Oh My...Newbie to the soccer scene...I actually grew up here too

[Anonymous]

Growing up there was just the youth league for soccer. I don't recall travel soccer or a bunch of other teams. I believe we practiced maybe once a week and then had a game on the weekend. It wasn't my main sport-I was more into basketball. What happened? Now there are sooooo many options and every kid seems to know how good you are by the team. How often are say 11 and 12 year olds practicing a week and for how long? How often are these travel games?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Growing up there was just the youth league for soccer. I don't recall travel soccer or a bunch of other teams. I believe we practiced maybe once a week and then had a game on the weekend. It wasn't my main sport-I was more into basketball. What happened? Now there are sooooo many options and every kid seems to know how good you are by the team. How often are say 11 and 12 year olds practicing a week and for how long? How often are these travel games?

Depends on the club. Barca practices 3 times a week. Most of the games have been in VA or MD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Growing up there was just the youth league for soccer. I don't recall travel soccer or a bunch of other teams. I believe we practiced maybe once a week and then had a game on the weekend. It wasn't my main sport-I was more into basketball. What happened? Now there are sooooo many options and every kid seems to know how good you are by the team. How often are say 11 and 12 year olds practicing a week and for how long? How often are these travel games?

There was travel soccer in this area when you were little. I played for one of the clubs that my daughter plays against now. I also played in the WAGs tournament about 35 years ago. My daughter played in it this weekend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Growing up there was just the youth league for soccer. I don't recall travel soccer or a bunch of other teams. I believe we practiced maybe once a week and then had a game on the weekend. It wasn't my main sport-I was more into basketball. What happened? Now there are sooooo many options and every kid seems to know how good you are by the team. How often are say 11 and 12 year olds practicing a week and for how long? How often are these travel games?

There was travel soccer in this area when you were little. I played for one of the clubs that my daughter plays against now. I also played in the WAGs tournament about 35 years ago. My daughter played in it this weekend.

Yep. It was big in this area in the 70s/80s .

Many of the same Clubs were fielding girls travel teams back then: SYC, McLean, Bryc, fairfax police, Annandale, etc. lots of MD girls teams—Colombia, my st mary’s.

I am close to 50. I heard a mom at least 10-15 years younger than me saying she didn’t play here because there was no girls travel when she was a kid. Wtf? False. There was a big local scene.

We practiced 3 days week, Sunday games, tournaments every holiday weekend and 2-3 out of state summer tournaments, State Cup/regionals/nationals.

Instead of DA, there was the “state team”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Growing up there was just the youth league for soccer. I don't recall travel soccer or a bunch of other teams. I believe we practiced maybe once a week and then had a game on the weekend. It wasn't my main sport-I was more into basketball. What happened? Now there are sooooo many options and every kid seems to know how good you are by the team. How often are say 11 and 12 year olds practicing a week and for how long? How often are these travel games?

There was travel soccer in this area when you were little. I played for one of the clubs that my daughter plays against now. I also played in the WAGs tournament about 35 years ago. My daughter played in it this weekend.

Yep. It was big in this area in the 70s/80s .

Many of the same Clubs were fielding girls travel teams back then: SYC, McLean, Bryc, fairfax police, Annandale, etc. lots of MD girls teams—Colombia, my st mary’s.

I am close to 50. I heard a mom at least 10-15 years younger than me saying she didn’t play here because there was no girls travel when she was a kid. Wtf? False. There was a big local scene.

We practiced 3 days week, Sunday games, tournaments every holiday weekend and 2-3 out of state summer tournaments, State Cup/regionals/nationals.

Instead of DA, there was the “state team”.

Was that the ODP state team?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Growing up there was just the youth league for soccer. I don't recall travel soccer or a bunch of other teams. I believe we practiced maybe once a week and then had a game on the weekend. It wasn't my main sport-I was more into basketball. What happened? Now there are sooooo many options and every kid seems to know how good you are by the team. How often are say 11 and 12 year olds practicing a week and for how long? How often are these travel games?

My U10 kid does MSI Classic (which is not a travel team). Two 90 minute practices and one game per week. And some extra (optional) sessions available (available maybe 30% of the weeks of the season).

[Anonymous]

Annandale girls produced an Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champ from the 80’s select soccer program as it was called back then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Growing up there was just the youth league for soccer. I don't recall travel soccer or a bunch of other teams. I believe we practiced maybe once a week and then had a game on the weekend. It wasn't my main sport-I was more into basketball. What happened? Now there are sooooo many options and every kid seems to know how good you are by the team. How often are say 11 and 12 year olds practicing a week and for how long? How often are these travel games?

There was travel soccer in this area when you were little. I played for one of the clubs that my daughter plays against now. I also played in the WAGs tournament about 35 years ago. My daughter played in it this weekend.

Yep. It was big in this area in the 70s/80s .

Many of the same Clubs were fielding girls travel teams back then: SYC, McLean, Bryc, fairfax police, Annandale, etc. lots of MD girls teams—Colombia, my st mary’s.

I am close to 50. I heard a mom at least 10-15 years younger than me saying she didn’t play here because there was no girls travel when she was a kid. Wtf? False. There was a big local scene.

We practiced 3 days week, Sunday games, tournaments every holiday weekend and 2-3 out of state summer tournaments, State Cup/regionals/nationals.

Instead of DA, there was the “state team”.

But not as big as now. I played soccer for a big HS and no one on our team played outside of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Growing up there was just the youth league for soccer. I don't recall travel soccer or a bunch of other teams. I believe we practiced maybe once a week and then had a game on the weekend. It wasn't my main sport-I was more into basketball. What happened? Now there are sooooo many options and every kid seems to know how good you are by the team. How often are say 11 and 12 year olds practicing a week and for how long? How often are these travel games?

There was travel soccer in this area when you were little. I played for one of the clubs that my daughter plays against now. I also played in the WAGs tournament about 35 years ago. My daughter played in it this weekend.

Yep. It was big in this area in the 70s/80s .

Many of the same Clubs were fielding girls travel teams back then: SYC, McLean, Bryc, fairfax police, Annandale, etc. lots of MD girls teams—Colombia, my st mary’s.

I am close to 50. I heard a mom at least 10-15 years younger than me saying she didn’t play here because there was no girls travel when she was a kid. Wtf? False. There was a big local scene.

We practiced 3 days week, Sunday games, tournaments every holiday weekend and 2-3 out of state summer tournaments, State Cup/regionals/nationals.

Instead of DA, there was the “state team”.

But not as big as now. I played soccer for a big HS and no one on our team played outside of school.

I'm close to 50 also and in PG County there was no girls travel soccer beyond age 12/13. There weren't even girls teams at the high schools, only boys. We had a "county" league that played against other Boys & Girls Clubs, but we didn't travel beyond that and do tournaments. I was shocked to find out that the WAGS and Bethesda tournaments existed when I was younger.

[Anonymous]

My son plays for Alexandria on their mid-level (blue) team. Three practices a week, one or (rarely) two games a weekend, tournaments over holiday weekends. It doesn't feel all that burdensome because soccer is the only sport he plays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Growing up there was just the youth league for soccer. I don't recall travel soccer or a bunch of other teams. I believe we practiced maybe once a week and then had a game on the weekend. It wasn't my main sport-I was more into basketball. What happened? Now there are sooooo many options and every kid seems to know how good you are by the team. How often are say 11 and 12 year olds practicing a week and for how long? How often are these travel games?

There was travel soccer in this area when you were little. I played for one of the clubs that my daughter plays against now. I also played in the WAGs tournament about 35 years ago. My daughter played in it this weekend.

Yep. It was big in this area in the 70s/80s .

Many of the same Clubs were fielding girls travel teams back then: SYC, McLean, Bryc, fairfax police, Annandale, etc. lots of MD girls teams—Colombia, my st mary’s.

I am close to 50. I heard a mom at least 10-15 years younger than me saying she didn’t play here because there was no girls travel when she was a kid. Wtf? False. There was a big local scene.

We practiced 3 days week, Sunday games, tournaments every holiday weekend and 2-3 out of state summer tournaments, State Cup/regionals/nationals.

Instead of DA, there was the “state team”.

But not as big as now. I played soccer for a big HS and no one on our team played outside of school.

That is incredibly odd and not like my HS. All the girls on the Varsity team played Travel soccer. Graduated 1988, but it was the same with my sister who graduated in 1984. This was Lake Braddock/Robinson/West Springfield area. Most of the girls went on to play College soccer as well--on scholarship from my team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Annandale girls produced an Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champ from the 80’s select soccer program as it was called back then.

Holy crap! What was her name? That's amazing!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annandale girls produced an Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champ from the 80’s select soccer program as it was called back then.

Holy crap! What was her name? That's amazing!!

And BRYC had Mia Hamm, Jill Ellis, etc. I thought it was well-known this area was a hot bed for girls soccer in the 80s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annandale girls produced an Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champ from the 80’s select soccer program as it was called back then.

Holy crap! What was her name? That's amazing!!

And BRYC had Mia Hamm, Jill Ellis, etc. I thought it was well-known this area was a hot bed for girls soccer in the 80s.

Christian Pulisic's mother also played bryc, Lake Braddock HS and then for GMU in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annandale girls produced an Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champ from the 80’s select soccer program as it was called back then.

Holy crap! What was her name? That's amazing!!

And BRYC had Mia Hamm, Jill Ellis, etc. I thought it was well-known this area was a hot bed for girls soccer in the 80s.

Probably. I'm not from Virginia, so there's so much I don't know.