Monticello Soccer Club - River Eagles

The Monticello Soccer Club provides both recreational and competitive soccer to kids ages 5-19.  Our rec soccer program is available for kids in kindergarten through 5th grade and our travel soccer program is open to kids ages 8-19.

There are also opportunities for adults to participate in soccer.  From being on our board of directors; to coaching and managing teams; or just volunteering at a fundraiser or maintaining our fields.

The Monticello Soccer Club is a non-profit organization.  We try to keep all our fees as low as possible, but we have to pay for fields, equipment, referees, and fees charged by the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association.  Unlike many clubs, we have to pay for use of fields, purchase goals, and maintain the fields.  Those costs are ongoing and account for a significant part of our annual budget.  The club has maintained or lowered it fees for the last three years and is always welcome to any suggestions for lowering its fees.

The same question may be asked of having your child start piano or guitar lessons. For the right player, there's no such thing as "too early." There is only "too late."

The English FA's (Football [soccer] Association) latest research shows that there's a "Golden Age of Learning" in soccer and - in general - it's between the ages of 8-14. After the age of 14, it is almost impossible to cure technical flaws in a player. That's why there's no such thing as "too early" as some coaches will have you believe.

The only real way to find out whether or not travel soccer is right for your child is to come out and train with one of teams, see for yourself the level and quality of training and play, and base any decision you make on the knowledge you gain from that experience. Also you should speak to other families who are members of our club about their experience.

Young athletes are actually encouraged to play other sports because it is healthier to do so.  At a young age, as athletes’ bodies are developing, it’s important to experiment and cross train.  As players approach high school age, it becomes increasingly difficult to play several sports and truly excel at any.  As a result, high school age athletes must often choose between travel soccer and other sports.  The final determination is really on a case-by-case basis and centers on an athlete's ability to transition between sports during the year.

It's a given that almost every child plays a sport to participate in the games.  Players that are on teams just to be part of a team are few and far between.  That is why the club encourages playing as much playing time as possible for all players.

For recreational level players, the club's policy is that not only should playig time be split evenly among all players available for a game, but that players should also play all positions, including keeper, to become well-rounded players and try positions that they may not initially believe they would like or excel at playing.

For travel team players, the club's policy varies with age and team level.  For developmental players (ages U9 and U10), playing time should be split evenly among all players and players should try all positions.  When players transition to larger teams and fields at U11 and U12, playing time should still be split evenly among all players, but players should be concentrating on one or two positions to continue in their soccer development.

Once travel players reach U13, they are playing 11 v 11 and on a full-sized field.  At this age playing time and positions vary based on the level of the team and the athletic ability of the players.  At the top level (Premier), no playing time is guaranteed because the level of competition is incredibly high.  At the next highest level (Classic 1), the club policy is that playing time is not evenly distributed, but that all rostered players should participate in all games.  At the lower levels (Classic 2 and 3), the club policy is that playing time should be evenly distributed.  However, the distribution of playing time is over the course of the season and not on an individual game basis.  Other factors may also be used by coaches at all levels of travel play.  Playing time may be taken away from a player for disciplinary reasons or for lack of effort (e.g., not attending practices).  Player conditioning may also factor in to whether a travel player can play an entire half of soccer (e.g., asthma, weight, illness, or injury).

If you ever have any questions about your child's playing time, be it for rec soccer or travel soccer, please contact a board member to discuss.