One of the goals of SSC is to form teams based on the skills and abilities of the players within an age group. Age groups are defined by the MYSL and there may be more than 1 team representing the Town in each of these age groups. These teams will be aligned on a lowest to highest level based on player ability. Teams within an age group are collectively referred to as a division.
The MYSL dictates roster sizes and this differs by division. At the start of the Fall session, the Travel Team Committee will post the roster size to be used for the season.
This posting will be based on the MYSL requirements, registration results and player evaluation results. Suggested roster sizes will be the same for all teams playing at a specific age group.
A child can elect to “play up” one age division provided they have completed one full year in the division they are otherwise qualified for. If a child would like to “play up”, a written request, to the Travel Committee, should be made by the child’s coach and/or parents. There are two exceptions to this rule explained below. The Travel Committee will review the request and notify the coach of the decision. The Travel Committee reserves the right to disapprove any and all requests if the volume of requests may have an adverse affect on any one division.
If a child is approved to “play up” he/she must attend the tryout conducted for that higher division and will be evaluated accordingly. The child electing to play up will not be allowed to move back down if he/she is not assigned to a team as a result of the tryout process. Finally, a child who elects to play up must do so for the entire season (the Fall and Spring sessions).
There are two instances where a request to “play up” can be initiated by a parent. If the reason for the request is that a child has an August birthday and the request is made so that he/she can play with classmates, the request can come directly from the child’s parents and will be automatically approved. The SSC also recognizes that parents would prefer siblings play on the same team for various reasons. These requests will be accepted directly from parents as well. The Travel Committee will consider a player’s ability before approving a request. All other rules apply.
If a child would like to move up, he/she must work with the coach who must submit the request. The request must identify the following; name, current team, the division the player would like to “play up” to and the reason for the request. Requests should be limited to players with “exceptional skills” who clearly dominate the game in their current division. Moving up to learn more or to be challenged are not valid reasons for a request.
Each request will be reviewed by the Travel Committee on a case by case basis. The Travel Committee reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to deny a request.
All players wishing to participate on a travel team must register and participate in the SSC, player evaluation process. Each season consists of two sessions beginning with a fall session and ending with a spring session. Registration takes place at the start of the spring session preceding the applicable season. Evaluations are conducted once a year and cover both the fall and spring sessions of the season. If a player does register on time, but does not participate in the SSC evaluation process THIS PLAYER IS ONLY ELIGIBLE FOR TEAM PLACEMENT ON THE LOWEST TEAM LEVEL AND ONLY IF A ROSTER SPOT IS AVAILABLE.
The Board of Directors is responsible for the SSC player evaluation process and the Travel Team Committee will manage the process. These player evaluations happen at approximately the same time each year, just before summer break. The exact dates and times will be determined by the Travel Team Committee and advertised to the registered players, no later than close of registration.
Under no circumstances will any commitment regarding team placement be made to any player during the player evaluation process.
The player evaluation process consists of a skills evaluation session which will be organized by division. The Travel Team Committee has the authority to decide whether a make up date for evaluations will be provided. Players who cannot participate in the evaluation process may still be considered for team placement if and only if the player’s absence is for “Good Reason”. Good Reason will be defined as family emergency or obligation, injury and illness. If a player believes he/she has a good reason to miss the evaluation but would like to remain in good standing for team placement, he/she must submit a written notice to the Travel Team Committee Chair identifying the reason for the absence. In the case of illness or injury, a doctor’s note is required.
In the interest of fairness, SSC makes every effort to be sure evaluations are conducted by unbiased evaluators. The staff conducting the evaluations are selected and approved by the Travel Committee. Evaluations are conducted in accordance with a predetermined evaluation process. This process is developed, documented, and approved by the Travel Committee and Board of Directors.
Players will be evaluated based on pre-determined criteria meant to assess a player’s overall soccer skills. These criteria will include but may not be limited to: passing, trapping, heading, dribbling, shooting, tackling, throwing, kicking, keeper skills, ability to anticipate plays, ability to use open space, strategies employed, tactics used, understanding of the rules of the game, alertness, speed, attitude, ability to be coached, teamwork, and aggressiveness while being fair during play.
To further enhance the evaluation process, coaches and assistant coaches will be asked to evaluate each member of his/her team. These evaluations will be considered in conjunction with the SSC evaluation process when determining player placement for the following season.
Once evaluations are complete, players will be assigned to the appropriate team within their age appropriate division and based on the evaluation results. These placements will be reviewed for approval by the Travel Team Committee and final approval by the Board of Directors. When finalizing rosters, the Travel Team Committee and the Board of Directors can use any other information they believe will help provide the fairest and most appropriate player placement. A special meeting of the Board of Directors and Travel Team Committee will be convened for this purpose.
Team rosters are not considered final until they are released by the Stoneham Soccer Club Travel Committee. Until that time, rosters are subject to changes as the Travel Team Committee and Board of Directors see fit.
All evaluation information and results will remain confidential to be used by the evaluators and Travel Team Committee only. Any person involved with the process and who shares results with other than evaluators and Travel Team Committee members will be immediately removed from the Stoneham Soccer program and no longer allowed toparticipate in any capacity.
The Travel Program Coordinator is available to assist coaches and assistant coaches with any questions they may have regarding their rosters. All questions and concerns are to be directed to the Coordinator.
Players who participated in the SSC evaluation process but not assigned to a team will be notified in writing by the Travel Program Coordinator within one week of roster approval by the Board of Directors. Any player not assigned to a roster is encouraged to participate in the Town Teams Program otherwise they will receive a full refund of their registration fee.