Are you considering moving your young athlete from recreational soccer to competitive soccer?  This is a decision that must be carefully considered and each player and family must weigh all of the options.  Hopefully, the information below will help you decide which league is for you.

What is competition soccer?

Competitive soccer is organized by age and gender. It provides highly competitive training and playing environment for those players (and their families) who have the required athletic ability, soccer skills, commitment, and can meet the other demands placed upon them.

What are the main differences between rec soccer and comp soccer?

There are three main areas where these leagues are different.

• Commitment: Comp soccer requires a much bigger commitment to the team and often requires additional time than a rec team may need.  Comp teams will typically practice 2-3 times per week and last about 1.5 to 2 hours long.  Practices/trainings are typically in the evening during the week and games are most often on Saturdays, but there are some games played during the week as well.
• Coaching: Comp soccer requires coaches to be nationally licensed or be working towards that licensure within their first year of coaching.  Coaches will be under the direction of a Director of Coaching and will receive continued training throughout the year.  In many clubs around the state, comp coaches are paid for their services.  However, to keep the costs down for our players, all coaches are volunteer coaches and receive no compensation for their time and efforts.
• Financial Obligation: As a club, we work hard to keep our fees as low as possible and allow anyone to play that wants to. Even though our coaches are fully volunteer, there are added costs for competitive soccer.  In addition to the league fee, there are other costs which include uniforms, tournaments, winter trainings and indoor leagues, and some travel.  Each coach manages their offseason schedules individually and will differ slightly from team to team.

What is the tryout process?

Tryouts are held each spring, usually around Memorial Day.  Each interested player can register and tryout for their respective age group.  After tryouts, teams will be selected based on the talent level of the players.  As the teams are formed, players will be given the opportunity to accept their invitation to play competitive soccer.  We try to have two or three teams per age division.

While we strive to find a position for each player at tryouts, sometimes there are not enough positions available for the number of interested players.  We will work closely with each player to find a solution that is best for their current situation.

How old does my child have to be to play competitive soccer?

Players can tryout in the calendar year that they will be turning seven.  They will not have to be seven yet, just turning seven during that calendar year.

How much travel is required for competitive soccer?

Each season consists of 8-10 games in the fall and 8-10 games in the spring.  Typically, half of those games will be played here in the Tooele Valley.  The other half will be played away from Tooele.  The distance traveled will depend on the division that your team is playing in.  While most travel will be within one hour of Tooele, some teams may have to travel a little further for their games depending on which teams are in their league.

What additional fees will be required after the registration has been paid?

Most teams will compete in 1-3 tournaments throughout the year.  Most teams also train over the winter and possibly compete in an indoor league during the winter months as well.  These tournaments and leagues will require additional fees to be paid.  Those fees range anywhere from $50-$80 per tournament.  Your coach can answer the specific details about those fees once you have been offered a position on the team.