For New Parents

Welcome to Coldbrook Travel Soccer!

Welcome to the world of travel soccer! While travel soccer is a step up from rec. soccer in terms of intensity and commitment, it is also a step up in terms of fun. You will be amazed at the progress your child and their team make over the short season. As your first season of travel soccer can be a little overwhelming, we’ve put together a quick guide to give you an overview of what to expect. If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the club (info@coldbrooksoccer.com) and we are more than happy to help out!

This introductory guide covers:

We are thrilled to have you join the CTSC family and wish you all the best for a fantastic season!

About Travel Soccer

The travel soccer program is for children who are committed to improving their skills and sense of teamwork on the field. While teams adhere to CTSC’s principles of development and participation, soccer at the travel level offers a more competitive and comprehensive experience than is found on the recreational level.

Teams are managed by licensed coaches, and players are expected to commit to training times and games. Teams typically train one to two times per week, beginning in mid-August, and may play up to two games per weekend through early November. Our teams have weekly games scheduled starting in late August through October and also participate in tournaments over both Labor Day and Columbus Day weekends.

Evaluations

CTSC tryouts are skills evaluation sessions that occur in early May each year for fall travel teams. As CTSC is a developmental club, we accept all interested players and will field as many teams per age group as the number of players and available coaches allow. Skills evaluation is conducted by local non-CTSC coaches and teams are assembled using the results of these evaluations. If we have enough players to field more than one team in a particular age group, player assignments will be made such that the teams are as equal as possible.

Team Placement and Uniforms

Players’ families will be notified of team placements in late June or early July. At that time, families will receive a personalized link via email for ordering their team uniforms. Uniforms should be ordered by mid-July to ensure their arrival before the first games in late August.

If you are new to CTSC, you will need to purchase a uniform which consists of a jersey, shorts and pair of socks. Returning players are not required to purchase a uniform each year, unless we have a change in team jersey due to supplier discontinuation of a product. All items may be purchased separately or as a “kit.” Players should also have soccer cleats and shin guards that are not part of the team branded kit.

Each player will be assigned a number for the back of their jersey. The assigned numbers are registered with Soccer Maine and are on the official rosters for the team. These will be automatically added when ordering through your personalized link. While we can not typically accommodate number requests, our hope is to be able to assign each player a number that will be theirs throughout their time with our club.

Practices

Practices start at the beginning of August. Teams will typically practice 1-2 times per week, based on the availability of the coach and fields. We share fields with RSU22 and Hermon during the fall season and as such, field time is at a premium. Because of this, practice times may change throughout the season.

Games

Weekly games typically begin during the last weekend in August and run until or through October. Most games are scheduled for Sundays but may also be scheduled for Saturdays as well. Due to the short season, our younger teams (U9-U11) will play two games each Sunday, lasting 50-60 minutes each depending on the age group. For home games, these may be separated by a few hours but away games are typically back to back. Be sure to send your child with a small snack and lots of water!

In general, all players on a team can expect to play at least 50 percent game time over the course of the season. In the U9-U11 age groups, teams are designated as “noncompetitive,” meaning scores are not formally kept and standings are not maintained. These teams play in a season-ending tournament in late October. Teams in the U12-U14 age groups are deemed “competitive,” and scores and standings are tracked for seeding in the state championship tournament.

As this is travel soccer, some travel may be involved. Our teams typically play a number of games in the greater Bangor area, but may also travel to play teams in Waterville, Augusta, Skowhegan, Camden, and beyond.

Tournaments

In addition to the weekly regular-season games, our teams participate in tournaments over both Labor Day and Columbus Day weekends. The Labor Day tournament is typically held on Saturday or Sunday with no play on Monday. The Columbus Day tournament is held on both Saturday and Sunday. For teams U12 and above, this is a competitive tournament and teams may advance to playoffs on Monday.

All players, and their parents, are expected to commit to the CTSC Code of Conduct. You may find a copy of the Code of Conduct here.