Travel
Although play in the travel league is usually more
competitive than the in-town league, the philosophy of the LSA
board remains the same: our role is to promote fitness, fun and
the development of personal and team skills. However, although both
in town and travel leagues stress player development, travel players
should expect a more intensive training experience. Players who
make a travel team should expect to do more work than they might
in the in-town program, but as with anything in life, hard work usually
pays its own rewards.
The Fall travel season is generally from early September to late
October. Games are Saturday and Sunday, with weekdays usually
reserved for the occasional make-up game. The U10 (under 10) boys'
and girls' home field is at
Wolfswamp Field.
All other travel teams, U11 through U14, have their home games at
Russell Field.
The Spring season is from mid April to late June. As a rule, we don't play spring
soccer because we don't have enough players in any age group to field a team.
Kids in Longmeadow tend to play multiple sports, depending upon the season,
so scheduling conflicts usually lead to committing to one sport at a time. Adding
to the problem is the fact that we have limited space in our town for fields.
If we do play spring soccer, we either play all away games or borrow a
field from a neighboring town's parks & rec program, who
is also dealing with limited space. In the spring of 2011, we have had more interest
in spring soccer and put a few teams together, but many of the teams
played several games without enough players due to conflicts with other sports.
Since the travel teams play the teams of neighboring towns,
Longmeadow participates in the
Pioneer Valley
Junior Soccer League (www.pvjsl.com), who coordinates
and schedules our games.
Assignment/Team Problems
If parents or travel coaches have any problems with team assignments
or other issues, please contact the Travel committee at
Travel@LongmeadowSoccer.com.
Travel Program
The travel teams are chosen from the qualified players who attend
one or more evaluations in May. As a rule, more
players try out for a team than can be placed on a roster, so
not everyone makes a team. If you don't make a travel team, please
don't be discouraged. Kid's develop different strenghts at different
times in their lives, and anyone can have a bad day. Play in the
in-town league, have fun and work on your skills
for next year.
All players who attended travel tryouts are mailed a
post card in early June with evaluation results. Players selected
for a travel team must complete the travel registration process
during one of the mid-June registration sessions at the Community
House, where you:
• pay additional travel fee of $100 (cash or check)
• bring copy of birth certificate, if the child has not played travel before
• bring a small, 1" by 1" player photo, (not needed for U-10)
• sign player pass (not needed for U-10)
The process takes only a few minutes. Parents can bring the
materials and sign the pass card if the player is not available
on these evenings.
Players who are not selected for a travel team will automatically
be assigned to an in-town team. Players are selected for travel
teams based on evaluations by licensed professionals, usually coaches
from area college soccer programs.
Players must attend at least one of the two evaluation sessions to
be considered for a travel team. See evaluation times below.
Players will run through the same set of drills in both sessions.
Age divisions for travel teams are based on a child's date of birth or the
grade he or she will enter in the fall. For the
season:
Age Appropriate
|
or
or
or
or
or
|
Grade Appropriate
8th Grade
|
3rd graders are not eligible for travel unless they were born before
must be in 4th grade to try out.)
All 8th graders are eligible for the U-14 division.
No 9th graders are eligible, regardless of age.
Players may be eligible to try out for more than one age group, based on
their grade and date of birth. However, a player must attend the evaluations
for both age groups to be considered for both teams. Ultimately, a child
can play for only one team.
Travel League Game Progression (PVJSL Bylaws)
| Age Group |
Ball Size |
Minutes Per Half |
Players on Field |
Field Size |
| U10 |
4 |
25 |
8 |
Small |
| U11 |
4 |
25 Fall
30 Spring |
11 |
Large |
| U12 |
4 |
25 Fall
30 Spring |
11 |
Large |
| U13 |
5 |
25 Fall
35 Spring |
11 |
Large |
| U14 |
5 |
25 Fall
35 Spring |
11 |
Large |
Small fields are 40 to 50 yards in width, 60 to 70 yards in length with a
6 x 12.5 to 6 x 18 foot goal.
Large fields are 50 to 70 yards in width, 90 to 110 yards in length with a
8 x 24 foot goal.
Player Evaluations
Travel evaluations are held in May at Russell Field (on the
corner of Blueberry Hill and Bliss, across from the High School).
The registration table will be near the entrance near the Blueberry
parking lot.
All participants must come prepared with shinguards and water.
Please do not bring a soccer ball to the tryouts. Parents are asked
to stay in the spectator area by registration. We have found
that players are more comfortable during try outs if parents are not
near them. Please refrain from coaching from afar. Your player's
natural performance will be best for them and the evaluators.
Parents or players have usually checked a box on their registration
forms indicating their interest in attending the travel evaluations.
If you missed that opportunity or change your mind after registration,
eligible players are welcome to attend the evaluations.
If a player has not registered prior to the evaluation dates,
he or she will still be permitted to try out. However, the
player must subsequently register at the Community House during
normal business hours in order to receive evaluation results.
The LSA Board is well aware that no evaluation is perfect. Even the
best players can have a bad day and may not make a travel team
every year. If you don't make a travel team, don't give up. The In-Town
program is a lot of fun, and like the travel program, is designed
primarily for player development. Stay on top of your game and try out
again the following year.
There are two evaluation sessions about a week apart. Players can attend one
or both sessions. Your average "score" will be used for selection if you
come to both.
Players will receive a postcard with results in June. Those who were
selected for a travel team and their parents will be asked to come to one of
the Travel Registraton that will be held a week or so after the cards go out.
For the travel registration:
• pay additional travel fee of $100 (cash or check)
• bring copy of birth certificate, if the child has not played travel before
• bring small, 1" by 1" player photo, (not needed for U-10)
• sign player pass (not needed for U-10)
Players will be contacted by coaches with practice information, usually
in August. The practice schedule is up to the coach.
Travel players and their families should check this website from time to time
during the season for program updates.
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Game Schedules, Field Maps and Conditions
All travel schedules are published by the Pioneer Valley Junior
Soccer League on their web site at
www.pvjsl.com/Schedules/Schedule.asp. Select the division you're
interested in from the pull-down menu. Please note the date in the
upper left corner of the schedule. PVJSL can change the schedules at any time,
and without warning. Check the date of the latest update on the Schedule
page from time to time so see if you need to look at your schedule again.
Our 2011 divisions are:
10BR - Under 10 Boys, Division "R"
10GR - Under 10 Girls, Division "R"
11B1 - Under 11 Boys, Division "1" (Black)
11B2 - Under 11 Boys, Division "3" (White) ...
11G1
12B2
|
12G3
13B2
13G3
14B2
14G2
|
PVJSL has maps on their web site of the area around each of the fields
to help you find them at
pvjsl.com/fields/MapIndex.asp.
They also have a field conditions page that tells of any field changes or
closures at
pvjsl.com/fields/Conditions.asp. Games can only be cancelled because
the field is closed by the governing town or parks department. Here's
Longmeadow's Guidlines for Cancellation.
For you safety, anytime thunder or lightning are present, you should head
for your car or a building.
Tournaments
Our travel teams generally play in two tournaments each season. They're not required,
so the coaches and teams can decide to attend or not.
At the beginning of the season (sometimes before our season starts)
is the
Kevin Barmak Memorial Soccer Tournament in Enfield.
On Columbus Day Weekend, there is the
Just For Kicks tournament in Dalton, MA.
Both tournaments are fun and friendly, and a great opportunity
for developing soccer players. The costs of these tournaments are covered
by LSA. If a coach wants to attend additional tournaments, he or she must
to contact the VP of Travel at
Travel@LongmeadowSoccer.com for approval.
At the end of the PVJSL season, qualifing teams play in the PVJSL Playoff tournament
at Gateway Regional High School in Huntington, MA.
Training/Practice in August
In addition to the practices organized by individual coaches, optional training
sessions similar to the Skills Academy
may be organized in August
by the LSA Board and the Directors of Coaching. Travel
players can get some pre-season training, and coaches can
participate or observe. The sessions are not mandatory for players
or coaches.
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