What is travel soccer? Travel soccer is a sponsored program of The West Deptford Soccer Club. The travel soccer program is organized by age and gender. It provides a more competitive training and playing environment compared to our in house recreation league. Our teams play in the South Jersey Soccer League (boys) and the South Jersey Girls Soccer League (girls).
What can I do to help my child while playing? Positive encouragement for your player, your player’s team, and even acknowledging a good play by an opponent team will help make the experience a fun one for your child. Remember these kids are learning to play as a team, developing skills and looking to have fun. We are competitive and the coaches are providing direction to help them. Please refrain from coaching your child in the game. It may create confusion for them or put added stress on them, making it a lot less fun for your child and the teams on the field. Please refrain from coaching other children or directing the coaching staff. Please do not coach other children on the team. Refrain from making derogatory remarks to the opponents on the field, they are learning too. We do have a code of conduct and any fine incurred by a spectator will need to be paid by the offending spectator. Please review our code of conduct http://wdsoccer.net/code-of-conduct/ .
What ages can participate in Travel Soccer? Travel soccer is for children in the U8 to U15 age groups. Teams are formed at each age level. Our program has players from age 7 to age 14. What does the “U” in U8 mean? The “U” means “under”. So U8 means players under 8 years old. To determine your child level, click here.
Do I need to register for both seasons (Travel)? Travel players are committing to play in both the Fall and the Spring season per New Jersey Youth Soccer rules. We collect the registration fees with each registration event, Fall and Spring.
When is the travel fee due? For planning purposes the fall fee will be due by June 30th. The spring fee will be due January 31st.. Players will not be permitted to play if there is a balance due to the club. If you would like to pre-pay, please contact the registrar. Pre-paying has no impact on the selection process.
When does the Travel Soccer Season start? There are two seasons in the soccer year. It begins with the Fall season from September to November. Practice usually begins in Mid August. Spring runs from March to May. Fall registration deadline for Travel soccer is the First Day of try-outs for the gender and the age they are trying out at. In the spring players will register again, but there are no try-outs for the returning players. The exact dates are posted on our Website at www.wdscoccer.net
Does my child need to try-out for Travel? Yes. Although all of our players are still learning skills and strategies of the game, the travel leagues are competitive and a try-out is required. Try-outs for new season take place during the spring. The announcements will be posted on our webpage www.wdscoccer.net in with the exact dates. All players must be registered before they can try-out.
Why must my child try-out for their Birth Year if they already play Birth Year plus one (play up)? WDSC policy states that all players are required to try-out at their age level. We do this so that your player has another “A” team option since there is no guarantee that a player will be selected for the Plus one team, even if they are currently with one. Every year there are players who played up in the past but fail to be selected for the next season.
Can my child play up (travel)? For players starting in the Travel Program at U8, they may only try-out at their birth year. Beyond U8, West Deptford Soccer Club has adopted Birth Year +1 policy. Travel players for teams U9 and above have the option to try out with the next older age group (+1). If a player is selected for both teams, the player will be placed at the higher birth year team.
Can I register for travel after tryouts? If a coach determines that they have roster positions available (gender and age specific), a try-out will be scheduled. If the coach accepts the player we will register the player with the club. Please contact the register if registration is closed.
What if my child decides not to play after I register them (Travel)? Please notify the Registrar. You will receive a refund of your registration fee.
What if my child decides not to play after the try-out (Travel)? The try-out is for the coach to know the player and the player to know the coach. If you notify the registrar, by email on or before 11:59 PM the day following the last scheduled try-out for the club (even if it is not the one you attended), you will receive a full refund of the registration fee.
What if my child decides not to play after they have been offered a position (Travel)? If you receive notification that your child has been placed on a team, please login to your Member Team Account and select “Reject”. Your account will not be charged the participant’s fee. You will not receive a refund on the registration fee (if paid) if your child was placed on an “A” team.
What if my child decides not to play after we accept the team placement (Travel)? You must notify the Registrar by email if you wish to revoke your acceptance. You have till 11:59 on the third day after acceptance to revoke your acceptance and receive a 100% refund of the participation fee. If your request is after the third day you and if we are able to fill the position, you will receive a full refund. If we are not able to fill the position we will return 50% of the participation fee. If there are extenuating circumstances, please contact the registrar for a case by case review.
What if my child is not accepted on a team (Travel)? If you player is not accepted to a team, you may register them for Recreation Soccer, but you must take the action to register them. for recreation by the recreation deadline.
My child has an allergy – how does the club handle that? As part of the registration process we do ask questions related to the player’s allergies. Please let us know about them and be sure to have a conversation with the coach as well.
My child has a disability – will they be able to play? The first step is to check with your child’s doctor confirming that soccer is a sport they can play. We do ask about serious medical conditions or other conditions as part of the registration process. This information will be made available to the coach and you may want to have a conversation with the coach. In addition if you feel the coach should know anything else, please do let him or her know.
Is financial assistance available? We strive to allow all children to play regardless of financial means. If you are unable to pay the fee, please email the Registrar with a simple request for assistance. These requests are reviewed by the registrar with the club president and the treasurer and with the strictest confidentiality.
Where/when do I pick up my child’s uniform? The club works with a vendor to obtain uniforms for our travel players. Uniforms must be purchased at an additional cost. You will be advised where and when to place your order once you are accepted on a team if you fail to order a uniform in a timely manner, your child may not have a uniform and may not be allowed to play by the officials. We have had delays for late order uniforms. The club specifies a new uniform kit every two years and all players are expected to purchase the full uniform kit.
What rules apply to the players, parents, and extended family? All coaches, players, parents and the extended family and friends are required to adhere to West Deptford Soccer Club’s code of conduct found at http://wdsoccer.net/code-of-conduct/ If you or a family member fail to follow the instructions of the officials at the games, that official my Red card you and you will be responsible for paying the fine. If you do not pay the fine, your player will not be allowed to play. In addition, all west Deptford Soccer Home games are played in public parks and West Deptford Township ordinances apply. Games played in other facilities are also governed by our code of conduct, the rules of the league, and the ordinances of local municipal government.
What do I need to provide for my child to play? Every player will need to have shin guards, cleats and a soccer ball. U8-U12 use a size 4 soccer ball U12-U15 use a size 5 ball. Since we play in a league, we have to follow league rules. Players may wear black under armor under their uniform. They may also wear certain hats and gloves (check with your coach). Jewelry and hoodies are not allowed at any games as other players may grab the jewelry or hood leading to injury.
What can I do to help my child while playing? Positive encouragement for your player, your player’s team, and even acknowledging a good play by an opponent team will help make the experience a fun one for your child. Remember these kids are learning to play as a team, developing skills and looking to have fun. We are competitive and the coaches are providing direction to help them. Please refrain from coaching your child in the game. It may create confusion for them or put added stress on them, making it a lot less fun for your child and the teams on the field. Please refrain from coaching other children or directing the coaching staff. Please do not coach other children on the team. Refrain from making derogatory remarks to the opponents on the field, they are learning too. We do have a code of conduct and any fine incurred by a spectator will need to be paid by the offending spectator. Please review our code of conduct http://wdsoccer.net/code-of-conduct/ . (yes, this is a duplicate of the above, done with purpose).
Why do we have a Tournament? West Deptford Soccer Club holds a tournament as a means to raise money for the club. This in turn helps keep the cost to participate down. As a club, which includes our coaches, our players, and our parents, we look to make the event an enjoyable event for all who join us so they can return year after year. By participating, Players, coaches & parent volunteers, the travel team will be entitled monies from the club for training and equipment.
If the club relies on volunteers, why charge to participate? The fee that is paid helps covers the costs the club incurs for insurance, equipment, maintenance of fields, tournament, league and state registrations, plus training.
If you have a question and it is not answered here, please contact the registrar at [email protected] or a WDSC board member.