Steps To Long Island Youth Soccer Try Outs: Step 1- The Family Discussion

As we continue CoachMommyLongIsland’s series about the process for Youth Soccer Tryouts on Long Island, it is necessary to discuss what options are available for kids on Long Island who want to play soccer.  There exists on Long Island opportunities for a level of play for every player.  The list below is the most common options available that will hold tryouts.  There are also private Academies and higher level leagues that will not be discussed at this time as they are not relevant to the majority of the audience.   Understanding and determining which level of soccer is best for your child and family is the first and MOST IMPORTANT step in the tryout process.

 

1.                   Discuss and decide as a family what level of commitment will be made by the child (parents and siblings), including finances and time

As a parent, we must first realistically decide what we are able to commit to on behalf of our child.  Fortunately, Youth Soccer on Long Island provides us many options which I have tried to summarize below.  Use this information and resources to help determine which program best meets the needs, wants, and abilities of your family and child.  It is important to have a realistic understanding of your child’s skill level, passion (or lack of) for soccer, and the time and financial commitment that your child, you, and the rest of the family are not only willing, but able to make.

a.       NPL (US Club), RPL (US Club), Long Island Junior Soccer (D3-D1 Teams):  More than an alphabet soup, the above acronyms actually represent the current top 3 options for the most competitive level of youth soccer on Long Island.  National Premiere League(NPL),  Regional Premiere League (RPL), and D1-D3 of Long Island Junior Soccer League are where you want to look for a team in your child’s age group if you want a high level of competition.  Most teams in these leagues are going to include costs of hundreds of dollars for seasonal league costs, specialized training, tournaments (In and out of state), and will train and play year-long including summer and winter training and leagues.  Trainings should be scheduled 3-4 days a week and expect games every weekend.  If the team is in more than one league or is competing in a Cup competition, you can have 2-3 games every weekend.  Expect travel many weekends locally(LIJ) or as far away as Albany, NJ, and CT for regular league play for NPL and RPL.  Players looking to take part in this level of soccer require a certain level of skill in order to earn regular play time on the team.

 

b.      Interleague, JSS, Long Island Junior (Divisions 4 and higher): These teams are where we find the majority of youth soccer players on Long Island.  A team at this level will allow some competition and cost a seasonal league fee between $100-$200 and monthly training fees of $25-$100.  As a player on a team at this level, expect play more locally and practices 2-3 times a week and at least 1 game every weekend.  Most of these teams will take part in some Cup competition and tournaments, but will rarely travel out of state.  Teams at this level also allow for less skilled players, although some level of skill is required.  Winter and summer activities will vary by team.

c.       Recreational:  This level of soccer is for a player of any skill level and is mostly run by your local soccer club.  The cost will usually be a one-time per season cost between  $50-$150.  At this level, the teams will practice 1-2 times a week.  Recently, some clubs have gotten away from a league style of play at this level and are running weekly sessions that include some training time followed by scrimmages.  These teams do not attend tournaments and never travel outside of their home fields.  Unfortunately, most clubs end their recreational program about age U12-U13.  Contact your neighborhood soccer club for more information.  Recreational teams do not hold or require tryouts. 

 As a mom who has 2 sons in the sport, as well as children in other activities in addition to her work and coaching schedules, I can tell you that it is not easy and you need to have a good support system to rely upon.  In fact, it is always beneficial to have your child on a team that includes parents that you not only trust with your child, but whom you can work out carpooling and shared time responsibilities.  It is also important to not only like your fellow parents, but to be willing to spend large amounts of time with these other parents, especially if you are looking to join a more competitive team.

Please comment below on personal experiences or with any questions you may have.  It is important to understand these different options available to you and your child PRIOR to making a commitment to a team.  In the next few days, Coach Mommy Long Island will continue to review the other steps to Youth Soccer Tryouts on Long Island.

Steps to Long Island Youth Soccer Tryouts: A CoachMommyLI Series

This past weekend, if you were on Long Island, you were wet and freezing on the soccer fields on Saturday and being blown around in gale force winds at the fields on Sunday.  Many of you were fortunate enough to get off Long Island for your soccer games and had better weather.  No matter where you travelled with your kids and their soccer team this past weekend, or if you are hoping to be on a team next year that travels, we are past the Memorial Day Weekend tournaments and that means the end of the Spring 2013 season is near  and tryouts are beginning.

Making the decision to attend a Long Island Youth Soccer tryout to make the move with your child to a Travel team or to change teams is not as easy a decision as it seems.  One of my biggest frustrations as a coach was how parents handled the process, and as a parent, it now frustrates me when parents of other players handle the process poorly.  Often parents fail to realize the impact their choices and actions can have on the other players of the team they leave behind.  This is not to say that making a move should never happen or that once you commit to a team or level of play that the time will never come for a change.  As important as it is to teach your child loyalty to a team, coach, and a club; the truth is that a time will come when the direction of a team changes or a child and their parent’s goals and commitment level in soccer will change.  The key is that when this time comes, the parent, child, and coach work together and follow the basic guideline of steps I provide below to make it a less difficult experience for all involved.

Coach Mommy Long Island’s Steps to Tryout/Changing of Team Success

1.       Discuss and decide as a family what level of commitment will be made by the child (parents and siblings), including finances and time

2.       Have an open/honest/respectful discussion with the child’s current soccer coach about what you and your child wants from a team and ask the coach about his plans/expectations  for the player and team

IF YOUR VISION and HIS ARE NOT THE SAME, TELL THE COACH ABOUT YOUR PLANS TO EXPLORE OTHER TEAMS AS SOON AS DECISION IS MADE AND PRIOR TO ATTENDING OTHER TRYOUTS.

3.       Ask your current soccer coach if he/she has suggestions for another suitable team or tryout

4.       Search local resources for teams having tryouts and open practices; sites available for Long Island Youth Soccer and surrounding areas include: www.backofthenet.com and www.lijsoccer.com

5.       Contact the Coaches of the top 3 teams you feel best meet your wants and ask for information from the coach about the team and role that your player may be used to fill, ask questions about practices, fees, training, substitution and play time policies, change of position, league team plays in, and location of most games and tournaments team attends, to name a few things you should consider.

6.       Decide which team you feel would be the first pick for your child and you and attend that tryout

7.       If your child is chosen for the team, notify both the new coach and the current coach of your child’s decision within 24 hours.  If the child is not chosen, repeat the steps and attend another tryout. I would NEVER suggest attending more than one tryout and then waiting to make a decision.  If the child earns a spot on multiple teams, he may be taking a spot that he does not plan to fill from another player who will commit to the team.

The process seems daunting and complex, and as a parent you may not believe that so much is necessary for Youth Soccer. Over the next few days, I will take a more in-depth look at the above steps and hopefully answer some questions you may have about Youth Soccer Tryouts on Long Island, as well as give you another perspective or some understanding as to why all of the steps are important.  Please feel free to comment if you have further questions or feel that I have missed something or disagree.  Open communication is the key to success in Youth Soccer (and you thought it was the expensive buff trainer with the sexy foreign accent- HE/SHE is just the side benefit.)

Was The Night Before Tourney at Coach's House

It was the Night before the Long Island Youth Soccer Tournament at my house
Bright and early tomorrow I would awake to Coach my Long Island Youth Soccer Travel Team at our first soccer tournament
As I lay down to sleep I awoke with a jump and scared a mouse
PLAYER PASSES!!
PHYSICAL RELEASES!!
SOCCER CLUB PATCHES!!
I ran to my team duffle and sighed with relief-
All was tucked inside next to the  Long Island Soccer TEAM ROSTER, DIRECTIONS, and separated in neat batches
Oh no! Oh my!
Did the team emails and texts go through?
Who will call 5 minutes to soccer warm-ups asking for a ride and
Who will call 10 minutes before soccer game time lost in New Hyde?
I hope those kids bring both jerseys and arrive tucked in, with a drink and on time
We need to warm up, review soccer tactics, and try not to whine
As I pack an extra cooler of water and Gatorade,
I pray the skies stay clear and the parents stay to the rear
As I lay my head back down and close my eyes,
I hope my LIJSR Soccer Refs are having a good night and know next time I will check ahead for advice at www.coachmommyli.com

Good luck to all this weekend! Play hard, play smart, have fun and be good sports!  Happy Memorial Day and thank a Veteran. (I hope you didn't really expect it to rhyme! I am a Coach not a Poet!)

“How to Save Money at Memorial Day Weekend Soccer Tournaments on Long Island and Away”

            We are the proud and few- the parents of Long Island Soccer players who have graciously declined the invites to barbecues and family parties this Memorial Day weekend so that we can travel out of state or locally to support our kids and their soccer teams at the Soccer Tournament.  Whether we will be leaving work early tomorrow to try to beat the traffic off Long Island to attend an out of state tournament such as FC Delco or the MAPS Pocono Cup, or we will be waking early Saturday morning to travel a few miles to Commack or Massapequa Memorial Day Tournament, our planning and goals are the same- easy and safe travel that does not leave us broke, and of course the Win.

My main goal is to help my fellow Long Island parents save money this weekend and at the many tournaments to come while we cheer our soccer playing youth to soccer tournament success! As I am tardy in posting my advice, I am including all tips in one post.  After this weekend, they will be split into a series and future posts will be shorter in length.

 In the last year alone, between the team I coach and the Long Island soccer teams my sons play with, I estimate we have traveled as a family to over 30 tournaments in the last 5 years with 15 being in the last year.  With a schedule like this, we have learned quickly how to get the most for our buck and each tournament and trip we learn a bit more.  I plan to save you the hassle and extra expense of trial and error and share a few tips for saving money for the parents out there.  I will also be posting a separate article for our coaches and how they can help save money for their team.

·         Let BJ’s, Target, Wal-Mart (insert discount shop of choice) be your friend:  Every LI soccer family should have a cooler and beach bag.  For tournament weekend, you want to have previously attacked your local super shop and bought in bulk:

o    small water bottles: I rarely see kids finish large water bottles before they open a new one- save money and waste and buy small.

o   Gatorade (or PowerAde) bottles: See above

o   Snacks: One always hopes to be assigned to fields at a Soccer Tournament location that has concessions, but be prepared- not all field locations will have vendors and food or drink.  Also, it is easier and cheaper to have purchased bags of chips, cookies, and fresh fruit in bulk at discount and hand it over the toddler, teen or dad who is begging for food than to give them $5 to get a snack at an overpriced vendor who is set up 5 fields to the left and up a hill

o    Bread and cold cuts: We usually budget for one special meal at a Fast Food place, but we never leave the house for a tournament or day of soccer without having set up the family assembly line the night before.  We create sandwiches in bulk and store them right back in the bread bag to save space and storage costs.  These sandwiches can also be made in a hotel room and are also easy snacks for car rides.  In order to save even more money- I suggest buying the pre-packaged meats- although not as yummy or nutritious as deli meats, they will travel well and can be stored in a hotel refrigerator or cooler for a night or two.  Even if we are staying locally on Long Island, I still make sandwiches.

o   Pack of individual cereal boxes: This is not necessary if staying local or if your hotel offers free breakfast.  If you are travelling and your team was not fortunate enough to be placed in a hotel with free breakfast or if you have picky eaters- a package of individual cereal boxes is easy to transport and to serve the family breakfast in the hotel room.  They also double as great snacks!

·         Research the area around your hotel and soccer tournament fields- Remember you are not always lucky enough to have a hotel near your soccer fields and should take some time a few days before you travel to Google the address of your hotel and the kid’s soccer fields.  You want to know the distance you will travel and location of nearby restaurants, gas stations, convenience stores and Super Store.  You never know when you will realize you forgot toothpaste, a set of shin guards, or when you get a rainy 60 degree day when the weather forecast said 85 and sunny and everyone left their sweaters at home.  You can also plan a stop at the local convenience store to pick up some of the above items for a cheaper price or at a lower tax rate and save some packing space. 

·         Research gas prices in the states you will pass through between Long Island and the Soccer Tournament- When we must travel through NJ to get to any tournament I will never put more than $10 in my gas tank before leaving Long Island.  I will fill up as I drive through NJ to the soccer tournament and on the way home to Long Island.  This will save you a decent amount of money.  Also if you have a BJ’s membership, there is a BJ’s with discount gas not far from the LIE, Southern State, and Northern State Pkwy in Melville on Rt 110 and off of I95 in CT there is at least one BJ’s gas station directly off the highway and next to a Cracker Barrel (double bonus!!)

·         Utilize the ice machine in your house and at the hotel- Instead of spending money on ice- fill a few gallon size bags with water and freeze them in your home freezer to use in your cooler or fill your cooler with the free ice provided at your hotel.

·         Network with your fellow Soccer Parents- If you are unable to afford to bring the entire family, ask if any other parent is looking to split a hotel room or if the team wants to plan a pizza night.  Very often you can reach out to a local pizza place for a group discount rate- mention the Tournament you are attending- some places will advertise specials in the Tournament book.  BULK EQUALS LESS COST!!

·         Budget for one treat- For many of us, our Youth Soccer Tournaments have become our family vacation time so use some of the money you save to treat the family to an overpriced vendor snack at the tournament.  Not only does the family enjoy a treat, but we get to be the parent who said “yes” for once, and we support the Tournament that has graciously hosted us for the weekend.  Also, out of New York you will find more Denny’s and Cracker Barrel- just 2 great inexpensive spots to treat the family to a sit down meal.

As you travel off Long Island or stay local this weekend, keep my suggestions in mind for some money saving, use them in the future, and please PASS THEM ALONG!  Most importantly- Coach Mommy LI wishes you have a safe and fun weekend! I wish great fun, hard play, and good sportsmanship to all this Memorial Day Soccer Tournament Weekend and remember to thank a Serviceman for their dedication to our nation!