FC Drive | Travel Soccer
Welcome to travel soccer. Have fun. Enjoy the game.
What you need to Know
Clubs
In competitive soccer, clubs exist to provide coaches, trainers, field space, equipment, uniforms, and other essentials. Players provide their own soccer ball, cleats, shin guards, and water bottle. Clubs charge tuition to cover expenses. Some clubs, like FC DRIVE, offer financial assistance when needed by families.
Leagues
The clubs register their teams onto leagues sanctioned by US Youth Soccer or US Club Soccer, both
affiliates of the US Soccer Federation. FC DRIVE boys’ teams play in Northern Illinois Soccer League, www.northernillinoissoccerleague.com, and girls’ teams play in Illinois Women’s Soccer League, www.iwsl.com.
The clubs pay fees to participate in the league and agree to abide by the league’s rules and regulations. In turn, the leagues provide referees, games by age and skill level, and governance.
Each league has its own set of rules and regulations which can be found on their respective websites. It is the right of every player to be free to choose which team that he/she wants to play for without fear of intimidation or repercussion from any source. Players may only play for one team in a league.
Tryouts
The dates of tryouts are set by the IYSA. No club may hold tryouts or actively recruit players before that date. After that date, clubs may hold tryouts and may freely recruit a player until that player registers with a team.
Registering on a team
Once a player joins a team by signing a registration form, the player loses certain rights and the team gains certain rights. Read your club agreement carefully noting non-refundable deposits and tuition commitments and keep the following in mind when you decide to join a team:
N.I.S.L
Players signing a player registration form are bound to that team for the entire seasonal year unless he requests a release. A request for a release must be submitted to the league office on the form provided by the N.I.S.L. stating the reason for the release.
Players may be denied a release by the league office if the player is suspended by the team/club for team/club infractions, owes club fees and equipment. All players must have secured the necessary clearance from the player’s former club before a release is processed.
IWSL
A youth player is committed to a team for the entire soccer-playing year (August 1 through July 31) from the time the IWSL receives the IYSA team roster bearing her name and signature until the end of the soccer-playing year for which the team is being rostered (current year). Not withstanding the previous sentence, it is every player’s right to be released from a team at any time she wishes except where the player owes debts and/or dues to the team and/or has equipment belonging to the team.
However, she will not be allowed to join another IWSL team until January 1 of the current soccer playing year. To be eligible to join another IWSL team during the current soccer playing year, a player must be released from her team before or during January of the current year or produce competent evidence that she tried to secure such release and was unable to do so.