Travel Soccer Costs and Commitment

Many parents and players wonder if they are ready for the cost and commitment required to participate in travel soccer at Broadneck Soccer Club. Travel soccer can offer many rewarding challenges and experiences for the player and their family. It is a great opportunity to meet people in the community you may not have met and create long lasting relationship over the years. Players will find an environment where they are pushed to be as good as they can be while developing a sense of community through their team and club.

There are many soccer clubs in our area, all with varying cost and commitment levels. Below, is an outline of what you can expect on a typical travel team in the Broadneck Soccer Club.

Time Commitment

Fall and Spring Seasons

Most teams practice 2-3 times a week (the younger ages typically practice only twice a week). There are 8-10 games a season and half of them will be away. Depending on the league the team plays in (CMSSL, CMSA, EDP, or NCSL), games could be as far away as north of Baltimore, Olney, or Leesburg, VA. You could also have away games in Severna Park, Crofton, or Bowie. It all depends which league and division the team plays in.

Tournaments

Tournaments are part of the real fun and experience of travel soccer. Most travel teams will play 2-3 tournaments per season. Tournaments are typically played on holiday weekends (Labor Day, Columbus Day, weekend before Thanksgiving, and Memorial Day. There may also be preseason tournaments in August and March and an end of the season tournament in early to mid-June. Which tournaments and how many tournaments is decided by the team and their coaching staff. Tournaments generally play two games on Saturday and one on Sunday with a possible second game on Sunday if the team makes it to a final. There are many fantastic local tournaments with excellent competition, but some teams choose to go out of town, requiring an overnight stay, for a tournament or two per year. The experience of travelling while playing is what most people remember fondly about playing travel soccer.

Winter Season

Most teams will play one or two sessions of indoor soccer. The first session starts in early December and runs until the end of January. The second session runs from January to mid-March. Games are once a week. Practice space is hard to come by. So practices are minimal, if any.

Multi-Sport Athletes

Playing many sports as a young athlete is considered extremely beneficial. Teams do all they can to accommodate multi-sport athletes. Coaches will expect soccer to take priority over other sports in the fall. During the winter and spring season coaches will ask for some balance between soccer and the other sport. If the player is not able to participate at all in the winter and spring, it will be difficult to keep the team moving forward. Many dual sport athletes will attend one soccer practice per week in the spring season and play in all games where there is no conflict.

Summer (mid-June to early August)

Most teams take the summer off, but some will schedule fun pick up games from time to time. Many travel players will also attend some of the great soccer camps available in the area.

Cost

The costs below are close estimates. Depending on how active the team is, the cost may be slightly lower or higher (+/- $200).