Girls travel soccer tryout opinions, questions and answers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP is correct. Same experience. Our first was the guinea pig and is now losing interest after 4 years of intense travel soccer. At 8, they are gung ho, but travel is a killer. With our youngest, we are delaying entry until older. Oldest is an exceptional soccer player too, but the clubs really overdo. Elementary school is too young for more then 2 days a week + a local weekend game. But you will see hundreds of families all going down this route . . . .

I’m 15:02. Do you think your oldest is losing interest because it was too much too soon or that he would have anyway? My older child plays a different sport competitively and decided to step back after 5 years and try other things. We think his interests have changed and we are okay with that.

Thanks to all for the replies discussing the pros and cons. It is a lot to consider.

Everyone likes to blame the sport, the travel and everything else but the possibility that the player simply prefers something else to do with their time. And there is nothing wrong with that. It happens in all sports and activities. It isn't burnout.

[Anonymous]

For those looking for a travel light program, this might be a good option:

https://fpycsports.demosphere-secure.com/sports/soccer/training/fpyc-academy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks - we are a brand new family. DD was born in late 2010 and we live in Vienna. I see that VYS is a hot topic for many based upon that other thread. DD loves soccer and we are torn between having her try out for travel or having her stay in rec. She is competitive. All I care about is that she has fun. We are not concerned with the finances.

So my question, she has been playing with friends on her team since K. I know the age groups are different for travel and it is a matter of time before they all go in their own directions anyway. We also want this to be a fun, social experience. What are the benefits of her trying out now or waiting until later? She will always be one of the oldest in rec or one of the youngest in travel.

Our DD is slightly older but we made the mistake of doing travel at u9. If I had it to do over I would find a select/classic team that is competitive and has a good coach who knows the game. Maybe even a parent coach who has played soccer at a high level. At the end of the day, what killed travelfor me at that age was the actual travel. We traveled all over to play against teams that weren't that good. The reality is that at that age, it does not make sense to travel all over the DMV playing games. It is probably more efficient to use that time training. U12 or u13 is the age when travel becomes critical. By u14 for sure. Don't fall into the trap that you have to do travel at u9 because you don't. Use your time and money to invest in training.

In a prefect world maybe you could do this. In real life it’s hard to make a travel club(top team) if you have not done travel. By u11 there is a huge difference in skill of the top girls. At u12 and u13 it is very hard to break in. I have seen it first hand. Girls who are pretty good but play select or rec are overwhelmed at practice or tryouts. They are very self conscious when doing the ball skill. The few who are really skilled have not been pushed or challenged. Most kids drop out not because they are burnt out but because their interest change or they know they will not make the top team. 75% of kids stop playing sports by 13. It’s also very boring and tough to play rec or select if you are really skilled. It’s nice to have other players who can field the ball and pass and not get take out out by less skilled players. So I totally disagree with you.

[Anonymous]

This is probably a much smaller decision than you're thinking it is. Let her try out for travel. See how it goes. Let her continue to play rec if she wants to. (Our daughter is 12 and still plays rec along with travel, because she loves playing with her school friends. She misses some rec practices and matches, but no one minds because there are plenty of players.) If it's too much soccer, cut one or the other out next year, depending on her preferences and your logistics.

And if you decide to wait on the travel soccer: yes, it's harder to break in later. Doesn't mean it can't be done. She may just make a lower-level team, and if she wants to, she can attempt to move up from there. Not a big deal except for the small group of vocal parents (it's usually the parents, not the kids) who loudly proclaim that travel soccer isn't worth doing if your child isn't on the top team. Travel soccer is great for many things: building skills, staying in shape, providing a counter to screen time, building friendships outside of school...it's not just about winning or parental bragging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks - we are a brand new family. DD was born in late 2010 and we live in Vienna. I see that VYS is a hot topic for many based upon that other thread. DD loves soccer and we are torn between having her try out for travel or having her stay in rec. She is competitive. All I care about is that she has fun. We are not concerned with the finances.

So my question, she has been playing with friends on her team since K. I know the age groups are different for travel and it is a matter of time before they all go in their own directions anyway. We also want this to be a fun, social experience. What are the benefits of her trying out now or waiting until later? She will always be one of the oldest in rec or one of the youngest in travel.

Our DD is slightly older but we made the mistake of doing travel at u9. If I had it to do over I would find a select/classic team that is competitive and has a good coach who knows the game. Maybe even a parent coach who has played soccer at a high level. At the end of the day, what killed travelfor me at that age was the actual travel. We traveled all over to play against teams that weren't that good. The reality is that at that age, it does not make sense to travel all over the DMV playing games. It is probably more efficient to use that time training. U12 or u13 is the age when travel becomes critical. By u14 for sure. Don't fall into the trap that you have to do travel at u9 because you don't. Use your time and money to invest in training.

And yes, traveling "all over the DMV". How terrible.

When I see comments like this I can pretty much just picture the parents right away. They are the parents who view sports as a social outlet or just a way to get some exercise. But most of the time it is not much more than a box to check that says "I'm Parenting". When you are already bemoaning traveling "all over the DMV" before you have set foot on a practice field I'm pretty sure the kid picks up on that.

Taking the fiscal issues out of it and assuming money isn't the driving factor the decision of the level that a kid plays at should be player driven. But once the decision is made then you need to be supportive and that means not bitching about driving to Alexandria on a Saturday morning for a 8:00am tourney game. Yes, your weekends are no longer your own. It sucks, UNLESS your kid loves what they are doing and they will love it more if you just bite your tongue when around them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks - we are a brand new family. DD was born in late 2010 and we live in Vienna. I see that VYS is a hot topic for many based upon that other thread. DD loves soccer and we are torn between having her try out for travel or having her stay in rec. She is competitive. All I care about is that she has fun. We are not concerned with the finances.

So my question, she has been playing with friends on her team since K. I know the age groups are different for travel and it is a matter of time before they all go in their own directions anyway. We also want this to be a fun, social experience. What are the benefits of her trying out now or waiting until later? She will always be one of the oldest in rec or one of the youngest in travel.

Our DD is slightly older but we made the mistake of doing travel at u9. If I had it to do over I would find a select/classic team that is competitive and has a good coach who knows the game. Maybe even a parent coach who has played soccer at a high level. At the end of the day, what killed travelfor me at that age was the actual travel. We traveled all over to play against teams that weren't that good. The reality is that at that age, it does not make sense to travel all over the DMV playing games. It is probably more efficient to use that time training. U12 or u13 is the age when travel becomes critical. By u14 for sure. Don't fall into the trap that you have to do travel at u9 because you don't. Use your time and money to invest in training.

Well that is really the trick isn't it. So, now please share with the class how you do that.

Can you do anything by yourself?

I have boys, but people say this stupid sh*t all of the time. We did our research. We figured it out. Some people just aren't willing to try and buy into what they are being told.

For starters, get off this thread and start looking around. I could instantly see quality training for myself when I went around and I asked a lot of questions of other parents IRL. The first sign you are doing it all wrong is if you are caught up in 'color placement' and leagues in the U13 and under crowd. Bye-bye

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks - we are a brand new family. DD was born in late 2010 and we live in Vienna. I see that VYS is a hot topic for many based upon that other thread. DD loves soccer and we are torn between having her try out for travel or having her stay in rec. She is competitive. All I care about is that she has fun. We are not concerned with the finances.

So my question, she has been playing with friends on her team since K. I know the age groups are different for travel and it is a matter of time before they all go in their own directions anyway. We also want this to be a fun, social experience. What are the benefits of her trying out now or waiting until later? She will always be one of the oldest in rec or one of the youngest in travel.

Our DD is slightly older but we made the mistake of doing travel at u9. If I had it to do over I would find a select/classic team that is competitive and has a good coach who knows the game. Maybe even a parent coach who has played soccer at a high level. At the end of the day, what killed travelfor me at that age was the actual travel. We traveled all over to play against teams that weren't that good. The reality is that at that age, it does not make sense to travel all over the DMV playing games. It is probably more efficient to use that time training. U12 or u13 is the age when travel becomes critical. By u14 for sure. Don't fall into the trap that you have to do travel at u9 because you don't. Use your time and money to invest in training.

And yes, traveling "all over the DMV". How terrible.

When I see comments like this I can pretty much just picture the parents right away. They are the parents who view sports as a social outlet or just a way to get some exercise. But most of the time it is not much more than a box to check that says "I'm Parenting". When you are already bemoaning traveling "all over the DMV" before you have set foot on a practice field I'm pretty sure the kid picks up on that.

Taking the fiscal issues out of it and assuming money isn't the driving factor the decision of the level that a kid plays at should be player driven. But once the decision is made then you need to be supportive and that means not bitching about driving to Alexandria on a Saturday morning for a 8:00am tourney game. Yes, your weekends are no longer your own. It sucks, UNLESS your kid loves what they are doing and they will love it more if you just bite your tongue when around them.

My parent bemoaned that shit back in my day and we all made it to the top of the sport. Nothing wrong with parents who don't want their child's sport to take up 100% of their leisure time. In fact, we learned soon on if we weren't committed then my parents wouldn't bother driving. IF we weren't giving 100% of effort the rides would end. My parents bemoaned it, but they never missed a single game and we know they loved watching us play. Anyone who loves sitting in 3 hour traffic jams for a 70 minute game is a complete dolt.

Even my own kids don't like sitting in the back of the car for hours to go blow some team out 11-0. It's bullshit.

I see the parents that love, love, love the travel---dressed up in their soccer gear, intense as shit on the sidelines "send it!!", living vicariously through their little Mia/Christians. If you are saying you love 'travel' there is something quite wrong. IF all the competitive games were 10 minutes away I'd be absolutely thrilled. They aren't ---so, yes, I will bitch if I have to get up at 5:45am on a Saturday morning to drive out to middle of nowhere.

Guess what? Our coaches don't like driving out there either.

You ain't playing when you are spending most of your time in the back of the car. Travel in kiddie soccer is unique to the US where soccer isn't quality. Go figure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks - we are a brand new family. DD was born in late 2010 and we live in Vienna. I see that VYS is a hot topic for many based upon that other thread. DD loves soccer and we are torn between having her try out for travel or having her stay in rec. She is competitive. All I care about is that she has fun. We are not concerned with the finances.

So my question, she has been playing with friends on her team since K. I know the age groups are different for travel and it is a matter of time before they all go in their own directions anyway. We also want this to be a fun, social experience. What are the benefits of her trying out now or waiting until later? She will always be one of the oldest in rec or one of the youngest in travel.

Our DD is slightly older but we made the mistake of doing travel at u9. If I had it to do over I would find a select/classic team that is competitive and has a good coach who knows the game. Maybe even a parent coach who has played soccer at a high level. At the end of the day, what killed travelfor me at that age was the actual travel. We traveled all over to play against teams that weren't that good. The reality is that at that age, it does not make sense to travel all over the DMV playing games. It is probably more efficient to use that time training. U12 or u13 is the age when travel becomes critical. By u14 for sure. Don't fall into the trap that you have to do travel at u9 because you don't. Use your time and money to invest in training.

Well that is really the trick isn't it. So, now please share with the class how you do that.

Can you do anything by yourself?

I have boys, but people say this stupid sh*t all of the time. We did our research. We figured it out. Some people just aren't willing to try and buy into what they are being told.

For starters, get off this thread and start looking around. I could instantly see quality training for myself when I went around and I asked a lot of questions of other parents IRL. The first sign you are doing it all wrong is if you are caught up in 'color placement' and leagues in the U13 and under crowd. Bye-bye

Ummm, the post was sarcasm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks - we are a brand new family. DD was born in late 2010 and we live in Vienna. I see that VYS is a hot topic for many based upon that other thread. DD loves soccer and we are torn between having her try out for travel or having her stay in rec. She is competitive. All I care about is that she has fun. We are not concerned with the finances.

So my question, she has been playing with friends on her team since K. I know the age groups are different for travel and it is a matter of time before they all go in their own directions anyway. We also want this to be a fun, social experience. What are the benefits of her trying out now or waiting until later? She will always be one of the oldest in rec or one of the youngest in travel.

Our DD is slightly older but we made the mistake of doing travel at u9. If I had it to do over I would find a select/classic team that is competitive and has a good coach who knows the game. Maybe even a parent coach who has played soccer at a high level. At the end of the day, what killed travelfor me at that age was the actual travel. We traveled all over to play against teams that weren't that good. The reality is that at that age, it does not make sense to travel all over the DMV playing games. It is probably more efficient to use that time training. U12 or u13 is the age when travel becomes critical. By u14 for sure. Don't fall into the trap that you have to do travel at u9 because you don't. Use your time and money to invest in training.

Well that is really the trick isn't it. So, now please share with the class how you do that.

Can you do anything by yourself?

I have boys, but people say this stupid sh*t all of the time. We did our research. We figured it out. Some people just aren't willing to try and buy into what they are being told.

For starters, get off this thread and start looking around. I could instantly see quality training for myself when I went around and I asked a lot of questions of other parents IRL. The first sign you are doing it all wrong is if you are caught up in 'color placement' and leagues in the U13 and under crowd. Bye-bye

+1

Find quality training. Hint: It's not by just signing up for travel soccer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks - we are a brand new family. DD was born in late 2010 and we live in Vienna. I see that VYS is a hot topic for many based upon that other thread. DD loves soccer and we are torn between having her try out for travel or having her stay in rec. She is competitive. All I care about is that she has fun. We are not concerned with the finances.

So my question, she has been playing with friends on her team since K. I know the age groups are different for travel and it is a matter of time before they all go in their own directions anyway. We also want this to be a fun, social experience. What are the benefits of her trying out now or waiting until later? She will always be one of the oldest in rec or one of the youngest in travel.

Our DD is slightly older but we made the mistake of doing travel at u9. If I had it to do over I would find a select/classic team that is competitive and has a good coach who knows the game. Maybe even a parent coach who has played soccer at a high level. At the end of the day, what killed travelfor me at that age was the actual travel. We traveled all over to play against teams that weren't that good. The reality is that at that age, it does not make sense to travel all over the DMV playing games. It is probably more efficient to use that time training. U12 or u13 is the age when travel becomes critical. By u14 for sure. Don't fall into the trap that you have to do travel at u9 because you don't. Use your time and money to invest in training.

And yes, traveling "all over the DMV". How terrible.

When I see comments like this I can pretty much just picture the parents right away. They are the parents who view sports as a social outlet or just a way to get some exercise. But most of the time it is not much more than a box to check that says "I'm Parenting". When you are already bemoaning traveling "all over the DMV" before you have set foot on a practice field I'm pretty sure the kid picks up on that.

Taking the fiscal issues out of it and assuming money isn't the driving factor the decision of the level that a kid plays at should be player driven. But once the decision is made then you need to be supportive and that means not bitching about driving to Alexandria on a Saturday morning for a 8:00am tourney game. Yes, your weekends are no longer your own. It sucks, UNLESS your kid loves what they are doing and they will love it more if you just bite your tongue when around them.

My parent bemoaned that shit back in my day and we all made it to the top of the sport. Nothing wrong with parents who don't want their child's sport to take up 100% of their leisure time. In fact, we learned soon on if we weren't committed then my parents wouldn't bother driving. IF we weren't giving 100% of effort the rides would end. My parents bemoaned it, but they never missed a single game and we know they loved watching us play. Anyone who loves sitting in 3 hour traffic jams for a 70 minute game is a complete dolt.

Even my own kids don't like sitting in the back of the car for hours to go blow some team out 11-0. It's bullshit.

I see the parents that love, love, love the travel---dressed up in their soccer gear, intense as shit on the sidelines "send it!!", living vicariously through their little Mia/Christians. If you are saying you love 'travel' there is something quite wrong. IF all the competitive games were 10 minutes away I'd be absolutely thrilled. They aren't ---so, yes, I will bitch if I have to get up at 5:45am on a Saturday morning to drive out to middle of nowhere.

Guess what? Our coaches don't like driving out there either.

You ain't playing when you are spending most of your time in the back of the car. Travel in kiddie soccer is unique to the US where soccer isn't quality. Go figure.

So traveling all over the DMV has now turned into "hours in the back of a car"? There are MANY levels of travel teams with MANY levels of commitment. Find the one that offers you balance and be happy. You do not have to accept the offer to the A team that requires more travel. You're problem is you can't get passed your own ego of seeing your child play on a more convenient B or C team when you can instead bitch and moan about how your great A team player "haaaas to drive all over only for her super awesome team to win 11-0, when they could just as easily win 11-0 locally. But her talent is to high to be wasted on anything less. DAMN TRAVEL SOCCER! If there was only a way that my daughter could be just as elite anywhere else but unfortunately her talent demands this of us."

[Anonymous]

Okay, there are a lot of strong opinions out there. I asked the initial question and have the DD. I'll let her try out and leave it up to her to decide when the time comes. If she makes a team, wants to do it and it doesn't like it she can go back the following year.

I don't the driving and honestly, it doesn't sound too bad compared to what we have been through with my older child's tournaments. DH and I often split up for these things and or find carpools. We can make that work. You have answered my other questions. Thanks, everyone!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay, there are a lot of strong opinions out there. I asked the initial question and have the DD. I'll let her try out and leave it up to her to decide when the time comes. If she makes a team, wants to do it and it doesn't like it she can go back the following year.

I don't the driving and honestly, it doesn't sound too bad compared to what we have been through with my older child's tournaments. DH and I often split up for these things and or find carpools. We can make that work. You have answered my other questions. Thanks, everyone!

Never mind some of the posters. I posted about simply finding the level that meets your kids playing level as well as providing the balance you might need.

All of this is choice. You can choose a high intensive club team or a more laid back. The point is, there are choices. The board has a couple of people who seem to ignore or overlook the "Travel" part of Travel Soccer and then blame the mega soccer industrial complex for crushing all the joy in their lives, as if they have no choice in the matter.

But step one is to tryout. Look for more local clubs especially at younger ages. Everyone also forgets that while rec teams have classmates so to do travel clubs. In fact there is a good chance your kid will meet either other schoolmates or kids from nearby neighboring schools who may very well be classmates by middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks - we are a brand new family. DD was born in late 2010 and we live in Vienna. I see that VYS is a hot topic for many based upon that other thread. DD loves soccer and we are torn between having her try out for travel or having her stay in rec. She is competitive. All I care about is that she has fun. We are not concerned with the finances.

So my question, she has been playing with friends on her team since K. I know the age groups are different for travel and it is a matter of time before they all go in their own directions anyway. We also want this to be a fun, social experience. What are the benefits of her trying out now or waiting until later? She will always be one of the oldest in rec or one of the youngest in travel.

Our DD is slightly older but we made the mistake of doing travel at u9. If I had it to do over I would find a select/classic team that is competitive and has a good coach who knows the game. Maybe even a parent coach who has played soccer at a high level. At the end of the day, what killed travelfor me at that age was the actual travel. We traveled all over to play against teams that weren't that good. The reality is that at that age, it does not make sense to travel all over the DMV playing games. It is probably more efficient to use that time training. U12 or u13 is the age when travel becomes critical. By u14 for sure. Don't fall into the trap that you have to do travel at u9 because you don't. Use your time and money to invest in training.

And yes, traveling "all over the DMV". How terrible.


When I see comments like this I can pretty much just picture the parents right away. They are the parents who view sports as a social outlet or just a way to get some exercise. But most of the time it is not much more than a box to check that says "I'm Parenting". When you are already bemoaning traveling "all over the DMV" before you have set foot on a practice field I'm pretty sure the kid picks up on that.

Taking the fiscal issues out of it and assuming money isn't the driving factor the decision of the level that a kid plays at should be player driven. But once the decision is made then you need to be supportive and that means not bitching about driving to Alexandria on a Saturday morning for a 8:00am tourney game. Yes, your weekends are no longer your own. It sucks, UNLESS your kid loves what they are doing and they will love it more if you just bite your tongue when around them.

I have been a travel sport parent for 5 years now with daughters playing softball and soccer. My older daughter is committed to play softball in college when she graduates this year. She never played any sports until she was 13 and "decided' to try out for the MS Softball team. She LOVED it and decided that she wanted to play travel softball. She knew she would be playing catch up, and that she would have to start on a "lower" level travel team, but that was ok. She has worked her butt off, and as a senior she is her HS Captain and plays 18UA travel softball. In September she was able to commit to play softball at a D3 College here in VA. We have went from weekend after weekend in Sterling playing tournaments to travelling up and down the mid-Atlantic. I can only imagine we will be following the college team next year as well. My younger daughter started travel soccer at U9. She loves playing and watching soccer. She is currently playing U14 ECNL/DA soccer, and loves the competition and the comraderie. My wife and I have LOVED every minute of the time that the kids playing sports has "forced" us to spend together. The memories we have made and time we have spent together is worth every penny we have put into youth sports. In all honesty I wonder what we will do with ourselves when they are done......

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks - we are a brand new family. DD was born in late 2010 and we live in Vienna. I see that VYS is a hot topic for many based upon that other thread. DD loves soccer and we are torn between having her try out for travel or having her stay in rec. She is competitive. All I care about is that she has fun. We are not concerned with the finances.

So my question, she has been playing with friends on her team since K. I know the age groups are different for travel and it is a matter of time before they all go in their own directions anyway. We also want this to be a fun, social experience. What are the benefits of her trying out now or waiting until later? She will always be one of the oldest in rec or one of the youngest in travel.

Our DD is slightly older but we made the mistake of doing travel at u9. If I had it to do over I would find a select/classic team that is competitive and has a good coach who knows the game. Maybe even a parent coach who has played soccer at a high level. At the end of the day, what killed travelfor me at that age was the actual travel. We traveled all over to play against teams that weren't that good. The reality is that at that age, it does not make sense to travel all over the DMV playing games. It is probably more efficient to use that time training. U12 or u13 is the age when travel becomes critical. By u14 for sure. Don't fall into the trap that you have to do travel at u9 because you don't. Use your time and money to invest in training.

Well that is really the trick isn't it. So, now please share with the class how you do that.

Right! If you are too much of a moron to understand, I will translate -- "If I were you, I would consider the following."

You inside-beltway clowns are too much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks - we are a brand new family. DD was born in late 2010 and we live in Vienna. I see that VYS is a hot topic for many based upon that other thread. DD loves soccer and we are torn between having her try out for travel or having her stay in rec. She is competitive. All I care about is that she has fun. We are not concerned with the finances.

So my question, she has been playing with friends on her team since K. I know the age groups are different for travel and it is a matter of time before they all go in their own directions anyway. We also want this to be a fun, social experience. What are the benefits of her trying out now or waiting until later? She will always be one of the oldest in rec or one of the youngest in travel.

Our DD is slightly older but we made the mistake of doing travel at u9. If I had it to do over I would find a select/classic team that is competitive and has a good coach who knows the game. Maybe even a parent coach who has played soccer at a high level. At the end of the day, what killed travelfor me at that age was the actual travel. We traveled all over to play against teams that weren't that good. The reality is that at that age, it does not make sense to travel all over the DMV playing games. It is probably more efficient to use that time training. U12 or u13 is the age when travel becomes critical. By u14 for sure. Don't fall into the trap that you have to do travel at u9 because you don't. Use your time and money to invest in training.

And yes, traveling "all over the DMV". How terrible.

When I see comments like this I can pretty much just picture the parents right away. They are the parents who view sports as a social outlet or just a way to get some exercise. But most of the time it is not much more than a box to check that says "I'm Parenting". When you are already bemoaning traveling "all over the DMV" before you have set foot on a practice field I'm pretty sure the kid picks up on that.

Taking the fiscal issues out of it and assuming money isn't the driving factor the decision of the level that a kid plays at should be player driven. But once the decision is made then you need to be supportive and that means not bitching about driving to Alexandria on a Saturday morning for a 8:00am tourney game. Yes, your weekends are no longer your own. It sucks, UNLESS your kid loves what they are doing and they will love it more if you just bite your tongue when around them.

My parent bemoaned that shit back in my day and we all made it to the top of the sport. Nothing wrong with parents who don't want their child's sport to take up 100% of their leisure time. In fact, we learned soon on if we weren't committed then my parents wouldn't bother driving. IF we weren't giving 100% of effort the rides would end. My parents bemoaned it, but they never missed a single game and we know they loved watching us play. Anyone who loves sitting in 3 hour traffic jams for a 70 minute game is a complete dolt.

Even my own kids don't like sitting in the back of the car for hours to go blow some team out 11-0. It's bullshit.

I see the parents that love, love, love the travel---dressed up in their soccer gear, intense as shit on the sidelines "send it!!", living vicariously through their little Mia/Christians. If you are saying you love 'travel' there is something quite wrong. IF all the competitive games were 10 minutes away I'd be absolutely thrilled. They aren't ---so, yes, I will bitch if I have to get up at 5:45am on a Saturday morning to drive out to middle of nowhere.

Guess what? Our coaches don't like driving out there either.

You ain't playing when you are spending most of your time in the back of the car. Travel in kiddie soccer is unique to the US where soccer isn't quality. Go figure.

100% agree.

Many of these parents commenting probably never played a serious sport at a top level. The point here is that YOU DO NOT NEED TO JUMP INTO TRAVEL SOCCER AT AGE 9. I stated earlier that in Mont County, you can join a strong classic team or select squad. Ask around for a good coach. Some coaches build a competitive soccer team at the u9-u13 levels that can crush any 95% of the travel teams in the area and would even given a run to the elite teams. They will enter the team into competetive tournaments. My neighbors played classic through U-14 and then made an elite team in MD. I have seen my own kids' teams lose to strong classic programs during indoor and futsol. I know some classic slubs that transitioned into travel at u-13/u-14.

You and your DC can decide which moment is the right moment but don't listen to these parents who act like you have to begin travel by age 9 or else. I have many examples of why that is not true. All of this is based on finding a serious classic/select team with a strong coach. I can't really speak to NoVA but in MoCo, you can find a few at every age group.