Where do ex-Academy players go?

[NoYou]

My son and his friend are 'done' with academy soccer. It's just too much time and although they have the talent, they don't have the desire to go the final yards to college level or beyond. Fair enough, but they want to keep playing and I'm trying to find some options for them.

We did some local rec soccer but it was basically not worth it. They walked the ball around players like they weren't even there and the only time they were stopped is when some kid flat out tried to pancake them into the ground. It was really just a waste of time and actually a tad dangerous (besides the 'klutzy' players there were a couple kids kind of raging after being beaten).

Is there some in-between? A place where they can play some decent soccer but not have to run the gamut of multiple practices per week and far away trips?

[Size5Balls]

NoYou wrote:My son and his friend are 'done' with academy soccer. It's just too much time and although they have the talent, they don't have the desire to go the final yards to college level or beyond. Fair enough, but they want to keep playing and I'm trying to find some options for them.

We did some local rec soccer but it was basically not worth it. They walked the ball around players like they weren't even there and the only time they were stopped is when some kid flat out tried to pancake them into the ground. It was really just a waste of time and actually a tad dangerous (besides the 'klutzy' players there were a couple kids kind of raging after being beaten).

Is there some in-between? A place where they can play some decent soccer but not have to run the gamut of multiple practices per week and far away trips?

They can try getting on an established advanced rec team. Some of those teams are as good as travel C/D teams. Also, some clubs offer a travel bridge team which falls somewhere between advanced and travel. They have unpaid coaches, but play against lower level travel teams.

[Cruzado]

How old are these kids?

[retiredref]

When my daughter left ECNL she went to a travel "state cup" team. It was a little less pressure and more fun and still a high enough level that with her that lower level travel team beat both ECNL and DA teams in tournaments. There are many tiers here between the top and the bottom, it may just take doing a little more homework to find the right level for him. If he's in HS he may enjoy representing his school on the school team. I have refereed all levels and probably half the SFL (rec level) teams I have seen have at least one player who could walk on to any of the top level travel teams if they had the funds so don't always assume rec is just for players who can't play. The Arlington rec league at HS ages allows them to have a certain number of travel players on the team. There are also indoor and futsal programs which can be a lot of fun and run year round.

The first step though is to engage your son and his friend in the process. Tell them to start asking around in school or wherever, and find out what teams his other friends play on and at what level. If they know he's good they'll be happy to talk to the coach and get him invited to training and he can go see what he thinks. Nothing like the experience of playing on a team with a bunch of your friends, an experience the commercial enterprise youth soccer has become has stolen from our children.

[Arch]

I recommend looking on the NCSL clubs and/or tryout page for clubs in your area and reaching out to the coaches of teams to see if they have openings. Perhaps target the teams in the top 1-2 NCSL divisions for your child's age groups.

You also might want to consider reaching out to existing BRYC bridge (or Braddock FC/whatever they will rebrand into) coaches--it's not as intense commitment-wise; they also play NCSL. I imagine those teams and other non-ECNL teams have pretty similar commitment levels.

[Mdmom22]

Similar to the recommendation of the poster above, I'd also look at the EDP schedule and check out the smaller clubs (or non-ECNL/MLSNEXT clubs) that have teams playing at the Premier I or II levels and try out for those teams.

If you share the boys ages and preferred location, I'm sure people here can recommend specific clubs.

[NoYou]

Thanks. My boys are in DC (near Bethesda) and '05 and '08.

I think we are probably looking at something less formal than a full league schedule. Don't want the regular weekly trips all over the area but instead looking for something more controllable, like a side of players that gets together for tournaments or plays friendlies against other clubs on an ad hoc basis.

[Dcsoccerparent]

If you are in DC, look at PPA for the 08. The premier program is much more relaxed than Academy and they only play EDP II, but are a nice group of boys.

[AnonymousNOT]

NoYou wrote:Thanks. My boys are in DC (near Bethesda) and '05 and '08.

I think we are probably looking at something less formal than a full league schedule. Don't want the regular weekly trips all over the area but instead looking for something more controllable, like a side of players that gets together for tournaments or plays friendlies against other clubs on an ad hoc basis.

I have two kids, same age, same issue. We are in NOVA.

Would love to find some strong "Rec" options as they still want to play games and play High School. Ideally something without all the training hassle and weekly long trips...and costly travel fees!

[anonimouswon]

Join one of the clubs Recreational teams. The play level varies, but you will encounter some rec teams that play at a B/C/D level. I have one kid playing rec in the SFL league. Has one practice a week and travels locally (less than 30 mins) in the NoVA area.