Re: Travel Soccer- CYA? Vienna (VYS)? Etc.?
Posted by:
SoccerParent
()
Date: April 11, 2017 11:47AM
The OP mentions "sportswomanship." While not for everyone, Braddock Road tends to field the most successful girls travel teams in the area. By successful, I mean State Cup champions, league champions and National champions.
As a parent of a male BRYC Elite player, I find the club definitely favors the girl's side of the academy. (BTW, BRYC is now an academy, which mean higher fees). The club hires better coaches for the girls, recruits better players and tends to address the needs and requirements of the girls technical staff over those for the boys.
Case in point, BRYC is moving to the ECNL. A few years ago, the parents heard a bunch of reasons for leaving NCSL for CCL to include becoming a charter member. BRYC would play top-tier clubs in the DC/MD/VA area. We would get better competition, more favorable schedules and higher performance.
Four years later, the club decided to leave CCL for ECNL. This new league, which got formed around the top national girls teams (ahem), provides better competition, more favorable schedules and higher performance.
And more fees, plus teams as far away as Massachusetts and South Carolina. (Charter buses anyone?)
For the OP, the question becomes what do you value as a family?
As others wrote, if the kids just want to have fun, pick a house or recreational team. Nearly all the local clubs offer one. Your kids will likely play more and travel less.
If you really want to invest the time and money into travel soccer, there are many clubs happy to give your child a tryout (most clubs are doing tryouts right now or very soon) and if they offer a position to your child and you accept, they will gladly take your money...and a lot of it.
Travel soccer fees (for the club) are between $1500-2000 per year per child. (Some clubs offer discounts for siblings). Then you pay a fee to the team. Then you pay a fee for each tournament. Then you pay to travel, which means gas, food and lodging.
Despite the above, I like BRYC because my son plays with a good group of kids with decent parents and a dedicated coach. That was not always my experience with BRYC and other local clubs.
As for infrastructure, BRYC gets Woodson and Robinson for practices and games. If you live close, it's a blessing. Other clubs, like Annandale UFC, use Annandale HS, Ossian Hall Park and Mason District Park. All of these locations offer turf fields and lighting.
Both BRYC and Annandale are long-established clubs that also invested time and money in field maintenance, which is why they get first choice.
In comparison, newer clubs get the leftovers. One new(er) club based in Springfield practiced at an elementary school near Lorton and played games at Bull Run Park. Not the best locations when it comes to soccer fields and infrastructure. Yet the club charged the same annual fees as the established clubs.
Caveat emptor.