Players and parents/guardians should read the SCSL Travel Soccer Handbook, which a comprehensive review of Shenandoah County Soccer League travel soccer.

What is travel soccer and what are its benefits?
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.

How will my son or daughter be picked for a team?
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.

How do I determine the right age group for my child?
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.

Can my child try out in a different age group?
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.  

How many players will you take per team?
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:

9U & 10U Teams 7 v 7 game format 10-12 players on each team

11U & 12U Teams 9 v 9 game format 12-14 players on each team

13U – 15U Teams 11 v 11 game format 16-18 players on each team

16U – 19U Teams 11 v 11 game format 16-22 players on each team

What should my player wear to tryouts?
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.

What should I / my child bring?
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.

Should my child come to all tryout dates? 
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.

Can my child get on a team at other times of the year? 
Even after tryouts, many teams may have some roster spots open until late summer.

When will I find out if I have made the team? 
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.  

What if I don't make the team? 
There are options available to you such as Recreational play to help further your soccer development.

When does the season begin? 
The season practices begin in early August. There may be pre-season scrimmage games before the start of the season as well.

When and where do travel teams practice? 
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. 

How many travel teams will the Shenandoah County Soccer League have in my son’s or daughter’s age group? 
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.

When are tournaments held? 
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.

How much does travel soccer cost?
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.