U9 – U12 Travel Soccer Program

Philosophy:
The FM Soccer Club’s Travel Program is a full year developmental program that is a step above the rec program, offering more challenge, competition and opportunity for skill development for residents of the FM school district or the town of Manlius.

Tryouts:
Players interested in being on a travel team must participate in tryouts during the second and third weeks of June. Tryouts are held on weekday evenings. Players must attend both sessions to be considered. Players will be evaluated on the following types of criteria:

-Receiving -Movement off the ball
-Passing -Knowledge of the game
-Shooting -Communication
-Heading -Speed
-Defense -Goaltending
-Dribbling

The Player Development Director utilizes professional coaches to evaluate the players at the tryouts. Just as coaches in the rec program evaluate their players at the end of each season, current travel players will also be evaluated by their coaches prior to the tryout.

Please note: Just because a player makes the team one year does not guarantee they will make the same team the next year.

The players are notified of whether or not they made a team at the beginning of July.

Team Play:
The teams start practice in August and continue playing through the following June. It is important for players interested in playing at this level to know that this is a full year commitment.

All teams play three seasons a year as follows:
1. Fall- Most teams choose to play in the Fall Friendly League held at Jones Rd. CNY Family Sports Centre in Baldwinsville, on their outdoor fields. Some teams choose to set up scrimmages and go to tournaments on weekends. Teams will practice once or twice a week outdoors and generally play one game on the weekends. Many teams also play at least one tournament in the fall on the weekend. Soccer tournaments are often 2 day events, but there are some that are just one day. A popular 2 day tournament at the end of September is held in Vestal, New York, near Binghamton. We have also had teams play in tournaments in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
2. Winter- All teams play at least one session of indoor soccer at one of the indoor sports centers (Sports Center481, SISC in Liverpool etc.) Sessions vary in length from 8 weeks to 12 weeks depending on the facility. Usually teams practice indoor once during the week and have one game a week on the weekend.
3. Spring- The main travel season is in the spring when teams play in the CNYJSA ( Central New York Junior Soccer Association) League. Games are held one night during the week at different locations around the Central New York area. The season is generally 8 weeks long beginning the first of May and going through the end of June. Teams will practice once or twice a week for an hour or two depending on the age level. Most teams play one to two tournaments during the spring. In the past the Chili Tournament in Rochester, New York in early June has been popular, but there are many to choose from. Location and the number of tournaments played are dependent upon the coaches and the team. Sometimes there are summer tournaments that a team may choose to enter, but this is optional.


Expectations:
Because this is a team sport, a player has a duty not only to him/herself but also to the team and the coaches. Learning to work together as a team is vital to any team sport and can only be done effectively if everyone participates in all practices and games. A player is expected to be at all practices and games. Exceptions need to be discussed with the coaches ahead of time. While we do encourage players to play other sports, we do not require excessive amounts of time each week for practices and games and feel this expectation is a fair one.

Sportsmanship:
Its is important as a representative of the FM Soccer Club that players, coaches and parents always display good sportsmanship at games, practices and tournaments. We are proud of our teams and their families as they almost always display good sportsmanship, but it never hurts to remind people that this is an expectation of our club.

Playing time:
One of the biggest differences between the rec program and travel soccer is playing time. Playing time is not always even in every game. However, over the course of the season playing time tends to even out. For example, in very competitive game situations, some players may not get as much playing time, however, in less competitive situations, those same players may get more playing time than the others.

Cost:
One of the big questions asked about travel soccer is How much does it cost? We estimate that the overall cost for playing travel soccer is between $250-500 per year plus travel expenses incurred when going to tournaments. *Below is a sample list of the types of costs involved:

Uniform- $50
Fall Friendly League and travel fee- $13
Fall Club Registration fee $30
Indoor League play- $50-75 per session
Indoor practice facility- $25-40 per session
Spring League and travel fees- $13
Spring Club Registration fee- $30
Referee fees- $25
Tournament fees- approximately $25 + per tournament
Tournament travel expenses- varies depending on location and
length of stay

*These approximate costs are meant as a guide to understand the types of costs involved when playing travel soccer and are subject to change.

Training:
Our travel teams are coached by parent volunteers. In a number of cases, the coaches have set up additi0onal training by professional coaches to further enhance the players’ skill development. The cost of this training is divided among the players. This cost will vary depending on the instructor.

Commitment Contract:
All players and parents are required to sign a Commitment Contract and bring it to the tryouts indicating that each party has thoroughly read this information and are aware of the amount of time and commitment travel soccer requires. We want players and parents to enter into the tryouts with as much information about the program as possible, so they can make an informed choice about being a part of the travel soccer program.

$100 Nonrefundable Deposit required:
At tryouts each player must make a $100 deposit to tryout. If a child makes a travel team, the deposit will be nonrefundable upon agreeing to be on the team. This money will go toward future costs of being on the team. If the player does not make the team, your check will be returned.