Quitting Club

[Anonymous]

My sophomore wants to quit club soccer. They are on a very competitive public high school team (100 kids try out for 40 spots across both teams, vast majority play club and many have quit MLS next). It's just a lot to have 5 soccer things per week between two teams when you're not one of the top kids and want to do other things with your time, especially before college applications. Absolutely no aspirations of playing in college.

We have no real issue with the quitting so long as he spends his newly free time meaningfully, but we don't think he grasps how much this threatens his changes of making Varsity again Junior year, and he is pretty confident he will if he continues to train on fitness and play casually on occasion.

Anyone have experience with quitting a decent club team and still making a very competitive HS team halfway through HS?

[Anonymous]

Usually players that make Varsity stay there. Especially if the coach and other players like you. As long as he stays conditioned he should be fine. He might not keep improving as he might if he continues with club, but it's not like he's going to forget how to play soccer.

[Anonymous]

He knows HS only last 10 weeks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He knows HS only last 10 weeks?

For some that's enough!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sophomore wants to quit club soccer. They are on a very competitive public high school team (100 kids try out for 40 spots across both teams, vast majority play club and many have quit MLS next). It's just a lot to have 5 soccer things per week between two teams when you're not one of the top kids and want to do other things with your time, especially before college applications. Absolutely no aspirations of playing in college.

We have no real issue with the quitting so long as he spends his newly free time meaningfully, but we don't think he grasps how much this threatens his changes of making Varsity again Junior year, and he is pretty confident he will if he continues to train on fitness and play casually on occasion.

Anyone have experience with quitting a decent club team and still making a very competitive HS team halfway through HS?

It's called burn out. Why not play high school and move to a club that plays a different season?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sophomore wants to quit club soccer. They are on a very competitive public high school team (100 kids try out for 40 spots across both teams, vast majority play club and many have quit MLS next). It's just a lot to have 5 soccer things per week between two teams when you're not one of the top kids and want to do other things with your time, especially before college applications. Absolutely no aspirations of playing in college.

We have no real issue with the quitting so long as he spends his newly free time meaningfully, but we don't think he grasps how much this threatens his changes of making Varsity again Junior year, and he is pretty confident he will if he continues to train on fitness and play casually on occasion.

Anyone have experience with quitting a decent club team and still making a very competitive HS team halfway through HS?

It's called burn out. Why not play high school and move to a club that plays a different season?

Club is year round.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sophomore wants to quit club soccer. They are on a very competitive public high school team (100 kids try out for 40 spots across both teams, vast majority play club and many have quit MLS next). It's just a lot to have 5 soccer things per week between two teams when you're not one of the top kids and want to do other things with your time, especially before college applications. Absolutely no aspirations of playing in college.

We have no real issue with the quitting so long as he spends his newly free time meaningfully, but we don't think he grasps how much this threatens his changes of making Varsity again Junior year, and he is pretty confident he will if he continues to train on fitness and play casually on occasion.

Anyone have experience with quitting a decent club team and still making a very competitive HS team halfway through HS?

It's called burn out. Why not play high school and move to a club that plays a different season?

Club is year round.

not in high school. In Maryland, they don't start with games until December or later. practices are once a week before that starting in mid-september.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sophomore wants to quit club soccer. They are on a very competitive public high school team (100 kids try out for 40 spots across both teams, vast majority play club and many have quit MLS next). It's just a lot to have 5 soccer things per week between two teams when you're not one of the top kids and want to do other things with your time, especially before college applications. Absolutely no aspirations of playing in college.

We have no real issue with the quitting so long as he spends his newly free time meaningfully, but we don't think he grasps how much this threatens his changes of making Varsity again Junior year, and he is pretty confident he will if he continues to train on fitness and play casually on occasion.

Anyone have experience with quitting a decent club team and still making a very competitive HS team halfway through HS?

If you can find a good enough, close enough ECRL team for next year, he should be good to go as they don't play during the hs season. Just do a couple of practices in the spring with the team to see if it is a match and maybe even a few more to stay in shape.

Dropping down a level can help cure burnout without full on quiting.

My kid did it in swimming and it was the right decision.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sophomore wants to quit club soccer. They are on a very competitive public high school team (100 kids try out for 40 spots across both teams, vast majority play club and many have quit MLS next). It's just a lot to have 5 soccer things per week between two teams when you're not one of the top kids and want to do other things with your time, especially before college applications. Absolutely no aspirations of playing in college.

We have no real issue with the quitting so long as he spends his newly free time meaningfully, but we don't think he grasps how much this threatens his changes of making Varsity again Junior year, and he is pretty confident he will if he continues to train on fitness and play casually on occasion.

Anyone have experience with quitting a decent club team and still making a very competitive HS team halfway through HS?

It's called burn out. Why not play high school and move to a club that plays a different season?

Club is year round.

not in high school. In Maryland, they don't start with games until December or later. practices are once a week before that starting in mid-september.

I am the OP in MD. Ours is. And the school does "optional" programming in off-season too. Every school and club is differernt. Maybe this is why we have burnout.

[Anonymous]

A few options - find a club that doesn't require attendance during the fall or doesn't even field a team in the fall. There are some.

My MD 9th grader did both high school and club, but he only went to about half of the club practices b/c of conflicts.

But honestly, at a very competitive soccer high school, making varsity will likely require him to stay in club soccer. My kid's high school already told them they expect them to be playing soccer year round if they want to make the team next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sophomore wants to quit club soccer. They are on a very competitive public high school team (100 kids try out for 40 spots across both teams, vast majority play club and many have quit MLS next). It's just a lot to have 5 soccer things per week between two teams when you're not one of the top kids and want to do other things with your time, especially before college applications. Absolutely no aspirations of playing in college.

We have no real issue with the quitting so long as he spends his newly free time meaningfully, but we don't think he grasps how much this threatens his changes of making Varsity again Junior year, and he is pretty confident he will if he continues to train on fitness and play casually on occasion.

Anyone have experience with quitting a decent club team and still making a very competitive HS team halfway through HS?

Are you saying several kids at this one school quit MLS Next team for HS team?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sophomore wants to quit club soccer. They are on a very competitive public high school team (100 kids try out for 40 spots across both teams, vast majority play club and many have quit MLS next). It's just a lot to have 5 soccer things per week between two teams when you're not one of the top kids and want to do other things with your time, especially before college applications. Absolutely no aspirations of playing in college.

We have no real issue with the quitting so long as he spends his newly free time meaningfully, but we don't think he grasps how much this threatens his changes of making Varsity again Junior year, and he is pretty confident he will if he continues to train on fitness and play casually on occasion.

Anyone have experience with quitting a decent club team and still making a very competitive HS team halfway through HS?

Are you saying several kids at this one school quit MLS Next team for HS team?

I don't think it was "for" hs but yes, several decided they were done with it. Apparently it was an unusual thing. I don't want to get into the specifics of one high school team make-up (lots of debate on here about who is good and who is bad and people who think they know everything about every team, and I'm not interested in that). I just want to know if anyone has experience with their kid NOT playing on an official club team (not a spring one, not a stepped down one) then re-joining a good HS team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I am the OP in MD. Ours is. And the school does "optional" programming in off-season too. Every school and club is differernt. Maybe this is why we have burnout.

HS soccer is why kids burn out. The coaches are ridiculous and awful - even at schools that are successful. Their egos are so inflamed that they make the kids spend a ridiculous amount of time to be on the HS soccer team when it really should just be a fun school activity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I am the OP in MD. Ours is. And the school does "optional" programming in off-season too. Every school and club is differernt. Maybe this is why we have burnout.

HS soccer is why kids burn out. The coaches are ridiculous and awful - even at schools that are successful. Their egos are so inflamed that they make the kids spend a ridiculous amount of time to be on the HS soccer team when it really should just be a fun school activity.

I will be honest that I had not considered this. Hmm. Maybe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I am the OP in MD. Ours is. And the school does "optional" programming in off-season too. Every school and club is differernt. Maybe this is why we have burnout.

HS soccer is why kids burn out. The coaches are ridiculous and awful - even at schools that are successful. Their egos are so inflamed that they make the kids spend a ridiculous amount of time to be on the HS soccer team when it really should just be a fun school activity.

We like to call it babysitting to ensure that the kids don't get into trouble.