By Ivan Woyno – Director of Coaching and Player Development

Thank you for visiting the Waconia Soccer Club web page and getting additional information about the Traveling (Competitive) Soccer program.

Traveling Soccer, or Competitive Soccer as it is known in other clubs and communities, is quite different compared to local in-house leagues.  The level of skill and commitment expected of the players is much higher and while as a program it is still focused on player development, the structure of practices, games, level of opponent’s skill, and commitment required is something that new families/players should consider when signing up to participate.

Waconia Soccer Club offers participation into two different seasons and leagues to create a year-round program.

Falls Season – August through October.

Summer Season – April through July (winter training included Nov-Mar)

Year Round Soccer – August – July (includes winter training)

Families can register to participate in Fall only, Summer only or both Fall and Summer. Teams are formed based on tryout results and team placement does not adhere to teammate requests as it may be the case in in-house leagues. Most often, player play within their birth year, however there are expectations in which a player with excellent soccer/foot skills can play up a year based on team needs/availability.

Fall Season Details

• Practices: 1-2 times per week, normally Monday – Thursday
• Games: 4-6 games, normally Friday-Sunday
• Game Times: Range from 9am – 6pm.
• Opponents: League is state wide. Travel range normally west metro, but potential matches vs Blaine (north), St. Michael (Northwest), Inver Grove Heights (East), Rochester (South).
• Age Levels: U9 – U14
• Tournament Participations: Coaches and Families may opt to participate in 1 fall tournament and the year-end state tournament/jamboree.
• The league tries to minimize travel for the younger age groups (U9-10) but travel distances do increase as the age advances (U14-13 > travel than >U12-11 > travel than U9-10)
• Player Expectations: Players are expected to attend all training sessions and games.

Summer Season Details

• Practices: 2-3 times per week, Monday – Saturday.
• Games: 10-12 games, Monday – Friday
• Game Times: Range from 5pm to 8:30 pm
• Opponents: League is state wide. Travel ranges from Coon Rapids in the North, to Rochester in the South, Woodbury in the East and Hutchinson in the West. However, most league groupings try to localize travel whenever possible to communities such as Orono, Chaska, Shakopee, Edina, Eden Prairie.
• Age Levels: U9-U18
• Tournament Participation: Most summer teams participate in more than one additional tournament. Teams that qualify attend the year end championship (U13-U18) or year end jamboree (U9-U12)
• Player Expectations: Players are expected to attend all training sessions and games. Families should connect with the assigned coaches for the team at the start of the season to ensure that any absences are planned and the team can a full contingent of players for tournaments and league games.
• The summer soccer schedule does conflict with other sports and we encourage families to evaluate the time commitment in advance of registering as no partial or full refunds are given once fees are paid to the league.

Winter Training

Players who register for the Summer Season are also eligible for winter training offered November through April. The training offered is held indoors at a local gym or at the Chaska Dome. The winter training sessions are optional for players and the schedule does allow multi-sport athletes to participate.  Please note that players who register for the Fall Season only, are not eligible for winter training at this time.

Training Sessions

There are two stark changes from in-house to traveling soccer when it comes to the training sessions. 1. Duration of Session 2. Structure of Training.

In terms of duration, a traveling soccer training sessions is normally 1 hour and 15 minutes in time. The intensity of the session will depend on the age group but some elements of fitness and endurance will be included.

With respect to the structure for the session, the session can be divided into three main components. Technical development – learning 1v1 individual soccer skills. Tactical Development – learning team based offense, defense and transition into offense or defense. Game play – this is not always a scrimmage but instead may be any type of game that helps emphasize the coaching points of the training session.

Gear / Uniform Requirements

Club soccer players will need to purchase a uniform kit that includes two shirts, a pair of shorts and a pair of socks. This uniform kit is in addition to registration fees but can be used for more than one season and players normally don’t need to purchase an additional uniform unless the player has outgrown the uniform purchased.
Every player must wear shin guards under their socks and soccer cleats are also required to avoid slippage in wet grass.
Although the club provides soccer balls for team training, it is highly encouraged that every player have their own ball and keep it in their bag and pumped up.

Is Traveling Soccer right for you?

Every player and family that is considering playing for the Waconia Soccer Club traveling/competitive program should compare the expectations of the athlete as it relates to the expectations of the program. Coaches expect every player to attend every practice and be focused on their own development in order to prepare the team for competition against tough opponents from other communities.

There is an expectation as well that families will attend training sessions, games and tournaments during some holiday weekends (Father’s day, Mother’s day, etc). Vacations and outings are often planned often around soccer programing. You will find this to be common across competitive programs in the state. The program utilizes league guidelines for training and matches with games and practices only cancelled under extreme conditions. There is a common saying around the league: “Traveling teams play in the rain, the heat, the snow and on any day ending in “Y”…”

Multi Sport Athletes

Competitive traveling soccer conflicts with other traveling sports including baseball/softball/basketball and hockey. While the soccer club will work with athletes when possible, the level of commitment required to be placed on a team does not always allow for multi sport athletes to participate. 

The goal of the program and the league is to compete at the highest level possible and as such every player should be prepared to compete at practice and games. In order to be able to be ready to compete at that level, players and families must be committed to the time needed to play traveling competitive soccer. 
 

I hope that this information guide provides with you with some additional information as you decide whether the Waconia Soccer Club program is right for you.

If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach me directly at iwoyno@isd110.org