Frequently Asked Questions

DST is a co-ed, queer recreational summer soccer league. Anyone who is queer or queer-positive and is 19 years or older is eligible to become a member.

Current members will be notified via email when and where they can register for the next season. If you are interested in joining the league as a new member, there is a link on our website to join our Waiting List or Information List. When the next registration dates and locations are known, they will be emailed to everyone on these lists. The registration events for new members will also be posted as a news item on this website.

Players are placed on the Waiting List in the order that they join. When a spot in the league becomes available, the first 5 people on the list are sent an email inviting them to register. The first person to respond to this email gets a spot in the league, while the other 4 keep their spot on the list to be contacted when the next spot opens. If, after 24 hours, no reply is received from the 5 people contacted, the next 5 people on the list will be sent an invitation. When the league replaces a female or trans player, priority will be given to female or trans players on the waiting list.

Having continuity in our membership allows for us to maintain a strong sense of community. Approximately 75% of our members return every year, so we are able to strike a balance of retruning and new members.

Being a co-ed league gives us a lot of advantages, especially when it comes to securing external sponsorship and applying for field permits. Several years ago, we received an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant to help us increase our level of women’s participation. DST remains committed to maintaining and increasing the level of women’s participation in the league. To do this, we reserve up to 25% of our membership spots for women at the beginning of the season. In the past, we have experimented with several different models of doing this and we have learned from our mistakes. By providing a women’s only registration day ahead of an open (i.e. open to all genders) registration day makes the logistics simpler and strikes a balance.

Yes, you can. There is a spot on the registration form for "Player Bond". For this to work, you BOTH need to write each other's name in this space when you register. In addition, both players need to secure their spot as members. If one player ends up on the waiting list, then the player bond can not be honoured. The same process applies for a Player Bond consisting of one returning member and one new member, even though you cannot register at the same time.

Teams are decided on draft night. The draft is mostly random, although it is designed to equally distribute league members by gender and skill level across teams so that the teams are as balanced as best as possible. More details are found in the Draft section below, and the full details can be found in the Draft Policy under the Governance section of this website.

Every year the DST executive has to pass a budget which takes into account the cost of field permits, referees, jerseys, equipment, the end-of-season banquet, and so forth. We are committed to keeping fees as low as possible to ensure that the league is accessible to all. The membership fee for the 2011 season is $150.00.

Yes. If an individual is called up from the Waiting List after July 24, 2011 then the membership fee is reduced to $95.

A non-playing member is assigned to a team just like regular players. Instead of playing, non-playing members contribute to their teams by filling roles like coach, manager, team statistician or just being a member-at-large. Registration for all members is exactly the same: $150. You are entitled to the same rights and benefits as playing members, without the pesky after-game laundry. This includes priority registration for the following season.

Prior to the beginning of the season, all players that joined after the beginning of the previous season must be assessed. This is an essential part of creating balanced teams at the draft. Other returning members who want to be re-assessed are encouraged to do so - they should contact operations@downtownsoccertoronto.org.

You will need to bring your cleats (no metal spikes) and shinguards, along with shorts and two comfortable t-shirts – one light-coloured and one dark-coloured. Bring water and sunscreen.

These are not tryouts. Think of it as a pre-season warm-up, a chance to get on the field and practice ball control, dribbling, passing, and shooting. You'll get to scrimmage and you'll get to meet some of the other league members. By the end of the afternoon, we'll have a good sense of your skill level, which is critical for ensuring that we create balanced teams during the draft.

The draft has two main goals: 1) to distribute players evenly by gender; and 2) to distribute players evenly by skill; additionally, the draft is used to place one captain and an executive member (where possible) on each team. Prior to the draft, all players that joined after the beginning of the previous season are assessed for skill at one of the skills assessment clinics run by the Operations Coordinator. The Operations Coordinator also reviews the skills rating of all other returning members. The skills spread is worked out prior to the draft, meaning that every team will receive a group of players whose skill "points" add up to an approximately equal amount. As well as evenly distributing skills across teams, DST is committed to an even gender spread.

The DST draft night is one of the most exciting and popular events of the year. The draft happens live in front of our membership, and is an opportunity to meet your team and find out who the sponsors are. As well, in what has become a trademark nail-biter "reveal", the team jerseys are shown.

DST is a truly co-ed league and we try to ensure that each team reflects this.

The draft is a random draw that is conducted live and in-person so that everyone can see what is happening. However, there are some special circumstances that require intervention. For example, as condition of our sponsorship, some of our sponsors have requested that their employees be drafted to the sponsor’s team. These exceptions are publicized in the Draft Policy (posted on the website) to ensure transparency and are usually related to sponsorship.

First, the player placement process needs to be explained. Each team has a certain number of slots available for each skill level. As players are picked randomly, we cycle through the teams to place them. Sometimes we encounter a team that has no empty slots of that player's skill level, so we have to skip that team and continue until we find a suitable team.

If our only goal is to distribute players evenly by skill, this process would be very easy. However, we also ensure that players are evenly distributed by gender, that each team gets a captain, that the executive members get spread across teams, that sponsorship commitments are met, and that player bonds are preserved. As the draft proceeds, slots get filled up and it might be impossible to satisfy all of these constraints. This is why we pick from certain groups of players as early in the draft as possible so that there are still lots of empty slots available in which to place them. We have essentially used the same draft strategy successfully since 2006.

No. DST is a recreational league and we do not pre-assign individuals to particular positions. In any given year, there are fewer than ten individuals who indicate on their registration form that the keeper/goalie is their preferred position. Furthermore, many of our league members who are seen as “keepers” do not wish to be drafted as the goalie because they like to play in other positions as well. Due to this policy, several of our league members have tried playing in goal for the first time and have found that they really enjoy it. Sometimes it’s fun to change positions!

During the draft, team email lists are compiled, and the members can expect to receive an email with all their information either the night of or the day after the draft. The rosters are also uploaded to the members-only area of the website and members can check the website for the schedule. Attendance at the draft is not mandatory - but it sure is a good time!

Each team will have two co-captains. As part of the draft, each team is assigned one co-captain chosen by the League Executive. You and your team will elect a second co-captain after the end of the third regular season game.

Co-captains are a really important part of ensuring that the season goes smoothly. Over the years, the Executive has experimented with different models for selecting and electing captains. At present, teams have one Executive-selected co-captain and one Team-elected co-captain per team. In choosing co-captains, the Executive considers only people who indicate ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’ to being a captain on their registration form, as well as people who indicated ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’ to being a captain on our annual survey (and gave us permission to the use this information). The criteria used for selecting co-captains include: leadership, community building, sportsmanship, support for the League goals and directives (which include building our membership and raising the level of women’s participation), and – of course – knowledge of soccer.

All skill levels are welcome at DST.

We supply the jerseys, shorts, and socks. You will need shinguards and cleats. We require OUTDOOR cleats but metal spikes are not allowed. They can be pin- or blade-style, but must be plastic/rubber. You may not wear a hat (unless you are the keeper) or sunglasses while playing.

Our games are played at Withrow Park, 1 block south of Danforth Ave., between Logan and Carlaw. Playoff games might be played at a different location.

Games are usually played on Sunday. On long weekends, we play on Monday instead. The games start promptly at 10AM, 11:45AM, 1:30PM, 3:15PM, and 5PM. Games consist of two 45-minute halves with a half-time break. You are advised to arrive thirty minutes in advance of your game to get dressed and warm-up.

Yes! All games are open to the public and free to watch.

This varies from year to year, depending on permits, holidays, and other scheduling issues, but in general the season opens at the end of May and runs until the end of September.

Thursday evenings are designated league-wide practices. As well, some teams may wish to have their own practices. Members are not required to attend but they are definitely encouraged to do so. Skills development in the form of skills clinics and practices is one of the many benefits to membership.

DST began in the downtown core and very much centred on the gay Village for its first several years. As the league has grown, we have actively pursued sponsors outside this district and are happy to say we've not only expanded our reach but have also secured sponsors at the league-wide level. We are always looking for new sponsorship opportunities and invite members to contact our Events and Fundraising Coordinator at events@downtownsoccertoronto.org.

Yes we can! The league has been very successful in securing sponsorship from other industries, including BMO, Blakes, KPMG, Carlsberg, Priape, Heenan Blaikie, Dr. Kevin Russelo and Associates, David Coffey: Bosley Real Estate, Tequila Rose, and Polar Ice.

The primary reason for cancelling a game is safety. When we arrive at the field, the first person consulted is the referee who is not only there to apply the rules of play but to ensure the safety of all players. Withrow Park is pot-hole ridden. When you cover pot-holes with puddles you have a recipe for twisted ankles and, potentially broken legs or feet.

A secondary concern is not to worsen the state of the fields. When we run on wet grass, the grass tears up and ground becomes muddy. A muddy wet field becomes a dry, sandy field. This would make future games all the more unbearable.

As soon as the decision is made to cancel games, an e-mail will be sent to all members. A message will also be posted prominently on the front page on the website.

The Executive and the referees know that our members want nothing more than to play! Executive members go to the field and consult with the attending referees to determine whether the fields can be used. As a result, games are only cancelled as a last resort.

The short answer is that from both a logistical and financial standpoint, an alternate field is not feasible with our present structure. The application process for public fields is long and complicated and starts in November of the preceding year. Allotment of field-time by the city is based on past needs/usage and on number of members. As it is, DST already has an allotment that surpasses our needs (in their opinion). This would require DST to go to private fields, which are also booked well in advance by other leagues and organizations. Also, a private field can run anywhere upwards from $60-100+/hour to rent, where our public field costs in the range of $10-15/hour. In addition, the city does not refund us for field-time that is unused.

No! Cancelling games is the last thing the DST executive wants to do, and each case is assessed individually. We don’t cancel games unless the actual field conditions (as witnessed the morning of the games) merit it. It takes a LOT of rain for us to even consider cancelling.

The best bet is to establish an alert system with your captain. For those playing the 10am games, the field is assessed at 9-9:30 so you should already be at the field and we will advise you as quickly as possible. It may also be a good idea to have a friend at the field to call you in case of cancellation if you anticipate being en-route.

We can make up for one missed game day. We have three weeks scheduled for playoffs, with the option of changing to a two-week format and turning the first week into a make-up game.

The field conditions across the board in the Toronto core are less than desirable. The fields are categorized as “A”, “B” or “C” from best to worst (and from most expensive to least expensive). Since its creation, DST has moved from playing on a “C” level field to a “B” level field without drastically increasing fees. It’s important to know that the cost of moving from one level to the next doubles the rate per hour. When planning for fields for DST, we take into consideration the location (making it easily accessible to our community), cost, field condition and, most importantly, availability. During the permit process, approximately 12 fields are listed in our request. We are then allotted time based on what’s available.
We are in talks in the city about the improvement of Withrow Park's soccer field. Please see the link in the About section of the site concerning field improvements for more details.

Absolutely. Your chance to make structural and organizational changes comes each year with the Executive elections. While the past and current Executive members try to make decisions with everyone’s best interest in mind, they may not be aligned with what you want.

We ask for a deposit so we can work closely with the banquet facility to confirm the exact number of attendees which they need to provide the appropriate amount of food, seating, etc. The deposit is refundable which means you have a little extra cash in your pocket to buy that cute guy/girl a drink or take a taxi home at the end of the evening.

No. While the banquet is included in your membership fee, it is not transferable or refundable.

Currently, our membership fee includes a ticket to the banquet for all league members. However, you are welcome to purchase an additional ticket to bring a friend/partner to the banquet. Watch DSTribution for announcements closer to the end of the season (usually during playoffs) for details about the banquet and ticket sales.

Every year towards the end of the season, several calls for photo submissions go out to the membership. From these photos, we put together a retrospective. We can only work with what we have, so get out there this season and snap some photos!

DST is committed to providing a high-quality recreational soccer experience and the most important part of that is YOU. We want to hear what you think about how we have done and how the Executive can change or improve the DST experience. In fact, these FAQs are a result of people responding to our survey.

These questions are not mandatory so if you feel uncomfortable, do not answer them. We ask them to help shape our sponsorship packages. Sponsors and granting agencies typically want an idea of who they are financing and these questions help us give them that information.