The Iowa Soccer STATE LEAGUE (ISL) is the highest level of league play in our domestic pathway, with player development at its core. It features competitive and premier divisions which connect to the Presidents Cup and State Cup Championships.
All Iowa Soccer League divisions strive to be in alignment with U.S. Soccer’s Player Development Initiatives (PDI’s).
League Details
Play DatES fall 2026 (subject to change)
- OPT IN – Aug. 29-30
- Holiday Weekend (No ISL Games) – Sept. 5-6
- Week 1 – Sept. 12-13
- Week 2 – Sept. 19-20
- Week 3 – Sept. 26-27
- Week 4 – Oct. 3-4
- Week 5 – Oct. 10-11
- Week 6 – Oct. 17-18
- ISA State Cup / Presidents Cup – Weekend 1
- Week 7 – Oct. 24-25
- ISA State Cup / Presidents Cup – Weekend 2
- Week 8 – Oct. 31-Nov. 1
- Reschedule Week 1– Nov. 7 – 8
- Reschedule Week 2 – Nov. 14 – 15
Administrative TimeliNE FALL 2026 SEASON (subject to change)
- Wed. July 1- Team Registration Open
- Wed. July 15 – Team Registration Close
- Fri. July 17 – Team Confirmation / Divisional Placement
- Wed. July 22 – Divisional Placement Meeting (virtual)
- Zoom meeting info will be emailed to club directors/admins
- Fri. Aug. 7 – Draft Schedule Review
- Fri. Aug. 14- Schedule shared with club leadership
AGE GROUPS – TEAM FORMATION (NEW FALL 2026)
| BIRTHDATE ON -OR-BETWEEN | 2026-27 SEASON |
| 8/1/2015 – 7/31/2016 | U11 |
| 8/1/2014 – 7/31/2015 | U12 |
| 8/1/2013 – 07/31/2014 | U13 |
| 8/1/2012 – 7/31/2013 | U14 |
| 8/1/2011 -7/31/2012 | U15 |
| 8/1/2010 – 7/31/2011 | U16 |
| 8/1/2009 -7/31/2010 | U17 |
| 8/1/2008 – 7/31/2009 | U18 |
| 8/1/2007 – 7/31/2008 | U19 |
Following extensive review and discussion, US Youth Soccer, AYSO, and US Club Soccer have collectively decided to move to an age
group player formation cycle that runs from August 1 to July 31, starting with the 2026-27 season/registration year.
This change was made based on additional critical feedback, data, and expert input to better align players with their school-grade peers. This age group player formation will be the most inclusive and help increase participation.
Fees – (Fall 2026- Spring 2027)
| Age Group | 7-Game | 4-Game | 1-Game | Add-On |
| U11-12 | $800 | $560 | $200 | $160 |
| U13-14 | $900 | $630 | $225 | $180 |
| U15-16 | $1,000 | $700 | $250 | $200 |
| U17-19 | $1,100 | $770 | $275 | $220 |
- Starting with the Fall 2026, teams will pay one all-inclusive league fee at the time of registration.
- Teams may pay the full league fee at the time of registration online through Playmetrics or by check. Payment must be received prior to the first scheduled play date.
- ISL STATE LEAGUE – Fee Simplification Announcement
- (Feb. 19, 2026)
REGISTER FOR STATE LEAGUE
⚠️Mandatory Action Item⚠️
Your club must be fully set up in our new association platform, PlayMetrics, before you can register any teams. You must be a club administrator to register teams for the ISL.
📖 On Boarding Guide – Set up your club affiliation in PlayMetrics.
🤝 PlayMetrics Onboarding Support
If you need help setting up your PlayMetrics account, please reach out to Casey Betting (Membership Operations & Compliance Director).
Email: cbetting@iowasoccer.org
***PLEASE NOTE this doesn’t mean you need to use Playmetrics as your club registration system. This will just get your state/governing side setup for the Fall allowing you to gain rosters, player cards, register players with the state (and by extension US Soccer) and find and pay invoices.***
The following information will be helpful in completing the team application:
- Know your team make-up, competition level, and division placement options
- We will schedule within age & division as much as possible
- Occasionally, we may schedule cross-divisional to help with travel time / cost
- DIV 1: May cross play with DIV 2, but never DIV 3
- DIV 2: May cross play with DIV 1 and DIV 3
- DIV 3: May cross play with DIV 2, but never DIV 1
- Know your team availability / coach blocks
- All teams are allowed to blackout dates and the number of dates will be included in the registration process
- Blocks for shared coaches and/or shared players
- Teams planning to participate in the Presidents Cup / State Cup, must be available for the dates of competition.
contact
Mike Wilson
Member Services Program Director
mwilson@iowasoccer.org
515-252-6363
Game Day Tools
Follow the instructions below to notify Iowa Soccer of closed facilities/fields affecting Iowa Soccer League games for: State League, Rec Central, Rec Northeast, Academy Central
- Name of venue and field(s)
- Date(s) closed
- Affected leagues (State, Central, Northeast, Academy)
- Name of person submitting
Click on location for details
Ames
Ray Schwichtenberg (email)
Aliber, Hidden Valley, Norwalk, Urbandale, Walker Johnston
Bonnie Larson (email)
Altoona, Bondurant, SE Polk HS, Indianola
Jerry Headington (email)
Burlington
Tim Miller (email)
Cedar Valley
Kelly Dunbar (email)
Council Bluffs
Joyce Bartels (email)
Davenport
Alec Clark (email)
DCG
Joe Christiansen (email)
Denver/Waverly
David Abkemeier (email)
Grinnell/Newton
Jeff Blanchard (email)
Iowa City/Kickers
Jeremy Cohen (email)
Lakeside Fellowship, North Polk HS & MS, North Polk United
Jason Chesley (email)
Marshalltown
Megan Bell (email)
Muscatine
Daniel Lopez (email)
Ottumwa, Oskaloosa
Erick Lopez (email)
Pella
Robert Warner (email)
Prairie Ridge/Ankeny
Chad Sparks (email)
Quad Cities
Jonathan Crockett (email)
Tuma/Cedar Rapids, TBK/Bettendorf, Dubuque
Mike Palmer (email)
Waukee, Winterset
Seth Woodcock (email)
General assigning contact
If you do not know who the assignor(s) are in your area, or are unsure where to get games, then use the online form to connect with the IRC
League scores will be reported by Team Admin via PlayMetrics. Please use resources below for instructions on how to submit game scores.
The Iowa Soccer League takes a common sense approach to getting kids and coaches on the field and from that principle comes the allowance to use “guest players” in a game – so that your team has enough players to play the match as scheduled.
What it is
- This allowance is a tool for coaches to use to ensure they have enough players and/or substitutes at a game so that the game doesn’t have to be rescheduled, thus eliminating the work involved for coaches to reschedule.
- The tool is not a guaranteed answer to all scenarios, or to last-minute changes in player availability, but if planned for and used properly, the allowance should minimize the need to reschedule. In cases where the allowance can’t be applied, coaches are still able to reschedule matches.
- Maximum number of guest players in a match is three.
What it is NOT
- If the team has enough players and substitutes to play a match, the guest player allowance is NOT to be used.
- This allowance is NOT a tool for coaches to use to “stack” a roster with “ringer” type players just because the allowance exists or just because there is room on the team to still be under/within the maximum roster size.
- The tool is NOT to be used to gain a competitive advantage.
Abusing the allowance
- ABUSE of the spirit or the letter of this allowance will not be tolerated and will be dealt with harshly. Iowa Soccer will monitor guest player requests and impose strict penalties in the event a coach or club is found to have been abusing or finding ways around the allowance.
- Do NOT abuse the spirit of the allowance in order to gain a competitive advantage in your game. Abuse of the allowance will result in strict penalties. The allowance’s intent is to help take the burden of rescheduling off volunteer coaches; having up to three additional player options to add to your team so that a match can be played as scheduled is the foundation of the allowance. In the spirit of fair play, the allowance is guided by replacing a “like player” with a “like player” and, only in the event you need guest players.
Matches should be played as scheduled as match days are known in advance of the schedule. However, from a practical standpoint, sometimes an unavoidable situation may come up during the season that necessitate your coach asking your opponent to agree to a reschedule.
REC CENTRAL & REC NORTHEAST ONLY – In the event your coach seeks a reschedule due to a lack of players: The first step a coach should take before making a request of an opponent is to utilize Guest Player Allowance mechanism. Visit the Guest Player Allowance & Form page for complete details and procedures.
To make schedule change requests:
- You must have role as CLUB ADMIN or TEAM ADMIN in the league registration platform, PlayMetrics.
- CLUB ADMINS have ability to add TEAM ADMIN role to head coaches, assistant coaches and team managers.
- How to enable Team Admin permissions to Staff (PlayMetrics)
- CLUB ADMINS have ability to add TEAM ADMIN role to head coaches, assistant coaches and team managers.
- Club Settings in PlayMetrics will need to be updated to allow for TEAM ADMIN to submit and approve schedule change requests.
In the event you need to reschedule please follow steps listed below:
- STEP 1: Team coaches or coordinators contact opponent and agree upon a date, time, and location to reschedule a match.
- How to Message the Opposing Team and View Contact Info (PlayMetrics Article)
- ISL – Find Opponent Contact Info (Guide)
- STEP 2: Contact your facility directors and referee assignors to make sure there are no conflicts and referees get assigned to the game.
- STEP 3: The agreed-upon date and time must be submitted via PlayMetrics by the HOME TEAM coach/team admin as soon as the change is confirmed and no later than NOON on the Friday before the game.
- How to Request a Schedule Change (PlayMetrics Article)
- ISL Request Schedule Change (Guide)
- Approval Chain: Change requests require approval from both clubs and the League Admin.
- To submit a change request as a coach, you must have Team Admin permissions.
- Contact your club admin/leadership if you not have these permissions.
- To submit a change request as a coach, you must have Team Admin permissions.
- Admin Routing: Requests can be started by a Team Admin and must clear their own Club Admin first, then the opposing Club Admin and finally League Admin.
- Approval Chain: Change requests require approval from both clubs and the League Admin.
- STEP 4: Once the League Admin reviews and approves, the public-facing online schedule will be updated.
- If you encounter any difficulties sending messages or submitting schedule changes within PlayMetrics, please contact mwilson@iowasoccer.org for assistance.
In the event you are unable to message or submit the game change request via PlayMetrics, you may use the form linked below.
