• Physical Ability - speed, stamina, strength, agility, coordination, etc.
• Technical Ability - How well a player performs the various skills of the game (dribbling, shooting, passing, receiving, etc.)
• Tactical Ability (Decision Making) - Being able to think on a field and make quick, intelligent decisions on offense, defense and transition.
• Psychological Ability - How much the player enjoys playing, enjoys competition, is able to handle the stress that comes with competing, etc.

Another factor in the costs of the Travel Team Program is that most teams play in tournaments in the fall and spring. These tournaments are fun for the players, but come at a cost. Also, all travel teams play indoor soccer during the winter months, playing in a local area indoor league. These indoor competitions all come at an additional cost.

The costs vary greatly from team to team, depending on the factors listed above, plus others. In general, travel teams cost anywhere from $90 per month to $140 per month per child. Again, the exact amount depends on the team that a player is on. Each team has a different budget that come with different commitments and expectations during the year. In general, 'A' teams have a higher cost factor than the lower level teams. Similarly, older teams tend to have a higher cost per player than younger teams.

ITEMS THAT FACTOR INTO A TEAM'S BUDGET FOR THE SEASON

• Coaching staff salary
• Referee fees for leagues
• League and state association registration fees
• Tournaments (tournament entry fees range from $450 - $900)
• Indoor Leagues during the winter months (league fees are between $900 and $1200 per league)
• Indoor field rentals during the winter months
• Outdoor field rentals in late fall and early spring, when there is limited daylight and grass fields are not playable

In a typical fall season, a team will play 10-12 games. Half of these league games will be home games and half will be away games. Home games are at South Ardmore Playground (Wynnewood), Bryn Mawr Polo Field, Welsh Valley Middle School or Barrack Hebrew Academy (Bryn Mawr). Away games will be at the opposing team's field. Many players choose to car pool together to away games, though some players choose to go with their parents. This is different for each team.

Some teams travel on occassion to out of area tournaments, including Bucks County, Harrisbug, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and other places. These tournaments are infrequent and only a few of our travel teams actually travel out of state. We have however had teams participate in the Dallas Cup, Disney College Showcase (Florida) and the Phoenix President's Day Weekend Tournament. Two of our teams have traveled out of the country, one to play in a tournament in Bermuda, the other to play in the Gothia Cup in Sweden. The team that played in Sweden was comprised of players from several different LMSC teams.
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FALL SEASON - In the fall, teams will have one game a week, occasionally two. Games could be on Saturdays or Sundays. Travel teams will have two practices a week throughout the fall season with the exact schedule determined by the head coach.

WINTER SEASON - In the winter, teams will play a limited amount of indoor soccer, training at least one day a week and sometimes play in an indoor league during the first half of the winter, the second half of winter or both.

SPRING SEASON - All of our 'A' teams and most of our 'B' teams will participate in the State Cups. This is a tournament involving the better teams throughout Eastern Pennsylvania to determine a state champion. This is mandatory for all 'A' teams. State Cups run for 4 - 7 weeks, starting in late March. Other travel teams will instead play in a spring league, consisting of 6 - 8 games on weekends throughout the spring.


The main season for travel teams Under 8 through Under 14 is the fall season and the spring season. However, unlike the intramural program, teams also are busy in the winter and spring. Players may play other sports during the year, but their primary sport in the fall should be soccer. For our 'A' teams (and for most of our 'B' teams), competing in the state cups is mandatory. Players must make a full commitment to their team while their team is involved in state cups.
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The coaching level is much higher in the Travel Team Program. The intramural program relies on parent volunteers, few of which played at high levels of play. Most of the coaches in the Travel Team Program played at high levels and have coached for many years. With the higher level of coaching and the heavier schedule in the Travel Team Program comes higher costs to participate. Players who aspire to play at the high school level or college level and who are willing to work harder to improve as players, should play in the Travel Team Program. Players who simply wish to have a fun social experience while playing soccer in a low stress environmnent should stay in the Intramural Program. In general, players who do not play in a travel team program do not make it to the high school varsity level in school soccer.
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Players are prohibited from playing "up a year" until they are classified as an Under 14 age player. Players younger than the U-14 age group may only tryout for the age group corresponding to their date of birth unless an exception has been granted by the LMSC President or one of the club's Coaching Directors.

The Intramural Program however has move flexibility. The age groups listed for the Intramural Program are just guidelines. Overage players who are small or lack coordination may play with a younger age group in the intramural program. Similarly, big, strong, fast, physically mature kids may elect to play up a year in age in the intramural program. Parents may request to have their child play in an age group other than the one recommended by the club. LMSC does however reserve the right to prohibit a child from playing in a different intramural age group if we feel that there are safety issues involved or if a child will severly imbalance the competitive level of an age group.
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• A Player Moving Up To A Higher Level Team - Coaches are asked to watch the players on the team one level below their team in their particular age group. If a coach likes a player on the lower level team, the coach may offer that player a spot on his roster, provided that the roster is not filled to capactity. The player may accept or decline the offer. There are certain time periods when a player may not switch teams. This includes the time after the "roster freeze date" imposed by the travel team leagues while league play is taking place during the fall. Roster changes may not be made until the season has completed. Similarly, in the spring, rosters of teams playing in state cups may not be changed while the team is still involved in state cup play.
  
  
• A Player Wishing To Drop Down To A Lower Level Team Within The Age Group - A player may request to move down a level if they feel that they are playing at too high of a level or are playing on a team where the commitment is too much. Similar to a player being moved to a higher level team (see above), a transfer may only take place at certain times of a year. The transfer will be denied if the team the player wishes to move to has the maximum number of players already or if the coach of that team does not wish to add an extra player. Similarly, the player's current coach can deny the transfer if the coach can demonstrate that losing the player will have a significantly adverse affect to the player's current team.
  
  
• A Player Who Wishes To Transfer Out of LMSC To Play In A Different Club - Per State Association rules, LMSC will grant the release of a player who wishes to leave LMSC and play on a team in a different club, provided that the player is in good standing with the club and has paid all dues to the club and to the team. LMSC will not release a player until their obligations to the team have been satisfied, including all financial obligations. LMSC will NOT issue refunds of any amount for a player who decides to leave the club.
  
  
• A Player Who Is In Bad Standing With The Club - A player may be considered in bad standing with the club based on bad conduct of the child, bad conduct at soccer games or practices by a parent or based on failure to meet the financial obligations of playing on an LMSC Travel Team. If it has been determined that a player is in bad standing with the LMSC or a specific team, the club may opt to remove the player from a roster or simply prohibit the child from participating in any team activities. Decisions regarding this will be made by the LMSC Directors.
  
  

In the spring, players on our 'A' teams are expected to be available for ALL state cup games. This applies to players on 'B' teams that are involved in state cups. However, players are not precluded from playing other sports in the spring as long as they are able to make it to all state cup games. The exact commitment level for all teams in the spring is dependent on the expectations definied by the head coach for each team.

For teams Under 15 and older where the primary season is the spring, players are expected to make soccer their number one sport in the spring and make all games and tournaments as scheduled by the coach. Players on these teams will normally be playing high school soccer in the fall so the season for the older teams ususlly does not start until after the high school season has finished. As a result, the majority of the team's season is in the spring and players on older teams will be expected to make every effort to be at all team events in the spring.
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