🗓️ Practice Night: Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday — 90 minutes, scheduled between 5:00 – 8:00 PM (night determined by team majority vote, exact time assigned once night is finalized)
📅 Saturday Games: 4v4 format, Ramapo College — 8 weeks, 8:30 – 9:30 AM
📍 Practice Location: Sloatsburg Community Fields, 150 Trooper Robert V. Conklin Dr, Sloatsburg, NY 10974
💵 Cost: $295 per player (Fall season, includes Saturday festivals)
✅ Includes: Full training kit (jersey, shorts, socks), 8 weekly practices with dedicated coaching, 8 Saturday festival games at Ramapo College
🚀 Roster is limited — register early to secure your child’s spot
Program Overview
Is Your Child Ready for the Next Level?
Every season, a handful of recreation players stand out. They’re not just playing; they’re taking on defenders 1v1, scanning the field before the ball even arrives, and asking for extra touches after practice ends. If that sounds like your kid, rec soccer might not be challenging them anymore.
That’s exactly why we built the U8 Pre-Travel Program.
It’s the bridge between recreational soccer and full competitive travel, without the full-season commitment, the tryout pressure, or the price tag that comes with a travel team. Just real development, real coaching, and real games, built for kids who are ready to be pushed a little further.
Is This Program Right for Your Child?
Pre-Travel isn’t for every rec player, and that’s by design. It’s built for kids showing early signs they’re ready for more:
- They take on defenders 1v1 instead of avoiding the ball
- They look up before passing, not just kicking it forward
- They ask to practice outside of games
- Rec games feel easy or repetitive to them
- Coaches have mentioned they stand out
You don’t need all five. Even one or two is usually enough to know it’s worth a season to find out.
Still not sure if your child is ready? Reach out and we’ll help you figure it out: (845) 821-0552 or info.suffernfc@gmail.com
What's Included
One Night of Development-Focused Training
Small-group coaching at Sloatsburg Community Fields. Sessions are built around 1v1 moves, decision-making, and touches on the ball, not lines and drills.
One Saturday Festival
4v4 games at Ramapo College. No standings, no pressure. Just game reps against other developing players in a low-stakes, high-touch format.
A Full Adidas Training Kit
Jersey, shorts, and socks included, so your child steps onto the field looking and feeling like part of the team from day one.
A Real Look at What’s Next
Eight weeks is enough time for both you and your coach to see whether full competitive travel is the right next step, without locking into a year-long commitment first.
Weekly Saturday Festivals
4v4 games at Ramapo College, every Saturday for 8 weeks. “Festival” means small-sided games in a low-pressure, non-league format, more like organized scrimmages than a traditional travel match. No standings, no pressure. Just game reps against other developing players in a low-stakes, high-touch format.
A Full Year of Development, One Season at a Time
Fall is just the beginning. Families who want to keep building can continue into Winter and Spring, each season standing on its own, no long-term contract required.
Winter — Indoor 7v7 · $350
Training moves indoors to St. Lawrence Center in Hillburn, NY, with games at Waldwick Superdome. The roster expands to 10 players for full 7v7 competition, giving your child more space, more touches, and a taste of a bigger game format.
Spring — Back Outdoors · $295
The program returns to its Fall format: Sloatsburg practices and Ramapo College festivals, continuing the same development track heading into the next Fall’s tryout decision.
No Pressure to Commit Beyond One Season
Every season is billed and registered on its own. Loved Fall? Move into Winter. Need a break? No problem, jump back in for Spring.
Spots Are Limited
Pre-Travel isn’t built to hold 20 kids. It’s built for a small, focused roster, so every player gets real coaching attention and real minutes on the field. Once the roster fills, it’s closed for the season.
If you’ve read this far and you’re already picturing your kid out there, that’s usually the sign. Don’t wait for the roster to fill before you find out.
Register now to lock in your child’s spot for Fall 2026.
What Your Child Needs
Size 3 ball (U7/U8)
Players should bring their own ball, water bottle, and shin guards to every practice and game.
Weather & Cancellation Policy
Practices: The Village of Sloatsburg makes the call on field closures for inclement weather. If Sloatsburg Community Fields are closed, practice is cancelled. Families will be notified by email as soon as the decision is made.
Festival Days: Cancellation decisions for Saturday festivals are made by the league, not by Suffern FC. We’ll notify families with ample time once we hear from them.
Regardless of scheduled decisions, any coach may end a session immediately if lightning or another dangerous condition arises on-site. Player safety always comes first.
Makeup sessions are not guaranteed for weather cancellations, given our 8-week season format.
Registration or Logistics Questions
Email info.suffernfc@gmail.com or call (845) 821-0552. We’re happy to help with registration, scheduling, or anything else once you’re ready to sign up.
Location
Sloatsburg Community Fields
150 Trooper Robert V. Conklin Dr, Sloatsburg, NY 10974
[Get Directions]
Saturday Festivals: Ramapo College, Mahwah, NJ
🎟️ How to Register
✔️ Step 1: Click Register Now and complete your payment through Stripe.
✔️ Step 2: After checkout, you’ll land on a confirmation page. Click the button there to open the registration form.
✔️ Step 3: Complete the Google Form with your player’s information (name, age, grade, t-shirt size, emergency contact).
⚠️ Registering more than one child? Sibling discount codes do not apply to Pre-Travel registrations. Each child registers and pays in full separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pre-Travel training is built around U.S. Soccer’s player-development principles: maximizing touches on the ball, small-sided games over lines and drills, and building decision-making under real game pressure rather than static repetition. Sessions are led by Brian Rivera, trained in the New York Red Bulls development system, with an emphasis on 1v1 moves, first touch, and spatial awareness, the technical foundation competitive travel programs expect players to already have.
That’s exactly what Pre-Travel is designed to find out, low-risk. Many players continue through Winter and Spring before making that decision, and there’s no penalty for staying in rec longer if that’s the right call.
Yes. Pre-Travel exists specifically as the bridge for rec players with no prior travel experience.
The Village of Sloatsburg makes cancellation calls for practices; the league makes that call for Saturday festivals. Families are notified by email as soon as a decision is made. Makeup sessions aren’t guaranteed, given the 8-week season format.
