Weather Policy

Our goal is to practice and play anytime it is safe to do so. Extreme heat, freezing temperatures, ice/snow, lightning, and rain, can put our players, coaches, and spectators at risk. For your safety and those around you, please review and be familiar with our inclement weather policies below.

Inclement Weather

Player safety on and off the field is our priority, and we use a catalog of resource to help inform our decisions to adapt to weather changes, suspend, and/or cancel when needed. A few resources include:

US Soccer’s Recognize to Recover has guidelines to protect players related to heat, cold temperatures, on-field conditions, hydration, lightning, sun protection and more. 
 
National Athletic Trainers Association, which houses position statements and guidelines for safe athletics, including related to heat illness

The heat of the summer is of particular concern for our players as we navigate summer storms that pop-up and extreme heat.
 
Our staff, including Jason Bailey - Head Athletic Trainer, Bryan Bachelder - Director of Administration, Paul Forster – Director of Soccer, and others are all involved in the decision-making process – whether that’s to cancel or suspend a session because of heat or lightning, adapt sessions to include more water breaks, or any other measure deemed necessary for the safety of our players.
 
Provided NCFC Youth allows for games to continue, the referees make the final decision on whether the conditions are safe or not for play at the game.

Inclement Weather Communication

Our goal is to communicate cancellations as soon as a decision is made, and we strive to make a decision by 3pm during the week and 6:30am on the weekend. This affects carpool schedules and long commutes so we will do our best to stick to this schedule.

We often wait until these times to make a decision in hopes conditions will improve and allow us to play. Most of our rented fields are governed by other entities (e.g., Town of Cary, City of Raleigh) who determine whether fields are open or closed and these entities often do not inform us of field decisions until after 2:30pm.

We rely primarily on PlayMetrics to communicate cancellations or any weather related information. Each program director is in charge of relaying the information to the appropriate families. Please be sure to have your PlayMetrics email and text notifications turned on to receive alerts as soon as cancellations or delays are sent.

Field Status

We update the field status on this website as soon as a decision is made. Fields are marked “closed” if weather conditions are not safe for players, and we cancel soccer related activities. No one is allowed to play on a “closed” field.

WRAL Soccer Park Lightning Rule

NCFC Youth purchased and installed ThorGuard Lightning Prediction and Warning system at Athletic Lab Fitness Center at WRAL Soccer Park. At the park, you will hear a 15 second horn that indicates lightning is in the area and it is UNSAFE to play or be on the fields. The system will continue to monitor the storms as well as activate a yellow flashing light.


If you arrive to the fields and see a yellow strobe light flashing, you MAY NOT enter the fields. You can only return to the field after three horn blasts, and the yellow strobe light is no longer flashing.

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