Our travel program is a step up in competition from our rec program. It is no longer open enrollment. Players needs to tryout and may not make a team. All of our teams are made up of Weymouth Players, but we compete against other towns in a league called the South Shore Soccer League. Please check out the South Shore League Website for more information on the league:http://www.southshoresoccer.com/
Travel is a bit more expensive than Rec, but it’s a full year program (Fall, Winter and Spring). A lot of the home games are played on turf fields, there is winter indoor trainings and winter indoor league play. Travel coaches are still volunteer coaches, many of them parents, but the overall quality of the coaching received is higher than that of the rec program. Simply because there are fewer teams and the more talented players (due to tryouts) attract the better coaches. Having teams comprised of players of similar ability (due to tryouts) also makes it easier to design and hold practices appropriate for the teams. In the fall and spring, Travel hosts age group “pool” practices once per week, where every player gets the same skill based training to help ensure regardless of the team a player is on, they have the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to advance as a player.
Travel Starts at 3rd/4th grade and teams are leveled at each age group. We have 3rd/4th, 5th/6th, 7th/8th, 9th/10th and 11th/12th grade age groups on both the boys and girls side. As you will see, a player spends 2 years within an age group before moving up to the next one. There will typically be several teams within each age group. For example, this past year we had 4 teams within the u12 boys age group. We had a division 1 team, 2 division 2 teams and a division 3 team. We do our best during tryouts to properly place players on the team they should be on.
Please note that Travel is a competitive program and requires more parent & player commimtment than our recreational program. We believe in player development so it’s not all about winning games, but a player may tryout and not make a team. At the younger age groups, once you are on a team, as long as the player shows up and tries he/she will play an almost equal amount and get time at different positions. As the kids get older, a player’s ability and effectiveness on the field will start to affect their playing time.
Travel gives the kids a unique opportunity to compete as their town against other towns, just like they will in High School Soccer. At the u12 and older groups, the best teams will have the opportunity to go to playoffs and compete for a State Championship. Weymouth has produced a great number of State Champions and the players on those teams have great life long memories and friendships as a result. The overall purpose of travel is to compete as a town at a higher level and have the kids have a great time playing and competing. While player skill development is a priority and focus, we have to do so with volunteer coaches to keep the costs down.