Travel Program

Travel Program

Are you a young soccer player passionate about reaching your full potential? Look no further than Upper Dublin Soccer Club's (UDSC or the Club) Travel program! Tailored for aspiring athletes aged 6-19, one of the area’s top-notch program offers an elite training environment that fosters both technical and tactical growth. We strive to challenge and nurture each player, both on and off the field, while creating a fun and supportive atmosphere where everyone thrives.

Ready to be part of this exciting program? Here's everything you need to know about joining our Travel program! For more information about our Club, visit our website.

TRAVEL SOCCER COMMITMENT

Time Commitment:

All Travel teams play 10 months per year (August-June) with practices and games across fall, winter, and spring seasons.

Fall Season (August-November):

All Club Travel teams generally play in an organized soccer league (APL/ACELA, EDP, ICSL, etc.).
2 practices per week starting in early-to-mid August. Practices are 1-1.5 hours long and are scheduled between 5:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. with younger age groups scheduled at earlier times. The Club may offer some indoor practice time at no additional cost to teams to mitigate weather related cancellations.
Approximately 10 game season (Sept – Nov) on weekends (mostly Saturdays/Sundays) in designated, competitive based divisions within each age group.
All Club teams must compete in the Jack Walsh Tournament, which the Club co-sponsors with Hunter Soccer Club. Most Club Travel teams may play in more than one tournament.
We have added the option for players to participate in a pre-season prep camp, 4 days, 3 hours per day which is optional and not included in our base fees.

Winter Season (December-March):

1 training session per week for 8 weeks (January and February) at either an indoor facility or outdoor local turf field with younger teams getting most indoor spaces.
Optional indoor league or tournaments.
Winter sessions focus on building team chemistry and improving individual skills, giving players more touches on the ball.

Spring Season (April-June):

Most of our Travel teams generally play in an organized soccer league (APL/ACELA, EDP, ICSL, Rock League, etc.), however, some teams choose to play in tournaments in lieu of league play.
2 practices per week starting in early April. Practices are 1-1.5 hours long and are scheduled between 5:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. with younger age groups scheduled at earlier times. The Club may offer some indoor practice time at no additional cost to teams to mitigate weather related cancellations.
Approximately 7 game season (April-June) on weekends (Saturdays, mostly Sundays), in the early afternoon.
In addition to league play, many teams play in one or two spring tournaments.
The Club’s more competitive teams may elect to play in State Cup competitions, which take place throughout the spring.

Additional Information:

Base winter training is included in fees.
There are additional costs for tournaments, team administration, and spring league/referees.

Multi-sport athletes are allowed to train with another Travel team within 1-year of age, whether male or female teams, if schedule conflicts arise.

* If the above-mentioned commitment is beyond what you want to invest for a multi-sport athlete, then the Club’s Recreational Soccer Program (Rec Soccer) offers a great opportunity for your player to pursue his/her love of the game in a more finite time period in the fall (Aug-Nov) and spring (Mar-Jun), with a reduced weekly time commitment (2-3 hours total, depending on the age group).

TEAM LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

Professional Coaching Model

The Club employs a professional coach model for all our Travel teams and will continue to do so for the 2024-2025 season. We believe that this model enhances the soccer experience for youth soccer players, raising the level of our training and improving the continuity of player development between training and game play.

Over the last five years, we have successfully moved all teams to the professional coach model. We still allow one or two parent assistant coaches per team who must be approved by our Board of Directors. The role of the parent assistant coach is to support the professional coaches at training and during games. Sometimes, the parent assistant coach may need to run a training session or coach a game.

Age Group Coordinator:

For each age group, the Club’s Black team’s professional coach will also serve as the Age Group Coordinator for both the Black and Red teams. This allows a professional coach to oversee the development of all players within that age group.

Team Manager:

Each Travel team has a team manager. The manager role is one of the most crucial roles in keeping things running smoothly because they collect and share important information with everyone. Typically, it’s the team managers who organize various aspects of the team (paperwork for games, tournament registration, TeamSnap, etc.) and communicates with the players’ families. Proper communication is a key to success. Our Travel Director runs regular (usually monthly) meetings for both the coaches and managers to provide them with information to share with their teams, such as significant events and changes to the program. If a team parent does not volunteer, the Club can provide one at an hourly rate at $15/hour.

Fundraising Coordinator:

Each team is encouraged to have an individual in charge of fundraising and social events. Fundraising events for the players, for example, running our snack stands, promotes team unity and helps reduce the costs involved with the Travel Program.

TOURNAMENTS

Why are tournaments important?

A big part of playing Travel soccer involves tournament play. Tournaments provide a wonderful opportunity for players to play the game of soccer beyond their normal league play. A tournament provides an enjoyable time for all involved and is a great way to build team camaraderie amongst the players and their families. This opportunity is good for social and athletic development.

When do tournaments take place?

Tournaments tend to take place over all the major holiday weekends, including but not limited to, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, and Memorial Day.

How many tournaments do you play each year?

All the Club’s Travel soccer teams are required to play in the Jack Walsh Tournament in the fall, which UDSC co-hosts with Hunter Soccer Club. Additionally, most teams will participate in another 1-2 tournaments throughout the Travel season.

TRYOUTS & REGISTRATION

Fees for Tryouts and Registration

Registration for the following season's program typically opens in late January or early February and closes at the end of February. Be sure to check the Upper Dublin Soccer Club website for the exact dates and deadlines.

Tryout Fee:

A $30 non-refundable tryout fee is required to register your child for tryouts.
This fee is paid once per year during the registration process.

Registration Fee:

If your child is offered and accepts a roster spot on a travel team, you'll need to pay a non-refundable registration fee of $250.
You'll have 48 hours to pay this fee after accepting the spot.
This fee is subject to change each year.
This fee does not cover trainer/coach fees, team costs or the cost of the player uniform.

Additional Costs:

Please note that there are additional fees associated with the program, such as trainer/coach fees, team fees and uniform costs.

The specific amount of these fees will vary depending on the team and age group.

What does the registration fee cover?

The registration fee goes toward insurance, field equipment, field rental, field maintenance, township fees, certain league registration fees (Club pays the league fee for one season per team annually), certain referee fees (Club pays the league referee fees for the fall season per team annually), website costs and all other administration costs.

Tryouts

Tryout Period

March-April 2024: This tryout period is for players selected to teams for fall 2024 – spring 2025 season.

Early May: Team selections are announced, so you can plan for the upcoming season.

Mid-May: Tryouts for U8 players are held, with rosters announced in late May.

Eligibility:

A Travel player must try out and make the team each year to be a part of our program.
Tryouts are open to players born in a specific year based on the age group they are trying out for.
Each age group will typically hold 2 tryouts; players are encouraged to attend both sessions to provide coaches with a better evaluation of your youth soccer play, but must attend at least one tryout session per age group.
Additional tryouts may be requested by the coaching staff.

Teams & Rosters:

Each age group typically fields two teams, with exceptions at the Board's discretion.
Roster sizes are limited by US Soccer guidelines. The Club may choose to roster fewer players than the maximum to permit more game playing time for players.

Important Notes:

Tryouts are for placements in the fall 2024 – spring 2025 season. Players must try out annually to maintain their spot in the program.
Tryouts are run solely by our professional coaches.
Current professional coaches for each respective age groups will select the teams. Teams are selected based on both tryout evaluations and player evaluations from the prior season. Player evaluations from the prior season will be of larger importance than the tryout evaluation for returning players.
All team rosters require final approval from the Club’s Travel Director.

Upper Dublin Soccer Club Playing Up Policy

General Rule

All players wishing to try out for an older age group must have written approval from the Travel Director before participating in tryouts.

U10 and Below:

Playing up in this age group is generally discouraged by the Club.
Very rare exceptions may be granted based on recommendation of the player's current team's professional coach and must have the approval of the Travel Director and Director of Coaching.
The Travel Director has the final say in case of any disagreement.

U11 and Above:

To be eligible to try out for an older age group, you must:
- Be ranked as a Black team player of that age group at the end of the tryout period.
- Be recommended to play up by the head coach of the older age group.
- Have approval from the Travel Director and Director of Coaching.
The Travel Director has the final say in case of any disagreement.

This policy is in place to ensure a positive and challenging experience for all players, regardless of age or skill level. If you have any questions about the Club’s Playing Up Policy, please contact the Travel Director.

Upper Dublin Soccer Club Travel Program Costs

Estimated Annual Cost

For the average Upper Dublin Soccer Travel player (excluding Penn Alliance Select), expect a range of $1,100-$1,600 per year (August-June). The majority of these costs are due directly to the Club and the balance covering team costs, both as noted below.

Club’s Portion of 2024-2025 Travel Fees

The total cost due to Upper Dublin Soccer Club is $1,025 (payable in 3 installments).

$250 at roster acceptance (early May 2024)
$425 on/around August 15, 2024
$350 on/around February 15, 2025

This fee covers:

Professional coaching/training.
Insurance, field equipment, field rental, field maintenance, township fees.
Certain league registration fees (Club pays the league fee for one season per team annually).
Certain referee fees (Club pays the league referee fees for the fall season per team annually).
Website costs and all other administration costs.

Important Notes:

These fees are non-refundable.
10-month commitment required. Players are responsible for full payment regardless of participation (e.g., injuries).

Team Costs

There are additional costs for tournaments, team administration, winter/spring leagues, and referee fees. These will be paid to the individual teams, typically at the start of each season (Approximately Aug-Sept / Dec-Jan / Apr-Mar).

These fees typically cover:

Team administration and communication (TeamSnap, etc.)
Tournament registration
Optional seasonal leagues (winter and spring leagues are not covered by Club fees)
Winter/Spring referee fees (these are not covered by the Club fees)
More competitive teams tend to participate in more tournaments, including state championships, potentially increasing costs.

Additional Costs

Uniform costs are in addition to the costs listed above. Families purchase uniforms directly from the Club’s designated uniform provider.

Reducing Costs

Club-approved team fundraising is encouraged and can significantly lower costs and build team spirit.

Jack Walsh Tournament

The Jack Walsh Memorial Soccer Tournament is the Club’s largest fundraiser, which it co-manages with Hunter Soccer Club.

All Club travel teams are required to play in the Jack Walsh Tournament.
In order for the Club to run this tournament effectively, it requires parent volunteers to staff various positions such as parking attendants, field supervisors & field marshals.

Summary of Important Points

Commitment & Time: The travel soccer program requires a significant time commitment (10 months/year) and participation in various practices, games, and tournaments throughout the year. If the above-mentioned commitment is beyond what you want to invest for a multi-sport athlete, then the Club’s Recreational Soccer Program (Rec Soccer) offers a great opportunity for your player to pursue his/her love of the game in a more finite time period (Aug-Nov) and with a reduced weekly time commitment (2-3 hours total, depending on the age group).

Cost: Expect to pay approximately $1,100-$1,600 annually for the program depending on the number of events that your travel team participates in.

Professional Coaching & Development: The program utilizes professional coaches and focuses on player development both on and off the field, offering a competitive and challenging environment.

Penn Alliance Select

Upper Dublin Soccer Club also offers an elite program called Penn Alliance Select Soccer (commonly known as PAS) for U13-U19 players.

PAS is specifically designed to develop High School Varsity soccer players and provide aspiring college-bound soccer players the opportunity for exposure to college recruiters via College Showcase tournaments, elite leagues, and recruitment support services.

Please view following website for more information regarding PAS: https://www.pennallianceselect.org/about

Review Club Policies

All participating families should familiarize yourself with the Club’s Code of Conduct and Ethics and Electronic Communications & Social Media Policy. These policies outline the expectations for players, parents, guardians, spectators, coaches, and volunteers who participate in the Club’s youth soccer programs and activities.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN UPPER DUBLIN SOCCER CLUB! If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at udsc.info@gmail.com. For more information about our programs or the Club, visit our website.