Whitpain Township Travel Soccer Program

FAQs

1. What is the “Travel Soccer Program”?

The WRA Soccer Program includes both a Recreational League as well as a Travel League. The Travel Soccer program for Whitpain (and surrounding) Townships creates opportunities for children who desire a more competitive setting than the Whitpain Recreation Association (WRA) Intramural Soccer Program. The Travel Program runs at the same time as the intramural season, so it is not an “All-Star” or post-season team.

2. What Age groups Can Play Travel Soccer?

Whitpain Travel Soccer begins at the “Under 9” age group. There are travel teams for girls and boys, separately. Children are categorized by birth date, not grade. The cut-off date for determining age bracket is August 1st. For example, if your child’s birthday is July 31st, he/she will be the youngest on his/her team and if it is August 1^st, he/she will be the oldest. Example: 2010 U9 division is for children born between August 1, 2001 and July 31, 2002.

For a chart to determine your child’s current age bracket, click here.

3. How far do the teams travel?

For league games, most teams do not travel much farther than 30-45 minutes for games, although some away games could be farther. Most of the teams that we complete against are in Montgomery, Bucks and Philadelphia counties. The schedule is normally comparable to the WRA intramural schedule with one game per weekend, although there can be weekends with two games, especially when games are cancelled and need to be rescheduled. Home games (5 per season) are played at Wentz Run Park. There are some exceptions to the travel distances for tournaments and the coach of the team can give a better answer to these questions so you should ask at try-outs.

4. Who do the Travel Teams Play Against?

The Whitpain Travel teams are placed into Leagues, such as Inter-County Soccer League, and then divisions within those to foster healthy competition with comparably-skilled teams. Some teams are also township travel teams while some are “Club” teams hosted by various organizations in the area. Each year, teams are evaluated on their season record and assigned an appropriate division for the following season.

5. How long is the season?

Practices (and some tournaments) usually begin after the July 4^th holidays and continue through November. Each team plays 10 games in the regular season with no playoffs. There are 5 home games and 5 away games. Most teams participate in tournaments either before, during or after the official soccer season (August/Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Thanksgiving weekends). Some teams elect to play indoor soccer over the winter. A few continue play in the Spring league or tournaments. Please ask each individual coach at try-outs what is expected for your child.

6. How often do the teams practice?

Most teams hold practices two evenings per week or one evening and one Saturday per week using fields in Whitpain and Lower Gwynedd Townships. Saturday practices generally end when the season starts and weekday practices generally end sometime in October when it get dark too early. Please ask the coach at try-outs how often your child is expected to practice.

7. How can my child try-out for a team?

Check the website www.wrasports.org in late winter. Players need to pre-register online to attend the try-out sessions. The Whitpain Travel Soccer Program usually holds try-out sessions between March 1 and May 15. Check this website for exact dates, times and locations. There is no fee for attending try-outs.

8. How are players evaluated?

The Whitpain Travel Soccer Try-out process is designed to be objective and fair. Each coach is present as well as independent, third-party evaluators who observe the players over a series of 2- 3 try-out sessions. Players are assigned a number for best objectivity. Each evaluator scores the players according to skill, agility and athletic ability and gives this information to the coaches. Most coaches create a force-ranked list of players and will assign 12-18 players per team. Most age groups have enough players to create 2 Travel Soccer Teams per age group. Players are asked to not wear their travel soccer shirts during the try-out process.

9. How are players notified after try-outs?

Once the sessions are completed and the evaluations are finalized, the coach of each team will send your child an invitation to participate. You typically have a few days to decide and confirm your child’s participation. Once you confirm with the coach, you will be asked to register on-line for the Travel Soccer Program. Your payment is required to participate and you will order your uniforms at this time.

10. Can my child “play up” if he/she is good enough?

Your child should attend the try-out for his/her age group and has the option of also attending the try-out for the age group above. The guidelines for playing above age-level serve the child as well as the overall program in regard to fairness. If a child is deemed to be in the top-half of the next age group, he/she can “play up”.

11. Can my child play Travel Soccer as well as WRA Soccer?

To avoid scheduling conflicts and to be fair to both teams, it is not recommended.

12. How is playing time divided among the kids?

Travel soccer guidelines are that each child should play at least 25% of the game.

13. Can my child still play other sports during the soccer season?

The Whitpain Travel Soccer Program is run by volunteers whose mission is to serve the parents and children of the community. Please ask the coach of your age group about the practice and game schedule to determine this decision for your family.

14. Can my child play on more than one Travel or Club Team?

In most cases, the leagues will not allow players to be on more than one team, although there are instances where a player can be a secondary player on another travel team. Players can also be guest players for another team during most tournaments. Please notify the coaches at try-outs if your child is also trying out for other teams and when the notification processes will be for those teams.

15. How much does it cost to play on a Whitpain Travel Soccer Team?

Unlike some travel or club teams who pay their coaches and require $1500+ per season, Whitpain does not ask for an upfront fee other than basic registration fee which covers league fees and travel program overhead/administrative costs, as coaches and administrators are volunteers. Players are also required to purchase “home and away” uniforms. Usually teams will collect fees separately to participate in tournaments, since this is not included in the Whitpain registration fees. However, each coach and team independently decides to include additional tournaments, additional training sessions, camps, etc. and you should ask about this at try-outs.

16. What are the qualifications of the Travel Soccer Coaches?

The Whitpain Travel Soccer Coaches are volunteers who most often live and work within the community. The Travel Organization requires/strongly suggests that all Coaches receive their class “E” coaching certification. Some coaches and teams elect to hire additional coaches or trainers to help run camps, practices or special training sessions.

17. Can I get involved with the Travel Soccer Program?

Yes! There are many opportunities for parents and volunteers to participate with the Travel Program. The programs needs coaches, assistant coaches, commissioners, field management and each team needs help with registration, planning tournaments, team communication, etc. Please express your interest in volunteering during tryouts or to your child’s coach.

Thank you for your interest in the Whitpain Township Travel Soccer program.