Northern Va Soccer Travel Clubs Status & Rundown

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trying to read through these threads is overwhelming and the vitriol is very disheartening. Worse, it sounds like it is often coming from club leaders posting here?

So where is each club today?
In an alliance or not?
In ECNL or GA or not?
What coaching & leadership is still there or left? Where did they go?
Who offers the best development even at the higher levels?
And for the love of god, where is a healthy non-toxic environment for our players? Good sportsmanship and team spirit?

Based on the tone of some of these conversations, let me mention I am not anyone important or anyone try to stir the pot. Just a parent doing research and feeling like the whole scene at the point seems pretty gross.

As many have said in previous threads, just find the clubs closest to you and start there. What your asking for, nobody is going to answer for you. Just tell us where you live and perhaps you'll get some help. Also, tell us the age of your kid. There is a big difference in the recommendations for 7 year olds and 14 year olds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of youth soccer is in shambles right now.

No one knows for sure which clubs are leaving for GA/MLSN and no one knows which clubs are coming to ECNL from GA.

Folks are crashing out since no news has dropped.

It’s kind of always in this state of change and people think the world is crashing down. Step back a few levels and you realize no matter how the leagues are named, or which clubs form alliances, it is still the same pool of players and coaches in the mix. No matter how the leagues shake out it’s the same players competing against each other with the same coaches just shuffled differently.

[Anonymous]

And all you ECNL hats are the marks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And all you ECNL hats are the marks

Representing a league vs. your own club is kind of dumb, I agree. But only someone that has been spurned by that league would constantly be talking about it. Your kid won’t be any better even if GA gets stronger. If GA gets to be the top league, your kid might even end up playing on an ECNL team. Want a hat?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We would not recommend BRYC soccer club. Extremely toxic and subjective play environment for girls, with uncertified coaches including parents coaching travel teams that charge upwards of $3k for a season. Our experience has been extremely disappointing and disheartening. The coaches and teammates ostracized our daughter, minimized play time, blatantly favoring players including the coaches daughter. The most unprofessional group we have participated in a league with. One event that highlights this was a film watch at the house of the team manager. Upon pickup the house was full of men drinking and wondering the home seemingly unsupervised, and while preteen girls were there for this soccer event. Further, the entire top travel team in NCDL of U12 girls all left last season and now we understand the reason. Incredibly unfortunate to have had this experience and we would not want anyone else to fall into this situation. We do not recommend BRYC girls soccer to anyone.

No arrests made?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We would not recommend BRYC soccer club. Extremely toxic and subjective play environment for girls, with uncertified coaches including parents coaching travel teams that charge upwards of $3k for a season. Our experience has been extremely disappointing and disheartening. The coaches and teammates ostracized our daughter, minimized play time, blatantly favoring players including the coaches daughter. The most unprofessional group we have participated in a league with. One event that highlights this was a film watch at the house of the team manager. Upon pickup the house was full of men drinking and wondering the home seemingly unsupervised, and while preteen girls were there for this soccer event. Further, the entire top travel team in NCDL of U12 girls all left last season and now we understand the reason. Incredibly unfortunate to have had this experience and we would not want anyone else to fall into this situation. We do not recommend BRYC girls soccer to anyone.

Ahhh yes, watch out for Clubs that bring on lots of Mom and Dad coaches...these parents start out by coaching in rec and either apply or are recruited by the club to transition into coaching in travel. They get paid a little money and their kids get to play for free...they are really incentivized to stick it out. They are so busy working, coaching and being a parent that they often don't have the bandwidth to setup a developmental style practice and scrimmage the kids a lot. Then, there is no way they coach their own kid in an unbiased way. A lot of coaches kids are great soccer players, but they will always be selected for the top team as all the coaches in the club know those kids and will always get selected for the top team at tryouts. We left a small club, that competes with BRYC a lot, in part because there were too many parent coaches (about 6) and there were issues that were going to fester or just not be corrected. One coaches kid just fouls everybody and the Coach won't address it.

While those issues are minor and they certainly are not the same thing as preteen girls being in a "house full of men drinking," having a parent coaches can lead to a situation where lines are blurred between Coach, athlete, parent and friend. Ask the DOC or TD if the club allows parent-coaches after the 1st year. I'm all for parent-coaches, just not their own kid's team after U9.

[Anonymous]

Interesting that no one thought that those "men" might be the players' dads... and that some moms were probably there too. not random adults. let's not always assume the worst, especially when it comes from a clearly disgruntled parent who takes time out of their day to bash others..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We would not recommend BRYC soccer club. Extremely toxic and subjective play environment for girls, with uncertified coaches including parents coaching travel teams that charge upwards of $3k for a season. Our experience has been extremely disappointing and disheartening. The coaches and teammates ostracized our daughter, minimized play time, blatantly favoring players including the coaches daughter. The most unprofessional group we have participated in a league with. One event that highlights this was a film watch at the house of the team manager. Upon pickup the house was full of men drinking and wondering the home seemingly unsupervised, and while preteen girls were there for this soccer event. Further, the entire top travel team in NCDL of U12 girls all left last season and now we understand the reason. Incredibly unfortunate to have had this experience and we would not want anyone else to fall into this situation. We do not recommend BRYC girls soccer to anyone.

No arrests made?

no, because that's not a truthful rendition of events

[Anonymous]

Rule of thumb; look at actual data and stay away from assuming anything on here is anything but gossip/trolls trying to make some clubs look awful and others amazing just to piss other people off.

[Anonymous]

Is this "ECNL hat" person for real? He/she is on every thread saying the same thing over and over again. No, I do not own an "ECNL hat", ECNL magnet, ECNL clothes, nothing ECNL. Neither does anyone in my household. But what is wrong with supporting the club/league that your DS or DD belongs to? You think that is a bad thing? You don't support your DS or DD's club and league? Is owning an ECNL hat worse than commenting about GA or disparaging ECNL on every thread at all hours. We all feel sorry for you and your DS/DD because of your actions. Your insult is not the flex you think it is. In fact, it is not a flex at all. Being a troll is also not the flex you think it is. Get a life and find another hobby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that no one thought that those "men" might be the players' dads... and that some moms were probably there too. not random adults. let's not always assume the worst, especially when it comes from a clearly disgruntled parent who takes time out of their day to bash others..

They're right about BRYC travel soccer and parent coaches, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s a non-troll opinion on Arlington county clubs?

You spend years buying into their system and as soon as you hit the U13 Academy level, roughly 60%-70% of the all Arlington teams are transfers from other teams.

Take that for what it is. If player development was so strong, no need to load teams with players not previously tied to programs.

It’s also a club dominated by parents who call to hector coaches for playing time. A pathetic approach, yet somehow works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this "ECNL hat" person for real? He/she is on every thread saying the same thing over and over again. No, I do not own an "ECNL hat", ECNL magnet, ECNL clothes, nothing ECNL. Neither does anyone in my household. But what is wrong with supporting the club/league that your DS or DD belongs to? You think that is a bad thing? You don't support your DS or DD's club and league? Is owning an ECNL hat worse than commenting about GA or disparaging ECNL on every thread at all hours. We all feel sorry for you and your DS/DD because of your actions. Your insult is not the flex you think it is. In fact, it is not a flex at all. Being a troll is also not the flex you think it is. Get a life and find another hobby.

Is this your flex?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s a non-troll opinion on Arlington county clubs?

You spend years buying into their system and as soon as you hit the U13 Academy level, roughly 60%-70% of the all Arlington teams are transfers from other teams.

Take that for what it is. If player development was so strong, no need to load teams with players not previously tied to programs.

It’s also a club dominated by parents who call to hector coaches for playing time. A pathetic approach, yet somehow works.

Hector is in charge of all playing time at Arlington

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this "ECNL hat" person for real? He/she is on every thread saying the same thing over and over again. No, I do not own an "ECNL hat", ECNL magnet, ECNL clothes, nothing ECNL. Neither does anyone in my household. But what is wrong with supporting the club/league that your DS or DD belongs to? You think that is a bad thing? You don't support your DS or DD's club and league? Is owning an ECNL hat worse than commenting about GA or disparaging ECNL on every thread at all hours. We all feel sorry for you and your DS/DD because of your actions. Your insult is not the flex you think it is. In fact, it is not a flex at all. Being a troll is also not the flex you think it is. Get a life and find another hobby.

Good thing you are outraged by anonymity on anoymous chat board. You said it yourself - We all feel sorry for you and your DS/DD because of your actions