SO YOU LOVE SOCCER AND LIVE IN ARLINGTON
Here are some answers to your questions
What is travel soccer?
Travel soccer, also called select soccer, is a tryout program for players who have a high interest level, whose soccer ability is above average, and who want stronger competition. It is coached by trained, licensed adults who are current/former players and want to give younger players the skills to be as good as they can be.
How are ATSC travel teams selected?
The Arlington Travel Soccer Club (ATSC) publicizes and conducts open tryouts annually in late spring in the Under-9 to Under-12 age groups, to form teams for the following fall. Please see the Club website at www.atsc-va.org for up to the minute information on tryout schedules. There are three, 90-minute tryouts per age group; the more tryouts the player attends, the better the coaches can assess their soccer ability. At the tryouts, players usually participate in a variety of drills and small-sided games. They are rated by their age-group coaches as well as by outside evaluators. Factors such as effort, competitiveness, coordination, and attitude are important in the younger age groups; coaches are also looking for skill and team play in older age groups.
Tryouts are held in all age groups. For new teams, players are selected strictly from the tryouts. For existing teams, new players are selected from the tryouts, and returning players are evaluated on both their tryout performance and the past season(s). Specific information on all U13 and older tryouts will be posted on the ATSC website, www.atsc-va.org under Teams - Tryouts.
How do I figure out the right age group?
Team age groups are based on players’ age as of August 1 of the year they try out. A player who turns 9 on July 27 will play U-10 during the upcoming year and should attend the U-10 tryouts. A player who turns 9 on August 2, November 27, or the following March 22, for instance, would play U-9 because they would be younger than 9 on August 1. Birth date ranges are on all tryout forms and flyers and on the Club website, www.atsc-va.org, under Teams.
Who do travel teams compete against?
Up to two Arlington boys teams per age group U-9 to U-19 compete in the National Capital Soccer League (NCSL), which accepts up to 60 teams per age group. Ages U-9 and U-10 compete primarily against teams from northern Virginia and DC, and teams U-11 and over compete throughout the greater Washington metropolitan area (includes Maryland).
Up to two Arlington girls teams per age group U-11 to U-19 compete in the Washington Area Girls Soccer League (WAGS) of up to 50 teams per age group throughout the Washington metropolitan area.
Up to two boys teams and two girls teams per age group U-9 and older may compete in the smaller and less competitive Old Dominion Soccer League (ODSL), against teams from Virginia (including Winchester to the West and Harrisonburg to the South).
Each league divides its teams by ability level into divisions of about 10 teams each (in younger ages division assignments may be random for the first 1-3 seasons of play). Each team usually plays the other teams in its division once per season.
How many travel teams will Arlington have in my age group?
The number of Arlington teams formed in each age group depends on the number of players trying out, their ability level, and the policies of the various leagues. League play is limited for U-9 and U-10 girls to two ODSL teams, and from U-11 on to two WAGS and two ODSL teams. For U-9 and U-10 boys there may be up to four teams, two each in ODSL and NCSL, although ATSC usually forms only two teams at U-9 and three at U-10.
When are the soccer seasons and when are tournaments held?
The Fall league season runs from the first weekend after Labor Day to early or mid-November, and the Spring season from early April to early or mid-June. In addition, teams often play pre-, mid-, and/or post-season tournaments (usually 3 or 4 games over a two or three-day weekend). No league games are played on Labor Day, Columbus Day and Memorial Day weekends, thus these are popular tournament times, as are other pre- and post-season weekends. Some teams also participate in select indoor or futsol leagues during the winter; participation is often voluntary and games are usually once a week on the weekend.
What is my financial and time commitment to Arlington travel soccer?
Team costs vary widely, depending on such factors as how many tournaments are entered, whether uniforms and other equipment are needed, how much the coach is paid, and team fundraising efforts. The typical range of fees, per player per season, exclusive of out-of-town accommodations and meals is:
$275-$400 U-9 and U-10 (includes uniforms)
$275-$400 U-11 and U-12 (more tournaments and higher coaching salaries, more players to share costs)
$275-$700 U-13 and older (higher league fees; teams in higher divisions may be at upper end of this range due to higher tournament and coaching costs).
ATSC is strongly committed to ensuring that no player will be denied an opportunity to play travel soccer if the player's parents are unable to pay. To support our teams, ATSC provides scholarship support for teams with more than one scholarship player. Please help ATSC keep our scholarship fund strong by making a tax-deductible donation to the Klurfeld Travel Soccer Scholarship Fund. Any amount, no matter how small, will make a difference to a talented player.
Players and parents must make the time commitment for practices and games. Most teams practice twice a week for 90 minutes, beginning three or four weeks before the start of each season. Unlike house practice, travel practice may not be on a neighborhood field. A typical season includes 7-8 Sunday games and one or two Saturday or weeknight games. Teams usually also play one or more pre-season scrimmages and from one to three tournaments each season.
Travel games take priority over house games or practices and other sports during the soccer season. There are many jobs on a travel soccer team; manager, treasurer, uniforms, snacks, phone trees, tournament organization, fundraising, etc. These jobs are all handled by parent volunteers; the coaches’ job is to coach.
What if I can’t afford to pay these fees?
Do not let financial concerns prevent your child from trying out. Most teams make provisions for players who cannot pay the full fee, and ATSC offers financial assistance for scholarship players. Most teams organize fundraising activities to help cover costs. ATSC is strongly committed to ensuring that no player will be denied an opportunity to play travel soccer if the player's parents are unable to pay. To support our teams, ATSC provides scholarship support for teams with more than one scholarship player.
Who hires the coaches? What kind of experience do they have?
The Club through the Director of Coaching hires the U9 coaches. The coach is hired depending on his/her credentials and experience coaching players in that age group. It is an extremely important position because the coach is usually the first professionally trained coach the player will have in their youth soccer careers. The teams will be split evenly after the age group tryouts the Club holds in the Spring.
For all teams, when it is necessary to hire a new coach, for whatever reason, the Club strongly suggests a collaborative effort between the team and the Director of Coaching to determine who that person will be. The Director of Coaching will make himself available to help interview and evaluate any and all candidates the team or the Club find for the position. A determination is made after the interview AND a practical evaluation with the coach and the team in question. Salaries are always negotiable, but team and Club expectations must be met before the coach is hired.
Arlington is fortunate in the ability to attract quality coaches for our travel program. ATSC coaches include:
If I have more questions, where do I go?
For more information about ATSC, the teams, the leagues and the Virginia Youth Soccer program, please start with our website at www.atsc-va.org. You can learn about ATSC’s philosophy about coaching, helpful hints for coaches, managers and parents, and links to the various local, state and national organizations with which we are affiliated. If you want more, please contact our Executive Director at administrator@atsc-va.org or our Director of Coaching at doc@atsc-va.org. We welcome your questions and look forward to working with your children.
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