The Summit Soccer Club ("SSC") is a private, non-profit club that provides recreation, travel and elite level soccer experience for the youth of Summit and the surrounding communities.  SSC offers three levels of play:

Recreation (Intercounty League)

The SSC Recreation program is geared to boys and girls aged 9-14 years old (grades 3-8) who are either just beginning to play soccer or who want to play on an intramural basis. The Recreation program runs “Fall Only” from September through November and teams play a 10 game season in the Intercounty League. SSC and the Summit Department of Community Programs (“SDCP”) have partnered to operate the Recreation program. The SDCP organizes and manages the teams, uniforms and game schedules, and SSC assigns professional trainers to teams (when requested) and offers cross-training opportunities with the SSC Travel program through skills clinics, winter/summer training, and guest player invitations. Typically, there are approximately 350-400 players in the Recreation program. For more information about the SSC Recreation program, please see the “Recreation” tab on the SSC website.

Travel Program

The SSC Travel program is for players who want to play at a competitive level. The SSC Travel program, for children aged 9 through 14, consists of ten-game seasons in the fall and spring, usually running from September through November and then March through June. Players are chosen for teams in this program through an evaluation process. SSC Travel teams are assigned a full time professional trainer who attends all practices and games and are assisted by volunteer parent coaches. Teams may play in one of the many state leagues (MCYSA, MNJ, MAPS, etc.) and are regularly “flighted” by their league to ensure the appropriate level of competition. A typical week in the fall or spring for a travel team is two weekday training sessions and a weekend game. Training sessions are typically 90 minutes, and away games may involve travel of up to 45 minutes. Travel teams are encouraged to enter at least one outside tournament per year for which SSC subsidizes the entry fee. Typically, there are approximately 500-600 players in the Travel program. For more information about the SSC Travel program, please see the “SSC Travel” tab on the SSC website.

For 7 and 8 year olds, SSC offers U7 and U8 Training Academies each fall and spring. These Academies are 10 week sessions held exclusively in Summit (i.e. they do not enter travel leagues). Training is provided by a staff of professional trainers and, in addition, parent coaches assist the U8 Academy program. For more information about the Academy program, please see the “U7/U8 Academy” tab on the SSC website.

Match Fit Academy Summit Regional Elite

Match Fit Academy Summit Regional Elite (“Match Fit SRE”) is for players who want to compete at the highest levels of youth soccer. Match Fit SRE teams play 10 months per year against other elite teams in New Jersey and beyond. To create this opportunity, SSC has formed a partnership with Match Fit Academy (“MFA”) which is designated by the United States Soccer Federation (“USSF”) as an official Development Academy (one of only four in New Jersey) and has extensive experience training and managing premier level teams and players. The partnership establishes SSC as an official Affiliate Club of MFA, and, in turn, SSC actively supports MFA’s efforts to form, build and manage elite level teams in the Summit region.

Match Fit SRE teams are chosen through a tryout process conducted by MFA and open to Summit and non- Summit residents. Match Fit SRE tryouts are held in advance of SSC Travel evaluations so that players who do not make a team (or if a team isn’t formed) can be evaluated for SSC Travel in the normal course. Match Fit SRE teams are coached exclusively by Match Fit Academy trainers (no parent coaches) and follow the USSF’s prescribed 10-month training program which requires a stronger commitment to soccer but does not preclude players from playing other sports. Since Match Fit SRE program is currently in a pilot phase, MFA will only be forming a few teams for the 2013-14 season. For more information about Match Fit Academy and the Match Fit SRE program, please see the “Match Fit Academy” tab on the SSC website.