No, we were formerly FC CT but with such a high demand from outside the state, FC New England was born! We fully expect and welcome players from across the country.
Our directors have extensive coaching experience and contacts throughout the US. They are very familiar with the different leagues, tournaments across the country and regularly watch players from different states compete against each other. Armed with this experience, the directors will reach out to players from a top team in the country, or if you are playing in a top league throughout the country. You can also apply by filling out our players questionnaire or lastly through a recommendation from a coach. From here the directors review each player often reaching out to prospective player's coaches before offering out a place on the team.
We look for the high level players in order to compete in the competition. In recent years, players that have travelled with us have gone on to play at Ohio State, UConn, Hartford, Georgetown, Cornell, Colgate and Rutgers. We also had two players represent Jamaica at the recent Women's World Cup, and we have 3 players that have graduated and are now playing professionally in the USA, Portugal and Italy.
Before accepting a spot, players will be provided a full detailed itinerary of what the trip looks like on a day to day basis as well as providing a very detailed list of exactly what is included and what’s not included. You will also be able to meet/speak to one of the program directors with any questions you may have before you make a decision.
Very strict, we travel every year to both Denmark and Sweden and each team has a full-time coach who is with the team at all times and a full-time tour guide (from the local area) to help with the supervision. Additionally, the directors are there to oversee the whole trip as well as having a lead tour guide who oversees the tour. Players (no matter their age) are never allowed to wander free without adult supervision.
Yes, and are welcomed to join us on the trip. Parents and guardians are not required to travel with the players as we ensure the players are supervised at all times. However, we have many families who decide to make this a trip of a lifetime and make it a family vacation. We have some who travel with one family member along with the player. Family members are fully included in all activities that we do and they are never excluded.
We depart from New York; this is where players will meet the coach and the trip starts. We encourage players from across the country to meet us in NY. We do have some players that travel direct to Denmark and join the team there (please ask for more details regarding this).
Roster sizes are kept small. For example, on an older full sided team (11 v 11) we would only take 16 players to ensure good game time for all the players. For goalkeepers, we will take two goalkeepers per team if we feel they are both of equal ability, otherwise we select one.
Many teams that travel stay in school dorms, however our experience has led us to always stay in hotels. We pride ourselves in the quality of hotels we stay at. Like many tournaments in the US, the Gothia Cup often allocates hotels for teams. However, due to our relationship built over the years we have full control of where we stay. Players, coaches, and family members all stay in the same location!
No, your regular club team is ALWAYS the priority, we only come together to play in the summer tournament. Most, if not all club teams and tournaments have ended before we depart. Speak to the directors if for example your team makes a national championship and it conflicts with the dates of our trip.
This depends on the make up of the team. For example, if the majority of the team are within a few hours drive of each other, we have in the past had a few practices. Players from further afield would not be expected to attend. If logistically this is not feasible, then we would not practice. Regardless, the preseason in Denmark would be the time to bring the team together in both practices and friendly games. The team would have the chance to communicate with each other prior to leaving via zoom calls, etc…
Yes, every player is provided with a fundraising package in the form of raffle tickets where they keep 100% of what they sell.