Frequently Asked Questions
Shenandoah County Soccer League (SCSL)Travel Soccer is a competitive program for players with above average skills and a strong drive to develop their soccer abilities and love of the game. Boys and girls who are ready to play competitive soccer, want to learn new skills, are ready to make the necessary commitment to play travel soccer, and are ready to be coached by experienced coaches will benefit from playing travel soccer.
SCSL will run open tryouts in the spring to form teams for the following soccer year (fall and spring). All players are evaluated during these tryouts by the team coaches and additional evaluators. Selected players are placed on appropriate teams by the coaches.
Players will tryout based on their birth year in order to identify which players are above average for their age group. Players may be grouped together in different birth years; for example, a player born in 2004 may be grouped with the players born in 2003.
Players cannot tryout or play in an age group for which they are too old. Even if they miss the cutoff by one day, they cannot play ’down’ in an age group.
Different age groups in travel soccer play with different game formats—and have different roster sizes. Coaches usually carry fewer players than the maximum allowed in order to optimize players’ playing time in games. The following are the roster sizes for the different age groups in SCSL’s travel soccer program:
- 9-10U Teams – 7v7 game format (10-12 players on each team)
- 11-12U Teams – 9v9 game format (12-14 players on each team)
- 13-15U Teams – 11v11 game format (16-18 players on each team)
- 16-19U Teams – 11v11 game format (16-22 players on each team)
Players should wear a T-shirt, shorts, socks, shin-guards, and soccer cleats, and bring a ball and water. Note: players should not wear their travel training gear or game jersey or any affiliated program jersey. The tryout process is independent and non-biased, so this policy will help enforce that.
Parents will have to fill out a contact form if they did not register online. Parents will have to sign a waiver form. Copies will be available at the registration desk.
Every player who intends to participate in the SCSL travel program must provide a photo which meets Virginia Youth Soccer Association (VYSA) requirements and a copy of the player’s birth certificate. Foreign-born players may need to provide additional documentation depending on the age at which the player entered the United States, and the country of origin, due to regulations established by FIFA.
Players should try to attend all tryouts — the more time in front of the evaluators, the better. If your child cannot make one of the tryouts, it’s not the end of the world. The coaches understand that conflicts and illnesses occur.
Even after tryouts, many teams may have some roster spots open until late summer.
Player notification will continue throughout the tryouts and coaches will email or call the players to notify them if they made the team. You will be asked to commit within seven days after receiving your invitation. Families of invited players will receive instructions from the team manager. A parent meeting will be held following the notifications at which time the registration paperwork will be due along with the appropriate fees. Selected players must make a full season commitment to their team.
There are options available to you such as Recreational play to help further your soccer development.
The season practices begin in early August. There may be pre-season scrimmage games before the start of the season as well.
The club is allocated fields throughout Shenandoah County. Each travel team will have a different practice schedule. Travel teams generally practice two to three times a week during the season, for 1¼ to 1½ hours per practice.
The League will form travel teams based on the participation in annual tryouts held each spring and the League’s judgment regarding available and qualified coaches. Travel teams will be composed of players from age groups assigned by the League defined by gender and birth year(s).
There shall be no more than one (1) travel team per age group per travel league; exceptions may only be made for multiple “high school” (16U-19U) teams in the fall season.
The fall season begins in early-August and goes until mid-November, and the spring begins in March and may go into June. Teams begin practicing in early August. That means that any other sport should be secondary to soccer training sessions, games, and tournaments during these seasons.
Most games are played on Saturdays or Sundays. Teams usually play one or more pre-season scrimmages and one or two tournaments per year, depending upon the age group and competitive level of the team. Practices are from 1¼ to 1½ hours per session and take place 2-3 times per week. Travel players are expected to attend all team practices and games.
Teams often play pre-season, mid-season, or post-season tournaments (3-4 games in a 2- or 3-day weekend). Players are expected to be available to play in tournaments. Each team will determine the tournament they want to attend depending upon the age group and competitive level of the team.
Each player pays a ’player program fee’ to play travel soccer with SCSL. This player fee covers league and referee fees, State and National registration fees, player insurance, administrative expenses, and many other expenses. In addition to player program fees each player pays a “Uniform Fee”. We expect SCSL travel players and families to make the same full year commitment and pay all fees including team fees.