What is Warriors Soccer Club?

We are a youth travel soccer club based in Waterford, MI and serving players throughout Oakland County.  We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

 

Is Warriors Soccer Club a league?

No, we are a club - in other words, we are a collection of youth travel soccer teams.  We enter our teams into various outdoor and indoor leagues and compete against teams from other youth soccer clubs.  However, we do run our own in-house league once a year in November and December called Warriors Academy.  Warriors Academy is a 6-week beginner league aimed at introducing players to the game and our club.  For more information on Warriors Academy, CLICK HERE.

 

When does the youth travel soccer season begin and end?

Our season runs from mid-August until early June (approximately 10 months).  The season begins each year in August with our annual Club Kickoff Camp.  Our teams typically play a fall outdoor league, 2 winter indoor leagues, and a spring outdoor league.  Once our players reach high school, they play an abbreviated season to allow them to play for their local high school teams.  Girls in grades 9-12 play with us from August-February and join their high school teams in March.  Boys in grades 9-12 play with their high school teams from August-October, then play with us from November-June.

 

How are youth travel teams divided?

Youth travel teams are divided by birth year, not by school grade.  This is the national standard, not our club's policy.  In rare cases, players may play up an age group, but never down an age group.  When we have enough players in an age group, we will often form multiple teams at an age group.  In these cases, teams are divided by skill level.  We delineate teams of the same age group by using a color modifier (e.g. - Warriors SC 2014 Boys Red; Warriors SC 2014 Boys White; Warriors SC 2014 Boys Black, etc.).

 

How does a player join Warriors Soccer Club?

The primary means of joining our club is via tryouts in June.  Tryout dates are set by the MSYSA (our state's governing body for youth soccer), not by the club.  Players try out in June for the following youth soccer year (e.g. - a player would try out in June 2025 for the 2025-26 soccer year, which would then begin in August).  After June tryouts, we are off for the summer.

Warriors Soccer Club also offers supplemental winter tryouts each year in December.  These tryouts are typically only offered for our younger age groups or for teams with small rosters looking for a few additional players.  When a player makes a Warriors SC team in June, we commit a roster spot to that player for a full year, meaning that our winter tryouts are "add-only" tryouts (i.e. - there are no cuts of current Warriors SC players).  Because of this, roster spots could be limited or unavailable at certain age groups during winter tryouts.

In some cases, players may join Warriors SC outside of the normal tryout periods if roster spots are available and the player is a good fit for one of our teams.  If your player missed tryouts, feel free to contact us at WarriorsSoccerClubMi@gmail.com to find out if we can accommodate your player.

 

Can a player choose to play only part of the soccer year (i.e. - only the fall, only the winter, only the spring)?

All players who make a Warriors SC roster at June tryouts are expected to commit for a full year.  Players who make a Warriors SC roster at winter tryouts are expected to commit for the winter and spring.  This allows us to ensure that our players receive a complete, well-rounded soccer education with full access to our curriculum and programming, which is key for player development.

 

How far do Warriors SC teams travel?

Travel is generally proportional to the age and competitive level of each team.  Our younger teams (U12 and below) compete in the Michigan Youth Soccer League (MYSL), which is primarily made up of teams from Oakland and Macomb counties.  Our older teams (U13 and above) typically compete in the MSPSP, which is a statewide league, and could travel further for league games.  Our most competitive teams could earn a place in National League Midwest Conference, which requires some regional travel.

All Warriors SC teams U9 and above compete in tournaments (usually 3 per year).  Some of the tournaments our teams attend are local and do not require much travel.  Some are further away (2-4 hour drive) and require some travel and an overnight stay.  Away tournaments are typically the highlight of the year for our teams and are excellent bonding events for our players and families.

 

What does a typical weekly schedule look like for Warriors SC teams?

Most of our teams train twice per week and play a game on the weekends.  Additional optional training opportunities are often available in the form of Goalkeeper Training and 1v1 Training.  In addition, all Warriors SC players receive a subscription to the Techne Futbol training app to assist with at-home training.

During the fall and spring outdoor seasons, our coaches work with coaches from opposing clubs to create schedules.  Games are almost always on weekends.  During the winter indoor season, coaches have less control over the schedule as indoor space is in high demand.  As such, weeknight games are possible during the winter.  However, the vast majority of indoor games are also on weekends.

 

How much does Warriors SC cost?

As a non-profit organization, we are able to offer robust programming at a lower cost than most of the large for-profit clubs in the area.  Team fees are proportional to team programming and generally increase for our older and more competitive teams.  Exact costs for our full program are available each year at June tryouts.

Costs for our Winter-Spring program and our Warriors Academy program will always be published on our website when online registration for those programs opens.

 

Can Warriors SC players participate in other sports or activities?

Yes, but our expectation is that our parents and players will make every effort to keep conflicts between soccer and other sports/activities to a minimum.  Our coaches are flexible and can often assist parents by scheduling around conflicts so long as they are reasonable and are known in advance (though this is far more difficult in the winter than in the fall/spring as our coaches do not have as much say in the creation of winter game schedules).  In some cases, we may even be able to offer a player an alternative training schedule with another Warriors SC team if schedules conflict.  However, our most competitive teams may enter certain competitions or set certain goals that require soccer to take priority over other sports/activities.  If you're considering joining the club but are concerned about a conflict, reach out to us at WarriorsSoccerClubMi@gmail.com.  We can connect you with one of our DOCs to discuss your specific situation.

 

Can my player try a Warriors SC training session to see if the team/club is a good fit?

Yes, absolutely.  Contact us at WarriorsSoccerClubMi@gmail.com to arrange a date/time for your player to attend training.