Mission:
The mission of East Windsor PAL Travel Soccer is to provide an
environment allowing each participating child to develop and excel
within the sport of soccer. As a sport, soccer provides the youth of our
community with the opportunity to learn and develop a healthy life style
that will bode them well in
their future endeavors. We will provide leadership and learning
to the children of our community on a competitive level.
Philosophy: Our
goal is to continue to grow, expand and improve the soccer program to
provide an ongoing support structure to all interested athletes.
Earning a position on a team, DOES NOT guarantee placement
in years to come. All teams are formed anew each year based on the
results from tryouts.
Commitment level for Travel Soccer:
Travel Soccer Athletes are expected to attend all practices and games.
Players are expected to prioritize their commitment to soccer above
other sports. Team league play will be in the MOSA Travel League,
MAPS or JAGS leagues. There
are about 10 games per season with half the games at the opponents
location. Most opponents
are within a one hour drive but some may be more.
Players will likely attend several tournaments during a season
where some may be out of state depending on the level of play and the
coaches desire to attend nationally ranked tournaments.
Travel teams have Spring and
Fall seasons and most participate in a Winter league.
Annual fees for travel soccer are
team dependent but usually
range from $300 to $800+ per year depending on the number of tournaments
entered, uniform needs, trainer costs etc.. which can be partially
offset by the amount of team fundraising.
Tryout Pre-Registration:
All participants are highly encouraged to preregister by completing the
registration form
and e-mailing it to
tryouts@ewpaltravelsoccer.org
or dropping off the form at the PAL office.
There will be on-site registration however this may delay the
participant's arrival time at the designated field and reduce the amount
of time he/she can be evaluated.
Pre-registered players will receive an e-mail with instructions
for the days of the tryouts.
Registration numbers will be pre-printed for you to make
registration easier. No
athletes are allowed to wear travel jerseys to try-outs.
The dates of the tryouts are April 16th and April 30th
2011. Attendance is
expected at both sessions. It
is highly recommended that players attend both sessions for the team
that they are trying out for. We understand that scheduling
conflicts may occur, but we can't change dates to accommodate a select
few as this usually impacts someone else.
The tryout schedule will be posted on this website 1 week prior
to the tryout date indicating start and end times for each age group.
Day of the Try-Outs
Please arrive before the designated start time for your tryout session
to allow for check-in, walking to the field and stretching / warm-up
before the tryout starts.
If you are registering the day of the tryout, please arrive about 15 min
early so that all pertinent information can be collected and a tryout
number assigned. Depending
on the number of unregistered participants, you still may be late to
your tryout session.
Try-Out Evaluation:
Try outs will consist of drills or match play of 3v3 and up to 5v5 teams
depending on the age group being evaluated.
Each player will be evaluated on
ball control, dribbling, passing, receiving, speed and agility.
For U-10 and above we will evaluate vision of the game and heading.
For those interested in trying out for goal keeper, you will be
pulled aside during the tryout for evaluation.
To insure objectivity, all evaluations will be completed by
trainers and experienced coaches who have no vested interest in that age
group. All evaluators will agree on the criteria and evaluation scales.
Parents and Coaches may or may not be present during the sessions but
are not allowed to interact with the evaluators or the players including
their own children. An area
away from the field of play will be identified for visitors to watch.
Roster Decisions:
Once the try-outs are complete, the Travel Director and/or Selection
Committee will gather all the rankings from all the evaluators
. Tryout ratings/results will determine the team placement of players on
each of the teams. The
coach may seek independent
evaluations in the selection of players
from the tryout committee;
however the final decision is that of the coach.
The coaches must contact and invite each player on the roster within 10
days, and athletes will have 48 hours to make a commitment to the team.
If a participant declines, the next person on the list will be
invited until a full roster is achieved.
All other participants who did not make the team will be
contacted by a team coach with feedback for improvement opportunities
and contact information for the Recreation program.
Under no circumstances will the coaches share exact rankings with
players and/or parents. They may pass on information as to why they were
or were not selected based on feedback provided.
