Scroll down to read important information on the Travel Soccer Program including: TRAVEL SOCCER OVERVIEW, TRYOUTS, REGISTRATION, COST, SCHEDULES, UNIFORMS, & OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS. Please read the entire Travel Page PRIOR to registering or paying for your child. 

What is the Travel Program? 
Unlike our House League soccer programs, our Travel Program is a tryout-based competitive soccer program that runs from November-July. We participate in the Buffalo & Western New York Junior Soccer League and play teams from neighboring towns in Western New York beginning each May. 

The Travel Program is the next level of soccer after Recreational House League and is dedicated to the technical and tactical development of players ages 8-19. A high level of commitment to the team is required to participate in this program. 

When does registration open? 
Once your child has tried out and is officially placed on a roster, you may register on our website. Registration for our 2023/2024 season will begin once the rosters are posted. Please ONLY register your child if they have made the team roster and their spot was confirmed by the team's coach. If your child's team does not yet have a coach, please wait to register/pay until a coach is found. Please be sure to register and pay for the correct team. 

How do I register?
Click the "Register" button on the top right-hand corner of the website home page to create an account and begin the registration process. If you already have an account on our website, click the "Login" button to register for the upcoming season. The computer system will direct you to the teams ("available programs") your child is eligible to register for. Click your child's correct team and the computer system will walk you through registration and payment. 

What's next? 
All players must be registered on the website and paid in full by November 1, 2023 and before the start of the indoor season. Unpaid players may also lose their roster spot at that time. Players added to the roster after the payment deadline must register and pay in full once they make the team. 

2023 Tryout Schedule (including age group information and coaches' contact information) can be found here! Online registration opens Friday, June 30, 2023, @ 9:00am.

When are tryouts held?
To participate in the Travel Program, you will need to try out.  Tryouts are held various times throughout July/August at The Nike Base (2800 Lakeview Road, Lake View NY). The exact tryout dates for each age group are listed once tryout dates are announced. If you are/were unable to attend the tryout dates, contact the appropriate coach via the email address provided. 

Where can I find a field map of the Nike Base? 
https://www.hamburgsoccerclub.com/Default.aspx?tabid=139903

How do I register for tryouts? 

Tryout registration takes place online. To register for tryouts, visit www.hamburgsoccerclub.com, and either log in or create an account in the upper right hand corner of the website. You will then register your child for “2023 Travel Soccer Tryouts (for 2023/2024 season)”. 

All players should register on our website 48 hours before their age group's first tryout listed. If your child can only attend the second tryout date listed, you should still register two days before the first tryout.

Once players arrive at the Nike Base, they should go to the Nike Base shed to check in 15 minutes prior to the tryout start time. That is where players will receive their tryout registration number and they should keep this number for the next tryout as well. Players ONLY need to check in at the Nike Base shed at the first tryout they attend. 

Tryout registration is free. 

*If you did not register online: Please report to the Nike Base shed 15 minutes prior to your tryout to register and check-in in person. You will not be part of our email lists however, so we strongly recommend registering online if possible. 

What teams can I try out for? 
All players must try out for their correct age group based upon their birth year. The correct birth years will be listed next to each age group in the document above. After tryouts are completed, we will consider fielding single year teams (ex. U11 or U13) if numbers allow/on a team by team basis.

Can I play up or down an age group? 
All players must try out for their own age group. It will be determined after the tryouts by a player’s correct age group coach if that player should play on an older team. Players cannot play on a younger team. 

All Monarchs Travel teams will not be allowed to take a younger player unless they meet the set criteria/standard; The obvious top player in their current age level and top 3 player on "A" level team in the older age group. The Board of Directors will have the final say if players are eligible to play up an age group.

What should I bring to tryouts?
Please wear shin guards and cleats and bring a soccer ball and water.

Do I have to attend both tryout dates? 
Several tryouts are scheduled for each age group. Players should attend at least one of the tryouts but are encouraged to attend both.

What if I can't make either tryout date?
Please contact the coach(es) listed next to the age group you wish to try out for to let them know if you are unable to make either tryout date. If you are able to make at least one or both tryouts, you do not need to contact the coach. Not attending tryouts does not automatically mean you will be disqualified from making the team, however preference may be given to those did attend tryouts. This will be decided by the coach on a case-by-case basis.

How will I know if I made the team?
After both tryouts are completed, coaches may take some time in choosing their teams. Once they are chosen in September 2023, we will email participants and post all of the team rosters to the website.

Some teams may still be looking for a coach. If that is the case, you will find your child's name on the roster once they are announced. 

If you are accepting the team spot, please let your coach know and register/pay on our website at that time for 2023/2024 Travel Soccer. All players will need to be registered and paid in full or on a payment plan by November 1, 2023.

What if I don't make the team?
Depending on the team you are interested in, we may have some developmental spots available for players who do not make the team. Developmental players practice with the travel team all winter to develop their skills and then play in our Outdoor House League in the spring/summer. Please contact [email protected] if your child does not make the team and is interested in the program.

When do we start?
Our indoor season begins in November/December 2023 but there may be an opportunity to begin earlier in the Fall and practice outside if weather permits. This will be communicated to you by your team coach. We practice indoors on Wednesdays at Sahlen’s Sports Park and the gyms of local schools on select days. The indoor schedule will be sent out to coaches in the fall and they will pass that information on to their team. Many teams simply practice during the winter but some choose to join winter leagues- that is decided by each individual coach/team. We then move outdoors for practice in April and the league games begin in May.

What are the fees? 
$340 not including uniform. This includes training from fall through summer (both indoor and outdoor) and all Buffalo and Western New York Junior Soccer League games beginning in Spring of 2024. Additional fees are decided on a team by team basis (for example, if they get additional training time or enter into winter or summer tournaments). For a further explanation on the breakdown of fees, please scroll down to our payments section.  

How much does Travel Soccer cost? 
2023/2024 Travel Registration: $340 not including uniform 
Jersey Price:$75 - $80  
2023/2024 Developmental Registration: $250 
Tournament Costs: TBD with individual teams
*ALL PAYMENTS ARE FINAL / A NO REFUND POLICY IS IN EFFECT* 

When do I need to pay the registration fee? 
Your player account will need to be paid in full by November 1, 2023 OR you may choose a payment plan (half the fee plus an additional $6 will be due by November 1st and the other half plus $6 will be due by January 1st). All players must have at least the first payment of the payment plan in to be able to practice in any capacity. If you have not fulfilled the payment by that time, your roster spot may be forfeited or you will be charged a $20 late fee. Players added to the roster after the payment deadline must register and pay in full as soon as they make the team. 

What does the cost include?
The fee includes registration fees, insurance for each player, roster placement, player pass, practice opportunities from Nov through July (1-3 times a week), and all games in Buffalo & Western New York Junior Soccer League. After that, teams may participate in several weekend tournaments which will be decided with each individual team/at the coach's discretion. Those costs vary depending on the tournament and how many tournaments each team chooses to enter. Families on the team will share the tournament expenses.  

Where and when will I practice in the Fall/Winter? 
Teams will practice at Sahlen's Sports Park on Wednesdays from November-April & our younger teams will also practice at local elementary/middle schools in the Frontier and Hamburg School Districts on Fridays from November-April. Indoor practices are predetermined to give all teams equal opportunities to train. The number of days each week that teams will practice is based upon availability of locations (ex. you may train one Wednesday and not the next). All head coaches will be given their indoor schedule in the fall and will send them out to their individual teams. Please contact your coach if you need your team's indoor schedule. 

Do we play games in the Fall/Winter?
This will be decided with each individual coach/team. Some teams choose to play in Indoor Leagues while other will simply practice during the winter. 

Where and when will I practice in the Spring/Summer? 
Teams will practice outdoors at Armor Elementary in April and The Nike Base from May-July. Practice days will be determined by the coach and the availability of fields. Teams usually train/play 2 times a week throughout the summer.  

When do I play games during the Spring/Summer? 
Games will take place from May-July and are predetermined by the Buffalo & Western New York Junior Soccer League, unless the game needs to be rescheduled.

Each age group usually plays on specified nights as follows:

Monday...U12G, U13B, U16G, U19B
Tuesday...U11B, U13G, U16B, U19G
Wednesday...U8B, U8G, U11G, U14B, U15G, U17B
Thursday...U12B, U14G, U15B, U17G
Friday...U10B, U10G

Can you give more information on developmental players?
A developmental player is a player that still needs more time to enhance their soccer skills and will practice with a travel team.  This decision is extremely hard for our coaches because they know that when a player tries out for travel, it is because they want to play and train at a higher level.  Unfortunately every year, there are a handful of players that cannot be placed on teams due to roster restrictions.  Because of this fact, the developmental program was started allowing players to train in the travel program and develop with our travel teams.   

Developmental players will participate in travel practices from November-July. This will allow players to train at a higher level throughout the season. Unfortunately, there will not be any games played with the team, unless they need a guest player for tournaments. In May, when the Outdoor House League starts, we recommend all developmental players participate in our Outdoor House League Program and the House League fee is waived. The House League is a great avenue to get game experience in and to try out the skills your child has practiced all season. If a developmental player is interested in House League, please register your child before the deadline and email [email protected] to get your fee waived.  

During the course of the season (November-July) there might be an opportunity for the coach to add your child to their Travel League Roster, due to families moving out of the area, season ending injuries, or other roster openings.  At that point, there will be a discussion with the coach and family about this opportunity. If a developmental player is added to the Travel League roster, the season fees will be prorated at that time.

ALL DEVELOPMENTAL PLAYERS MUST BE APPROVED FIRST. PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THE PROGRAM WITHOUT PREVIOUS APPROVAL FROM A COACH OR THE CLUB ADMINISTRATOR AS REFUNDS CANNOT BE ISSUED. PLEASE CONTACT CAITLIN AT [email protected] IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING A DEVELOPMENTAL PLAYER. 

What should I bring to practices and games?
Players should be timely and come prepared to all practices and games. Players should bring a facemask, soccer ball and water and show up wearing soccer gear/their uniform on game days, shin guards and appropriate footwear (cleats for outdoor & sneakers for indoor). 

Do I have to attend all practices and games? 
If any player can't attend a scheduled practice or game, they should notify their coach ASAP. All players should do their best to attend every game and practice, as the players who show up the most often are the ones who improve the most. 

Any other fees? 
If Hamburg Soccer Club receives notice of insufficient funds, you will be responsible for paying the fees associated with a bounced check. A no refund policy is also in effect. 

Will there be Goalkeeper Training?
During the course of the year, goalkeepers may have separate training dates available to them. The dates/times/locations are TBD. 

Every travel player that is interested in playing in goal is welcome. It is a very technical position that requires a lot of focus and drive. These sessions are technically designed and developed so players can take what they learned in the session and apply it in their team training sessions.

There is limited time on the field, so please make sure players are ready to go at the start time. Please wear a long sleeve shirt and sweatpants (do to repetitions on the turf). Bring water, inflated ball, GK gloves are optional.