ran on time, the ref's were solid, and everyone I met was super friendly. My only qualm is that it's a little expensive. I payed $75 for 7 games. It's worth it because I love the sport, but it's too bad it's not a little cheaper. read more

I play on two teams through district sports. good: lots of teams good refs (most of the time) bad: games are frequently canceled (an entire league was canceled this summer) poorly organized divisions don't make sense and are awkwardly sized frequently change uniforms that you have to buy double booked games on same field it wouldn't be hard to reorganize how they set of the leagues and have a pretty great organization. read more

Lots of fun people and good teams. I have been playing in a league for 2 years. I have been really disappointed by refereeing decisions. Sometime feels like they don't even know the soccer rules. Makes really stupid call. Recently I joined Metro Sports. I am really impressed by the quality of organization. I am seriously considering trying out different leagues in area (United Social sports, Zogsports) and dropping this league. read more

Awful referees that don't know how to call a game. We've had players pick up serious injuries from bad soccer tackles, and the refs are clueless. They care more about a curse word than a two footed studs up challenge read more

Been playing with District Sports for the past 6 years and always a pleasure. Well managed, convenient field choices and competitive teams. Still excited before every match! read more

Quick review of the winter indoor league at Cardoza High School: Overall it's a lot of fun. The games take place in one of two gyms in Cardoza's school basement. It's just a few blocks north of the U Street metro. The gyms aren' t the best place to play--wood floors and relatively tight spacing, but it works. They've scaled it back to 5 v 5 including goalies whereas in past years it was 6 v 6. According to folks who played in previous years, the play is a lot better now that its down to 5 per team. It takes some getting used to, but it's a good time. read more

I've played in District Sports' soccer leagues for three years now and it has been well worth the time and money invested. The leagues are well organized and the management does a good job of ensuring play is competitive but good-natured. Of the pitches I've played on, Bell field is the best location for 9v9 games. For the most part, the referees are good, though sometimes they are too quick to call offsides or are swayed in their decisions by whichever team that complain most vocally. I understand that it's hard in the hot DC weather for refs to officiate 4 or 5 games back to back, but wish they would let play continue instead making random calls. It also would be nice if the league did not hold games on major national or religious holidays. Overall though, District Sports is great and i'd highly recommend it to anyone looking to play soccer in DC. read more

For anyone in DC for a short time like I was (intern student during the summer) and looking for a fun competitive soccer league- this is not the one. I signed up as a free agent and paid for a league to start June 4. The first week of June 4 we had a bye. The second week we played. The third week the game was cancelled. The fourth week we originally had a game but because a new team was added we were reassigned to play end of the season. The fifth week was 4th of July so another missed game. We didn't have a second game until a 5 WEEKS AFTER the season was supposed to start. This means I missed FOUR games that I paid for. Granted, the games were thrown on the end of the schedule so all the way into late August, however, for someone like me who was only there for the summer I wasted a lot of money on this league.There are a lot more reliable teams in the area with more organized schedules that are just as fun. Our schedule changed three times and it was really frustrating as well!! read more

Well run leagues, refs are always there on time and cancellations are well publicized. I've had a great time meeting people through these teams over the last 4 years. read more

I've played a few seasons with District Sports and it just doesn't do it for me. The competition is great and the league seems to be well managed, but the vibe of the league isn't awesome.There isn't a "community" feel to the league: it's not a great way to meet people unless you're put on a team with strangers, and the refs aren't particularly friendly or engaging--they're just there to ref. It's a good league if you just want time on the pitch and aren't looking for the "social" aspect. I also did the Cherry Blossom tourny this year and while the price was reasonable for the amount of games you get, the fields were totally trashed and unsafe---one of the fields had multiple orange cones/disks around the field as warnings for the potholes. I give the tourny 1 star, but the league is more like a /3 read more

This is the most competitive adult soccer league in DC. If you're a former player looking for tough, athletic play then this is the league for you. Zach, the league director, is responsive and professional, and teams are generally respectful and sportsmanlike. read more