FAQs
What is the Philosophy of Pelham Travel Soccer?
PTSC’s philosophy is to promote the values of the community, healthy competition, player development, positive coaching, good sportsmanship, passion for the game, and respect for teammates, coaches, opponents, and referees. We aim to develop skillful and competitive teams by providing youths the opportunity to excel at soccer and to build positive character and promote principles of fair play by providing an enjoyable,
fair, and high-quality soccer program. Our partnership with FosterSoccer provides professional teaching methods that aim to emphasize player development for better players in the future over immediate ‘winning
tactics’. This partnership also reinforces the Club’s goal of a healthy parent involvement in youth sports.
What league does Pelham Travel Soccer participate in?
Pelham Travel Soccer Club (or “PTSC”) participates in the Westchester Youth Soccer League (or “WYSL”).
WYSL is now one of the largest leagues in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association. The league is responsible for organizing the games, setting rules of play, providing insurance, and much more.
When are tryouts?
PTSC holds general tryouts during the spring season to determine team placement for the following year. Evaluations are based on the full season of the player’s performance, attitude, and effort as well as the rating provided at the official tryout. New players are evaluated based on their tryout performance and may be asked to attend team training sessions for further evaluation for team placement. All players are given a ranking by the professional evaluators based upon the tryout performance in addition to the yearly performance and evaluation within their club season. Players are assigned to teams for the following YEAR (Fall & Spring season) based on their ability to play the game. Teams are formed to provide the most opportunity for the most players. This determines the number of teams within the age group and number of players per team. Team placement is based on each player’s individual player evaluation ranking.
Can a player change rosters mid-season?
We form teams for a full year based on the factors listed above. The player commits to the club and his or her team for the full year (Fall & Spring). We believe that player development and team development go hand in hand, and therefore it is the Club’s policy to keep teams together for a full year whenever possible. Mid-season player movement from team to team can happen under some circumstances: players leaving the club offers an opportunity for movement, players leaving the club causes team contraction, and players joining the club cause roster size realignment.
Who is eligible to play Travel Soccer?
Our programs are available to children living in the Town of Pelham or attending Pelham Schools. We field competitive travel teams from the U9 age group through the high school ages. Soccer is organized by year of birth, not by grade level. We offer pre-travel team clinics for U7 & U8 age group players.
What is the commitment required to play Travel Soccer?
The commitment to a team is for a full year. The soccer year consists of a Fall Season and a Spring Season. Players commit to attend the team training sessions which are two 90-minute practices per week as well as all games. Each season consists of 9-10 games scheduled on Sundays (please note that make-up games may be scheduled on other days).
When are the practice sessions?
Practice sessions are scheduled after school during the week. They are played on fields all over Pelham and due to the field constraints they are not held at the same time or in the same place each season. When scheduling practices, PTSC does try to take into account the normal conflicts for each age group (for example, middle school aged players will not have practices scheduled immediately after school so that conflicts with modified sports practices can be reduced). Practice schedules are usually available just prior to the beginning of the season.
What are the registration fees?
There is a $25 non-refundable registration fee that is collected each spring at the time a player is signed up for tryouts. The total fee to play on a team is $1100, which covers both the fall ($550) and spring ($550) seasons.( reminder that the commitment is to participate for the full year). All players are responsible for ordering their own uniforms. The Club registrar will assign a jersey number to all new players.
Are there scholarships available?
PTSC believes that all interested players should have the opportunity to participate in the program and therefore offers scholarships to any player who would otherwise be unable to participate. These scholarships can cover in full or in part the registration fee and the training fees for each season.
When are games held?
Games are held each Sunday during the season unless there is a holiday. There are usually 10 games per season. The time of the games changes weekly but generally, games for the younger teams do not start until early afternoon and games for the older teams can begin as early as 9:00 am. Players are expected to attend games, and, in this respect, Sunday routines will need to accommodate this change for first‐time travel parents. Game schedules are available on the WYSL site just prior to the beginning of the season and are subject to change.
Where are games held?
Games are played both at home and away. Our home fields are Prospect Hill Field for our U9 & U10 teams, Franklin Field for our U11 & U12 teams, and Glover Field for our U13 and older teams. The league tries to balance the number of home and away games by team. However, due to Pelham’s lack of field space, PTSC teams can sometimes play more away games in a given season. PTSC competes against teams all over Westchester and in some instances in New York City as well. Away games are within a 60-minute drive of Pelham.
Does Pelham Travel Soccer participate in tournaments?
Teams are responsible for coordination and payment of their own tournaments, should they wish to participate in any. The Club can assist with rostering your teams for tournaments but does not contribute or assist with tournament fees.
Who is responsible for training the players?
PTSC has contracted with FosterSoccer. Ben Foster is currently the director of coaching for Larchmont-Mamaroneck Football Club where he is responsible for program design, implementation, and training. He has over 12 years experience including Westchester Regional Manager for NOGA Soccer and UK Elite and the former Head Coach of the Sleepy Hollow boys varsity team. He has also trained many boys and girls travel teams (u-8 to Varsity High School) as well as numerous summer and school holiday camps, after-school programs, and winter indoor training programs.
What are the roles of the parent volunteers?
Each PTSC team has a Head Coach and an Assistant Coach, both of whom are parent volunteers. These volunteers are put in place to support the FosterSoccer professional trainer in an administrative capacity. The parent coach will take primary responsibility for all communication with families. Such as, notices of game/practice changes and assisting with game rescheduling. The parent coach will also be responsible for confirming weekly games with the opposing team. The parent volunteers must be available to substitute for the professional trainer on game days. In the event a team's assigned trainer cannot attend a scheduled game the Parent Coach will be given instruction on the game day lineup and pregame warm-up exercises. The relationship between the Parent Volunteer and the FosterSoccer Trainer is extremely important. There must be open lines of communication and the understanding that the Professional Trainer is the lead coach for the team. All coaches must take WYSL training courses and background check through US Soccer.