FC Drive | Travel Soccer
Welcome to travel soccer. Have fun. Enjoy the game.
What You Need to Know
Soccer Year
August 1 - July 31 (follows the school year, not the calendar year)
Clubs
Clubs exist for players who want a high level of instruction and development in the sport. Each club offers a philosophy and curriculum for player development and joins together comparably skilled players onto a team to provide a quality soccer experience for each player. Clubs provide coaches, trainers, field space, equipment, uniforms, and other essentials. Players usually provide their own soccer ball, cleats, shin guards, and water bottle. Clubs charge tuition to cover expenses and a fee for the uniform kit. Some clubs, like FC DRIVE, also offer financial assistance to eligible families.
Leagues
Each club registers its teams onto leagues sanctioned by United States Soccer Federation affiliates US Youth Soccer or US Club Soccer. FC DRIVE teams play in US Club Soccer member Northern Illinois Soccer League, www.northernillinoissoccerleague.com and US Youth Soccer’s Illinois Youth Soccer member Illinois Women’s Soccer League, www.iwsl.com.
Clubs pay league fees to participate and agree to abide by the league’s rules and regulations. Each league has its own set of rules and regulations which can be found on their respective websites. In turn, the leagues provide referees, games by age and skill level, and governance.
Club Selection by Players
It is the right of every player to be free to choose the club for which he/she wants to play. Players may only register for one club in a league.
Open Tryouts
For players currently registered to an IWSL team, open tryouts may be held the first Tuesday after Memorial Day except that High School girls' open tryouts may be held after May 16th. No club may hold tryouts or actively recruit currently registered players for the current season before those dates. After those dates, clubs may hold tryouts and may freely recruit a player until that player registers with a team.
For players currently registered to a NISL team, a club may hold tryouts at any time for the succeeding soccer year. No club may hold tryouts or actively recruit currently registered players for a current soccer year.
Registering on a team
A club may bind a player to a team using the US Club Soccer Youth Club Registration Confirmation or Illinois Women's Soccer League Player Registration Form. A NISL player may be bound to a team beginning July 1. An IWSL player may be bound to a team on or after June 1 when the team registers with the league.
Once bound to a team, the player loses certain rights and the team and league gain certain rights (see below). IMPORTANT NOTE: Provide a signed player registration form ONLY to the team your player decides to join. Also, read your club agreement carefully noting non-refundable deposits and tuition commitments and keep the following in mind:
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.
IMPORTANT NOTE: 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.
No team, club, coach, player, or any other person may approach a rostered player of another team to entice her to leave her team or invite her to participate in a competitive game situation without written consent of the player's team representative. No player may try out with another team while she is committed to a team without written consent of her team's representative except during open tryouts.
NISL: A player is bound to a team for the entire soccer playing year: August 1-July 31 unless the player requests a release. If, at any time between December-February, a competitive player requests to transfer to another club, that player must complete and submit a Player Request Transfer to the NISL Administrative Office. The player must also submit a Transfer Request Fee of $100.
No club, coach, manager, player, parent or any other person affiliated or associated with the soccer organization can approach a currently registered player with the interest to offer, entice, persuade, or ask that player to transfer from their currently registered soccer organization.