You may have noticed that RAYS has added travel soccer teams for younger age groups this past spring and fall. You may also be asking: “Why? Don’t we have a great recreation league?” Yes we do. I am excited to see it grow, adding new players each year. However, as Rossville Area Youth Soccer continues to grow, we need to keep focused on providing opportunities for our youth to increase their soccer knowledge and skills. This is where travel soccer is important.

The majority of our coaches in the Rossville Recreational league are parents volunteering to coach. We greatly appreciate their dedication and hard work. We would not have a successful league without them. In our travel soccer program, RAYS recruits coaches with more soccer experience, especially with the older age groups. One reason we do this is to provide players with additional instruction and skill enhancement that they will need to compete in a travel soccer league. Another reason is RAYS is a member of Indiana Youth Soccer Association which requires travel coaches to meet minimum coaching standards. This benefits both our organization and the players. By requiring additional training for the coaches, we not only develop our players but our soccer program as well.

But why do we have to travel? Can’t we just have these coaches coach in the recreational league? We could. However, recreational soccer is just that: recreational. It is a low pressure soccer environment where all skill levels can compete and enjoy the game of soccer. It is a great way for players to get introduced to the game and get involved with soccer. Travel soccer on the other hand involves playing at a higher level of competition. Travel teams play in a specific division based on their abilities. They play against teams with similar or slightly more soccer experience. This provides an opportunity for players to challenge themselves and advance their own game. For a player, it requires more dedication and a mindset that “I am here to improve my individual skills and soccer knowledge.” The rewards are many, as players see and experience better soccer. This can only be achieved by playing against teams outside our community.

Travel soccer is not necessarily for everyone. It costs more and involves traveling to games on the weekend. However, if you compare RAYS travel soccer cost to similar soccer clubs you will notice the benefits to our up-and-coming club. We want to provide every opportunity for our players to improve. We have a great recreational league to get our younger players interested. We have started a Recreational Plus program to get our 10 year olds introduced to playing against other community teams. We need to continue to build our travel program to get our 12 – 18 year old players the experience they will need to compete at the high school varsity level.

It all begins with a soccer ball. BUT, “the potential of our teams depends directly on the potential of each player.” (Jerry Yeagley, hall of fame and former IU soccer coach)