Loudoun Soccer is offering enrollment in a Challenge Division for U8-U11players. The Challenge Division is an enhanced Recreational Program. The Challenge league is intended for those children more seriously focused on soccer, and for players (and parents) who are willing to make a stronger commitment to prioritizing development above the social aspects of youth soccer.
U11 Challenge players will be selected by coaches using an Evaluation/Draft method. There will be one Evaluation Date in August (specific date to be announced). If your child cannot attend the evaluation/draft he/she will be placed on a team, as space is available using a random draw method once the present players have been drafted. Absolutely no consideration will be given to special requests regarding Coach/Teammate/Carpool preferences.
All players who register for the Challenge division will be placed on teams assuming there are enough players in their requested town/region to form optimally sized teams. It is expected that teams will be formed in Ashburn, Leesburg, South Riding and Purcellville, though teams in other towns are possible if there is enough enrollment.
U11 Challenge teams will participate in League play within the Suburban Friendship League (SFL). This is a league that teams from the surrounding Northern Virginia area participate in. It is possible your team could play teams from Herndon, Chantilly, Sterling, etc, as well as other Loudoun Teams. This means there is some travel involved for Saturday games. The teams will practice the regular two times per week in their town of play (just as they have previously.) More information on the SFL can be found at www.sflsoccer.org.
Uniforms: Rising U11 Players (who select to play Challenge) will be required to purchase a new uniform. This is due to the fact that the SFL requires numbered jerseys. Previous Loudoun Jerseys are unnumbered, and will not be sufficient to participate in the SFL. The cost of the uniform is $36. It is an Adidas Kit, which includes two jerseys (home and away) as well as shorts and socks.
Challenge League Commitment/Requirements: Please take note when registering for our Challenge League, the registered player will be REQUIRED to undergo a skills evaluation. The information obtained at this evaluation will be used to place players equally among the teams. As such, No Special Requests will be honored. Switching among teams, once placed, will NOT be accommodated. Players who register for the Challenge League, but cannot attend at least one scheduled practice each week on their assigned Challenge team (due to a conflict) will NOT be re-assigned to another Challenge team. Instead, that player will be re-assigned to a Recreational level team. Please consider these commitments before making the decision for Challenge or Recreational Play. No exceptions will be made.
if yIf you wish for your child to participate in our Challenge Program and have already registered for our recreation program, please email rpm@loudounsoccer.com with your request, and your registration will be switched over. If you are happy with the placement of your player in the current Recreation Program, do nothing, and your child will remain as initially registered.
