Moving from a top tier team to a B team in a "better" club? (U11)

[Anonymous]

Our DS plays in the top tier team of his club, but we have grown increasingly unhappy with the level of development him and his team achieved over the course of playing there. We tried out for another club, which is doing significantly better in local leagues than our current team. Their top team is extremely competitive, but they offered him a spot in their B team (which our team actually managed to beat last year). We liked the coaches and location wise things would be reasonably convenient for us. We mostly hope that in the new club he will develop more as a player, but of course there is the hope to move up to the top team eventually. What is the best decision here? Stay in the current team, which he enjoys and where he is part of the starting line-up in every game and maybe supplement technical skills privately and tryout again for the top team next year? Or make the move to the B team and hope he proves himself and manages to move up? I have zero clue on how these things work here, as we are foreigners, and reading this forum gives me the impression that being a top team player elsewhere might put someone in a better position than coming from a lower tier of the same club. We are currently leaning toward staying, but I would be curious about views and experiences of other travel soccer parents.

[Anonymous]

In my experience it is very hard to move from the second team to the top team. Once a club has your money for the second team, there isn't an incentive to move your kid up unless he is a real star. Instead, the club will bring more players from outside the club to fill the top team.

Make the move if you think your son will benefit from the B team, but do not move with the expectation that he will ever make the top team at that club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my experience it is very hard to move from the second team to the top team. Once a club has your money for the second team, there isn't an incentive to move your kid up unless he is a real star. Instead, the club will bring more players from outside the club to fill the top team.

Make the move if you think your son will benefit from the B team, but do not move with the expectation that he will ever make the top team at that club.

Thank you. I think this is precisely the kind of feedback I needed. I have the same impression and don't want to take him out of something he enjoys (lots of great friends on the team) into something that might potentially be a worse fit for him and us as a family and also lead to disappointment long term.

[Anonymous]

I'd stay with the current team if he's in the current team, is part of the starting line-up, and is happy. You never know where he'll fit in with a new team, and there's nothing worse than leaving a good enough situation to sit on the bench somewhere new (ask me how I know).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd stay with the current team if he's in the current team, is part of the starting line-up, and is happy. You never know where he'll fit in with a new team, and there's nothing worse than leaving a good enough situation to sit on the bench somewhere new (ask me how I know).

Yep. That is precisely our concern as well.

[Anonymous]

Stay with current team and do private training to supplement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my experience it is very hard to move from the second team to the top team. Once a club has your money for the second team, there isn't an incentive to move your kid up unless he is a real star. Instead, the club will bring more players from outside the club to fill the top team.

Make the move if you think your son will benefit from the B team, but do not move with the expectation that he will ever make the top team at that club.

Our club is moving three kids up from 2nd to 1st team this season in my kid’s age group. None of them seem to be getting preferential treatment as the board would make it seem. They just got good. Some kids aren’t moving up. They are mostly kids who are about where they should be. There are two kids staying on 2nd who have parents that will see them staying out as a slight and invent conspiracies about it. But without that, this forum would have no content.

[Anonymous]

Op, unfortunately you're in a tough spot.

Staying with a smaller club, where you do not enjoy the coach or losing record and/ or maybe they play in a lower tier league will probably not do much in the long run of doing much to get your son noticed or improve him much.

But being on the B team of a bigger club is also a hard spot to be. You might get better development and get more competitive players, but you are on the B team and you can get stuck there. It is hard to move from the 2nd team to the top team in that environment, the coaching staff will often take outside players over 2nd team players. And your 2nd team player is surrounded by other 2nd team players, which will be hard to develop in.

I'd pickup some outside training and bring him to some 1st team practices at other clubs, especially now that the dust from tryouts has settled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, unfortunately you're in a tough spot.

Staying with a smaller club, where you do not enjoy the coach or losing record and/ or maybe they play in a lower tier league will probably not do much in the long run of doing much to get your son noticed or improve him much.

But being on the B team of a bigger club is also a hard spot to be. You might get better development and get more competitive players, but you are on the B team and you can get stuck there. It is hard to move from the 2nd team to the top team in that environment, the coaching staff will often take outside players over 2nd team players. And your 2nd team player is surrounded by other 2nd team players, which will be hard to develop in.

I'd pickup some outside training and bring him to some 1st team practices at other clubs, especially now that the dust from tryouts has settled.

Only lazy coaches are unwilling to put in the work to really observe top 2nd team players that could be a good addition to the top team. If outside talent is much stronger of course than take outside talent but to not even consider 2nd team players is a joke. Half of these coaches talk a big game about development but are unwilling to promote from within and really help a player grow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, unfortunately you're in a tough spot.

Staying with a smaller club, where you do not enjoy the coach or losing record and/ or maybe they play in a lower tier league will probably not do much in the long run of doing much to get your son noticed or improve him much.

But being on the B team of a bigger club is also a hard spot to be. You might get better development and get more competitive players, but you are on the B team and you can get stuck there. It is hard to move from the 2nd team to the top team in that environment, the coaching staff will often take outside players over 2nd team players. And your 2nd team player is surrounded by other 2nd team players, which will be hard to develop in.

I'd pickup some outside training and bring him to some 1st team practices at other clubs, especially now that the dust from tryouts has settled.

Only lazy coaches are unwilling to put in the work to really observe top 2nd team players that could be a good addition to the top team. If outside talent is much stronger of course than take outside talent but to not even consider 2nd team players is a joke. Half of these coaches talk a big game about development but are unwilling to promote from within and really help a player grow.

Happens way too often at way too many clubs. Name the clubs here on this thread so people know which ones to be wary of.

[Anonymous]

Youth soccer in the US does not individually develop players. The players who get extra training in (be it through private coaches, private academies, or just spends extra time outside kicking the ball or even in their home or backyard) are the ones who continue to improve. Parents have to invest more time and money. That's the unfortunate reality of youth soccer in our country.

Coaches have limited time per week to train the whole team. If a coach spend their training hours on individual skills development, the team gets blown out of games (and parents complain about that).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, unfortunately you're in a tough spot.

Staying with a smaller club, where you do not enjoy the coach or losing record and/ or maybe they play in a lower tier league will probably not do much in the long run of doing much to get your son noticed or improve him much.

But being on the B team of a bigger club is also a hard spot to be. You might get better development and get more competitive players, but you are on the B team and you can get stuck there. It is hard to move from the 2nd team to the top team in that environment, the coaching staff will often take outside players over 2nd team players. And your 2nd team player is surrounded by other 2nd team players, which will be hard to develop in.

I'd pickup some outside training and bring him to some 1st team practices at other clubs, especially now that the dust from tryouts has settled.

Only lazy coaches are unwilling to put in the work to really observe top 2nd team players that could be a good addition to the top team. If outside talent is much stronger of course than take outside talent but to not even consider 2nd team players is a joke. Half of these coaches talk a big game about development but are unwilling to promote from within and really help a player grow.

Happens way too often at way too many clubs. Name the clubs here on this thread so people know which ones to be wary of.

Armour and SYC

[Anonymous]

It's ... youth soccer. Try to be less anxious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Youth soccer in the US does not individually develop players. The players who get extra training in (be it through private coaches, private academies, or just spends extra time outside kicking the ball or even in their home or backyard) are the ones who continue to improve. Parents have to invest more time and money. That's the unfortunate reality of youth soccer in our country.

Coaches have limited time per week to train the whole team. If a coach spend their training hours on individual skills development, the team gets blown out of games (and parents complain about that).

+1. Individual skill improves only when the player takes extra time to focus on their individual technical qualities (first touches, dribbling, trapping, shooting technique, 1v1 battles, fancy skills etc.). In the United States, there's a lot of physicality among teams but lack of depth in technical qualities and I think that's what parents have to focus on, in their own time. The coaches will always focus on training as a team unit and not increase or improve your kid's individual development and/or technical abilities.

[Anonymous]

Different coaches also see and value different things. But moving up can be difficult at most clubs unless there is a specific need or the player’s talent is exceedingly good. They don’t always have the capacity to invest in what is best for the player, which honestly sucks in many ways. For example, if your kid is an outstanding striker with a lot of potential, a club may never develop that player fully if they already have a first team striker they are happy with.