SELECT SOCCER
Play Ups
Children will be allowed to tryout for older age groups, please notify Technical Director - Phil Avison if you intend to tryout for an older age group. Players trying out for an older age group must try out at their own age group. We do have a set criteria for players being allowed to play up, each player's position will be individually reviewed by the BIFC Director of Coaching, Technical Director and coaching staff.
HS Age Groups
BIFC teams within the older age groups, will be formed in a similar manner to how HS teams are formed across the state of Washington and the US. With a Varsity, JV and JVC groups representing the club.
Bainbridge Island FC continues to explore avenues for the best competitive soccer playing opportunities for our players. We always evaluate league placement to challenge our players and to add variety to the experience. At the same time, we remain cognizant of the time, travel and costs of the program as a whole.
Our younger teams will play in North Puget Sound League (NPSL) while with our high-school age teams we will consider Washington Premier league (WPL), as described below. We feel strongly that there should be opportunities for our competitive players to play on a team, and for us to be able to provide the appropriate playing experience for our players all the way up to the elite level.
The Playing Pathway
The playing pathway for our teams is not easy, some avenues that should be open are not, and therefore we have to best navigate that to meet the needs of our Bainbridge Island FC competitive select teams.
Foundation Phase - Under 10-11 ages
Discovery Phase - Under 12-13 ages
Competitive Phase - Under 14-15 ages
Elite Phase - Under 16+ ages
Select Level Commitment
At BIFC, select teams train 2 times each week for 1.5 hours each session. In addition goal keepers are required to attend goal keeper training weekly. Scrimmages, practice games, and tournaments are an integral part of the commitment. Scrimmages or practice games may be scheduled during the week in addition to regular training or on the weekends. Teams enter 3 tournaments each summer which will require weekend travel in the Puget Sound area, and possibly beyond.
Beyond the added training, match and tournament requirements, select level players are truly challenged to perform at a higher level both technically and tactically, individually and as a team. More is expected of each player and each team in commitment, effort, desire, and development results.
More questions, please contact Phil Avison, Technical Director
Where do we play?
North Puget Sound League (NPSL)
At the Foundation and Discovery Phases we believe that playing in the local North Puget Sound League provides excellent levels of competition that ensure our players are challenged and develop as individuals & teams.
Placement in these leagues provides opponents in the Greater Seattle area and ensures we minimize travel whilst ensuring we find appropriate levels of competition. NPSL1 is the highest level in these leagues.
Washington Premier Leagues (WPL)
Due to the focus and dedication of our players and coaches we find that at the Competitive and Elite Phases, we may need to find a higher level of competition because of the level of play of our teams.
The Washington Premier League (WPL) provides the option platform to continue to test our teams. Therefore we will evaluate the best fit for our older teams before making the decision for the 2023/2024 season.
Elite Clubs National League (ECNL)
In Washington State there are half a dozen elite clubs that field teams at the ECNL level. This is the highest level of play that a player can excel towards in the State. Some of our BIFC players have and do elevate to these teams. At an appropriate time, if we feel a player(s) from our teams should explore this potential we will discuss this with the family. ECNL provides excellent opportunities but can be very expensive. We send individual players to these teams, we do not have BIFC teams in the ECNL.
Regional Club League (RCL)
The RCL is another competitive program in WA State that provides several levels of play. It is a closed system that only allows chosen clubs to participate. The levels of divisions 2, 3, and 4 in RCL are comparable to our league play in NPSL, but travel can be across the whole of Washington. The top tier RCL1 division is equivalent to the WPL Super division.
Where Do Our Select Teams Play?
Select Soccer Calendar (2023/2024 Season) into 2024/2025 Season
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Sept 8: Fall Season Starts
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Jan-Feb 2024 WYS Founders Cup (All Boys & U11-U14 Girls)
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Feb 13th & 15th - U15-U19 Boys Tryouts
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April-May 2024 - WYS Presidents Cup (Hs Girls Ages)
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April-May 2024 - Open House Practices - Pre Tryouts
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May 2024 - Bainbridge Island FC Tryouts U11-U14 Boys and U11-U19 Girls
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June 14-16- Starfire Spring Classic (U11-U14 Blue teams)
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June 2`1-23 - Skagit Firecrack (U11-U14 White & Black teams and U15-U19 boys & girls teams
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June 25th School's Out 4v4
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July 8-12 World Cup & Mini Kickers Camp
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July 12-14 - Option 2 for July Tournament for White teams as an alternative to Crossfire Cup. Decisions will be made following the formation of teams.
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July 16-18 - Defenders & Goalkeepers Camp
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July 26-28 - Crossfire Select Cup - All DA & Select Teams
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Aug 5-9 - World Cup & Mini Kickers Camp
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Aug 8-11 - U15-U19 Girls Tournament Richmond, BC
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Aug 23-25 - Island Cup - DA and U11-U14 Boys & Girls
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Aug 28 - Summer's End 4v4
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Aug 31-Sept 2nd - U15-U19 Boys Tournament Richmond, BC
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Sept 7 - Fall Season 2024 Begins
Select Soccer at BIFC
Bainbridge Island FC (BIFC) is extremely proud of its Select Soccer Program. The success of BIFC's teams can be directly contributed to the long-term, progressive development of the individual players on our teams. From the beginning, BIFC players are trained with their long-term development in mind rather than immediate team success. BIFC coaches are committed to this philosophy and our club utilizes a professional coaching staff to ensure that players get the maximum amount of learning and development
Everything we do is about building people, building kids. We believe that good values lead to good people, and good people can do great things. The way we do that is through soccer, we provide opportunities for players to play the beautiful game, because the beautiful game is fun to play. Our players are trained with their long-term development in mind rather than immediate team success, but we find success following this path. Come play on our team.
Not only do BIFC select team players perform well in the realm of club soccer, BIFC training is proven preparation for high school soccer. The strength of a high school program usually reflects the number of club players on the team and the level at which those players compete during their club season.
Bainbridge Island FC - Age Development Objectives
