Our FAQs discuss eligibility, registration, placement process, 2024-2025 travel season fees, financial aid, and expectations of the 2024-2025 travel program.
Read a PDF of the Frequently Asked Questions here or read below.
ELIGIBILITY
Q. At what age can players be considered for the travel program?
A. Our travel program begins at U9 and goes through U19. Travel age groups are based on birth year, so players born in 2016 will be eligible for the rising U9 age group for the 2024-2025 travel season. The oldest age group is U19, and players born in 2007 and 2006 are eligible to play.
Q. Can players be placed on teams outside of their birth year?
A. Players will register for the ID sessions or club tryouts according to their birth year. Players are allowed to play “up”, but can not play “down” an age group. For example, the rising U9 team may have players born in 2016 and 2017, but players born in 2015 can NOT be placed on 2016 U9 travel teams. The Players born in 2015 would play for the 2015 U10 age group, and in a few circumstances, might be able to play “up” in the 2014 U11 age group if it is developmentally appropriate.
When players register on Playmetrics, they will only see the tryouts they are eligible for based on their birth year and gender. Any player requests to play “up” should contact the technical director.
Q. Are there any requirements to try out or to be selected to a team?
A. Registration is free and open to all players, regardless of soccer experience or ability. In many age groups, we have 2-5 teams that participate in leagues at various competitive levels. The goal of player placement during our ID Sessions and Tryouts is to have all players placed on teams at the level best suited for their development, where they have balanced opportunities to successfully contribute and be challenged to aid in their growth. All players MUST register for tryouts to be selected to a team.
REGISTRATION
Q. Do players have to register or can they just show up for the try out?
A. All players (new and current) MUST register as it is the only way to ensure evaluation and communication of selection. Players should register ahead of the tryout. Any players not registered at the field will need to take the time at the field to register, which can potentially limit their time trying out.
Q. Do I register for ECNL Regional League ID Sessions or Club Age Group Tryouts?
A. ECNL RL is a very competitive league that our top travel teams U11-U19 will compete in beginning in fall 2024. The ID sessions are meant to identify the elite players in our club and elite players from outside the club. All DC Soccer Club returning Blue team players should register for and attend ECNL RL ID sessions for rising U13-U19 age groups and Pre-ECNL ID sessions for rising U11-U12. In addition, returning DC Soccer Club, DCSC Brookland and DCSC Petworth players from other level teams in the age group may be invited by the technical staff to register and attend ECNL RL ID sessions for possible selection. If players are not sure where they fit in best, they are encouraged to discuss potential placement first with their coach before registering for ID sessions or age group tryouts.
Q. What are Pre-ECNL ID Sessions?
A. Our top level U11 and U12 teams (2014 and 2013 age groups for the 2024-2025 travel season) are considered Pre-ECNL, but will follow the club-to-club structure of the ECNL Regional League that our U13-U19 top teams will compete in. Pre-ECNL signifies the competitive pathway of development that acts as a stepping stone into the ECNL. Our Pre-ECNL U11 and U12 teams will compete against the other Pre-ECNL teams in clubs that participate in the ECNL Regional League. However, some of the clubs in this league also have a ECNL National platform, and the U11-U12 Pre-ECNL are the foundation of the competitive pathway to those clubs’ ECNL National and Regional level teams at U13.
Q. What are the different travel levels DC Soccer Club offers and how do they differ?
A. DC Soccer Club offers different levels of teams based on the age group’s amount of interest during tryouts. The highest competitive level team is the BLUE team in each age group. Typically, we have the most teams in the youngest age groups because roster sizes are smaller when playing 7v7 or 9v9. The amount of teams start to narrow as the age groups get older when playing 11v11 and the max roster size expands.
The difference between the team levels in each age group is based on where those players currently are in their stage of development, and that level team will correspond with the appropriate competitive league where they are matched up against similarly leveled teams in the league. While a high level of commitment is important to travel soccer regardless of team placement, the levels vary based on the amount of time required with additional tournaments/competitive opportunities, the amount of travel required for greater competition, and the additional costs associated with these opportunities. In addition, the higher the level of the team, the greater individual commitment needed to maximize development.
Here are the levels (highest level first) and corresponding competitive leagues for the 2024-2024 season:
Blue (1st teams in age group):
Red (2nd teams in age group):
White (3rd teams in age group):
Silver (4th teams in age group):
Gold (5th teams in age group if applicable):
Q. What if my player has a conflict with the tryout schedule?
A. We understand sometimes an injury, or prior important commitment, may present a challenge to attend the scheduled ID session or tryout. Please contact the Age Group Director about the possibility to attend a training session for evaluation.
PLAYER SELECTION AND FORMING TEAMS
Q. What is the process for player placement during ID sessions or tryouts?
A. Coaches in the age group (current, incoming and outgoing), in consultation with the Age Group Directors and Technical staff, will work to place all eligible and returning players on a developmentally appropriate team. Our goal is to place all returning players on a team in their age group if possible. Returning players will primarily be evaluated based on their performance over the past eight months, as this provides the most value compared to one or two tryouts. The top players will be selected to the highest level team in the age group, followed by the remaining teams in the age group in order of team level.
Q. What is the order of players selected to the varying team levels in the age group?
A. ECNL ID sessions will be held first for the most elite players in the club and completed before the club age group tryouts begin. This timeline allows for the process of players to accept offers and to build the top teams in each age group. Once the Club Age Group Tryouts begin, we next look to build the rosters of the Red teams, followed by White, then Silver, and then Gold when applicable. We have to go in order of level as the process of making offers and players accepting those offers takes time. If we make offers to players who do not accept, we then go to the next players in line of appropriate competitive level to round out the rosters.
Q. What is the timeline of communication we can expect to receive for ECNL ID sessions?
A. For ECNL RL ID sessions, the first round of offers will go out within 24 hours after the first try out. Players will have 48 hours to accept these offers. Based on the responses, another round of offers may go out. If your player does not receive an offer initially, it does not mean they will not be selected. The selection process just takes time to ensure the most competitive team. However, our club is committed to communication during this process and within a week of the first ID session, every player registered for ECNL RL ID sessions should either receive an offer to be part of the team, an email to return to the next ID session for further evaluation, or an email inviting the player to register for the club tryouts as a more appropriate developmental level. Please note that some of our oldest age groups may currently have one team in the age group – the Blue level – and therefore are not scheduled for club tryouts. In these cases, players may be invited to current training sessions for further evaluation.
Q. What is the timeline of communication we can expect to receive for Club Age Group Tryouts?
A. After ECNL ID sessions are completed and rosters are finalized, we look to follow a similar timeline for the rest of the teams in the age group in order of color level. Players and their families will be informed during the registration process that they will receive an offer to join the club and at what level, or an offer to return for another evaluation no later than one week of the first Tryout.
Q. What if we need more than 48 hours to make a decision about whether or not to accept the offer?
A. Please contact the Age Group Director to discuss.
2024-2025 TRAVEL SEASON FEES
Q. What are the fees to participate in travel soccer if I accept an offer to join a team?
A. The cost of travel soccer varies depending on age group and level, priced between $2362-$3207 for the year. The fee for DC Soccer Club’s travel program includes the following in its club fee pricing: coaching and club staff salaries, select tournaments, state cup competitions for eligible teams, winter programming, league fees, state association fees, insurance, referees, Playmetrics software, and player and coach development.
Teams may elect to participate in additional tournaments not already included in the club fees, and those costs would be split by the amount of players on the team and incurred separately. Uniforms are also purchased separately by players outside of the club fees.
The fee for travel soccer may be paid once, or in monthly installments. All players are required to pay a non-refundable deposit upon accepting an offer to a team for the 2024-2025 season.
FINANCIAL AID
Q. Does DC Soccer Club offer financial assistance?
A. Our club is committed to ensuring that all players can participate in travel soccer regardless of economic status. As such, we offer a generous financial aid program for qualifying families. Please note, financial aid must be applied for annually and submission of an application does not guarantee financial aid assistance.
We encourage families to apply for financial aid as soon as possible when registering for tryouts. This will allow time for the club to review qualification ahead of the tryouts, so that any players receiving offers to join the team will be able to accept in a timely manner with an up front understanding of what the cost will be. There is no obligation by applying for the financial aid, and you'll be notified within five business days.
Q. How do I apply for financial aid?
A. Financial Aid for the 2024-2025 travel season can be applied for on our new platform, Playmetrics. In order to register for tryouts, you will need to have a Playmetrics account. Once you have an account, you can request Financial Aid on Playmetrics by navigating to Club Programs > Financial Aid
Please make sure you list all of your family members; otherwise your application may be denied.
EXPECTATIONS OF THE 2024-2025 TRAVEL SEASON
Q. What are the expectations of player commitment to the travel program?
A. We will provide more details about the expectations of our travel program prior to player placement during the tryout process. However, please keep the following in mind as clear expectations: