Travel Team Evaluations
Registration for Season and Anticipated Fees:
There will be no fees for evaluations. Fees for the Fall season will be due and payable after the formation of teams during formal registration.
General Information on Evaluations
Players must pre-register to attend. (here)If your family has already used the system, Sports Connect will recognize you when you enter your name. Otherwise, it will invite you to start a new registration.
Evaluations Location
All evaluations take place at Florence Recreational Fields, 145 Meadow Street, Florence, MA. All players will participate in evaluations at their grade level. If you need assistance with the online registration process, please email the NSC registrar at [email protected].
Evaluations Check-in
Players should arrive 30 minutes prior to their evaluation in order to sign in and warm up prior to their session. Players should arrive ready to play with a ball, shinguards, cleats and water.
Evaluation Process
The Director of Coaching will run evaluations with his staff. Evaluations will take approximately one hour per grade group. Each player will be given a number to wear, and the evaluators will make notes on each player. Evaluations will vary by age; there may be individual drills, small group play, and/or full scrimmages. Coaches will run the evaluation sessions, but our Director of Coaching and his assistants will be making the assessments.
Team Placement Process
The evaluation is one part of the process for determining team placement. For current NSC travel players, players will be placed by combining the evaluation assessment with coach input and observations by the Director of Coaching during season training sessions. For players new to NSC, team placement will rely on performance during the evaluations. Teams will be announced prior to the end of June after the Director of Coaching has had the opportunity to review and consider all registrants.
Team Placement Time Frame
An email regarding team assignments will be sent to registrants prior to the end of June after the Director of Coaching has had an opportunity to review and consider all registrants and discuss with coaches. Players will have 48 hours to accept the team assignment by registering online. If they do not accept or do not respond within the designated time frame, their position may be offered to another player.
A listing of frequently asked questions is below. If you have any additional questions please email us at [email protected]
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What if My Child Can’t Attend Evaluations?
Evaluations are mandatory. If your child absolutely cannot attend the evaluation dates for your age group, please contact our Director of Coaching, Matt Card ([email protected]) and explain the circumstances. The player may be able to evaluate at a later date with the DOC. However, players who miss their primary evaluation date may be at a disadvantage.
Does NSC accept non-Northampton players?
Anyone who lives in Northampton, Florence, Leeds and anyone who goes to school in one of the Northampton area schools (including school choice kids from other towns) is considered a Northampton area player and has priority for team placement. Extra spaces will be made available to children from other towns, based on competitive evaluations.
There are two exceptions to the above policy. First, once a child from another town begins playing on an NSC travel team, then he/she will have equal priority with Northampton area players in any future evaluations, as long as he/she does not leave the program. So if a girl from Easthampton makes an NSC travel team, she will not be cut the next season simply because she is from Easthampton (of course, she will still need to earn a position at evaluations). Second, if there is more than one team at a given level, Northampton area kids will not be favored between the teams. So for example, if there is a U13 girls Division 1 team and Division 2 team, a child from Hadley who is “waivered in” and who is good enough to play on the Division 1 team would be placed there. Players whose home town has a town travel soccer program need a waiver from their town in order to play for a Northampton team. The player can attend evaluations, and then if he/she makes a team we will help them obtain the waiver.
According to Roots Soccer League waivers may be granted for the following reasons:
1) Existing club does not have an appropriate team for that player to play on
2) A player involved in divorce or custody circumstances
3) A school choice student playing for a team in the town where he or she attends school
4) A player on a team affiliated with a church, temple or fraternal organization where the player is a member.
Can my child play at a different grade level?
Maybe. In certain cases, a player may "play up” with an older team. The policy is that a child must evaluate with his/her proper age group.. A decision about allowing a player to play up will be based on the player’s ability level, the needs of the various teams, and with the consent of coaches from both age level teams. A player that is advanced a grade in school beyond their age and has been playing with their classmates rather than at their age may be eligible to continue playing with their classmates.
Does every player make a team?
The goal of NSC is to create opportunities for competitive play and advanced skill development for the greatest number of players. We will do our best to place all players on teams, however in some cases roster numbers and skill levels may prohibit us from offering a team slot to each player who attends evaluations. An example would be when we have too many players for one team, but not enough for a second team. If players in 3rd - 6th grade don’t make a travel team, they have the option to play on a Northampton Recreation team in the fall.
What is the cost?
There is no cost for evaluations. The Travel Team fees for U9-U14 players are $140 for the fall season, plus a uniform fee if you do not already have one (fees subject to change). A similar fee exists for the spring season. Financial support is available for children receiving free or reduced school lunches. NSC strongly believes that ability to play should not be based on ability to pay. Please contact our registrar for more information at [email protected].
There will be no fees for evaluations. Fees for the Fall season will be due and payable after the formation of teams during formal registration.
General Information on Evaluations
Players must pre-register to attend. (here)If your family has already used the system, Sports Connect will recognize you when you enter your name. Otherwise, it will invite you to start a new registration.
Evaluations Location
All evaluations take place at Florence Recreational Fields, 145 Meadow Street, Florence, MA. All players will participate in evaluations at their grade level. If you need assistance with the online registration process, please email the NSC registrar at [email protected].
Evaluations Check-in
Players should arrive 30 minutes prior to their evaluation in order to sign in and warm up prior to their session. Players should arrive ready to play with a ball, shinguards, cleats and water.
Evaluation Process
The Director of Coaching will run evaluations with his staff. Evaluations will take approximately one hour per grade group. Each player will be given a number to wear, and the evaluators will make notes on each player. Evaluations will vary by age; there may be individual drills, small group play, and/or full scrimmages. Coaches will run the evaluation sessions, but our Director of Coaching and his assistants will be making the assessments.
Team Placement Process
The evaluation is one part of the process for determining team placement. For current NSC travel players, players will be placed by combining the evaluation assessment with coach input and observations by the Director of Coaching during season training sessions. For players new to NSC, team placement will rely on performance during the evaluations. Teams will be announced prior to the end of June after the Director of Coaching has had the opportunity to review and consider all registrants.
Team Placement Time Frame
An email regarding team assignments will be sent to registrants prior to the end of June after the Director of Coaching has had an opportunity to review and consider all registrants and discuss with coaches. Players will have 48 hours to accept the team assignment by registering online. If they do not accept or do not respond within the designated time frame, their position may be offered to another player.
A listing of frequently asked questions is below. If you have any additional questions please email us at [email protected]
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What if My Child Can’t Attend Evaluations?
Evaluations are mandatory. If your child absolutely cannot attend the evaluation dates for your age group, please contact our Director of Coaching, Matt Card ([email protected]) and explain the circumstances. The player may be able to evaluate at a later date with the DOC. However, players who miss their primary evaluation date may be at a disadvantage.
Does NSC accept non-Northampton players?
Anyone who lives in Northampton, Florence, Leeds and anyone who goes to school in one of the Northampton area schools (including school choice kids from other towns) is considered a Northampton area player and has priority for team placement. Extra spaces will be made available to children from other towns, based on competitive evaluations.
There are two exceptions to the above policy. First, once a child from another town begins playing on an NSC travel team, then he/she will have equal priority with Northampton area players in any future evaluations, as long as he/she does not leave the program. So if a girl from Easthampton makes an NSC travel team, she will not be cut the next season simply because she is from Easthampton (of course, she will still need to earn a position at evaluations). Second, if there is more than one team at a given level, Northampton area kids will not be favored between the teams. So for example, if there is a U13 girls Division 1 team and Division 2 team, a child from Hadley who is “waivered in” and who is good enough to play on the Division 1 team would be placed there. Players whose home town has a town travel soccer program need a waiver from their town in order to play for a Northampton team. The player can attend evaluations, and then if he/she makes a team we will help them obtain the waiver.
According to Roots Soccer League waivers may be granted for the following reasons:
1) Existing club does not have an appropriate team for that player to play on
2) A player involved in divorce or custody circumstances
3) A school choice student playing for a team in the town where he or she attends school
4) A player on a team affiliated with a church, temple or fraternal organization where the player is a member.
Can my child play at a different grade level?
Maybe. In certain cases, a player may "play up” with an older team. The policy is that a child must evaluate with his/her proper age group.. A decision about allowing a player to play up will be based on the player’s ability level, the needs of the various teams, and with the consent of coaches from both age level teams. A player that is advanced a grade in school beyond their age and has been playing with their classmates rather than at their age may be eligible to continue playing with their classmates.
Does every player make a team?
The goal of NSC is to create opportunities for competitive play and advanced skill development for the greatest number of players. We will do our best to place all players on teams, however in some cases roster numbers and skill levels may prohibit us from offering a team slot to each player who attends evaluations. An example would be when we have too many players for one team, but not enough for a second team. If players in 3rd - 6th grade don’t make a travel team, they have the option to play on a Northampton Recreation team in the fall.
What is the cost?
There is no cost for evaluations. The Travel Team fees for U9-U14 players are $140 for the fall season, plus a uniform fee if you do not already have one (fees subject to change). A similar fee exists for the spring season. Financial support is available for children receiving free or reduced school lunches. NSC strongly believes that ability to play should not be based on ability to pay. Please contact our registrar for more information at [email protected].
