Holden Youth Soccer's Spring "Travel Team" Soccer Program provides for a higher level of training, competition, and experience for those players wishing to further develop their soccer skills. We hope that the following information and guidelines will be helpful to those considering participation in this program, as Spring Soccer may not be for everyone.

Holden Youth Soccer annually registers over twenty Girls and Boys teams from U10 to U18 with the Midland Area Youth Soccer League (MAYSL). MAYS registers over two hundred Town and Club Teams to compete in Spring Travel Team Soccer. It is our hope that we will put the best possible teams on the fields during the Spring Season with the Goal of winning the MAYS District Championship, and then go on to compete successfully at the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions (M.T.O.C.).

The Spring Program is significantly different from the Fall Recreational Program in that it calls for a much higher level of commitment, competition, intensity, and ability than the Fall Program. It is designed to offer players of higher ability the opportunity to play the game at a more advanced level. More emphasis is placed on team results. There is no rule that every player must play at least half of the game as there is in the Fall Program. Coaches carefully choose players whom they think will make up the best teams. Pure athletic ability is not the only criterion used; attitude, motivation, sportsmanship, aggressiveness, commitment, dedication, and versatility are also very important factors.

Selection of Teams - The number of teams to be selected for the Spring Program in any age group will depend on the availability of coaches and the number of players of sufficient ability and interest. Fall Coaches are asked to recommend players they feel have Spring Program ability, however, any player may tryout. All players will be considered in the best and fairest ways possible through both a formal tryout process and in observation of their play during regular season games. A player may tryout for a Spring Team even if they did not participate in the Holden Fall Program. A Spring Coach may limit the number of players that also participate in any other sport or activity when choosing their team in order to reduce potential practice and game participation conflicts.

All players who try out will receive a letter, usually during the first week in November, notifying them whether they have made a Spring team or not. In some cases, for some age groups, those players chosen for the Division I team may be notified earlier than those who have not been chosen for that team. This delay is usually due to the league wanting to find suitable coaches for the Division II, and when possible, the Division III teams. The Division III teams, in any age group, are designed to be, when we are able to offer them, developmental in nature. They are a great opportunity for the less experienced player to gain more "real game conditions" learning and experience at a more challenging level of play. We sometimes decide that there are enough more advanced U8 players to enter a special U8 developmental team in the U10 division.

Spring Soccer can be exciting, challenging, and lots of fun, but it requires a serious commitment and may not be for everyone. If you need further information, please Refer to our Contacts page and email the appropriate representative with any questions.

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