Travel Division

The Travel Division provide an opportunity for individuals to compete against area towns in league play that is appropriate for the team's age and skill level. Participation in this division may require a higher level of personal commitment to individual skill development, overall team awareness, and team play.

  • A child must be at least eight (8), but not nineteen (19) by the preceding August 1 prior to the playing season to be eligible for the Travel Division.
  • When the number of players and/or coaches are sufficient to have multiple teams in an age bracket, teams will be formed by placing children onto teams based on the skill level of the individuals. Note that this can only apply when registration numbers in a given age bracket warrant multiple teams. The prevailing intent of these statements is that team formations be made with a consideration of the skill levels of the individuals involved.
  • Team formation will be made in accordance with the following general guidelines [full guidelines for team formation can be found here]:
    • If the number of registered players is less than or equal to the maximum roster size for a given age and gender group, no skill sessions will be held.
    • Each skill session will be an open session for all children that are registered in that age group.
    • At least two (2) sessions will be held with attendance to at least one session required. A player that does not show up to any session cannot be considered for a top team for the following season in which they participate. Exceptions may be granted by the Travel Division Director for new residents and/or injury related concerns
    • A minimum ratio of 1 evaluator to every 5 players, each of whom have coaching experience within FYSA, shall be present at each session. The age group facilitator is expected to be present. The expectation is that half of the evaluators will be involved with the coaching of the specific age/gender and the other half will be from outside the group. In order to facilitate this, the AGF’s should pair up with the other gender at their age group, thereby giving each group the proper evaluator quantity and breakdown.
    • Skill sessions will occur once a year, at the conclusion of the Spring season, and will account for spring-only and waitlisted players.
    • Roster size: (aligns with General Rules). When rosters are being formed, rosters sizes for individual teams may need to exceed these ranges due to levels of player commitment. Any exceptions to these ranges should continue to prioritize maximizing playing time for all players.
      • 7v7: 10-12 (10 ideal)
      • 9v9: 12-14 (13 ideal)
      • 11v11: 15-17 (16 ideal)

      Creating teams outside of these ranges requires Board approval.

    • Team selection is based on the results of skill sessions, and the coach evaluation sheets submitted by the Instructional, Academy, and previous Travel Division Directors (if available).
    • When an age group has enough players to support more than one team, teams will be ranked.
      • Exceptions to these team structures may be granted if, for example:
        • An age and gender group has enough players to support three teams, and the skill-level of most of the kids on the B and C teams is very close: an A, B1, and B2 team structure may be granted.
        • An age and gender group has enough players to support four or more teams, and the skill level of the kids on the B and C teams (or the C and D teams in a group of 5) is very close: an A, B1, B2, C (or A, B, C1, C2, D) structure may be granted.
        • Following the default team structures for an age and gender group would leave a team without any qualified coaches: a team structure that allows for a balanced team at any level below the A team and would allow all teams to have appropriate coaching resources could be granted.
    • Team formation meetings will be attended by the Age Group Facilitator and the prospective head coaches. Assistant coaches that have played a significant role in coaching and Skill Sessions for the specific age group in past seasons should be invited to provide additional input and perspective. The Age Group Facilitator is responsible for managing the input of coaches if they are the parent of a child under discussion. A parent may be excused from the discussion if necessary.
    • Siblings are placed on teams independently based on the results of skill sessions and coach evaluations.
  • Exceptions to the above team formation guidelines may be granted with approval from the Board.
  • Up to five (5) players may be allowed to "skill up" onto a team in an age-bracket above that for which the player is minimally eligible. This is only allowed when the player is to be placed on the top team within the age bracket, and when roster spots are available in the age bracket. An age-appropriate player may not be bumped off a team by a younger player who is "skilling up".
  • Waitlists are set prior to registration by the Division Director and Age Group Facilitator(s), but can be increased as the registration process progresses. Players come off the waitlist in the order in which they registered. If there are not enough roster spots for registered players, those players can be moved to a waitlist or refunded.
  • Full uniforms including shirts, pants, and socks will be used with six inch numbers on the back of the shirt. The cost of the uniform will be the responsibility of the parents and will not be included in the registration fee. The proper uniform and where it can be purchased will be identified by the Association.
  • All Travel Division teams will be entered in the State Affiliated League unless an appropriate affiliated league does not exist.
  • Travel team schedules will be determined by the league entered.
  • Teams shall have a total of two practices per week.
  • All of the above Travel Division team rules apply to 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade travel teams.
  • High school grade teams are formed in a similar manner as noted above, but do not have Skill Sessions. If more than 18 players register for a high school team within the legally identified dates, then it will be the Travel Division Director's responsibility to set roster size after consultation with the coaches.
  • Playing/game rules will be IFAB-based, but may be modified by the governing league.
  • Since this is a more competitive division, playing time is left up to the discretion of the coach. It is recommended that each child get approximately equal playing time, and at no time would play less than half of any game, unless individual conduct warrants less time.
  • Players can, have, and may be moved between teams (up or down) prior to each season.
  • Coach selection is defined in the General Rules chapter
  • Age Group Facilitator (AGF) responsibilities are defined in the Age Group Facilitator section.

Age Group Facilitator Responsibilities

The Age Group Facilitator (AGF) assists the Travel Division Director by providing support to the coaches in a specific age and gender group (e.g., 5th Grade Boys, 4th Grade Girls) to form teams for the subsequent season, and serves at the pleasure of the Board. Skill sessions are evaluation sessions used to supplement a coach’s evaluation of a player from a previous season.

Selection

The Academy Division Director, along with the Instructional Division Director, should make recommendations to the Travel Division Director for candidates for both Boys’ and Girls’ Fourth Grade Age Group Facilitators six (6) weeks prior to the end of the spring season. Recommendations should take into consideration the responsiveness, reliability, communication, and organizational skills of the candidates, as well as a strong focus on the well-being of all players in the program.

The Travel Division Director will assume the responsibilities of the AGF if none is identified.

Skill Sessions

Each AGF will:

  • Facilitate skill sessions within the framework provided by FYSA and the Travel Division Director.
  • Provide the Travel Division Director with a list of potential evaluators for review
    • Prospective evaluators should have coaching experience within FYSA.
    • Include evaluators that are both involved and not involved in the current age/gender group.
    • Include coaches who are likely to be head coaches, or involved in team formation, for the next season.
  • Invite evaluators to the skill sessions
  • Inform evaluators of what is expected from them
    • Encourage evaluators to attend all skill sessions and to evaluate all players to the best of their ability.
  • Collect and input all skill session data into the skill session spreadsheet provided by the Travel Division Director

Team Formation

Each AGF will:

  • Facilitate team formation based on provided Team Formation Guidelines.
  • Based on skill session data, identify a short list of prospective coaches for each team to be shared with the Travel Division Director for approval.
  • Facilitate a meeting with all approved prospective head coaches, assistant coaches, and the Travel Division Director to establish team rosters
    • The timing of this meeting should align with deadlines provided by the Travel Division Director
    • Remote access (e.g., Zoom) should be provided for any participants who cannot attend in-person.
    • The Travel Division Director or impartial (does not have a child in the age/gender group in question) FYSA Board member must be in attendance.

General AGF Responsibilities

  • Assist the Travel Division Director in determining league placement requests for all teams in your age group
  • Assist Travel Division Director in the collection of player evaluations for all teams in your age group two weeks prior to the conclusion of each season
    • Player evaluations must include input from all coaches. Coaches should be instructed to evaluate their players in the context of their team.
    • All coaches should be aware that the placement of the teams is suggestive of a weighted skill level for each player, and that will be taken into account when coach evaluation data is compiled.
  • Assist the Travel Division Director in establishing the waitlist number for your age group based on previous season registration numbers and FYSA roster size limits.

Travel Team Formation Process

Each season (fall and spring) travel teams are formed for the purposes of competing in the coming season. An Age Group Facilitator (AGF) is responsible for assisting the Travel Division Director in forming the teams for a specific gender and age group. Care is taken to form teams that create an appropriate environment for each child to develop. The process is consistent throughout all grades, except when the 7th and 8th grades combine.

4th-6th Grade Travel

June Evaluation and Fall Team Formation Process

  • Every effort should be made to complete a full evaluation for each player at all skill sessions.
  • The AGF will enter the skill session evaluation data as well as the previous season's coach evaluation data in the spreadsheet provided by the Travel Division Director
  • Initial travel team rosters will be formed based on the results of the combined evaluation data.
  • Travel team formation emphasizes the strength of the previous season's coach evaluations, normalized across the ranked teams, and is supplemented by the most recent skill session data available. A tool such as a travel team formation spreadsheet may be used to simplify this task and standardize the weighting across groups.
  • The AGF will host a meeting with approved prospective head and assistant coaches to discuss initial rosters
    • The goal of this meeting is to finalize rosters, taking personal coaching experience into account along with the skill session and evaluation data.

Spring Team Formation Process

Team roster composition may change between the fall and spring seasons, if, for example:

  • Player registration numbers change, thus reducing/increasing roster sizes (roster sizes are expected to remain within FYSA guidelines)
  • A specific team needs a different roster size due to player commitment levels
  • Coaches identify a player on their team whose development might benefit from being placed on a team with players more comparable to their skill level.
    • For example, a player whose fall placement didn't offer the appropriate level of challenge or success for the player to grow, or a player whose pace of progress differs from that of other players in the age group/on the team.
  • Players register who are new to town or the FYSA Travel Program.

When player registration numbers change, thus reducing/increasing roster sizes:

  • Coach evaluations from the fall season will be used to determine which player(s) are to move between teams

If a coach identifies a player on their team whose development might benefit from being placed on a team with players more comparable to their skill level:

  • The AGF will consult with the Travel Division Director and the head coach of the team to which the player would be moving to determine if there is a player that should move in the opposite direction
    • If no such player can be identified, the move will not occur for the spring season, unless the move can be made without pushing either team’s roster size beyond the guideline range for that age group
    • If a player is identified, the swap will be made and families will be notified

New players cannot be placed on the "A" team in the spring unless an exception is granted by the Travel Division Director.

  • The player can be placed on the "B" team, which may result in a player moving down if the addition would exceed the team roster size limit. This player should be identified using the coach evaluations from the fall season.
    • Roster size exceptions may be granted by the Board in this case.

7th/8th Grade Travel

For this age group, 7th and 8th grade players are combined in accordance with the age group divisions set up by the State Affiliated League. Pooling players together across two school years will result in new mixes of players on each team. In order to create the best mix possible for each team to support player development and success, the team formation process at this level is different from the previous years.

June Evaluation Process and Team Formation Process

  • All players 7th and 8th players will be evaluated
  • All teams will be a mix of players from the 7th and 8th grade.
  • The creation of teams will be established per the guidelines set forth above. Depending on the size of the cohort of players, the Travel Division Director, along with the guidance from the AGFs, may decide to make three or four Skilled teams.
  • Each grade will have a Spring Skill Session with just their grade These initial Skill Sessions will be used to identify the player's relative skill level amongst their age group.
  • A second Skills Session will be held for all players in both 7th and 8th grade. Placement at these sessions will be based on performance at the initial session. For that reason players at this age group are strongly encouraged to attend both Skill Sessions.
  • If a player is not able to attend the initial session they will be placed in the appropriate second session based on data from coach evaluations from the Spring season.
  • All evaluators from both grades must be invited to, and to the extent possible should attend, the 7th-grade only, the 8th-grade only, and the combined Skill Sessions. The 7th-grade only and 8th-grade only Skill Sessions for each gender should not be scheduled at the same time to allow evaluators to participate in both grades’ sessions.
  • AGF will enter the skill session data into the spreadsheet provided by the Travel Division Director
  • AGFs will share the normalized coach evaluation data alongside the Skill Session data, and host a meeting with prospective head coaches to establish rosters based on that data.
    • 7th and 8th grade players should be treated equally and placed based on skill. An 8th grader will be given priority on a merit-based team if considered equal to a 7th grader.