Newport News F.C. is committed to our parent members. We recognize the long term success of our club depends on having dedicated, knowledgeable and supportive parent members. As a result, we developed this page with new and existing parents in mind. We hope it provides you the information you need to successfully guide your child throughout their youth soccer playing career.

As always, if you have suggestions or questions please contact me using the suggestion box at the bottom of this page.

See you on the field.

Al Cousineau
Director of Coaching
Newport News F.C.

About Newport News F.C.
Newport News F.C. is the fast growing club on the peninsula for a reason; our goal is quality verse quantity. We are dedicated to keeping travel soccer affordable and convenient while offering the most comprehensive player development programs available. We encourage you to take a closer look at us. We are confident that you will like what you find.

Travel Soccer from a Parents Perspective
Participation with Newport News F.C. offers your child a proven formula for future success. In our program, your child will learn the proper soccer techniques and tactics from professional coaches, the chance to play along side other talent players against some of the best teams in the State. In addition to these benefits, our program also adheres to the National Guidelines for youth soccer (which are very different from what most recreation programs offer) and as a result, your child will develop faster into a better player by playing in our program.

Allowing your child the opportunity to participate in travel soccer gives parents the ability to positively influence the overall soccer development experience for their children. Participating in sports in general provides children the opportunity to learn valuable life lessons about winning, losing, and teamwork, to name a few.

What makes Travel soccer better for your child than Recreation Soccer?
Unlike recreation programs, Newport News F.C. teams are coached by licensed and experienced soccer professionals that take a personal interest in the long term development of your child. Many recreation players can pick up bad habits, i.e., toe kicking the ball, and may never learn to play team soccer since recreation soccer rewards a "just dribble" and "just kick it" mentality. As a result, when former recreation players join travel programs, they usually must be taught the basic technical skills and tactical concepts necessary to play soccer at a higher level. Consequently, the earlier you can get your child involved, the better. The main benefit to travel soccer is that it allows the best players a chance to play with other good players and gives them the environment necessary for them to be challenged and to improve. In short, travel soccer offers your child the chance to learn to the game the way it was meant to be played.

How far do we travel?
We play games against teams from other travel clubs in the Hampton Roads area. Some of our older Elite teams participate in the Inter League program which allows them to play against the best teams from the Richmond area. During a normal season you can expect to have about half of games the teams play to be held in Newport News.

How long do teams/players stay together?
Every year the club holds tryouts and players are assigned to teams based on an evaluation of their current ability level and with the player's best interest in mind. Once teams are formed after tryouts, most players stay with the team they are assigned to for a minimum of one year (June to June) with some exceptions. Our club goal is to have the majority of players stay together year after year which will enable them to become some of the finest teams in the State. It is possible that players that begin playing together at 7 years of age could play together until they reach 18.

Does playing travel soccer guarantee College Scholarships?
No ... playing travel soccer doesn't guarantee your child a college scholarship. However, playing travel soccer is definitely the norm for players who are offered scholarships and for players who want to play at the High School Varsity level. Although some clubs promise the college opportunity, most soccer professionals understand playing in college is more about an athletes' soccer playing ability and academic performance rather than what club you play for. Parents should be wary of any club that promises college scholarships. However, Newport News F.C. is dedicated to providing our older players the necessary guidance to assure that players who set college participation as their goal, achieve it. As a result our club established a College Bound Program which enables players the chance to get college advice from various college coaches from William and Mary, Christopher Newport University and Old Dominion University.

Resolving Team Conflicts

Additional resources. . .

Winter 2006 issue of the NNFC newsletter, "The Center Circle"

Spring 2005 issue of the NNFC newsletter, "The Center Circle"

Fall 2004 issue of the NNFC newsletter, "The Center Circle"

Fall 2003 issue of the NNFC newsletter "The Center Circle"

Winter 2003 issue of the NNFC newsletter, "The Center Circle"

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TEN MYTHS Vs. FACTS ABOUT TRAVEL SOCCER

ADDITIONAL FACTS ABOUT TRAVEL SOCCER