Moving to a new club after the season is over

[Anonymous]

DS has been on a team (U-13 now) with a coach who he really liked for a couple of years now. Unfortunately, the coach is leaving after the Fall season ends (moving out of the area). The new coach who will be taking over the team has already been announced and without going into details, we know from prior history that he isn't a good fit for DS. The club only has two teams in this age group and the other team isn't very good at all so unfortunately, we feel like finding a new club/team is the best option for DS. I realize that we'll probably have to pay the balance of the fees for the Spring (which is unfortunate but I understand how it works). What I don't understand is how the (VYSA) player card/pass gets moved to a new club? Does the current club automatically "release" it after we pay the balance of the fees and then the new club submits a request to "hold" it? Do we need to deal directly with VYSA ourselves or do the clubs take care of all this? I'm afraid I don't fully understand how this works but I'd like to understand the process in hopes of making this already "painful" transition as seamless as possible. Thank you for any info.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS has been on a team (U-13 now) with a coach who he really liked for a couple of years now. Unfortunately, the coach is leaving after the Fall season ends (moving out of the area). The new coach who will be taking over the team has already been announced and without going into details, we know from prior history that he isn't a good fit for DS. The club only has two teams in this age group and the other team isn't very good at all so unfortunately, we feel like finding a new club/team is the best option for DS. I realize that we'll probably have to pay the balance of the fees for the Spring (which is unfortunate but I understand how it works). What I don't understand is how the (VYSA) player card/pass gets moved to a new club? Does the current club automatically "release" it after we pay the balance of the fees and then the new club submits a request to "hold" it? Do we need to deal directly with VYSA ourselves or do the clubs take care of all this? I'm afraid I don't fully understand how this works but I'd like to understand the process in hopes of making this already "painful" transition as seamless as possible. Thank you for any info.

You should expect to do the work to get the card released. There should be a form to sign to release the card. Look on the VYSA web site for the form. You fill it out first and then send it to the team manager to sign and send back to you.

[Anonymous]

It isn't hard. Just pay the balance (although I would ask), email the registrar and manager, ask for release. I don't remember doing the form but maybe you do that as well. Took about 1-2 days to complete.

[Anonymous]

Since you agreed to have your son play on a team coached by X, and now they coach is Y - you do not have to pay the balance. It's a breach of the agreement.

[Anonymous]

That is false. The agreement he signed was not in fact to play for the team with that specific coach. These agreements you sign with these clubs do not specify you are locked in to a specific coach. Good try but that wont work.
You can walk away and owe the club the money. They likely will not pursue the matter for the little amount owed. Or you can do as you originally stated you intended to do and pay as you agreed. Its your choice to leave the club. it was your choice to agree to take that roster spot. Had you not taken it a different player would have therefore your choice impacts the club, the team and each player that remains.

Again your call what to do but you will owe the money, that I can tell you for sure

[Anonymous]

Playing devil's advocate...So let's say your DS is pretty good and ends up playing in college or going pro, but the coach and your son do not fit well? Are you going to find another college or pro team to play on? Probably not...This is a growing and learning experience for your kid as their coaches are not always going to be the right fit. So do you want to teach your kid to move on each time adversity presents itself? I can understand if the coach isn't nice to the players or just isn't a good person or is just a bad coach and you want to move. But if the coach is actually pretty good at developing players, then he might want to stick it out and figure out how to deal with the situation. At least it would only be for the Spring season...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Playing devil's advocate...So let's say your DS is pretty good and ends up playing in college or going pro, but the coach and your son do not fit well? Are you going to find another college or pro team to play on? Probably not...This is a growing and learning experience for your kid as their coaches are not always going to be the right fit. So do you want to teach your kid to move on each time adversity presents itself? I can understand if the coach isn't nice to the players or just isn't a good person or is just a bad coach and you want to move. But if the coach is actually pretty good at developing players, then he might want to stick it out and figure out how to deal with the situation. At least it would only be for the Spring season...

Lol a bad coach or a bad fit can kill a players career in the pro’s. You think it does not happen at the youth and college level? I have seen really good players quit the game at the youth level because of the coach. When a coach is changed in college the new coach will run off the a lot of the existing players. There are very few really good coaches. Most coaches just pick players who match their system and cut/bench the ones who do not match the system. Very few can successfully take the players they have and develop a system around those players.

If it’s a bad fit in travel soccer move clubs. If it is a bad fit at work, find a new job. That is the lesson one should learn.

Let’s not use “development” as the catchall for bad coaching and sh#tty treatment of players. 99% of the people posting here have no idea what age appropriate development is. Also if your kid is not having fun they will quit the game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That is false. The agreement he signed was not in fact to play for the team with that specific coach. These agreements you sign with these clubs do not specify you are locked in to a specific coach. Good try but that wont work.
You can walk away and owe the club the money. They likely will not pursue the matter for the little amount owed. Or you can do as you originally stated you intended to do and pay as you agreed. Its your choice to leave the club. it was your choice to agree to take that roster spot. Had you not taken it a different player would have therefore your choice impacts the club, the team and each player that remains.

Again your call what to do but you will owe the money, that I can tell you for sure

We changed last year for these exact same reasons and the club was very accommodating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS has been on a team (U-13 now) with a coach who he really liked for a couple of years now. Unfortunately, the coach is leaving after the Fall season ends (moving out of the area). The new coach who will be taking over the team has already been announced and without going into details, we know from prior history that he isn't a good fit for DS. The club only has two teams in this age group and the other team isn't very good at all so unfortunately, we feel like finding a new club/team is the best option for DS. I realize that we'll probably have to pay the balance of the fees for the Spring (which is unfortunate but I understand how it works). What I don't understand is how the (VYSA) player card/pass gets moved to a new club? Does the current club automatically "release" it after we pay the balance of the fees and then the new club submits a request to "hold" it? Do we need to deal directly with VYSA ourselves or do the clubs take care of all this? I'm afraid I don't fully understand how this works but I'd like to understand the process in hopes of making this already "painful" transition as seamless as possible. Thank you for any info.

Read your contract, it should say what they require to release a card. There are 2 carding organizations in the US. Maybe your new club will use the other one, and you won't even need to pay up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Playing devil's advocate...So let's say your DS is pretty good and ends up playing in college or going pro, but the coach and your son do not fit well? Are you going to find another college or pro team to play on? Probably not...This is a growing and learning experience for your kid as their coaches are not always going to be the right fit. So do you want to teach your kid to move on each time adversity presents itself? I can understand if the coach isn't nice to the players or just isn't a good person or is just a bad coach and you want to move. But if the coach is actually pretty good at developing players, then he might want to stick it out and figure out how to deal with the situation. At least it would only be for the Spring season...

Many years ago the answer would have been "no". Times have changed thanks to that little thing called the transfer portal. Kids change schools more than underwear these days. While I'm not for cutting and running at every hard turn, if you have a coach who doesn't believe in you...move on. If you have four coaches in a row who don't believe in you, maybe it's you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That is false. The agreement he signed was not in fact to play for the team with that specific coach. These agreements you sign with these clubs do not specify you are locked in to a specific coach. Good try but that wont work.
You can walk away and owe the club the money. They likely will not pursue the matter for the little amount owed. Or you can do as you originally stated you intended to do and pay as you agreed. Its your choice to leave the club. it was your choice to agree to take that roster spot. Had you not taken it a different player would have therefore your choice impacts the club, the team and each player that remains.

Again your call what to do but you will owe the money, that I can tell you for sure

I love these PAY YOUR DUES! posts.


We got out of our club a couple years ago, no issue. We stated our case and were polite/professional about it. We didn't ask for any refund of fees already paid. Similar situation to OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is false. The agreement he signed was not in fact to play for the team with that specific coach. These agreements you sign with these clubs do not specify you are locked in to a specific coach. Good try but that wont work.
You can walk away and owe the club the money. They likely will not pursue the matter for the little amount owed. Or you can do as you originally stated you intended to do and pay as you agreed. Its your choice to leave the club. it was your choice to agree to take that roster spot. Had you not taken it a different player would have therefore your choice impacts the club, the team and each player that remains.

Again your call what to do but you will owe the money, that I can tell you for sure

I love these PAY YOUR DUES! posts.


We got out of our club a couple years ago, no issue. We stated our case and were polite/professional about it. We didn't ask for any refund of fees already paid. Similar situation to OP.

We just left as well - I received confirmation emails that both of my kid's player cards were being released (VYSA and US Club Soccer). No issue with the registrar or team manager, thank God. (And we did NOT pay in full.)

[Anonymous]

we are leaving our club in November. I plan on paying the dues if required but it has been a terrible fall and the coaching sucks so I don't really care. My kid will be so much happier on a different team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That is false. The agreement he signed was not in fact to play for the team with that specific coach. These agreements you sign with these clubs do not specify you are locked in to a specific coach. Good try but that wont work.
You can walk away and owe the club the money. They likely will not pursue the matter for the little amount owed. Or you can do as you originally stated you intended to do and pay as you agreed. Its your choice to leave the club. it was your choice to agree to take that roster spot. Had you not taken it a different player would have therefore your choice impacts the club, the team and each player that remains.

Again your call what to do but you will owe the money, that I can tell you for sure

It depends on the agreement and the e-mail that accompanied the offer. Unless your club had much better lawyers drafting the agreement than ours, I think we could get out if it pretty easily based on the e-mail that accompanied the offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS has been on a team (U-13 now) with a coach who he really liked for a couple of years now. Unfortunately, the coach is leaving after the Fall season ends (moving out of the area). The new coach who will be taking over the team has already been announced and without going into details, we know from prior history that he isn't a good fit for DS. The club only has two teams in this age group and the other team isn't very good at all so unfortunately, we feel like finding a new club/team is the best option for DS. I realize that we'll probably have to pay the balance of the fees for the Spring (which is unfortunate but I understand how it works). What I don't understand is how the (VYSA) player card/pass gets moved to a new club? Does the current club automatically "release" it after we pay the balance of the fees and then the new club submits a request to "hold" it? Do we need to deal directly with VYSA ourselves or do the clubs take care of all this? I'm afraid I don't fully understand how this works but I'd like to understand the process in hopes of making this already "painful" transition as seamless as possible. Thank you for any info.

Good chance you may have made your decision already....
When you leave you also leave the teammates:
This group of boys, having been together may weather through this change. The change will be another experience for them as a whole, for good or for worse.
Perhaps slow roll tryouts in the spring..and let the boys have the twilight of their relationship as a team one more short season so they understand and have closure.