Travel Program

In order to participate in Belmont Travel Basketball a player must reside in or attend school in the Town of Belmont during the school year.

2026–27 Travel Program Registration

The fee for 2026–27 Travel Program participation is $685 per player.

Registration opens Friday, June 19 and runs through Sunday, August 2.

• Players register for the BYBA Travel Program HERE.
• Coaches register for the BYBA Travel Program HERE.

Players who register after Sunday, August 2 will be placed on a waitlist beginning Monday, August 3. Waitlist registration does not guarantee that your child will be placed on a Travel team. A $50 late fee may apply to players added from the waitlist.

Registration is not considered complete until the balance due is paid in full. Families may choose to pay in full or select installment payments during the registration process.

Grade 3 Travel Pilot

BYBA is exploring the addition of a Grade 3 Travel pilot for the 2026–27 season. This would be separate from the Grade 4–8 Travel registration process.

More information will be shared soon as BYBA assesses interest, coaching availability, and gym space. Families with players entering Grade 3 should not register through the Grade 4–8 Travel registration link unless otherwise directed by BYBA.

Financial Assistance

BYBA has a longstanding history of welcoming children and youth of all experience levels and family incomes. We recognize that registration fees may create a hardship for some families. Limited scholarship funds are available, and we ask that families request assistance only if their child would not be able to participate in BYBA Travel Basketball without support.

To request financial assistance:

a) Complete all steps of the registration process up to the “Checkout” page, including player/parent information, waivers, and registration fees, but do not complete checkout.

b) Then, email us at info@belmontyouthbasketball.com to request financial assistance.

Families requesting assistance will be asked to share objective evidence of financial need. As a small community nonprofit youth sports program, we rely on the honesty and generosity of all families.

If you wish to make a donation to BYBA to help support scholarships and/or program costs, please email us at info@belmontyouthbasketball.com.

Team Placement and Refunds

Please keep in mind that registering for the Travel Program does not guarantee placement on a Travel team. If your child is not placed on a Travel team, your child will still be able to play in the BYBA In-Town program. You will receive a refund of your payment minus the In-Town fee and any uniform fees, if applicable.

No refunds will be issued after Friday October 16, 2026.

If you withdraw your child after Travel team placements have been made, you will be assessed a $200 Late Withdrawal Fee. This fee will be due the next time anyone in your family registers for a BYBA program.

All Travel players must have a standard BYBA uniform, which includes a reversible jersey and shorts. Travel jerseys are also worn for In-Town games in Grades 5–8.

If your player needs a uniform, please add it during BYBA registration. The cost will be added to the registration fee: $35 for the jersey and $30 for the shorts.

Before ordering a jersey, please check with your player’s coach to make sure the jersey number does not duplicate another player’s number on the team.

BYBA uniforms tend to run large, so we recommend considering one size smaller than your child’s usual size.

Uniforms will be available for pickup at Champions Sporting Goods on a designated date in October or November. If you do not purchase a uniform during registration, you may buy one later at Champions in Belmont Center, although availability in some sizes may be limited.

Over the past several years, BYBA’s Travel Program has experienced tremendous growth. Belmont now has one of the largest Travel programs among the 70+ MetroWest League member towns. Last year, BYBA supported 23 Travel teams across Grades 4–8, including 14 boys teams and 9 girls teams.

We are thrilled that so many children in Belmont are interested in playing Travel Basketball. At the same time, the size of the program creates real challenges, including limited gym space, the availability of qualified coaches, finding appropriately competitive games for lower-level teams, and managing grade-level registration numbers that may result in smaller teams or combined-grade teams. Rental fees also require BYBA to be thoughtful about gym usage while continuing to keep registration costs as reasonable as possible for families.

As we review Travel registration numbers, BYBA will work to establish team structures that allow us to run a strong, organized, and developmentally appropriate Travel Program. Please be aware that registering for Travel Basketball does not guarantee placement on a Travel team. If your child is not placed on a Travel team, they will still be able to participate in the BYBA In-Town program.

Travel Tryouts and Player Evaluations

All players must be registered and either paid in full or enrolled in the installment payment plan, with the first installment paid, in order to attend Travel tryouts.

Tryouts for each grade level are expected to be held during the last week of September and the first week of October.

The tryout process described below applies to the Grade 4–8 Travel Program. BYBA is still determining the structure for the Grade 3 Travel pilot, including whether tryouts or a different evaluation process will be used. More information about the Grade 3 Travel pilot will be shared separately.

All players must attend Travel tryouts for their respective grade. To properly assess each player, BYBA may hold two tryout sessions, totaling approximately three focused hours. Tryouts will include both skill-based activities and game situations. For 4th grade or for grades with limited enrollment, BYBA may determine that only one tryout session is necessary.

BYBA evaluators will be objective and independent. Evaluators will not have a child in the grade they are evaluating. All evaluators have been involved in youth basketball for many years as players, coaches, and/or officials at multiple levels, including AAU, high school, and/or college basketball.

Prospective players are encouraged to attend all scheduled tryout sessions.

In cases where a player cannot participate in tryouts because of a documented injury but is expected to return in time for the season, BYBA will use its sole discretion in placing that player on a team. BYBA may consider any information it deems appropriate, including prior-year placement information and feedback from coaches. However, when two players are considered comparable in the placement process, a non-injured player who fully participated in tryouts will have priority over a player who was unable to participate.

If a player cannot attend tryouts due to a family or other special circumstance, families should contact BYBA as early as possible. With reasonable prior notice, BYBA will make its best effort to offer an alternative evaluation opportunity, which may take place with the next higher grade level, in order to complete the most reasonable and complete assessment possible.

If you do not want your child to be placed on the top team for their grade level, please contact BYBA at info@belmontyouthbasketball.com before tryouts. Please be aware that if your child is assessed as one of the strongest players in the grade, BYBA may not be able to honor this type of request.

Please note: Travel tryouts are closed to parents/guardians.

Travel teams will practice up to twice per week beginning in early November. Practices may be held on any night of the week, including Saturdays when games are not scheduled.

Families should understand that Travel Basketball requires a strong commitment. If a player is placed on a team that practices twice per week and is unable to attend both practices consistently, BYBA may need to consider a different team placement.

Due to limits on gym availability and rental costs, many teams should expect that at least one weekly practice may be a shared-court or half-court practice.

BYBA is still determining the practice structure for the Grade 3 Travel pilot. More information about Grade 3 practices will be shared separately as BYBA assesses interest, coaching availability, and gym space.

MetroWest League games are generally held on Sundays. Some non-league games may also be scheduled on Saturdays.

The season typically runs from the first week of December through early March. Games may be scheduled during December break and on both weekends of February vacation.

Families should carefully consider the Travel Program’s increased time commitment for both practices and games when deciding whether their child should participate on a Travel team.

Most Travel teams will participate in the MetroWest League, which typically includes a 12-game regular season followed by playoffs.

Teams may also play additional non-league games. The number and timing of non-league games may vary by team and grade level.

All Travel teams that participate in the Metrowest League will qualify for Metrowest postseason playoffs, which begin in early March.

Additional tournaments or games may be scheduled during the season, including during December break or February vacation, on a team-by-team basis and largely at the discretion of the coaching staff.

Travel teams that participate in optional tournaments will be responsible for tournament costs.

Because Travel Basketball is a competitive program, playing time is not equal and may vary from game to game.

For Grades 6-8, the minimum playing time guideline is 25%. For Grades 4-5, the minimum playing time guideline is 40%. Parents and players should understand that, depending on the team, game situation, attendance, and other factors, a player may receive the minimum playing time in some games.

These are minimum guidelines. BYBA encourages and expects coaches to provide as much balanced playing time as possible throughout the season, while also recognizing the competitive nature of the Travel Program.

Player attitude, attendance and commitment matter. Missing practices or games may negatively impact playing time, and coaches are asked to track attendance throughout the season.

BYBA is still determining the playing time guidelines for the Grade 3 Travel pilot. Because Grade 3 is intended to be developmental, BYBA expects the Grade 3 program structure to emphasize participation, skill development, and a positive team experience. More information will be shared as the Grade 3 pilot is finalized.

Twins or siblings in the same grade will be evaluated independently and placed according to their individual evaluations.

Before evaluations begin, parents/guardians may request that twins or siblings be placed on the same team. If BYBA is able to honor that request, both players will be placed on the lower of the teams for which the players were evaluated.

BYBA annually registers more than 20 teams in the MetroWest Travel Basketball League. With a program of this size, one of our biggest challenges is finding enough qualified volunteers to coach at each level.

If BYBA does not have a coach for a specific team, we may be unable to register that team for the upcoming season. If you are interested in coaching, please register through the Travel Coach registration link (below).

Coaches will not be assigned to specific teams until after player evaluations and team placements are finalized. Player placement decisions are based on the evaluation process. BYBA will not move a player to a lower team in order to fill a coaching vacancy. If there are not enough qualified coaches available, BYBA may need to run fewer teams.

After teams have been created through the evaluation process, BYBA will review the available coaching candidates for each team. Coach selections are based on a candidate’s basketball knowledge, coaching experience, experience working with youth, overall approach, availability, and, when applicable, prior-year parent feedback.

BYBA recognizes that coaching consistency from year to year can be valuable. At the same time, it can also be positive for players to learn from different coaches over the course of their basketball development.

In general, BYBA Travel teams will have one head coach and one assistant coach, unless circumstances warrant an additional coach. All coaching candidates must complete the online coach registration process. All coaches are also required to complete a CORI background check before participating in the program.

To register as a Travel coach for 2026–27, click HERE.