Families with experience in multiple clubs. Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Again, been a team manager for three years. Coaches have even asked me which tournament I wanted to sign up for. Some coaches don't want out of town tournaments. Some do. Yes, there certain tournaments that are required but it's only 1-2 (depending on the clubs). The remaining 3-4 are up to the coaches.

I guess it's going over your head. Good clubs don't let a random low level coach pick and choose tournaments because they may or may not want to go out of town. The club sets forth expectations. Typically younger less experienced coaches want to do less, and the weaker teams get stuck with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a great coach who is coaching the third and fourth team. Why? It was a personal choice because the coach does not want to travel. In this rare instance, the third and fourth team is getting great coaching.

+100. i have seen this too where a well-known coach who had been out of the scene for a while stepped in to pinch hit as a favor to the TD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Again, been a team manager for three years. Coaches have even asked me which tournament I wanted to sign up for. Some coaches don't want out of town tournaments. Some do. Yes, there certain tournaments that are required but it's only 1-2 (depending on the clubs). The remaining 3-4 are up to the coaches.

I guess it's going over your head. Good clubs don't let a random low level coach pick and choose tournaments because they may or may not want to go out of town. The club sets forth expectations. Typically younger less experienced coaches want to do less, and the weaker teams get stuck with them.

In your opinion who are the good clubs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just saying rec is $160, practice twice a week, one game and got a coach that knows what they are doing. Pretty sure this is the same training as the 3-6th teams at most clubs.
The difference between rec and bottom travel is that half the team has no idea what they are doing. The other half could easily play travel but are multi-sport athletes or have other things going on. So you have to deal with kids who know nothing about soccer. But for $160, I can afford private training and guest playing... maybe it is a better option.

Eh, I don't know any rec team that practices twice a week and has a coach that "knows what they are doing". Most rec teams practice once a week and all coaches are just volunteer parents. Most of whom have never played soccer so....

[Anonymous]

Plenty of rec programs practice twice a week. Syc being one. And plenty of people in this area played soccer and can coach a team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As others have stated, Syc is good option if your kid can make the first or second team. Below that it is wise to consider other options.

I would apply this to all major clubs. If you can’t make the first top two teams at a major club (BSC, Arlington, Alexandria, SAC, etc.), just put your kid in a smaller club where they can make the first team and has the kind of development you like. Much easier to be developed at a smaller club and be a star there, and then make the jump to the first team of a major club. Happens all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just saying rec is $160, practice twice a week, one game and got a coach that knows what they are doing. Pretty sure this is the same training as the 3-6th teams at most clubs.
The difference between rec and bottom travel is that half the team has no idea what they are doing. The other half could easily play travel but are multi-sport athletes or have other things going on. So you have to deal with kids who know nothing about soccer. But for $160, I can afford private training and guest playing... maybe it is a better option.

Eh, I don't know any rec team that practices twice a week and has a coach that "knows what they are doing". Most rec teams practice once a week and all coaches are just volunteer parents. Most of whom have never played soccer so....

Nonsense. My kids have played rec for two different local orgs and both practiced twice a week after U8.

[Anonymous]

VYS used to do twice a week until COVID and since it's been once per week - my hunch is that it's because of lack of field space.

[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.

McLean and Bethesda both develop plenty of excellent players that have been with the club from 6 years old all the way through...if someone comes along that is better than your kid at the try outs they should not take them? "They all recruit natural talent"...what does this even mean?

LOL. I can tell you actually believe this.

They recruit natural talent meaning the kids come to these clubs with natural soccer IQ or in some cases been developed by other clubs and they've come to MYS and Bethesda looking for ECNL competition. MYS was recently threatened with getting booted from ECNL for terrible performance so who do you think they are developing?

So the kids that are with these clubs from 6 years old all the way through and then go on to have college careers and pro careers don't count? Yes they add players developed elsewhere and build better teams, but McLean and Bethesda have developed plenty of amazing players and still do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just saying rec is $160, practice twice a week, one game and got a coach that knows what they are doing. Pretty sure this is the same training as the 3-6th teams at most clubs.
The difference between rec and bottom travel is that half the team has no idea what they are doing. The other half could easily play travel but are multi-sport athletes or have other things going on. So you have to deal with kids who know nothing about soccer. But for $160, I can afford private training and guest playing... maybe it is a better option.

Eh, I don't know any rec team that practices twice a week and has a coach that "knows what they are doing". Most rec teams practice once a week and all coaches are just volunteer parents. Most of whom have never played soccer so....

Nonsense. My kids have played rec for two different local orgs and both practiced twice a week after U8.

Name?

[Anonymous]

Rec, for the most part, is a joke. I coached rec for three years due to my kid being on the team. I hated it but had to as the club was begging for coaches. I played competitive sports through college and coached high school for several years long ago so I stepped up.

I didn't know anything about soccer. Spend 100-150 hours on YouTube learning drills, ball possession, formations, etc.

I hated rec. One practice per week. 40% of the kids didn't show up. Game day sometimes 2-4 kids didn't show up. I forgot how many times I had to borrow a kid from the other team. It got to the point where any game before 10am I emailed every parent asking them if they would show up. If not enough responded I cancelled the game. Not going to force a handful of kids and parents to wake up at 6-7-8am only to forfeit the game. I'm sure not every club is like this, but mine was and I hated it. So happy when my kid got into travel. Now, I just watch on the sidelines and the coach knows what they are doing.

[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.

I don’t disagree with the concept that the lower teams aren’t treated the same, but it’s nonsense to lump in 3-6. For example, the third teams at the clubs that go 4-6 deep would absolutely demolish a rec team 50-0 and it’s simply not a comparable level of play. I’m talking Bethesda, Arlington, Loudon, yes SYC (at least some ages) etc. if a club is deep enough at an age to have that many teams there will be a massive difference. Many of those third teams are actually in fairly high divisions of EDP or NCSL D1. Is that ECNL or MLS Next, no, but it’s sure not rec.

The bottom team at bigger clubs is often very similar to rec and are people paying for travel who aren’t really travel caliber players. That I agree on.

[Anonymous]

Nearly all of the Mclean coaches are verbally abusive, and lie to kids and parents.

Mclean does not develop talent. They steal it from other clubs.

I had two kids grow up in Northern Virginia soccer. I wish we had never been involved with MPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I don’t disagree with the concept that the lower teams aren’t treated the same, but it’s nonsense to lump in 3-6. For example, the third teams at the clubs that go 4-6 deep would absolutely demolish a rec team 50-0 and it’s simply not a comparable level of play. I’m talking Bethesda, Arlington, Loudon, yes SYC (at least some ages) etc. if a club is deep enough at an age to have that many teams there will be a massive difference. Many of those third teams are actually in fairly high divisions of EDP or NCSL D1. Is that ECNL or MLS Next, no, but it’s sure not rec.

The bottom team at bigger clubs is often very similar to rec and are people paying for
travel who aren’t really travel caliber players. That I agree on.

We can agree to disagree. But i'm sure there are kids playing pickup soccer without any coach at all that could beat travel teams #s 3-6. Clubs will not turn down your money. There is no floor for minimum skill level to field teams. As long as there are parents ready to shell out $3k for the good fields (ha!), teams 3-6 will happen.

NCSL is on par with rec.

[Anonymous]

These posts that describe rec soccer as some lowly activity compared to playing lower travel teams is interesting. It's almost as if families who put their 3/4/5 team kid in travel only do so to say the kid plays travel.