Day 2 August 2nd

Early start for all of the players as the CMT staff went around the dorms at 7:30 am waking up everyone and letting them know breakfast was ready. We were greeted by another English summer day so the players made sure to bring their rain coats as we made the short walk to the dinner hall.

After everyone fueled up, we quickly grabbed our gear and headed off to the training pitch for the morning training session. Seeing 100 players make their way out to the fields surrounded by rolling hills was a fantastic sight. At the very top of the campus you can see the ocean. You couldn't ask for a better backdrop.

The field hockey players headed over to the turf field and were introduced to their coaches who are in charge of them for the next two weeks. Several of the coaches in attendance currently represent Team Great Britain and they showed off some skills for the players which were well received. The drills were and sharp and intense and they push the players abilities to the limit. The Seacoast United coaches (Sarah and Eli) were pleased that the teams overall fitness was worked on for almost two hours.

Just a hundred yards away the boys and girls soccer players were split up into various groups and the warm ups were underway. The rainy mist hung around throughout the training session but it made for perfect football conditions as the ball zipped around the pitch. After a few skill games the players finished off with some games.

The players wrapped up their morning sessions and headed back to the dinner hall for lunch. Once they finished, the majority of the soccer players made their way to the Players Lounge to continue working on their FIFA and ping-pong skills. Two o'clock came around quickly and the players were back out on the field with the rainy conditions taking a break. The afternoon sessions were a little lighter as attention turned to the competitive games taking place on Wednesday. The kids were focused but you could tell they couldn't wait to test their skills against some local opposition.

Soon dinner time rolled around the players scarfed down their food so they could be ready for their first scheduled evening activity. All of the players got together for some competitive sport relays indoors. Spirits were high as the kids worked hard to outdo one another. Once that wrapped up we made our way back to the dorm room with all eyes on tomorrow's important games.

Day 1 August 1st

The day has finally arrived and it is safe to say that everyone is buzzing with excitement. 100 plus players and staff arrived at Logan between 6:00 - 6:30 pm adorned in their commemorative Nike blue dri-fit shirts. The sea of blue was a sight to behold and it certainly helped in identifying everyone at the airport.

I would like to say that getting 100 people through security is a task in itself but the young players did a commendable job. Once everyone got through the waiting game began as we waited for our turn to board the plane. We were fortunate enough to fly over in style with Virgin Atlantic who were nothing short of fantastic.

England was a welcome sigh and we were greeted with typical summer conditions, wet and windy. The players did well to get through customs, etc. and before we knew it, our bags were collected and we were on the buses en route to Lancing College.

The pictures make the college look like Hogwarts and if you didn't know any better, you thought you were on the set for the next film. As soon as we got off the bus, we went straight to the cafeteria for some food before checking out our room assignments. The players quickly changed and then we made our way to a short assembly before heading out to the fields.



The windy wet weather did its best to dampen the mood but the players could hardly contain themselves as they trained for almost two hours with some of the academy coaches from Brighton and Hove Albion. After some light-hearted sessions the players made their way back to the dorms.

We enjoyed some downtime prior to dinner as the jet lag started to play its part. All of the players enjoyed a lovely dinner together in a grand hall which would befit a medieval castle. Once finished, the soccer players headed over to the players loungers to catch up on some FIFA and table tennis (ping-pong) whilst the field hockey players reflected on a great first day abroad.

We are back at it again tomorrow morning at 7:00 am so stay tuned!

Last Minute Reminder

Please make sure you review the following information for Sunday's flight:

·         Copy of tickets have been emailed to you so please bring copies.

·         Do not forget your passport.

·         All players have gift package and travel Nike shirt.  If you do not, you can pick up from arena or at airport next Sunday.  Do not forget to bring!

·         Be sure that you have all of your uniform requirements.  All soccer players need the full yellow/volt kit including shorts and socks.  If there are any issues, please contact Kelly Kelly at kkelly@seacoastunited.com

·         Be sure to check the Parent Pack email and Brighton blog in terms of packing, electronics, etc.

·         All players to travel in blue warm up pants or Khaki shorts and the royal blue Brighton travel shirt.

·         Travel bag up to 50lbs plus a carry on.  Be sure to include your cleats and shin guards in your carry-on bag.

·         Monies – Most have changed into UK pounds (not Euros) or have pre-paid credit cards.

·         Please be at Terminal E – Virgin Atlantic between 6pm-6:30pm (please do not be late).  We will check in as a group but all groups need to be there.  Check in with your coach group below first so we know you are here.  Parents can leave immediately as we will take all of the players through security.

Parent Pack Documents

CMT Learning has provided us with a 'Parent Pack' that can hopefully answer some outstanding questions regarding our stay at Lancing College. This also includes a more detailed list of items to pack for the duration of the trip.

Click here to view the Soccer Parent Pack.

Click here to view the Field Hockey Parent Pack.

What to bring... What not to bring...

 CMT is providing Seacoast United with a ‘Parent Pack’ which will cover every aspect of the trip. That being said, there are a few items of interest which we wanted to highlight. Please make note of the following items and make sure each players has them for the trip.

What to bring in addition to uniform gear:

-          Soccer cleats and shin pads

-          Field Hockey stick

-          Towel(s)

-          Bathing Suit

-          UK power outlet adapter for electronics

-          Casual clothes for off-field activities

-          Mesh laundry bag

-          Money (CMT recommends bringing cash and/or a prepaid debit card. Players will need to convert the cash PRIOR to coming on the trip as they will not have an opportunity to do this whilst in Brighton. CMT have offered to hold all monies along with passports, etc. in safety deposit boxes for each player).

What not to bring:

-          Soccer ball

-          Field hockey ball

-          Water bottle

Trip Itinerary

The documents below include the latest itinerary for boys/girls soccer and field hockey.

• Boys Itinerary
• Girls Itinerary
• Field Hockey Itinerary

Soccer Uniforms

Uniform Information:

Please read the information below as it relates to all of the soccer gear.  We have done everything we can to coordinate last year’s/this year’s gear to avoid any unnecessary costs.  Because we have players from several SUSC Clubs and teams we expect to have some duplicate numbers.  This is not an issue as all of the games in England are friendlies.  You just need to make sure your team has allocated you a number for this year’s team jersey.

Please read the below information very carefully as it pertains to the uniforms each player must have for the 2016 Brighton trip.

2015/2016 Uniforms & Training Gear (last year)

2015/16 WHITE game day jersey (Seacoast United, Storm, Mariners, etc.)

2015/16 ROYAL BLUE training kit (shirt, short and socks)

2015/16 Nike Warm up jacket and pants

White shorts (Non – NH based players)* - players not based out of Hampton/Epping should have these

2016/2017 Uniforms & Training Gear (this year)

2016/17 VOLT YELLOW game day kit (shirt, shorts and socks)

2016/17 GREY & NAVY training kit (shirt, short and socks)

2016 NAVY BLUE tryouts t-shirt

White shorts (NH based players)* - part of this year’s uniform

2016/2017 Warm up (Optional)** - Hopefully everyone has last year’s warm up or will be purchasing for this season.  It is the same and be good if all of the players look the same.

Goal Keeper Uniforms

2015/16 ROYAL BLUE training kit (shirt, short and socks)

2015/16 GOALKEEPER game day jersey

2015/16 GAME DAY shorts and socks

2016 NAVY BLUE tryouts t-shirt

All players will receive ONE Nike Dri-Fit Brighton shirt which must be worn for on the departing/returning flight.

ONCE YOU COMPLETE YOUR UNIFORM SIZING YOU MUST ORDER YOUR GEAR THROUGH WEGOTSOCCER. WE EXPECT ALL PLAYERS TO HAVE THE ABOVE KIT FOR THE BRIGHTON TRIP. PLEASE VISIT www.wegotsoccer.com/susc TO PLACE YOUR ORDER.