Club soccer is about experiencing the game of soccer.
The Club program (also known as travel soccer) is designed to provide youth soccer players the opportunity to experience a healthy, safe, and developmentally appropriate environment to learn and love the game of soccer. The club program draws from our member players to form age and gender appropriate teams and compete in a league format with other clubs. Competitions, or matches against other club teams, are part of club soccer - after all soccer is a sport – but the emphasis is on learning, growing, and enjoyment in a gender and age appropriate setting. This means that beginners as well as elite players have a place to play, in their community. The vast majority of the soccer played in the United States is club soccer, but experiences with different clubs can vary greatly.
Highland Youth Soccer Club is about teaching soccer skills, life skills, and love of the game.
For almost 30 years residents of all over Southern New Jersey have worn the HYSC crest, developed as young persons and soccer players, been active in our community, fostered lifelong friendships with teammates, and represented HYSC in competitive league play as well as middle school, high school and college programs. Joining an HYSC club team is an excellent way to learn and love the game of soccer.
HYSC provides high quality instruction, a proven curriculum appropriate for beginners through elite skill levels, and access to leagues, tournaments, camps, and experiences that players cannot get outside of a club.
Loving soccer shouldn’t cost a lot.
Most importantly, HYSC believes that access to quality training, coaching, and the ability to play the world’s most popular sport while ensuring that our members can learn, grow, and enjoy the game shouldn’t be cost a fortune.
Many clubs charge high or very high membership dues, registration fees, and training fees. Oftentimes this is because the individuals providing those services are paid – trainers, coaches, administrators, etc. The costs can be hundreds of dollars a month (for some ‘Academy’ or ‘Elite’ clubs this is thousands of dollars a season).
HYSC is a volunteer organization, and its leadership is not paid a single dollar. The vast majority of our coaches are volunteers as well. Our volunteers who contribute to the organization live, work, and raise families in the community – and in the club. Training, uniforms and league fees are all provided as part of a single, seasonal registration cost.
Club soccer activities involve a few hours a week.
The commitment necessary for club soccer usually depends on the experience and development level of the team. Younger age groups (U8-U12) usually practice twice a week for 1-1.5 hours and play a league game on the weekend. The teams may play one or two tournaments as well for a few more games in a single weekend. Higher level or older teams may train more often and play more games. Especially for youth players, HYSC believes that players should have the opportunity to experience other activities, commit to their schoolwork, and try new things. HYSC will never require a player to choose soccer to the detriment of their other priorities.
Club Soccer isn’t really a lot of travel.
Many parents hear “travel soccer” and think that the travel portion of the commitment sounds frightening. “Travel” simply means that half of the games are played at the home fields of HYSC, Gloucester Township Community Park, and the rest are played at the opponents. Especially for south jersey soccer leagues, that means the travel is usually a 15-25 minute distance once every other week.
Club soccer is different than (Middle/High) School Soccer
Public and parochial school soccer experiences are not designed to teach the game or promote individual growth of players – they are designed to select the most skilled players from the enrolled students and field a competitive team. In middle or high school there are generally limited opportunities to play organized soccer. Players who are not selected to their school team will have no opportunity to play soccer for their school. There is likely a Varsity team and possibly a junior varsity (sometimes even a freshman) team which will roster a limited number of students to the team. Players will likely be completing for playing opportunities with classmates who are 2, 3 and sometimes 4 years older.
Club soccer is age appropriate and designed to foster a developmentally appropriate environment to allow players to learn the game, improve their skills, and continue to grow as individuals in addition to providing the opportunity to develop with their peers as teammates. Even for experienced and highly competitive teams/players who may be hoping for scholarships, regional club soccer leagues and tournaments provide the most likely recruiting opportunities for high school and college coaches.