Families with experience in multiple clubs. Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ we noticed that only the mid-level teams on the girls side went to tournaments for preseason the spring. The lower level girls teams were not even even asked if they wanted to go.

Tournaments are not selected by the club. They are selected by the coach of the team. I'm a team manager. In the fall the team staff and coach discuss what tournaments they want to enter. It has nothing to do with the club at all. The coach chooses which ones to enter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington, McLean, Springfield and Bethesda - none of these clubs develop players. They all recruit natural talent. If someone better comes along you get bumped.

PPs are correct, focus is usually on the top teams. You are wasting your money for second team down at most clubs.* If your kid is placed on a second team, have them start training on their own and look for first team placement at a different club next season. I have very very rarely seen a second team player move to first team within the same club.

*Anything under second team should be playing rec. Why people pay thousands of dollars for 3rd and 4th teams is unexplainable.

This last line is such a dumbass take. Might as well say “Why people pay thousands of dollars for an ATV is unexplainable”. Or more similarly “Why people let their kid take ballet/art/theatre when they aren’t going to be a professional is unexplainable”.

But for a very specific reason - fields. Rec teams at least in Arlington play on just absolute trash fields. Rutted expanses that alternate between mud pits and clay as hard as concrete in the baking sun with dodgy nets are the norm.

Also, again your “no one moves up” is also BS. Taking a look at the current 07 and 08 girls at Arlington, there are several who had been on white (second team) and a few that had been on blue at some point. I don’t know the 05/06 team as well, but I am pretty sure there’s a couple of players that got moved up in the last few years - I think one may have actually been on the 4th team as a uLittle.

I see I've hit a nerve. Cry harder. Bankrolling a club's 3rd/4th team for 'better fields' is the real dumbass take.

[Anonymous]

Fields are a community resource provided by taxpayers for use by everyone. You shouldn't get to play on better county fields because you pay more to your private organization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
*Anything under second team should be playing rec. Why people pay thousands of dollars for 3rd and 4th teams is unexplainable.

The reason kids should be in travel even if on the 3-6 teams is because the development is better. Rec practices once a week and plays one game a weekend. Unless that kid is training at home an additional 3-4 days a week the kid's going to suck.

Travel, even on 3-6 teams they practice usually 2-3 times a week with 1-3 games on weekends. Way more touches on the ball and travel has qualified professional coaches versus rec which are coached by volunteer parents.

I'm going to be as kind as possible here. If your child plays on the 3-6 team, they are already at rec level. A coach isn't going to change that. Clubs are not putting their best licensed coaches with the third+ team. That may be in the club marketing material but you've been had. If you're referring to SYC specifically, you've definitely been had.

You are better off using that $3k of club fees on private training.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington, McLean, Springfield and Bethesda - none of these clubs develop players. They all recruit natural talent. If someone better comes along you get bumped.

PPs are correct, focus is usually on the top teams. You are wasting your money for second team down at most clubs.* If your kid is placed on a second team, have them start training on their own and look for first team placement at a different club next season. I have very very rarely seen a second team player move to first team within the same club.

*Anything under second team should be playing rec. Why people pay thousands of dollars for 3rd and 4th teams is unexplainable.

This last line is such a dumbass take. Might as well say “Why people pay thousands of dollars for an ATV is unexplainable”. Or more similarly “Why people let their kid take ballet/art/theatre when they aren’t going to be a professional is unexplainable”.

But for a very specific reason - fields. Rec teams at least in Arlington play on just absolute trash fields. Rutted expanses that alternate between mud pits and clay as hard as concrete in the baking sun with dodgy nets are the norm.

Also, again your “no one moves up” is also BS. Taking a look at the current 07 and 08 girls at Arlington, there are several who had been on white (second team) and a few that had been on blue at some point. I don’t know the 05/06 team as well, but I am pretty sure there’s a couple of players that got moved up in the last few years - I think one may have actually been on the 4th team as a uLittle.

I see I've hit a nerve. Cry harder. Bankrolling a club's 3rd/4th team for 'better fields' is the real dumbass take.

No, you're just being called out for your BS. Instead of deflecting just admit you're wrong. As other posts state rec is a joke with zero development. Even if lower teams don't get the best treatment at least the kids are playing 4-5 hours per week versus 1-2 hours on rec with parent coaches. Grow up "parent".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
*Anything under second team should be playing rec. Why people pay thousands of dollars for 3rd and 4th teams is unexplainable.

The reason kids should be in travel even if on the 3-6 teams is because the development is better. Rec practices once a week and plays one game a weekend. Unless that kid is training at home an additional 3-4 days a week the kid's going to suck.

Travel, even on 3-6 teams they practice usually 2-3 times a week with 1-3 games on weekends. Way more touches on the ball and travel has qualified professional coaches versus rec which are coached by volunteer parents.

I'm going to be as kind as possible here. If your child plays on the 3-6 team, they are already at rec level. A coach isn't going to change that. Clubs are not putting their best licensed coaches with the third+ team. That may be in the club marketing material but you've been had. If you're referring to SYC specifically, you've definitely been had.

You are better off using that $3k of club fees on private training.

Even an average licensed coach training your kid 3 times a week is better than a volunteer parent who's never played soccer training your kid once a week. Are you dense or do you not understand common sense. Not all kids need to be the best and the ones who do get better will over time. But, if you know anything about soccer (which you act like you do) you know it's all about the number touches on the ball. 3 practices + 2 games per week or 1 practice and 1 game per week. Which offers more touches on the baller so kids can get better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington, McLean, Springfield and Bethesda - none of these clubs develop players. They all recruit natural talent. If someone better comes along you get bumped.

PPs are correct, focus is usually on the top teams. You are wasting your money for second team down at most clubs.* If your kid is placed on a second team, have them start training on their own and look for first team placement at a different club next season. I have very very rarely seen a second team player move to first team within the same club.

*Anything under second team should be playing rec. Why people pay thousands of dollars for 3rd and 4th teams is unexplainable.

This last line is such a dumbass take. Might as well say “Why people pay thousands of dollars for an ATV is unexplainable”. Or more similarly “Why people let their kid take ballet/art/theatre when they aren’t going to be a professional is unexplainable”.

But for a very specific reason - fields. Rec teams at least in Arlington play on just absolute trash fields. Rutted expanses that alternate between mud pits and clay as hard as concrete in the baking sun with dodgy nets are the norm.

Also, again your “no one moves up” is also BS. Taking a look at the current 07 and 08 girls at Arlington, there are several who had been on white (second team) and a few that had been on blue at some point. I don’t know the 05/06 team as well, but I am pretty sure there’s a couple of players that got moved up in the last few years - I think one may have actually been on the 4th team as a uLittle.

I see I've hit a nerve. Cry harder. Bankrolling a club's 3rd/4th team for 'better fields' is the real dumbass take.

Don't know what club you have experience with but my neighbor's kid is on MYS gold team which is third team down. They practice at Lewisville Park, Holladay, Police Field, and a field off Jones Branch Drive. All fields are turf and they share the same times as ECNL teams.

Clearly, you don't know what you're talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington, McLean, Springfield and Bethesda - none of these clubs develop players. They all recruit natural talent. If someone better comes along you get bumped.

PPs are correct, focus is usually on the top teams. You are wasting your money for second team down at most clubs.* If your kid is placed on a second team, have them start training on their own and look for first team placement at a different club next season. I have very very rarely seen a second team player move to first team within the same club.

*Anything under second team should be playing rec. Why people pay thousands of dollars for 3rd and 4th teams is unexplainable.

Thanks for all the responses. We are moving into the area. Two girls U9 and U11. Both played travel soccer in NY. We'll be on the border of McLean and Arlington. We prefer a club that helps kids develop. Practices for us were three days a week which was over four hours a week not including weekends. I know some clubs just toss kids out there without really developing them from fall to spring. My spouse also doesn't want to deal with coaches who don't know what they are doing (for kids this age) or clubs who aren't organized. Both girls played for the second level team.

Given what you've said here, I would recommend Arlington and then McLean. What I wrote above is true but you are going to find the same at most clubs near where you are moving. Coming from a NY soccer environment I would think they could make Arlington or McLean top teams. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ we noticed that only the mid-level teams on the girls side went to tournaments for preseason the spring. The lower level girls teams were not even even asked if they wanted to go.

Tournaments are not selected by the club. They are selected by the coach of the team. I'm a team manager. In the fall the team staff and coach discuss what tournaments they want to enter. It has nothing to do with the club at all. The coach chooses which ones to enter.

Yeah, and that coach is employed by the club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anything under second team should be playing rec. Why people pay thousands of dollars for 3rd and 4th teams is unexplainable.

How did you get to decide what is acceptable for others to spend their money on? I'm sure there are things you do pay thousands of dollars for which would be unexplainable to someone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ we noticed that only the mid-level teams on the girls side went to tournaments for preseason the spring. The lower level girls teams were not even even asked if they wanted to go.

Tournaments are not selected by the club. They are selected by the coach of the team. I'm a team manager. In the fall the team staff and coach discuss what tournaments they want to enter. It has nothing to do with the club at all. The coach chooses which ones to enter.

Yeah, and that coach is employed by the club.

The club doesn't give two cents about which tournaments a team registers for because the club doesn't pay for it. Team Fees go toward tournaments and that's 100% on the coach. I've been a team manger for three years for two coaches. I also know several other team managers. Tournaments are 100% what the coach wants not the club.

Sorry you can't accept that you're wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington, McLean, Springfield and Bethesda - none of these clubs develop players. They all recruit natural talent. If someone better comes along you get bumped.

PPs are correct, focus is usually on the top teams. You are wasting your money for second team down at most clubs.* If your kid is placed on a second team, have them start training on their own and look for first team placement at a different club next season. I have very very rarely seen a second team player move to first team within the same club.

*Anything under second team should be playing rec. Why people pay thousands of dollars for 3rd and 4th teams is unexplainable.

This last line is such a dumbass take. Might as well say “Why people pay thousands of dollars for an ATV is unexplainable”. Or more similarly “Why people let their kid take ballet/art/theatre when they aren’t going to be a professional is unexplainable”.

But for a very specific reason - fields. Rec teams at least in Arlington play on just absolute trash fields. Rutted expanses that alternate between mud pits and clay as hard as concrete in the baking sun with dodgy nets are the norm.

Also, again your “no one moves up” is also BS. Taking a look at the current 07 and 08 girls at Arlington, there are several who had been on white (second team) and a few that had been on blue at some point. I don’t know the 05/06 team as well, but I am pretty sure there’s a couple of players that got moved up in the last few years - I think one may have actually been on the 4th team as a uLittle.

I see I've hit a nerve. Cry harder. Bankrolling a club's 3rd/4th team for 'better fields' is the real dumbass take.

No, you're just being called out for your BS. Instead of deflecting just admit you're wrong. As other posts state rec is a joke with zero development. Even if lower teams don't get the best treatment at least the kids are playing 4-5 hours per week versus 1-2 hours on rec with parent coaches. Grow up "parent".

A fool an his money are soon to part.

You are wrong but I'm not going around and around with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anything under second team should be playing rec. Why people pay thousands of dollars for 3rd and 4th teams is unexplainable.

How did you get to decide what is acceptable for others to spend their money on? I'm sure there are things you do pay thousands of dollars for which would be unexplainable to someone else.

Boy I touched a lot of nerves this morning! OP asked for opinions and I gave them. Feel free to scroll on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: We prefer a club that helps kids develop. Practices for us were three days a week which was over four hours a week not including weekends. I know some clubs just toss kids out there without really developing them from fall to spring. My spouse also doesn't want to deal with coaches who don't know what they are doing (for kids this age) or clubs who aren't organized. Both girls played for the second level team.

Development happens through private training. Clubs do not create a development plan for your kid and track their progress. You are paying for the club, decent fields, practice 2-3x per week with kids of similar abilities, games, tournaments, etc. Not development.

[Anonymous]

This is not 100% true. Our club predetermine the tournaments.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ we noticed that only the mid-level teams on the girls side went to tournaments for preseason the spring. The lower level girls teams were not even even asked if they wanted to go.

Tournaments are not selected by the club. They are selected by the coach of the team. I'm a team manager. In the fall the team staff and coach discuss what tournaments they want to enter. It has nothing to do with the club at all. The coach chooses which ones to enter.