Dear Parents,
Each spring Medway Youth Soccer conducts player evaluations for placement on Travel teams for the upcoming year. This year player evaluations will take place from May 20-31.
Registration for the Fall ’24 season is now open. In order to participate in an evaluation, players must be registered. Only players who are registered will be evaluated. The preferred method of registration is to register on-line before the scheduled evaluation. Go to Medway Soccer’s web follow on-line registration information.*Evaluations will be canceled if we do not have enough players registered to make two teams prior to the start of evaluations.
For questions on the Travel Program, please visit our FAQ page. Any other questions regarding evaluations not answered therein may be directed to the the Girls and Boys Travel Directors.
Parents of new Travel players should also be aware of the commitment involved in the Travel program. Teams typically practice twice per week and may travel 30-45 minutes to out-of-town games. The Fall and Spring seasons each run 10 weeks, and teams frequently enter out-of-town tournaments as well. Coaches are instructed to tailor their expectations to the skill level, competitiveness, and long-term aspirations of their players. While it is understood that conflicts can occur, the expectation is that all players will make every effort to attend practices and games, and communicate absences to their coaches in a timely manner.
The player evaluations will be conducted under the supervision and direction of our Girls and Boys Travel Coordinators. Experienced Travel coaches will conduct the evaluations. It is our intention that coaches with experience coaching girls will evaluate girls and coaches with experience coaching boys will evaluate boys. Coaches will not conduct evaluations for the age group that they are currently coaching. Prior to each age group’s evaluations, the current coaches of those players will be required to complete written assessments of their players following the same format and criteria to be used by the evaluators.
Evaluations will be conducted over 2 nights, as in the past. Players should arrive 10-15 minutes before the start of each session. They should bring a ball and a water bottle with them. If for whatever reason, a player cannot attend either or both sessions, the respective Travel Coordinator should be contacted prior to the session.
After the evaluations for each age group have been completed, the Travel Coordinator will total the scores from each of the evaluators and each player’s coach to determine proper placement of each player. Teams will be formed by the Travel Coordinators based solely on the evaluation and coaching scores. Next season’s coaches will then be contacted and rosters distributed. Notification of the player placement will be sent online to parents.
Parents interested in coaching should volunteer when registering their child, or reach out to the respective Travel Coordinator by the time of the evaluation for the age group they are interested in coaching. All coaches apply each season to be considered.
Player evaluations have been scheduled as follows. Please note the date, time and field of each group.
In advance of these evaluations, the Board of Directors of Medway Youth Soccer would like to explain the process to be used in evaluating players as well as the criteria for placing players on teams.
We strongly believe that the primary purpose of the Travel program is to develop the skills and confidence of each and every player to assure their current and future enjoyment of the game. It is our aim to place Travel players on teams with other players of a comparable skill level, to play against other Travel teams of comparable skill level. It has been our experience that this is the best way to maximize each player’s opportunity to develop his or her skills and confidence. Since children mature and develop physically at different times, it is critically important to reassess their skill development every year to assure that they remain properly placed.
We also want to clearly explain the skills to be evaluated. The core competencies of soccer include: the ability to receive and control the ball at the feet with a minimum number of touches, control and dribble the ball with all surfaces of the foot with the head up, and the ability to pass or shoot the ball both accurately and with pace, with both feet. These skills and the ability to apply them in-game settings are the primary skills that will be evaluated.
If you have any questions concerning the evaluation process, please feel free to contact the travel directors or any Board member.
Sincerely,