Travel Soccer teams around NOVA let's discuss

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I truly wonder how popular youth soccer would be if colleges did not give any boost in admissions for recruits. Like if it was something not considered at all.

I wonder how many kids would still want to push themselves and play and how many parents would want to sacrifice.

There seems to be a disconnect because the whole concept of 'soccer mom/dad' doesn't exist in europe or south america but our players are lightyears behind in quality.

Very interesting question. Do the kids that attend residential soccer academies in Europe throughout their school years also continue to focus on their academics, or are they singularly focused on soccer, with no real back-up plan? Or are they academically strong too? I feel like these days in the US it's not good enough to just be a good soccer player - you also have to be an excellent student, do community service, play an instrument, cure cancer, AND excel in your sport. I think sometimes the college scholarship (or even just the opportunity to play soccer in college) is an overvalued goal. Certainly it can't be about the money - we could probably pay for our kid's college if we hadn't paid for 9 years of travel soccer and invested that money instead!

In most clubs in Germany, the Netherlands and places like that, yes, schooling is very serious in addition to the soccer.

In England? Not so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I truly wonder how popular youth soccer would be if colleges did not give any boost in admissions for recruits. Like if it was something not considered at all.

I wonder how many kids would still want to push themselves and play and how many parents would want to sacrifice.

There seems to be a disconnect because the whole concept of 'soccer mom/dad' doesn't exist in europe or south america but our players are lightyears behind in quality.

Very interesting question. Do the kids that attend residential soccer academies in Europe throughout their school years also continue to focus on their academics, or are they singularly focused on soccer, with no real back-up plan? Or are they academically strong too? I feel like these days in the US it's not good enough to just be a good soccer player - you also have to be an excellent student, do community service, play an instrument, cure cancer, AND excel in your sport. I think sometimes the college scholarship (or even just the opportunity to play soccer in college) is an overvalued goal. Certainly it can't be about the money - we could probably pay for our kid's college if we hadn't paid for 9 years of travel soccer and invested that money instead!

In most clubs in Germany, the Netherlands and places like that, yes, schooling is very serious in addition to the soccer.

In England? Not so much.

The schooling is of 'ok standards' even in Germany and Netherlands for players residing at top clubs. They don't need to juggle soccer with the education equivalent going to a top public or private around here. It isn't comparable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I truly wonder how popular youth soccer would be if colleges did not give any boost in admissions for recruits. Like if it was something not considered at all.

I wonder how many kids would still want to push themselves and play and how many parents would want to sacrifice.

There seems to be a disconnect because the whole concept of 'soccer mom/dad' doesn't exist in europe or south america but our players are lightyears behind in quality.

My family is a tiny sample, obviously, but I can tell you that my kids play because they love the game, and they want to play it with people who understand the nuances. The older one started in MSI rec, but got frustrated by the number of players who weren't taking it seriously. MSI Classic was an improvement, but after a couple of years she saw how much she was missing compared to her younger brother who had gone straight to travel at a good club. For example, her coach praised the girls if they met goals like juggling the balls 10 times by the end of the first year, while his coach expected them as U9s to be able to juggle it 200 times by end of the first 6 month period. His team was playing something that somewhat resembled the EPL games they watched, while hers still played a very rudimentary style after many years of being together. We made the move to travel for her because she wanted to keep learning and getting better.

A few years down the road, my daughter has grown into a very good player on a serious, but not nationally or regionally ranked, team. She knows she won't be recruited for college, but looks forward to playing intramural soccer. She loves her club team, and playing pick up, but she didn't enjoy the high school experience as much since there were fewer serious soccer players. My son is an elite player who will likely be recruited, and we certainly have our fingers crossed that it will prove to be an admissions hook for him. But that was never any part of our motivation, and we didn't allow ourselves to even think about it until his later middle school years since you can't tell what kind of trajectory kids are on when they are young. It has been a joy watching both kids and their teammates play through the years, and we and they have made many really close friends through soccer. I'm certain they'll play the rest of their lives, and will hopefully help coach their kids and others down the line. We'd do it all over again in a heart beat.

In my view, kids in other countries are light years beyond us because those countries have established soccer cultures; passionate, highly qualified coaches are plentiful; and the dream of making a fortune through soccer is a motivator for a significant portion of boys. I'm hoping that our culture will slowly evolve so that more parents understand what the game can offer, and I think that the kids playing DA etc. now will make a difference when they end up being parents. But if the thought of an admissions boost gets more kids in the door, that's not necessarily a bad thing if it gives more American kids a chance to fall for the game (so long as the parents don't put undue pressure on them, of course).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I truly wonder how popular youth soccer would be if colleges did not give any boost in admissions for recruits. Like if it was something not considered at all.

I wonder how many kids would still want to push themselves and play and how many parents would want to sacrifice.

There seems to be a disconnect because the whole concept of 'soccer mom/dad' doesn't exist in europe or south america but our players are lightyears behind in quality.

Very interesting question. Do the kids that attend residential soccer academies in Europe throughout their school years also continue to focus on their academics, or are they singularly focused on soccer, with no real back-up plan? Or are they academically strong too? I feel like these days in the US it's not good enough to just be a good soccer player - you also have to be an excellent student, do community service, play an instrument, cure cancer, AND excel in your sport. I think sometimes the college scholarship (or even just the opportunity to play soccer in college) is an overvalued goal. Certainly it can't be about the money - we could probably pay for our kid's college if we hadn't paid for 9 years of travel soccer and invested that money instead!

In most clubs in Germany, the Netherlands and places like that, yes, schooling is very serious in addition to the soccer.

In England? Not so much.

I really like the sounds of the German youth system from what I've read, and I've seen some clubs and games in the Netherlands first hand. It would be amazing to have a set-up like they do in the Netherlands. The clubs the kids play for are real community clubs, with the fields centered around club houses. After games, both teams can go to the club house for snacks and drinks (and beer for parents) and hang out. The club house walls are lined with pictures of the kids who ended up going pro and bringing pride to the club. It's wonderful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I truly wonder how popular youth soccer would be if colleges did not give any boost in admissions for recruits. Like if it was something not considered at all.

I wonder how many kids would still want to push themselves and play and how many parents would want to sacrifice.

There seems to be a disconnect because the whole concept of 'soccer mom/dad' doesn't exist in europe or south america but our players are lightyears behind in quality.

My family is a tiny sample, obviously, but I can tell you that my kids play because they love the game, and they want to play it with people who understand the nuances. The older one started in MSI rec, but got frustrated by the number of players who weren't taking it seriously. MSI Classic was an improvement, but after a couple of years she saw how much she was missing compared to her younger brother who had gone straight to travel at a good club. For example, her coach praised the girls if they met goals like juggling the balls 10 times by the end of the first year, while his coach expected them as U9s to be able to juggle it 200 times by end of the first 6 month period. His team was playing something that somewhat resembled the EPL games they watched, while hers still played a very rudimentary style after many years of being together. We made the move to travel for her because she wanted to keep learning and getting better.

A few years down the road, my daughter has grown into a very good player on a serious, but not nationally or regionally ranked, team. She knows she won't be recruited for college, but looks forward to playing intramural soccer. She loves her club team, and playing pick up, but she didn't enjoy the high school experience as much since there were fewer serious soccer players. My son is an elite player who will likely be recruited, and we certainly have our fingers crossed that it will prove to be an admissions hook for him. But that was never any part of our motivation, and we didn't allow ourselves to even think about it until his later middle school years since you can't tell what kind of trajectory kids are on when they are young. It has been a joy watching both kids and their teammates play through the years, and we and they have made many really close friends through soccer. I'm certain they'll play the rest of their lives, and will hopefully help coach their kids and others down the line. We'd do it all over again in a heart beat.

In my view, kids in other countries are light years beyond us because those countries have established soccer cultures; passionate, highly qualified coaches are plentiful; and the dream of making a fortune through soccer is a motivator for a significant portion of boys. I'm hoping that our culture will slowly evolve so that more parents understand what the game can offer, and I think that the kids playing DA etc. now will make a difference when they end up being parents. But if the thought of an admissions boost gets more kids in the door, that's not necessarily a bad thing if it gives more American kids a chance to fall for the game (so long as the parents don't put undue pressure on them, of course).

200 times at U9 strikes me as exceptional. Perhaps to the point that they're spending too much time on juggling and not enough on dribbling, striking, passing, etc.

The other thing about other countries -- coaches aren't just plentiful. They're cheap. I have yet to find a European equivalent of the American full-time youth soccer coach outside the confines of a pro academy. Maybe a couple of specialized schools.

Good related read in the Guardian today:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/sep/05/germany-football-team-youth-development-to-world-cup-win-2014

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

200 times at U9 strikes me as exceptional. Perhaps to the point that they're spending too much time on juggling and not enough on dribbling, striking, passing, etc.

On the juggling, they didn't work on it in practice other than a few minutes as part of a warm up, and then occasionally as part of a contest for fun. They were never tested on it. He told them it was part of the work they'd need to do at home if they wanted to real soccer players. He said it would take a few days to get to 10, then maybe a couple of weeks to get to 25, but that after that it would all come quickly. A lot of the kids and parents didn't believe it at first because it is indeed very hard to get to 10 the first few times (try it if you haven't--it's humbling). But then once it took off, they all got competitive with it and tried to see if they could set a new record. They didn't all get to 200 that year, but it was amazing to me how many did, and of course their progress helped with their touch on the ball. It was a lesson for us on how huge a role high expectations from the coach plays in a kid's progress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I truly wonder how popular youth soccer would be if colleges did not give any boost in admissions for recruits. Like if it was something not considered at all.

I wonder how many kids would still want to push themselves and play and how many parents would want to sacrifice.

There seems to be a disconnect because the whole concept of 'soccer mom/dad' doesn't exist in europe or south america but our players are lightyears behind in quality.

I think it would still be very popular. I don't think a lot of people have a lot of illusions about college soccer.

Personally after having read about the European academies I am really glad that's not the model here. There was an article in the NYT about the Ajax academy that was really depressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I truly wonder how popular youth soccer would be if colleges did not give any boost in admissions for recruits. Like if it was something not considered at all.

I wonder how many kids would still want to push themselves and play and how many parents would want to sacrifice.

There seems to be a disconnect because the whole concept of 'soccer mom/dad' doesn't exist in europe or south america but our players are lightyears behind in quality.

I think it would still be very popular. I don't think a lot of people have a lot of illusions about college soccer.

Personally after having read about the European academies I am really glad that's not the model here. There was an article in the NYT about the Ajax academy that was really depressing.

Do you have a link to that article? What was depressing about it? (Not saying I doubt you -- just curious to hear the objections.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I truly wonder how popular youth soccer would be if colleges did not give any boost in admissions for recruits. Like if it was something not considered at all.

I wonder how many kids would still want to push themselves and play and how many parents would want to sacrifice.

There seems to be a disconnect because the whole concept of 'soccer mom/dad' doesn't exist in europe or south america but our players are lightyears behind in quality.

I think it would still be very popular. I don't think a lot of people have a lot of illusions about college soccer.

Personally after having read about the European academies I am really glad that's not the model here. There was an article in the NYT about the Ajax academy that was really depressing.

Do you have a link to that article? What was depressing about it? (Not saying I doubt you -- just curious to hear the objections.)

Was that the one where they watch the kids for 9 months and only 1 out of 300 gets selected?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I truly wonder how popular youth soccer would be if colleges did not give any boost in admissions for recruits. Like if it was something not considered at all.

I wonder how many kids would still want to push themselves and play and how many parents would want to sacrifice.

There seems to be a disconnect because the whole concept of 'soccer mom/dad' doesn't exist in europe or south america but our players are lightyears behind in quality.

I think it would still be very popular. I don't think a lot of people have a lot of illusions about college soccer.

Personally after having read about the European academies I am really glad that's not the model here. There was an article in the NYT about the Ajax academy that was really depressing.

Do you have a link to that article? What was depressing about it? (Not saying I doubt you -- just curious to hear the objections.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/magazine/06Soccer-t.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I truly wonder how popular youth soccer would be if colleges did not give any boost in admissions for recruits. Like if it was something not considered at all.

I wonder how many kids would still want to push themselves and play and how many parents would want to sacrifice.

There seems to be a disconnect because the whole concept of 'soccer mom/dad' doesn't exist in europe or south america but our players are lightyears behind in quality.

I think it would still be very popular. I don't think a lot of people have a lot of illusions about college soccer.

Personally after having read about the European academies I am really glad that's not the model here. There was an article in the NYT about the Ajax academy that was really depressing.

Do you have a link to that article? What was depressing about it? (Not saying I doubt you -- just curious to hear the objections.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/magazine/06Soccer-t.html

Thanks. Yeah, that's pretty grim.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, my reaction to that article was that I'm fine not having a champion MNT if that's the way you have to go to get it.

[Anonymous]

So I noticed that someone who sometimes comments on this forum has a new book out. It's a book about soccer, and if I'm not mistaken it looks to be of major interest to people who care about youth soccer, travel soccer, and so forth.

I just wondered if the author might be willing to briefly talk about the book here, in whatever form he wants. I think a lot of people would welcome that.

Disclaimer: I have never met the author. Our kids play in VYS but are of different ages. I get some Soccer America e-mail thing, and there was a reference to the book. Really - I have not stake whatsoever in how many copies sell, although I do have a stake in using every resource I can find to elevate the conversation about youth soccer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I truly wonder how popular youth soccer would be if colleges did not give any boost in admissions for recruits. Like if it was something not considered at all.

I wonder how many kids would still want to push themselves and play and how many parents would want to sacrifice.

There seems to be a disconnect because the whole concept of 'soccer mom/dad' doesn't exist in europe or south america but our players are lightyears behind in quality.

I think it would still be very popular. I don't think a lot of people have a lot of illusions about college soccer.

Personally after having read about the European academies I am really glad that's not the model here. There was an article in the NYT about the Ajax academy that was really depressing.

Do you have a link to that article? What was depressing about it? (Not saying I doubt you -- just curious to hear the objections.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/magazine/06Soccer-t.html

Thanks. Yeah, that's pretty grim.

There are parts of the article that are depressing, like the kids having to deal with being cut loose from the academy and the thought of 5 year olds being seriously scouted. But there's a lot to be impressed by too. I like the way they focus on making sure the training is age-appropriate and tailor the training to individual kids. And if you actually go to Ajax and watching the training, it's amazing. They train hard, but include sessions of soccer tennis to make it fun, and things like judo and gymnastics to help the boys develop agility and strength. I'd love to see more of their methods incorporated into travel training here. That plus implementing the move to a year round college soccer schedule would be moves in the right direction, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So I noticed that someone who sometimes comments on this forum has a new book out. It's a book about soccer, and if I'm not mistaken it looks to be of major interest to people who care about youth soccer, travel soccer, and so forth.

I just wondered if the author might be willing to briefly talk about the book here, in whatever form he wants. I think a lot of people would welcome that.

Disclaimer: I have never met the author. Our kids play in VYS but are of different ages. I get some Soccer America e-mail thing, and there was a reference to the book. Really - I have not stake whatsoever in how many copies sell, although I do have a stake in using every resource I can find to elevate the conversation about youth soccer.

Hi! That's me. I'd be interested in talking, but I also don't want to monopolize the conversation. I'll leave it up to others to decide if it'd be OK if I talk about it.

There's also a Facebook page you can "like," and I need to finish up a landing page for it on my site.