The Club

The Program

Croton FC provides a fun and competitive environment for area youth to learn the game of soccer. Our teams are made up of players in the elementary school and middle school age range (U9 - U15). We seek players who love the game and want to grow and be challenged. During the fall (~September - November) and spring season (~April - June), teams typically have 2 practices per week (one session led by professional trainers and one session led by volunteer parent coaches) and a weekly WYSL game.  Many of our teams also have summer and winter training opportunities.

Volunteer coaches are required to take a variety of training courses, including the US Soccer Grassroots licensing course and concussion safety, among others. Our volunteer coaches are the lifeblood of our program and what allows us to offer competitive Club soccer at a fraction of the cost of many of the clubs we compete against.

As a group, we encourage our coaches to be positive and focus on growing player’s love of the sport of soccer. However, we also give each team and coach discretion as to the required commitment level and how to manage their respective team. For instance, some of our teams have just a few indoor practices during winter, while others have a full winter indoor season with weekly training and tournaments. Some teams may seek out more tournaments than others. Teams may also have different approaches when it comes to the distribution of playing time, but every player will play each game. We find this discretion allows teams to develop and grow in a way that meets the needs of a particular group, as opposed to imposing a one-size-fits-all approach. Before trying out or accepting a position on the team, you can learn more about each of current  coach's approach.

The Commitment

The outdoor season is split between Fall and Spring, with between 9 and 10 games (typically on Sunday) in each the fall and spring. Teams practice twice a week, once during the week (run by a professional trainer), and once on Saturday. Away games are within the geographic confines of the Westchester Youth Soccer League - typically between 20 - 45 minutes away. Tournaments are completely at the discretion of the team but typically reserved for the holiday weekends. At the younger age groups tournaments are usually at venues that are less than an hour drive.  As a program, we expect players to regularly attend practices and games.

Club dues for the 2024-25 season (fall, winter and spring) are expected to be approximately $900 for the year.  Unlike other programs, this cost includes all requisite costs:  WYSL league registration fees; field costs; professional trainers (who run weekday practices); the uniform; and at least one tournament fee.  Costs may vary slightly among teams if coaches choose to enter additional tournaments or offer a more extensive winter or summer training schedule.  

Croton FC strives to be as efficient as possible and maximize every dollar spent.  In the 2023/24 Season doing so enabled us to enhance the included offerings to players, including: (i) providing each player and coach with Croton FC warmup jackets,  (ii) including an additional tournament fee for each team, (iii) offering an additional spring ball mastery clinic (6 weeks) for our younger teams, and (iv) providing each team with inside turf time for practice at Premier Athletic Club.

Join Us!

Croton FC provides a fun and competitive environment to learn the game of soccer for young players. Our teams are made up of players in the elementary school and middle school age range (U9 - U15). We seek players who love the game. And we encourage our coaches to be positive, and focus on growing the love of the sport in players. Tryouts for the program are typically held in early spring each year. All tryouts are open to residents of Croton and surrounding towns.  We look forward to seeing your child there! The current Club Director of Croton FC is Justin Wagner. He can be reached at crotonfc@gmail.com with any questions.