TRAVEL POLICY (Grade 4 Travel to Grade 12):
PHILOSOPHY: The Danvers Youth Soccer Travel Program is designed to provide competitive opportunities for all levels of play with the goal to develop the necessary skills, technically & tacitly to play at the next highest level.
CURRICULUM: Danvers Youth Soccer Association Player Development Curriculum (PDC) serves as the guide, framework along with a clear vision, objectives, and content to assure that all players, parents, coaches, and administrators are on the same page as far as player development. Additionally, the PDC assures that each player within Danvers Youth Soccer is taught the game of soccer sequentially (age appropriate) using similar methodologies from year to year. DYS has created a players training program that helps teach & educate coaches & players on player development. Danvers youth soccer uses Massachusetts Youth Soccer curriculum.
STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT: The game of soccer must be taught in stages (age appropriate stages of development). Each year should be more challenging then the next. For many players and parents understanding the steps to success, the expected outcomes and the focus on education and training are extremely important. True player development provides a pathway, building the skills to be successful.
ROLE OF OUR COACHES: The guidelines for our coaches are located in the Coaching section of the Danvers Youth Soccer web-site. ALL travel coaches are asked to provide 2 training sessions per week. We ask our coaches to dress like coaches at all times. We believe that our coaching staff has a much more valuable role to play than just being good soccer instructors. Our coaches are role models to our players who come through our program and should understand that they are teachers, leaders & counselors.
COACHES EDUCATION: DYS would like all coaches to have received their G and F licenses while coaching in intramural and the E licenses by the time you are coaching travel. Having these licenses will help your chance to coach travel teams and also shows that you took advantage of educational opportunities on your own.
- DYS will try to provide an on the field coaches education opportunities once/twice per year. The coaches’ education series may include “classroom” sessions, coaches’ roundtables, etc.
- DYS would like all travel coaches to have received a minimum of an “E” license by the end of their first year coaching. Coaches are teachers whom teach the game of soccer to our young athletes. DYS will reimburse coaches for the class fee. (Send a copy of receipt to the DYS treasurer)
PLAYING UP: Playing up is only considered if a player is clearly an exceptional player and not being challenged within their appropriate age group. If a coach/parent feels that a player could/should play up they must contact the coach’s/player education director. The director/committee has final decision. Before making this decision this player must attend the try-out evaluations in May/June, they must register and must try-out with the above age group. No exceptions…. The try-out score must be at the top of the above age group players for DYS to allow this player to play up.
WINNING VS. DEVELOPMENT: Although DYS recognizes that coaches, players, and some parents value the competitive game, to assure proper player development we need our coaches to adhere to a strict developmental philosophy and embrace the methodologies being presented by Danvers Youth Soccer. No matter if it is Fall, Spring or Indoor at the Grade 4 level coaches should be thinking about development, being creative during each game by challenge players to think independently, setting the expectation to play hard but most important play good possession soccer. At Grades 5/6/7/8 (U12/14) the spring season does have a playoff system where winning does mean something, but DYS expects our coaches to reinforce player development (good technique and tactical play) no matter what the outcome of the game. During the fall & indoor season, games should be thought as a training session take these games and work on player development, challenge players by moving them around to different positions so they are comfortable playing anywhere, challenge some players to multi touch while you instruct some to 1 touch, focus on technique, players movement on & off the ball, transition of the game, attacking from the back field, seeing past the 1st defender, ect. The DYS philosophy supports our coaches to be creative at each game event and puts all of the focus on player development.
CANCELATION: In cases of inclement weather please check the DYS web-site for cancelations.
Soccer is an outdoor sport, some cases played in bad weather. We want our players to understand that, so when they get older it is not something new to them. DYS/ECYSA will try to get in every session/game if all possible, little rain will not shut us down but if the town of Danvers &/or the DYS fields & equipment director feels that it is unsafe for our players to play they will ask us to close the fields.
TEAM SELECTION:
Grade 4 Travel through grade 12 teams will be formed for match play. Each team will be playing against other teams associated in Essex County Youth Soccer League (ECYSA).
· Grade 4 (U10): 1 boy’s / 1 girls travel team will be formed based on ability
· Grades 5/6 (U12): 1 Travel Senior team / 1 Travel Junior team** - Remaining teams will be formed by age or could be mixed, depending on the total registered players within DYS will either form a bubble Travel team (a mixed junior & senior team) or formed from that are next. **Note team formation may defer to the Grade 7/8 approach below depending on the total number of players registered.
· Grades 7/8 (U14): Depending on the total registered players, DYS could either create teams by age or mix junior & senior players together.
· Grades 9 thru 12 (U16-U19) – Play Spring season only, there are no tryouts for U16+, evaluations are done by the coaches.
Teams will be formed based on ability, based on the scores from the two tryout evaluations and the past years coach’s evaluation. Roster sizes are determined by the total number of registered players and the age group game formation. At Grade 4 (U10) Travel the roster size can be from 9 to 13 players / Grades 5/6 (U12) the roster size can be from 11 to 15 players & Grades 7/8 (U14 )the roster size can be from 14 to 21 players. Example: If we have 38 players in the Grades 5/6 boys group, the travel committee will place the 1 through 12 ranked players on the first team (Division 1 Travel team), players 13 through 25 are placed on the second team (Division 2 team), players 26 through 38 are placed on the 3rd team (Division 3 teams).
· ALL PLAYERS ARE REQUIRED TO TRYOUT TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY ON A TRAVEL TEAM, EVERY SOCCER YEAR.
· Coaches are REQUIRED to evaluate and rank each player at the end of EACH season (Fall & Spring).
TRAVEL TEAM PLACEMENT GUIDELINE: Whether it’s your first time or third, we understand that travel tryouts & player evaluations can be a stressful time for you and your children. We hope by explaining the process, it will help alleviate some of that stress and let your child enjoy their travel soccer experience. Our Division 1, Division 2, and Division 3 travel teams all practice on the same fields, wear the same uniforms, travel to the same Essex County towns and are coached by our volunteer coaches. Placement on the right team should lead to a great soccer year. DYS Travel team placement notifications will be via email to families post July 4th - Click Here for Full DYS Travel Tryout Process Procedures
PLAYING TIME GUIDELINE: At Grade 4 (U10) Travel players are to play as close to equal time as possible. At Grades 5 & up we also ask that all players are to play close to equal time. However Danvers Youth Soccer realizes that travel soccer at the older age groups, unlike intramural soccer, is a separate commitment and must be treated as such. The spring season does have playoff implications and at time not all players will play equal time, with this in mind players are REQUIRED to attend two training sessions and ALL scheduled scrimmages and makeup games. If a player misses a training session and/or scrimmage the team coach is not required to follow the playing time rule.
SYSTEM OF PLAY: During the fall season we highly recommend that the field formation should change each game. Changing the system of play will help put players in different situations which will help develop players. The change of positions &/or formation will get your players to think and help them to be more creative. During the spring season changing up formations could cause players to be uncomfortable so keeping with one or two formation is understandable. For some recommended formations see the coach’s corner of the DYS web-site.
COACH SELECTION:
The Travel Committee Chairperson will advertise ALL open coaching positions for travel teams by email to every coach and DYS family in the organization. In addition, an advertisement will also be placed on the Danvers Youth Soccer website.
Coaching applications and CORI forms will be made available to every coaching candidate. All coaching applications must be received by the Travel Committee Chairperson by no later than June 1st. All applicants for contested positions will be interviewed by the Travel Committee.
Coach’s selection is based on:
· Coaching Philosophy
· Coaching Experience Overall
· Coaching Experience in the age group
· Playing Experience
· Coaching License(s)
· Time in Danvers Youth Soccer and attendance at DYS coach’s education events
