Travel Soccer teams around NOVA let's discuss

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After coaching youth soccer, rec and travel, for seven years, I up and quit, not because I had lost interest in teaching young athletes, but because I got sick of struggling to cope with the misbehavior, stupidity, unquenchable thirst for winning, even threats I faced from other coaches, parents on my teams, league managers, over tactics, playing time decisions, etc. Now I'm being asked to coach again in this spring. What do you think: All in all, is it worth it for you to coach? Are youth sports broken? How do you deal with the adults who are always intentionally or unintentionally ruining kids' sports experiences? I have a thick skin, but I don't have infinite amounts of energy and patience.

Sorry to say that I don't think it has gotten any better. I thought my group of parents would be great, but it didn't last very long. All it takes is a few bad apples. I'm pretty thick skinned as well, but I'm done coaching after the spring season. Parents only caring about winning. Parents saying that the only reason certain kids made the team was because of favoritism. Parents telling me that kids should be benched for making a mistake on the field. Parents threatening to leave the team. Parents bringing their kids late to everything and them still being unprepared. Parents still screaming from the sideline. It's just so draining. The problem is that I'm afraid of who will replace me, what will happen to the team, and what to do with my son. I do care very much about the kids and the team. The grass is rarely greener elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm finding that the awful people are in the minority. Probably not as far in the minority as we'd like, and it really only takes 1-2 awful people to give us misgivings about coaching or being on the parents' sideline. But they're in the minority.

That said, I'm getting awfully sick of these coaches teaching their kids to give nice hard fouls at U9, then yelling at the ref to "call it both ways." Yeah, you're a real man, bro.

When I read this I was thinking NO WAY is a coaching teaching/telling a kid to give a hard foul, but it happened earlier this season. Coach telling the kids to get more physical. "Put a body on him...hard." Just riling up the kids to get physical. It was really sad to see. Parents are no better. Parents yelling in from the sideline the same things.

[Anonymous]

Following up on something mentioned above: Playing time controversies have caused maybe 75 percent of the conflicts I've had with parents. I think the best way for a coach to ensure that he'll be run out of town is to decree equal playing time for all. Nothing else drives parents more nuts more often than that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After coaching youth soccer, rec and travel, for seven years, I up and quit, not because I had lost interest in teaching young athletes, but because I got sick of struggling to cope with the misbehavior, stupidity, unquenchable thirst for winning, even threats I faced from other coaches, parents on my teams, league managers, over tactics, playing time decisions, etc. Now I'm being asked to coach again in this spring. What do you think: All in all, is it worth it for you to coach? Are youth sports broken? How do you deal with the adults who are always intentionally or unintentionally ruining kids' sports experiences? I have a thick skin, but I don't have infinite amounts of energy and patience.

Sorry to say that I don't think it has gotten any better. I thought my group of parents would be great, but it didn't last very long. All it takes is a few bad apples. I'm pretty thick skinned as well, but I'm done coaching after the spring season. Parents only caring about winning. Parents saying that the only reason certain kids made the team was because of favoritism. Parents telling me that kids should be benched for making a mistake on the field. Parents threatening to leave the team. Parents bringing their kids late to everything and them still being unprepared. Parents still screaming from the sideline. It's just so draining. The problem is that I'm afraid of who will replace me, what will happen to the team, and what to do with my son. I do care very much about the kids and the team. The grass is rarely greener elsewhere.

Honestly, your current team parents sound like a pretty bad bunch. I think you might well find that a move would make you and your son happier. I have two high schoolers, and one child has switched clubs once in his career, the other twice in hers. In each case we kicked ourselves for not doing it earlier. In my son's case all the parents involved on both sides were pretty great, and he just needed a more competitive team. With my daughter, we left because of toxic parents/kids/coach, and are thrilled with her new (and last) team.

I recommend that parents who feel like it's not working out with the current team do some team shopping in the spring. The most important thing is to go watch the team play some league games to see what the team culture is like and check out the level, then see if your child can practice with some candidate teams well in advance of tryouts to see what team will be a good fit. This whole experience should be enjoyable for both kids and parents at whatever level the child is playing.

[Anonymous]

Definitely switch.

I feel pretty lucky that we haven't run into too many bad parents or coaches. DS once had a screamer for a coach, but that coach was fired halfway through the season. I have a kid in theater too and in my experience the soccer parents have nothing on the theater parents when it comes to nuttiness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely switch.

I feel pretty lucky that we haven't run into too many bad parents or coaches. DS once had a screamer for a coach, but that coach was fired halfway through the season. I have a kid in theater too and in my experience the soccer parents have nothing on the theater parents when it comes to nuttiness.

Or dance moms

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely switch.

I feel pretty lucky that we haven't run into too many bad parents or coaches. DS once had a screamer for a coach, but that coach was fired halfway through the season. I have a kid in theater too and in my experience the soccer parents have nothing on the theater parents when it comes to nuttiness.

Might depend on the level. I never ceased to be amazed at the chatter from parents when I go to a college game or a high-level youth game. Their kids have clearly put in a lot of effort to develop skills, and yet the parents are as ignorant as they were when their kids were U5s. All they know is that the ref is always out to get them, and the other team is playing the wrong way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely switch.

I feel pretty lucky that we haven't run into too many bad parents or coaches. DS once had a screamer for a coach, but that coach was fired halfway through the season. I have a kid in theater too and in my experience the soccer parents have nothing on the theater parents when it comes to nuttiness.

The problems with switching...son/daughter not playing with friends, further commute to training, and you're right...the grass isn't always greener especially if it's only a few bad parents. Maybe just get rid of those parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely switch.

I feel pretty lucky that we haven't run into too many bad parents or coaches. DS once had a screamer for a coach, but that coach was fired halfway through the season. I have a kid in theater too and in my experience the soccer parents have nothing on the theater parents when it comes to nuttiness.

The problems with switching...son/daughter not playing with friends, further commute to training, and you're right...the grass isn't always greener especially if it's only a few bad parents. Maybe just get rid of those parents.

If the club is so big ---they aren't playing with their friends anyways.

We are at our home club and not a single kid on the team goes to our school or lives in our neighborhood. U-10 and they already have kids from other counties. I think most clubs have the same issues though.

The best players don't even affiliate with a travel team. The only current U.S. Player rated one of the 50 best in the world (17 years old)- never played for a travel team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely switch.

I feel pretty lucky that we haven't run into too many bad parents or coaches. DS once had a screamer for a coach, but that coach was fired halfway through the season. I have a kid in theater too and in my experience the soccer parents have nothing on the theater parents when it comes to nuttiness.

The problems with switching...son/daughter not playing with friends, further commute to training, and you're right...the grass isn't always greener especially if it's only a few bad parents. Maybe just get rid of those parents.

If the club is so big ---they aren't playing with their friends anyways.

We are at our home club and not a single kid on the team goes to our school or lives in our neighborhood. U-10 and they already have kids from other counties. I think most clubs have the same issues though.

The best players don't even affiliate with a travel team. The only current U.S. Player rated one of the 50 best in the world (17 years old)- never played for a travel team.

Who is that? Christian Pulisic? He's definitely the best of the current U17s. He started with Michigan Rush and then joined a DA team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely switch.

I feel pretty lucky that we haven't run into too many bad parents or coaches. DS once had a screamer for a coach, but that coach was fired halfway through the season. I have a kid in theater too and in my experience the soccer parents have nothing on the theater parents when it comes to nuttiness.

The problems with switching...son/daughter not playing with friends, further commute to training, and you're right...the grass isn't always greener especially if it's only a few bad parents. Maybe just get rid of those parents.

If the club is so big ---they aren't playing with their friends anyways.

We are at our home club and not a single kid on the team goes to our school or lives in our neighborhood. U-10 and they already have kids from other counties. I think most clubs have the same issues though.

The best players don't even affiliate with a travel team. The only current U.S. Player rated one of the 50 best in the world (17 years old)- never played for a travel team.

Who is that? Christian Pulisic? He's definitely the best of the current U17s. He started with Michigan Rush and then joined a DA team.

His dad, a GMU player, and MLSI was his primary coach. He took him to training camps all over Europe. His cousin is also in the U-17 team. Very nice family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely switch.

I feel pretty lucky that we haven't run into too many bad parents or coaches. DS once had a screamer for a coach, but that coach was fired halfway through the season. I have a kid in theater too and in my experience the soccer parents have nothing on the theater parents when it comes to nuttiness.

The problems with switching...son/daughter not playing with friends, further commute to training, and you're right...the grass isn't always greener especially if it's only a few bad parents. Maybe just get rid of those parents.

If the club is so big ---they aren't playing with their friends anyways.

We are at our home club and not a single kid on the team goes to our school or lives in our neighborhood. U-10 and they already have kids from other counties. I think most clubs have the same issues though.

The best players don't even affiliate with a travel team. The only current U.S. Player rated one of the 50 best in the world (17 years old)- never played for a travel team.

Who is that? Christian Pulisic? He's definitely the best of the current U17s. He started with Michigan Rush and then joined a DA team.

His dad, a GMU player, and MLSI was his primary coach. He took him to training camps all over Europe. His cousin is also in the U-17 team. Very nice family.

Great player. Kind of an unusual example, isn't it? And he still played some travel soccer.

[Anonymous]

What percent of girls make the Vienna travel teams U9? That's the first year, correct?

That is, of the 12 or so girls on the house u8 team, how many will tryout and how many will get selected?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What percent of girls make the Vienna travel teams U9? That's the first year, correct?

That is, of the 12 or so girls on the house u8 team, how many will tryout and how many will get selected?

Most girls make it at U9. I believe that last year they had space for all but 4 or 5 of the girls who tried out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What percent of girls make the Vienna travel teams U9? That's the first year, correct?

That is, of the 12 or so girls on the house u8 team, how many will tryout and how many will get selected?

Most girls make it at U9. I believe that last year they had space for all but 4 or 5 of the girls who tried out.

Interesting. What program has more girls, house or travel?