Fall 2023 - Spring 2024 TRYOUT INFORMATION

REGISTRATION LINK IS AT THE BOTTOM

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Our goal is to offer an excellent program while keeping costs reasonable so all town youth can participate. We continue to offer a family discount and financial assistance. 

There is no deposit due before tryouts. Once your child is offered a position and accepts, the balance will be due within 48 hours as part of your acceptance. 

- IMPORTANT NOTES ON TRAVEL PLAY -

PLAYING TIME: Player development is the primary goal of our travel program.  For that reason, and because we typically observe players developing at different rates, we strictly enforce a policy that all players play at least 50% of all friendly, league, cup and tournament games. 50% does not mean equal playing time – but rather ensures that all players are given the opportunity to develop and gain valuable game experience. 

DOUBLE ROSTERING:

• While permitted, Hartwell does not encourage double-rostering for many reasons, including team social impact, volume and frequency of practices/games, and conflicts in instruction style or style of play. 

• Accepting a position on a Hartwell premier team is a commitment to play primarily for Hartwell Soccer Club for the entire 2023-2024 season. 

• CJSA rules require that players on Hartwell premier teams are not allowed to “double roster” with any other CJSA premier teams. 

• Players on all other teams (non-premier or club-level Hartwell teams) are permitted to roster with more than one soccer club (2004 CJSA ruling), however Hartwell requests that you ensure you can fulfill the commitments to our program before accepting a position on one of our teams. 

- TRYOUT AGE REQUIREMENTS -

Per CJSA and U.S. Soccer mandates, we register our teams by birth year.

Bc NOTE for players born in 2016: Players born in 2016 may try out for the U9 travel division. If selected for a U9 team in 2023-2024, those players born in 2016, must repeat in U9 for the following 2024-2025 season, and will thereafter play with their appropriate birth year class. 

PLAYER SELECTION/PLACEMENT/ACCEPTANCE: During tryouts, we use professional soccer evaluators from inside and outside our club who have no conflict of interest with players. The evaluators supply impartial player skill assessments and recommend placement of players on teams. The assessments collect data on the player’s soccer abilities, potential, commitment, and behavior/conduct.

Players are notified of tryout results via email, so ensure that you verify the email address provided to Hartwell during tryout registration. Email is the only means of communicating the team selections, offers, and acceptance. Players and parents are asked to formally accept the spot on a team within 48 hours of the offer notification. 

Once players accept team placements, the rosters will be posted on our website.  Team rosters must comply with various rules of competition, established by Connecticut Junior Soccer Association “CJSA”). U9 and U10 teams play 7v7 with maximum team rosters of 12 players; U11 and U12 teams play 9v9 with maximum rosters of 16 players; U13 and U14/U15 teams play 11v11 and we typically cap rosters at 18 players. 

Other than maximum roster limits set by CJSA, the roster sizes are only guidelines.  Circumstances unique to an age/gender group could modify the team roster sizes and ultimately, placements from year to year.

- FINANCIAL COMMITMENT -

TRAVEL FEE: The travel fee covers professional support from Hartwell trainers under the oversight of our Director of Coaching and our Program Director.  The support program includes technical and tactical instruction, game day support, post-game reports, and specialized goalkeeper training. Hartwell also hosts and provides many coaching education opportunities through partnerships with other organizations.  The travel fees also cover updates and maintenance to equipment and fields (nets, balls, etc.), referee fees, town fees, state fees, and registration for the 2024 Glastonbury Spring Warm-Up Tournament. Financial assistance is available for those who qualify. 

MULTI-CHILD DISCOUNTS:  We offer multiple child discounts for 3 or more children in our travel program. The discount applies to the Travel Fees only.   Note that Uniform fees are not discounted. 

UNIFORM KIT: The base package of the new Capelli uniform includes a blue game jersey, gray game jersey, blue game shorts, gray training shirt, red socks, and training (reversible) pinney. PLEASE NOTE: The 2023-2024 uniform kit is brand new! Everyone is required to purchase the new kits.  Also available from the vendor are optional embroidered backpacks, warm-up jackets, and warm-up pants.  We have the uniforms on a 2-year cycle. Every 2 years you are required to buy a new uniform. The new Capelli uniforms will be good for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. 

TEAMS DUES: Individual team dues cover the team’s operating expenses (patches for seasonal tournaments, out-of-town tournament fees, team parties, etc.). Team dues will be assessed by the coach/manager at the start of each season and are paid directly to the team manager.  Team dues should not exceed $150 for the entire 2023-2024 season. Some teams choose to play in winter leagues (i.e. Oakwood, Tolland Indoor, etc.) or other out-of-town winter tournaments.  Those activities can have additional costs, but participation is not required and is at the parent’s discretion. 

PREMIER WINTER TRAINING PROGRAM: If a team is selected as a premier team, there will be a mandatory winter training session commitment. Training will be once a week with a professional trainer for about 12 sessions between December and March. The premier winter program fee is an additional $100 per player fee. This additional fee does NOT include any games or registered play in an indoor league. 

REFUND POLICY: Once a player has accepted a position and paid the applicable travel and uniform fees, there are no refunds. 

- TIME COMMITMENT -

PLAYER TIME COMMITMENT: Players commit to a full year, which consists of two seasons: a Fall (late August-early November) and a Spring (early-April to mid-June) season.

Our club transitioned to the U.S. Soccer’s recommended practice-to-game ratio of 3 practices to every 1 game. Not all weeks will strictly follow that model, but teams typically have 2 weeknight practices per week of 90 minutes each.  On weekends, teams will typically have 1 game (usually Sundays) and 1 practice, or an additional game on Friday/Saturday.   

OTHER SPORTS OR ACTIVITIES: Travel soccer is a two season commitment and it is important that our players honor that commitment.  We do not adopt a "soccer-only" approach that requires our players to always choose travel soccer commitments over any other sports or activities, but we also request that our players not consistently choose another sport or activity over travel soccer.

LOCATIONS: Practices are all on Glastonbury fields. Games are held in Glastonbury or in neighboring towns, like West Hartford, Enfield, Middletown, Avon, Granby, Portland, Burlington, and Farmington. In addition to our own Spring Warm-up Tournament, many teams may choose to compete in out-of-town or out-of-state tournaments. 

Lastly, many of our travel teams will also play indoor soccer over the winter months at places like Oakwood in Glastonbury or FSA in Farmington. This play is optional and not part of the Glastonbury Hartwell Soccer Travel program. 

TRAVEL PARENT TOURNAMENT COMMITMENT: Each spring in April, Hartwell hosts an annual soccer tournament called the GHSC Spring Warm-up Tournament, which can have over 200 teams submitted, mostly from out-of-town. Our families are required to fulfill a mandatory 3-hour work obligation at the tournament for each child in the travel program.  The parent work obligation is mandatory. The tournament is our biggest fundraiser and requires the support of all participants to succeed. 

- TRYOUTS INFORMATION -

TRYOUTS REGISTRATION: Please register for tryouts at www.glastonburysoccer.org. 

Again, there is no deposit due before tryouts. Once your child is offered a position and accepts, the balance will be due within 48 hours as part of your acceptance. 

TRYOUT SCHEDULE (please note, there are two mandatory sessions for U9 players): 

GOALKEEPER TRYOUTS

Goalkeeper Tryouts are for players who are interested in committing to playing goal at least 50% of the time for a team. Goalkeepers MUST ALSO attend field tryouts above.

LOCATION:

- All field tryouts are at Addison Park on the two soccer fields to the left of the parking lot.

-All keeper tryouts are at Addison Park, field #3 (field next to playscape)

ARRIVAL:

-Arrive 15 minutes early for check-in and warm-up

RAIN DATES:

-If it rains, please check the website at www.glastonburysoccer.org for cancellations and rescheduled dates.

EQUIPMENT:

-Bring appropriately sized soccer ball and water. Shin guards are required, soccer cleats are highly recommended.

ATTIRE:

-Wear a WHITE T-shirt and appropriate athletic clothing to play and practice soccer.

Do NOT wear any pieces of travel uniforms to tryouts.

QUESTIONS:  Any further questions regarding the Glastonbury Hartwell Travel Soccer travel program can be emailed to . 

Travel Tryout Registration

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