Which Loudoun club to pick?

[L0ud0unParent]

Thinking of enrolling my 4-year-old in a soccer club in the South Riding area. I was planning on Loudoun Soccer until I read all the reviews that followed the 2020 drama, and feel uncertain now. I'm just looking for a good, reliable club where my son can get some initial exposure to soccer. Does not need to be super competitive, at this point, I just want him to enjoy it. Any personal recommendations for that area? Also, are all recreational teams coached by parents/volunteers? I'm absolutely new to the world of sports and always imagined professional coaches to be involved for some reason - but looks like the majority of teams are coached by parents instead (?) Any clarification is welcome.

[Lasso_FC_Girls]

4 year old? Which ever club beats ball skills to death until they go to 9v9. I honestly don’t know what club that is though. Probably not the clubs that care about winning at early ages. Definitely not Loudoun though.

[L0ud0unParent]

Lasso_FC_Girls wrote:4 year old? Which ever club beats ball skills to death until they go to 9v9. I honestly don’t know what club that is though. Probably not the clubs that care about winning at early ages. Definitely not Loudoun though.

Why not Loudoun? Just curious.

[soccer_dc]

Do clubs even have programs for 4 year olds? Usually starts in 1st grade. I would look at Soccer Shots, Lil Kickers, or maybe your Loudoun County Park and Rec.

[Lasso_FC_Girls]

L0ud0unParent wrote:

Lasso_FC_Girls wrote:4 year old? Which ever club beats ball skills to death until they go to 9v9. I honestly don’t know what club that is though. Probably not the clubs that care about winning at early ages. Definitely not Loudoun though.

Why not Loudoun? Just curious.

At that young of an age, a smaller atmosphere is usually better so the coach/trainer interact more with the player. My DD is now 13, plays in ECNL and is excelling. She started in our area's town club at ages 4 to 9. Was trained in ball skills only till age 7 and then the coach added in some IQ work through age 9. Game results were ignored. While that can be painful for a parent, it was certainly the best approach looking back now. I should also say the only reason to move your player to a larger and more competitive is if they are excelling so much that they are not being challenged by those around them.

Worry less about the club at early ages and more about the coach/trainer. Most will be parents at the young ages anyway. If you think Loudoun will train heavily on skills at a young age, than Loudoun is fine, however, Loudoun is not known for a technical style of play at later ages. At U9 though U13, it's more like put our fastest and strongest players up top, kick it long and hope the forwards get there.

[retiredref]

At age 4 the club should not matter. You're playing recreational in-house usually with a volunteer parent coach. Pick the one closest to you and ideally where your child has friends.

If you can find a soccer program for that age that isn't a league with organized games you will do even better. The goal at that age is to have fun and fall in love with the ball--leagues and scores at that age are for the parent's benefit not the kids.

"I don’t believe skill was, or ever will be, the result of coaches. It is a result of a love affair between the child and the ball." – Manfred Schellscheidt

[L0ud0unParent]

Thank you very much for your replies, I now have a much better idea of what to look for!

[Va_soccer_mom]

South Riding area has Old Dominion FC in Stone Ridge area for that age group. They have a good rec program run by paid coaches.

Virginia Revolution is not too far and all practices would be on their turf fields at Revolution Sportsplex. This is in Leesburg but not too far from South Riding. They have a great rec and travel program. They also have lots of summer camps.

FC Virginia I think might have some rec program in S Riding but not sure how it is run since it’s newer.

[L0ud0unParent]

Va_soccer_mom wrote:South Riding area has Old Dominion FC in Stone Ridge area for that age group. They have a good rec program run by paid coaches.

That's very good to know, thank you!

[soccermum79]

Lasso_FC_Girls wrote:

L0ud0unParent wrote:

Lasso_FC_Girls wrote:4 year old? Which ever club beats ball skills to death until they go to 9v9. I honestly don’t know what club that is though. Probably not the clubs that care about winning at early ages. Definitely not Loudoun though.

Why not Loudoun? Just curious.

At that young of an age, a smaller atmosphere is usually better so the coach/trainer interact more with the player. My DD is now 13, plays in ECNL and is excelling. She started in our area's town club at ages 4 to 9. Was trained in ball skills only till age 7 and then the coach added in some IQ work through age 9. Game results were ignored. While that can be painful for a parent, it was certainly the best approach looking back now. I should also say the only reason to move your player to a larger and more competitive is if they are excelling so much that they are not being challenged by those around them.

Worry less about the club at early ages and more about the coach/trainer. Most will be parents at the young ages anyway. If you think Loudoun will train heavily on skills at a young age, than Loudoun is fine, however, Loudoun is not known for a technical style of play at later ages. At U9 though U13, it's more like put our fastest and strongest players up top, kick it long and hope the forwards get there.

THIS is 1000% true! The parent volunteer coaches are fine for U-Little. U8 Academy is excellent, U9 depends on the coach and what skills they reinforce, after that its a draw depending on your coach. Would not recommend Loudoun for any technical or skilled player, ECNL or not. There are much better clubs around, even smaller ones, who have excellent conditioning and training programs for U9 and older.

Good luck!

[ProRel]

soccermum79 wrote:

Lasso_FC_Girls wrote:

L0ud0unParent wrote:

Lasso_FC_Girls wrote:4 year old? Which ever club beats ball skills to death until they go to 9v9. I honestly don’t know what club that is though. Probably not the clubs that care about winning at early ages. Definitely not Loudoun though.

Why not Loudoun? Just curious.

At that young of an age, a smaller atmosphere is usually better so the coach/trainer interact more with the player. My DD is now 13, plays in ECNL and is excelling. She started in our area's town club at ages 4 to 9. Was trained in ball skills only till age 7 and then the coach added in some IQ work through age 9. Game results were ignored. While that can be painful for a parent, it was certainly the best approach looking back now. I should also say the only reason to move your player to a larger and more competitive is if they are excelling so much that they are not being challenged by those around them.

Worry less about the club at early ages and more about the coach/trainer. Most will be parents at the young ages anyway. If you think Loudoun will train heavily on skills at a young age, than Loudoun is fine, however, Loudoun is not known for a technical style of play at later ages. At U9 though U13, it's more like put our fastest and strongest players up top, kick it long and hope the forwards get there.

THIS is 1000% true! The parent volunteer coaches are fine for U-Little. U8 Academy is excellent, U9 depends on the coach and what skills they reinforce, after that its a draw depending on your coach. Would not recommend Loudoun for any technical or skilled player, ECNL or not. There are much better clubs around, even smaller ones, who have excellent conditioning and training programs for U9 and older.

Good luck!

OP: obviously you should shop around to find the best fit for your child, but the narrative here that Loudoun does not produce "technical or skilled players" is curious, at best. There is a reason that Loudoun has ECNL and that their 3rd or 4th teams compete against the top teams from "much better clubs."

[soccermum79]

ProRel wrote:

soccermum79 wrote:

Lasso_FC_Girls wrote:

L0ud0unParent wrote:

Lasso_FC_Girls wrote:4 year old? Which ever club beats ball skills to death until they go to 9v9. I honestly don’t know what club that is though. Probably not the clubs that care about winning at early ages. Definitely not Loudoun though.

Why not Loudoun? Just curious.

At that young of an age, a smaller atmosphere is usually better so the coach/trainer interact more with the player. My DD is now 13, plays in ECNL and is excelling. She started in our area's town club at ages 4 to 9. Was trained in ball skills only till age 7 and then the coach added in some IQ work through age 9. Game results were ignored. While that can be painful for a parent, it was certainly the best approach looking back now. I should also say the only reason to move your player to a larger and more competitive is if they are excelling so much that they are not being challenged by those around them.

Worry less about the club at early ages and more about the coach/trainer. Most will be parents at the young ages anyway. If you think Loudoun will train heavily on skills at a young age, than Loudoun is fine, however, Loudoun is not known for a technical style of play at later ages. At U9 though U13, it's more like put our fastest and strongest players up top, kick it long and hope the forwards get there.

THIS is 1000% true! The parent volunteer coaches are fine for U-Little. U8 Academy is excellent, U9 depends on the coach and what skills they reinforce, after that its a draw depending on your coach. Would not recommend Loudoun for any technical or skilled player, ECNL or not. There are much better clubs around, even smaller ones, who have excellent conditioning and training programs for U9 and older.

Good luck!

OP: obviously you should shop around to find the best fit for your child, but the narrative here that Loudoun does not produce "technical or skilled players" is curious, at best. There is a reason that Loudoun has ECNL and that their 3rd or 4th teams compete against the top teams from "much better clubs."

Do they though? Loudoun's best teams won't scrimmage FCV or "much better clubs" unless it's in a tourney. There are a handful of good ECNL clubs on both boys and girls side, but check the records on some of those teams. They can't compete.

[soccer_dc]

Loudoun Soccer is able to have ECNL teams because their player pool is enormous. With that many players to choose from the teams will always be decent. They are generally known for having big athletic teams who play a more direct style of play. This style may or may not suit your player. Coaching styles can vary a lot depending on the coach.

[Blutarski]

soccer_dc wrote:Loudoun Soccer is able to have ECNL teams because their player pool is enormous. With that many players to choose from the teams will always be decent. They are generally known for having big athletic teams who play a more direct style of play. This style may or may not suit your player. Coaching styles can vary a lot depending on the coach.

Geez guys, the kid is only four years old. At this age, I would focus on what is most convenient for you, the parent. Get him/her started, see if he/she likes it and go from there. If it looks like a go, then think about optimizing his/her development.

[novasoccer15324]

you should be asking about pre schools not soccer programs