Barcelona Escola Friendly last night

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ive spoke with many who know the club well and please don't fool yourselves. this is simply another club (franchise) here to simply make money. no shock they set up in a well to do area and most of the families can afford it . If they want to really develope the talent then why not set up where talent lives silver spring , Alexandria , etc . they kept almost all if not all kids that went to their tryout/ evaluations . the whole idea of walking out in a line behind coach isn't making a soccer player better. this club is no different than the loudons Arlington bryc mclean etc. its just in its beginning stage. lets all take a picture of the entire u9-u10-u11-u12 teams of theirs along with the same teams at the other premier clubs I mentioned . In 6-7-8 years lets look at the same kids . results will be the same maybe out of all the total clubs together 6 or 7 elite college.kids and if they get lucky 1-2 kids will play some level of pro soccer. That fact that this "miracle" of a club set up shop in an area where they know the club will profit financially whether they produce talent or not . is a red flag. why not setup shop in a more poverty stricken area to look for talent to develop like they find in the favelas of Brazil . this is simply another pay for play club only with a franchise plan set up shop in several us cities and collect $$$.

Since you know all of this then why are you here and why do you care? You are obviously to smart to get ripped off so what are you so upset about? And more importantly why would I care about the opinions that you have based only on the “many families” you’ve spoken with over my own eyes.

Again, thank you for your trolling concern for the Soccer welfare of kids you don’t even know and never will. We need more thoughtful trolls like yourself. You be you and stay angry about something you are not involved with because it doesn’t impact you in any way.

[Anonymous]

We're all better when everyone can speak their own thoughts and opinions.

If there is anything negative to say at all, you always bring the "troll" card.

No one is concerned about your kids, do you get that? We're all looking for the best for our kid at an affordable(relative to HHI) price. We can't possibly check out every single program, so I would actually encourage posters to speak theor minds, who knows, one poster may have a positive opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're all better when everyone can speak their own thoughts and opinions.

If there is anything negative to say at all, you always bring the "troll" card.

No one is concerned about your kids, do you get that? We're all looking for the best for our kid at an affordable(relative to HHI) price. We can't possibly check out every single program, so I would actually encourage posters to speak theor minds, who knows, one poster may have a positive opinion.

Speak negatively or if it is factual or based on your own opinion. Speak negatively if it has or will impact you. If you were singing the praises of Barca under the same circumstances you would be just as wrong.

Fact
1. You are not involved in Barca
2. You have no plans on being involved in Barca
3. You have never observed first hand a practice or game that Barca has been in.

With all three above conditions your comments are certainly trolling because they are not based on any first hand knowledge one way or another.

I’m no longer even debating your “points” I just want to know why you are wasting your time talking about something that you have zero interest in your child participating in? How does Barca threaten you? How has Barca impacted your life in such a negative way?

[Anonymous]

Just quit, both of you, I keep on clicking on this thread thinking something new is going to be worthwhile reading, but it's nothing, just sh*t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just quit, both of you, I keep on clicking on this thread thinking something new is going to be worthwhile reading, but it's nothing, just sh*t.

Well, what would you like to know?

[Anonymous]

there are very few parents that will tell you the “truth” of a program for many reasons, many with rationale parts overlapping

-during the year for fear of admission of the situation incongruous of payment/results
-just dont know comparisons due to lack of knowledge or ignorance
-different expectations due to kids abilities
-dont want to speak negatively
- differing attention or favoritism from coach
-positioning on field during matches
- priorities and importance of certain aspects of training
-etc

seriously, its ok to hear the sides of many, first person and secondhand, and if you dont agree.. ok,

we know one poster is supposed first hand and the other is supposed second hand, i’ll take each, and i really want to hear both. The more info the better, i want to be an informed consumer. The more we all talk, the better the programs ability to get appropriate feedback and improve stakeholder expectations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:there are very few parents that will tell you the “truth” of a program for many reasons, many with rationale parts overlapping

-during the year for fear of admission of the situation incongruous of payment/results
-just dont know comparisons due to lack of knowledge or ignorance
-different expectations due to kids abilities
-dont want to speak negatively
- differing attention or favoritism from coach
-positioning on field during matches
- priorities and importance of certain aspects of training
-etc

seriously, its ok to hear the sides of many, first person and secondhand, and if you dont agree.. ok,

we know one poster is supposed first hand and the other is supposed second hand, i’ll take each, and i really want to hear both. The more info the better, i want to be an informed consumer. The more we all talk, the better the programs ability to get appropriate feedback and improve stakeholder expectations.

The problem is, and not to beat a dead horse, but there is only 4 months to go on. As someone who has a kid in the program I am encouraged but I cannot tell you with certainty that it is life affirming and soccer paradise. I also can't tell you that it is a miserable failure and a ripoff. I can tell you that it is well run, very organized and professional. That's it. My kid likes it and is doing well, but I can only speak for MY kid. At my kids age I also don't care about the "team success" as much as I care about my kid developing.

I don't think there will be a real clear picture until NEXT Spring after a fall season of league play and a couple of tournaments under their belt to see HOW they are playing. By that I mean, are they staying true to their possession style? Most of the yahoos coming in here now are expecting the program to meet some imaginary metric based solely on the reputation of the parent club a thousand miles away in another country.

I would love nothing more than to have an honest discussion and criticism is welcomed, but like praise, it is far to early to hand out any truly informed judgment. If someone wants to honestly believe that a program that is installed here for four months is enough time to determine the quality and future success, well that is just ludicrous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:there are very few parents that will tell you the “truth” of a program for many reasons, many with rationale parts overlapping

-during the year for fear of admission of the situation incongruous of payment/results
-just dont know comparisons due to lack of knowledge or ignorance
-different expectations due to kids abilities
-dont want to speak negatively
- differing attention or favoritism from coach
-positioning on field during matches
- priorities and importance of certain aspects of training
-etc

seriously, its ok to hear the sides of many, first person and secondhand, and if you dont agree.. ok,

we know one poster is supposed first hand and the other is supposed second hand, i’ll take each, and i really want to hear both. The more info the better, i want to be an informed consumer. The more we all talk, the better the programs ability to get appropriate feedback and improve stakeholder expectations.

Well, parents don’t deal at all with coaches or technical staff at Barca. Absences and injuries are communicated through 1 central email address and relayed to technical staff. We love it because the ass-kissers and politics have zero place. Parents aren’t allowed near the players at training. Parents can’t run up to the coaches and whine. There is no dropping in or meeting with staff. The TD makes the decisions. Performance is evaluated by the TD and 12 UEFA Spanish coaches and they decide training groups, etc. I can tell you not a single parent Ive met in the stands thinks they know more than these guys so they are relaxed with the knowledge that the technical staff know what they are doing and will place and move their sons/daughters appropriately throughout the year. Everyone here knows development isn’t always in a linear fashion. There are no stupid color teams hindering developmental groups or age/gender limitations. Kids rotate through different positions. Frankly, 2.5 months in and the kids and parents can’t tell anything about the meaning of the different groups and they are constantly changing and different coaches are reviewing them all of the time. Very FAIR which my kid responds to well. Each and every kid, no matter ability, gets the exact same coaching, and opportunities unlike lower teams in big clubs.

So, again, the fear of recrimination isn’t there like the asshole US coaches that want people to fawn all over them and ass-kiss and dad to show up in his soccer gear to show how much he knows.

My kid loves it. He has spent a good amount of time training overseas and does not want to go back to an academy or travel team next year. He loves the Escola and the training staff. Hard work and skill and good attitude, not Mom and dad donating money and ass-kissing determine movement.

They aren’t just looking at ball skill—soccer IQ factors very highly. The FCB Escola are all over the Word and all follow the exact same ethics. Staff from the realLa Masia in Barcelona were here recently doing quality control and making sure procedures were being adhered to. Btw, the residential FCB academy in Arizona entered DA. The Escola from around the world have teams compete in an International tournament in the mini Estada.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:there are very few parents that will tell you the “truth” of a program for many reasons, many with rationale parts overlapping

-during the year for fear of admission of the situation incongruous of payment/results
-just dont know comparisons due to lack of knowledge or ignorance
-different expectations due to kids abilities
-dont want to speak negatively
- differing attention or favoritism from coach
-positioning on field during matches
- priorities and importance of certain aspects of training
-etc

seriously, its ok to hear the sides of many, first person and secondhand, and if you dont agree.. ok,

we know one poster is supposed first hand and the other is supposed second hand, i’ll take each, and i really want to hear both. The more info the better, i want to be an informed consumer. The more we all talk, the better the programs ability to get appropriate feedback and improve stakeholder expectations.

Well, parents don’t deal at all with coaches or technical staff at Barca. Absences and injuries are communicated through 1 central email address and relayed to technical staff. We love it because the ass-kissers and politics have zero place. Parents aren’t allowed near the players at training. Parents can’t run up to the coaches and whine. There is no dropping in or meeting with staff. The TD makes the decisions. Performance is evaluated by the TD and 12 UEFA Spanish coaches and they decide training groups, etc. I can tell you not a single parent Ive met in the stands thinks they know more than these guys so they are relaxed with the knowledge that the technical staff know what they are doing and will place and move their sons/daughters appropriately throughout the year. Everyone here knows development isn’t always in a linear fashion. There are no stupid color teams hindering developmental groups or age/gender limitations. Kids rotate through different positions. Frankly, 2.5 months in and the kids and parents can’t tell anything about the meaning of the different groups and they are constantly changing and different coaches are reviewing them all of the time. Very FAIR which my kid responds to well. Each and every kid, no matter ability, gets the exact same coaching, and opportunities unlike lower teams in big clubs.

So, again, the fear of recrimination isn’t there like the asshole US coaches that want people to fawn all over them and ass-kiss and dad to show up in his soccer gear to show how much he knows.

My kid loves it. He has spent a good amount of time training overseas and does not want to go back to an academy or travel team next year. He loves the Escola and the training staff. Hard work and skill and good attitude, not Mom and dad donating money and ass-kissing determine movement.

They aren’t just looking at ball skill—soccer IQ factors very highly. The FCB Escola are all over the Word and all follow the exact same ethics. Staff from the realLa Masia in Barcelona were here recently doing quality control and making sure procedures were being adhered to. Btw, the residential FCB academy in Arizona entered DA. The Escola from around the world have teams compete in an International tournament in the mini Estada.

This does all sound very appealing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:there are very few parents that will tell you the “truth” of a program for many reasons, many with rationale parts overlapping

-during the year for fear of admission of the situation incongruous of payment/results
-just dont know comparisons due to lack of knowledge or ignorance
-different expectations due to kids abilities
-dont want to speak negatively
- differing attention or favoritism from coach
-positioning on field during matches
- priorities and importance of certain aspects of training
-etc

seriously, its ok to hear the sides of many, first person and secondhand, and if you dont agree.. ok,

we know one poster is supposed first hand and the other is supposed second hand, i’ll take each, and i really want to hear both. The more info the better, i want to be an informed consumer. The more we all talk, the better the programs ability to get appropriate feedback and improve stakeholder expectations.

Well, parents don’t deal at all with coaches or technical staff at Barca. Absences and injuries are communicated through 1 central email address and relayed to technical staff. We love it because the ass-kissers and politics have zero place. Parents aren’t allowed near the players at training. Parents can’t run up to the coaches and whine. There is no dropping in or meeting with staff. The TD makes the decisions. Performance is evaluated by the TD and 12 UEFA Spanish coaches and they decide training groups, etc. I can tell you not a single parent Ive met in the stands thinks they know more than these guys so they are relaxed with the knowledge that the technical staff know what they are doing and will place and move their sons/daughters appropriately throughout the year. Everyone here knows development isn’t always in a linear fashion. There are no stupid color teams hindering developmental groups or age/gender limitations. Kids rotate through different positions. Frankly, 2.5 months in and the kids and parents can’t tell anything about the meaning of the different groups and they are constantly changing and different coaches are reviewing them all of the time. Very FAIR which my kid responds to well. Each and every kid, no matter ability, gets the exact same coaching, and opportunities unlike lower teams in big clubs.

So, again, the fear of recrimination isn’t there like the asshole US coaches that want people to fawn all over them and ass-kiss and dad to show up in his soccer gear to show how much he knows.

My kid loves it. He has spent a good amount of time training overseas and does not want to go back to an academy or travel team next year. He loves the Escola and the training staff. Hard work and skill and good attitude, not Mom and dad donating money and ass-kissing determine movement.

They aren’t just looking at ball skill—soccer IQ factors very highly. The FCB Escola are all over the Word and all follow the exact same ethics. Staff from the realLa Masia in Barcelona were here recently doing quality control and making sure procedures were being adhered to. Btw, the residential FCB academy in Arizona entered DA. The Escola from around the world have teams compete in an International tournament in the mini Estada.

I would second this observation. Very spot on. The parental atmosphere is very relaxed which is why the OP seems so off base from my experience with the parents that I have met with. I will add that the TD works with nearly every group at least once during the week and will often take part in the handing the kids back to their parents portion of the practice. The TD KNOWS every kid. There are not many clubs where that is the case. I have seen one club where the TD actively observes each age group and team in practice throughout the practice or at least during the week.

I've been at large clubs where you were lucky if the age group coordinator ever bothered to observe a practice in a season much less at least once a week.

[Anonymous]

What you guys are describing is nothing more than good customer service and fulfilling the services that were promised at the outset. We've been fed sh*t from travel clubs this entire time that when we have a coach that takes time to know the kids he has under him/her, we end up talking it up as if every TD is expected to behave like an @$$hole and not care about the players whose parents pay the travel dues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What you guys are describing is nothing more than good customer service and fulfilling the services that were promised at the outset. We've been fed sh*t from travel clubs this entire time that when we have a coach that takes time to know the kids he has under him/her, we end up talking it up as if every TD is expected to behave like an @$$hole and not care about the players whose parents pay the travel dues.

Sure it is good customer service. Exactly what is wrong with that?

[Anonymous]

I've paid so we will ride it out. But for the parent that speaks for the rest of us at FCB, you obviously hang out with the other snowflakes. They are really professional, but it's almost to the point where it is really too much for a soccer environment.

Overall the talent isn't very high and maybe in a few years they can train some of this kids up, but for now the aren't very many top talents in the club. I haven't talked to any Ex-DA player families so I think that's just a comment to artificially inflate the image of FCB. I was the one spending my time in williamburgs getting our asses handed to us. As I mentioned in my post, it's not about win/losses, but they did not look like a travel team or even a team that has trained for 4 months.

Before you attack, it is my opinion, my money, my son so I have the right to voice my opinion. If you like the program then stick with it. Unless I see something different, we are done at the end of the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've paid so we will ride it out. But for the parent that speaks for the rest of us at FCB, you obviously hang out with the other snowflakes. They are really professional, but it's almost to the point where it is really too much for a soccer environment.

Overall the talent isn't very high and maybe in a few years they can train some of this kids up, but for now the aren't very many top talents in the club. I haven't talked to any Ex-DA player families so I think that's just a comment to artificially inflate the image of FCB. I was the one spending my time in williamburgs getting our asses handed to us. As I mentioned in my post, it's not about win/losses, but they did not look like a travel team or even a team that has trained for 4 months.

Before you attack, it is my opinion, my money, my son so I have the right to voice my opinion. If you like the program then stick with it. Unless I see something different, we are done at the end of the program.

How was this weekend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've paid so we will ride it out. But for the parent that speaks for the rest of us at FCB, you obviously hang out with the other snowflakes. They are really professional, but it's almost to the point where it is really too much for a soccer environment.

Overall the talent isn't very high and maybe in a few years they can train some of this kids up, but for now the aren't very many top talents in the club. I haven't talked to any Ex-DA player families so I think that's just a comment to artificially inflate the image of FCB. I was the one spending my time in williamburgs getting our asses handed to us. As I mentioned in my post, it's not about win/losses, but they did not look like a travel team or even a team that has trained for 4 months.

Before you attack, it is my opinion, my money, my son so I have the right to voice my opinion. If you like the program then stick with it. Unless I see something different, we are done at the end of the program.

1. How talented do you perceive your child to be?
2. What do wins matter?
3. The older groups have the former DA players.