What is Travel Soccer?
The intent of the Travel program is to introduce a higher level of play than children find in the in-house program. The primary goals of the Travel program are for the players to develop and reinforce playing skills in a more competitive environment and for them to have fun in that environment.In the Monroeville Soccer Club (MSC) Travel Program, children are placed on teams that compete against teams of the same age group, gender and skill level from other soccer clubs in PA West Soccer Association. Monroeville falls within District 1 of PA West which consists mainly of communities from around the Pittsburgh area.The Travel Program offers different Divisions within age groups to provide different levels of play. Typically MSC will field teams within Divisions 4, 5 and/or 6 with Division 4 being the most skilled of the three. Age groups within each division range from U10 to U19, with U15 - U19 teams only playing in the Spring due to high school soccer occurring in the Fall.
When and where do travel teams play?
Travel games are played on Sunday, to begin no earlier than noon. Normally each session (Spring & Fall) will consist of an 8 game schedule with half of the games played at home at Monroeville fields and half away.
Schedules & Standings are available here.
When and Where do travel teams practice?
Normally, travel teams will practice at least 2 days a week based on a schedule as determined by the Head Coach of each team. Practices for U-10 teams are usually held on Fields 11, 12 and 13 at the Monroeville Community Park West. Practices for U-12 teams are usually held at the Monroeville Community Park East or Valley Field. Practices for U-14 teams can be held at Monroeville Community Park East. Valley Field, Penn Hall or Field 14 at Monroeville Community Park West.
How can a player join a travel team?
Beginning with the 2015-2016 Fall season, Monroeville Soccer Club implemented an evaluation process to select players for the Travel Program. Players interested in participating on a travel team should be registered for the MSC Travel Program and must attend at least one evaluation session in order to be eligible for placement on a team within the program.
The Monroeville Soccer Club Travel Team Selection Committee will review all player evaluations and make travel team selections based on this information as well as evaluation information from the player's prior season Head Coach as may be necessary. Travel teams will be formed to create the opportunity for children to play at a level appropriate for their ability and skills. Depending on the number and skill level of the players that have been evaluated, and the availability of coaches, there may be multiple teams that are formed within an age group, however not all players are guaranteed to be assigned to a team. The Travel Selection Committee will recommend all travel team selections to the Monroeville Soccer Club Board for final approval.
Generally, the evaluations will be held in May or June and players will be notified before the start of the season whether they were assigned to a travel team. Those players not assigned to a travel team will be assigned to an Eagles team of the same age group and will be refunded the difference between the Travel Program and Eagles Program registration fees.
Who evaluates the players?
Evaluations are conducted by experienced youth soccer coaches from Monroeville and surrounding communities. If an evaluator has a child that is participating in the process, that coach will not evaluate players in the same age group and gender as their child. Evaluations generally involve participation in a variety of activities such as small-sided games, skills demonstrations and physical fitness.
Can a Player play in BOTH the Eagles and Travel Programs?
Yes. Because Eagles games are played on Saturday and Travel games are played on Sunday it is possible to play on teams in both. Players must register for both programs and must be selected to play on a Travel team based on their Tryout evaluation.