TSJFC

[Anonymous]

Tracks with what’s happening with the 2016s and 17s this year. Terrible communication all year, last minute planning for everything, then it was unclear how many 2016 teams there were… one in the fall, then they split them in the spring and explained nothing. They barely have enough players to roster 2 teams, and half of them are 2017s. A few weeks ago they suddenly fired the coach… and now that it’s clear more than 1/2 the team is planning to leave, they suddenly sent a contract before they’ve even held the 2016 tryouts.

Not to put too fine of a point on it, but the current 2016 girls coach in the South won't be returning in the fall. The club tried to tell the parents that that was the coach's decision, when the reality is it was the club's decision. Why they chose to lie as opposed to just being adults and owning their decision is bizarre.

There are currently 3 2016 teams, 2 in the South (Springfield) 1 in the North (Loudoun). The North team was added for the spring. They don't have enough girls in the North to field a team each week, so they have to borrow from the South. This little nugget wasn't dropped until the first week of play when some South girls were rostered for as many as 3 games, including 2 that were back to back in Alexandria and Leesburg. TSJ almost had to forfeit the Leesburg game due the impossible logistics of that and a TSJ rec jersey and a sibling is the only thing that prevented that.

So, if you have a 2016 girl, she will surely have a roster slot on a TSJ team as all the above certainly has driven a lot of current 2016 parents away. You will also know absolutely everything about every $upplemental training they offer, but not know what games your kid needs to play in until a few days before and then possibly also have the pleasure of being lied to by upper management about your coaching situation.

I get that no club is perfect, but this spring experience has been truly ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Why did the 2011/2012 boys coach quit mid-season? We met him and he seemed like a good coach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why did the 2011/2012 boys coach quit mid-season? We met him and he seemed like a good coach.

is he the one going to
VA rev for next year?

[Anonymous]

Np-yea, JM

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Np-yea, JM

didn't he already agree to coach at VRSC in the fall? That's probably why TSJ let him leave early.

[Anonymous]

Caution to any new parents reading these forums. Anytime somebody is slamming somethign about a club, keep in mind that it often matters if they are talking about boys verses girls, 2007s vs 2014s, and in the case of TSJ whether it is Springfield (GA2) vs Loudoun (GA1). These little details that never get mentioned in the posts more or less equate to a big nothingburger unless you know whether these alignments match your situation. Who really cares what is going on with a 2014 boys team in Springfield, when you have a 2008 girl playing in Loudoun. It couldn't be more of an apples to oranges kind of thing. Having experience with TSJ I read so many of these posts and apply my own expereince to them only to realize that they are not even talking about a situation that is remotely applicable to my own. There are problems with all clubs, some coaches, and experiences can vary.

[Anonymous]

Understand the caution in most cases, but here… At least on the girls side it seems like a mass exodus across years. A bunch of families left last year as well, and many stayed just to see how things would go… At this point, everyone has seen enough. Even the most dedicated and involved (girls) parents are out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Tracks with what’s happening with the 2016s and 17s this year. Terrible communication all year, last minute planning for everything, then it was unclear how many 2016 teams there were… one in the fall, then they split them in the spring and explained nothing. They barely have enough players to roster 2 teams, and half of them are 2017s. A few weeks ago they suddenly fired the coach… and now that it’s clear more than 1/2 the team is planning to leave, they suddenly sent a contract before they’ve even held the 2016 tryouts.

Not to put too fine of a point on it, but the current 2016 girls coach in the South won't be returning in the fall. The club tried to tell the parents that that was the coach's decision, when the reality is it was the club's decision. Why they chose to lie as opposed to just being adults and owning their decision is bizarre.

There are currently 3 2016 teams, 2 in the South (Springfield) 1 in the North (Loudoun). The North team was added for the spring. They don't have enough girls in the North to field a team each week, so they have to borrow from the South. This little nugget wasn't dropped until the first week of play when some South girls were rostered for as many as 3 games, including 2 that were back to back in Alexandria and Leesburg. TSJ almost had to forfeit the Leesburg game due the impossible logistics of that and a TSJ rec jersey and a sibling is the only thing that prevented that.

So, if you have a 2016 girl, she will surely have a roster slot on a TSJ team as all the above certainly has driven a lot of current 2016 parents away. You will also know absolutely everything about every $upplemental training they offer, but not know what games your kid needs to play in until a few days before and then possibly also have the pleasure of being lied to by upper management about your coaching situation.

I get that no club is perfect, but this spring experience has been truly ridiculous.

This sounds crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Tracks with what’s happening with the 2016s and 17s this year. Terrible communication all year, last minute planning for everything, then it was unclear how many 2016 teams there were… one in the fall, then they split them in the spring and explained nothing. They barely have enough players to roster 2 teams, and half of them are 2017s. A few weeks ago they suddenly fired the coach… and now that it’s clear more than 1/2 the team is planning to leave, they suddenly sent a contract before they’ve even held the 2016 tryouts.

Not to put too fine of a point on it, but the current 2016 girls coach in the South won't be returning in the fall. The club tried to tell the parents that that was the coach's decision, when the reality is it was the club's decision. Why they chose to lie as opposed to just being adults and owning their decision is bizarre.

There are currently 3 2016 teams, 2 in the South (Springfield) 1 in the North (Loudoun). The North team was added for the spring. They don't have enough girls in the North to field a team each week, so they have to borrow from the South. This little nugget wasn't dropped until the first week of play when some South girls were rostered for as many as 3 games, including 2 that were back to back in Alexandria and Leesburg. TSJ almost had to forfeit the Leesburg game due the impossible logistics of that and a TSJ rec jersey and a sibling is the only thing that prevented that.

So, if you have a 2016 girl, she will surely have a roster slot on a TSJ team as all the above certainly has driven a lot of current 2016 parents away. You will also know absolutely everything about every $upplemental training they offer, but not know what games your kid needs to play in until a few days before and then possibly also have the pleasure of being lied to by upper management about your coaching situation.

I get that no club is perfect, but this spring experience has been truly ridiculous.

This is exactly right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Understand the caution in most cases, but here… At least on the girls side it seems like a mass exodus across years. A bunch of families left last year as well, and many stayed just to see how things would go… At this point, everyone has seen enough. Even the most dedicated and involved (girls) parents are out.

So here is a perfect example of a post that doesn't provide enough information for it to be useful, and at worst is using what can only be a unique experience to rationalize a situation across the entire club. You generalize "on the girls side" and talk about "a mass exodus across the years." First of all you can't possibly know everything that is going on across every girls team. Who actually tracks what is going on with age groups 5 years behind their own? You mention a bunch of families leaving last year, which I guess is reasonable, but families leave each year for a whole bunch of reasons. The expansion and contraction of clubs across NOVA makes this a rather lame observation, as many players and teams have seen significant movement. I suspect you no longer play for TSJ, but are one of those who have a beef with the club. As a current parent I would just have a bit of caution when reading posts on this board for any team. Does the poster use specific language, or are they just stirring the pot? Is the poster expressing a broad knowledge or level of experience that isn't typical of a single family's perspective? Is the criticism based on issues that are common or part of a process that isn't indicative of a problem?

My daugther currently plays on one of the 09/08/07 TSJ GA teams in Loudoun. I'm identifying three age ranges because those teams tend to practice and often play against each other. As a result, I've had plenty of conversations with parents across these age groups. I won't sit here and tell you every aspect of our experience is perfect, but that kind of expectation is unreasonable. We have played at several clubs and no club is without its deficiencies. I will say that the coach of my daughter's team cares and is generally well liked by the players and parents. We have NEVER had an issue with the fields, which is often an annual beef expressed by posters on this thread but doesn't hold water from my expereince. It is true that a group of parents followed a rich benefactor who was willing to purchase a stadium for the new club, but those players were immediately replaced. What is obvious when people bring up the practice fields as an issue it is because they know that TSJ still gets their fields assigned through Loudoun County. It must be nice to have your own private complex, but field issues have not been a problem for TSJ families or players as far as my experience goes.

[Anonymous]

The boys side is not better.. they dont even know where practices will be

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The boys side is not better.. they dont even know where practices will be

lmao cap detected because we received our schedule. U must be sour tryna throw shade like that on FCV rebranded because they’re actually doing things right and not just throwing money left and right looking for the quick fix

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The boys side is not better.. they dont even know where practices will be

lmao cap detected because we received our schedule. U must be sour tryna throw shade like that on FCV rebranded because they’re actually doing things right and not just throwing money left and right looking for the quick fix

I'm guessing from your post, you're still in school (schools don't teach grammar and spelling anymore), or you are on "public assistance" if you are an adult.

If you're a player on one of these teams, have fun getting boat raced every match. If you are an an adult have fun watching it. Make sure you thank someone for your "scholarship" allowing you to be able to essentially play on a rec+ team against kids with real talent.

[Anonymous]

Wow… that’s quite a reply. Way to take it to a new level.

Bringing it back to the topic: TSJ management and why people are leaving… I’ll be specific.

Throughout the year there has been last minute planning, terrible communication, and an expectation that parents and players can be present for anything from club meetings to location changes to last min games with like hours notice. A couple of meetings have occurred, but they have been badly organized. A major meeting occurred in the stands of the TSJ and no one could hear them. Adam speaks the entire time and there’s very little useful information, just a regurgitation of what is in the marketing materials.

There has also been inconsistent availability and use of facilities and fields. One of the draws of the TSJ is the indoor facilities, but we are lucky if we use those 1/week. Then on top of that…

1. In the fall there was one 2016 team. It included a handful of 2017s. 2017s were supposed to play up a year and then drop to lead the new U9s/2017. The parents of the 2017s have been asking where the incoming 2017s are and if there will be a team. They were ignored and later dismissed as an unreasonable question.

2. In the beginning of the spring season a few girls were separated at practice with no explanation. It started seeming like they were creating a new team, but no one told us. Parents asked and were again ignored and dismissed. A couple weeks in several girls were rostered for two teams, in games 45+ min away from each other. There was no explanation why, and when parents started speaking up they finally told us that there would be not 2 but *three* 2016 teams (2 in Springfield and 1 in Loudon) and that our girls would need to help fill the gaps in the rosters. They walked this back when they realized it was untenable. Why they created teams without complete rosters is still unclear…

3. They suddenly made a bunch of staffing and coaching changes with no notice to parents. The 2016 coach would not be returning. We were told it was because his wife is having a baby, which is obviously horse shit. He loves the team, and wouldn’t have chosen to leave. Coaches change, and that’s OK… but how they change matters and says a lot about people.

4. We still have not met the new coach and really don’t know anything about him. We have been asking. When it became clear this was a problem, they scheduled a meeting to meet him (this coming Monday).

5. They sent us contracts / offers this past week, and expected us to sign them before meeting the new coach. We also haven’t had tryouts, so have no idea if they will even rosters for a 2016 or 2017 team. One of the parents asked if we could have more time, and they straight up ignored her. Still haven’t responded.

More broadly… it is super clear that the goals of the people running the club, and those of the coaches are totally different. For a bit the coaches were able to ignore the leadership bs and run the practices and team decisions as they saw fit. That has changed, and it seems the coaches no longer have as much of a say.

Put differently: Adam has a vision that the coaches did not agree with. He is now replacing the people who do not agree with him.

Bottom line: it’s been an absolutely terrible experience, and Adam has somehow managed to take at least a few teams from enthusiastic and connected to pissed off, disappointed, and leaving.

Maybe they figure it out in the next couple years, but most of us don’t want our kids to be collateral damage and miss critical developmental years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow… that’s quite a reply. Way to take it to a new level.

Bringing it back to the topic: TSJ management and why people are leaving… I’ll be specific.

Throughout the year there has been last minute planning, terrible communication, and an expectation that parents and players can be present for anything from club meetings to location changes to last min games with like hours notice. A couple of meetings have occurred, but they have been badly organized. A major meeting occurred in the stands of the TSJ and no one could hear them. Adam speaks the entire time and there’s very little useful information, just a regurgitation of what is in the marketing materials.

There has also been inconsistent availability and use of facilities and fields. One of the draws of the TSJ is the indoor facilities, but we are lucky if we use those 1/week. Then on top of that…

1. In the fall there was one 2016 team. It included a handful of 2017s. 2017s were supposed to play up a year and then drop to lead the new U9s/2017. The parents of the 2017s have been asking where the incoming 2017s are and if there will be a team. They were ignored and later dismissed as an unreasonable question.

2. In the beginning of the spring season a few girls were separated at practice with no explanation. It started seeming like they were creating a new team, but no one told us. Parents asked and were again ignored and dismissed. A couple weeks in several girls were rostered for two teams, in games 45+ min away from each other. There was no explanation why, and when parents started speaking up they finally told us that there would be not 2 but *three* 2016 teams (2 in Springfield and 1 in Loudon) and that our girls would need to help fill the gaps in the rosters. They walked this back when they realized it was untenable. Why they created teams without complete rosters is still unclear…

3. They suddenly made a bunch of staffing and coaching changes with no notice to parents. The 2016 coach would not be returning. We were told it was because his wife is having a baby, which is obviously horse shit. He loves the team, and wouldn’t have chosen to leave. Coaches change, and that’s OK… but how they change matters and says a lot about people.

4. We still have not met the new coach and really don’t know anything about him. We have been asking. When it became clear this was a problem, they scheduled a meeting to meet him (this coming Monday).

5. They sent us contracts / offers this past week, and expected us to sign them before meeting the new coach. We also haven’t had tryouts, so have no idea if they will even rosters for a 2016 or 2017 team. One of the parents asked if we could have more time, and they straight up ignored her. Still haven’t responded.

More broadly… it is super clear that the goals of the people running the club, and those of the coaches are totally different. For a bit the coaches were able to ignore the leadership bs and run the practices and team decisions as they saw fit. That has changed, and it seems the coaches no longer have as much of a say.

Put differently: Adam has a vision that the coaches did not agree with. He is now replacing the people who do not agree with him.

Bottom line: it’s been an absolutely terrible experience, and Adam has somehow managed to take at least a few teams from enthusiastic and connected to pissed off, disappointed, and leaving.

Maybe they figure it out in the next couple years, but most of us don’t want our kids to be collateral damage and miss critical developmental years.

Had no idea so many of us 2016 girl parents were on here, but I think it's good that in addition to voting with our feet that we are letting other families know what the management of this club is like.