Alexandria Soccer (ASA) vs Gunston soccer

[Anonymous]

Also, I agree with PP about SYC. That the club that most girls leave for

[Anonymous]

At u9 I would do the club at has practice that is most convenient. If you daughter still likes it by u12- that is when you leave either ASS or Gunston for a better program. Both clubs have good training at the younger ages

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At u9 I would do the club at has practice that is most convenient. If you daughter still likes it by u12- that is when you leave either ASS or Gunston for a better program. Both clubs have good training at the younger ages

This is terrible advice. If you go to a weak club with mediocore coaching and meh teammates and competition, you will develop bad habits. Then when you try to come at u12, it will be difficult to make up the ground and also make even a second team (let alone the first team) by coming to open tryouts where it is very difficult to get noticed.

Put the kids in the best programs they can make as early as possible. A few extra minutes driving is worth It. Otherwise you are handicapping yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At u9 I would do the club at has practice that is most convenient. If you daughter still likes it by u12- that is when you leave either ASS or Gunston for a better program. Both clubs have good training at the younger ages

This is terrible advice. If you go to a weak club with mediocore coaching and meh teammates and competition, you will develop bad habits. Then when you try to come at u12, it will be difficult to make up the ground and also make even a second team (let alone the first team) by coming to open tryouts where it is very difficult to get noticed.

Put the kids in the best programs they can make as early as possible. A few extra minutes driving is worth It. Otherwise you are handicapping yourself.

The coaching is good at Gunston for younger girls and their teams tend to perform better than you'd expect for a small club. If driving was no issue, start at SYC. If driving is an issue, start at Gunston. They have a good track record for kids leaving and doing well at bigger clubs once GA and ECNL teams form. LMVSC should be in this conversation too

[Anonymous]

Try not to go to ASA. They teach bad habits in actuality. They have pretty strong culture in terms of great ethics/coaches but their philosophy is a bit too skewed towards passing. All. The. Time. As in they keep losing because nobody is supposed to take the goal. A lot of higher aged girls at U11/12 leave. SYC is strong but their culture is a bit crazy aggressive but yeah, the program is definitely stronger than ASA. A lot of Gunston girls ended up top teams at ASA, so on some level Gunston develops pretty well. I would stay at Gunston, check them out before figuring out what your kid needs developmentally, then figure out the right club when they are older.

[Anonymous]

OP - thanks all. We are leaning toward Gunston only because we have other kids and Gunston fields are closer to our house. It will be difficult to make all the practices, while also trying to juggle practice/games for other kids as well. Add in things like homework and school for a handful of kids, its a lot for two working parents.

[Anonymous]

Gunston and ASA are the same at u9. Pick who is closer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At u9 I would do the club at has practice that is most convenient. If you daughter still likes it by u12- that is when you leave either ASS or Gunston for a better program. Both clubs have good training at the younger ages

This is terrible advice. If you go to a weak club with mediocore coaching and meh teammates and competition, you will develop bad habits. Then when you try to come at u12, it will be difficult to make up the ground and also make even a second team (let alone the first team) by coming to open tryouts where it is very difficult to get noticed.

Put the kids in the best programs they can make as early as possible. A few extra minutes driving is worth It. Otherwise you are handicapping yourself.

The coaching is good at Gunston for younger girls and their teams tend to perform better than you'd expect for a small club. If driving was no issue, start at SYC. If driving is an issue, start at Gunston. They have a good track record for kids leaving and doing well at bigger clubs once GA and ECNL teams form. LMVSC should be in this conversation too

I would not consider LMVSC. They struggle on the girls side. Maybe the ecnl-rl badge will bring in new players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - thanks all. We are leaning toward Gunston only because we have other kids and Gunston fields are closer to our house. It will be difficult to make all the practices, while also trying to juggle practice/games for other kids as well. Add in things like homework and school for a handful of kids, its a lot for two working parents.

Very practical, good luck and have fun!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try not to go to ASA. They teach bad habits in actuality. They have pretty strong culture in terms of great ethics/coaches but their philosophy is a bit too skewed towards passing. All. The. Time. As in they keep losing because nobody is supposed to take the goal. A lot of higher aged girls at U11/12 leave. SYC is strong but their culture is a bit crazy aggressive but yeah, the program is definitely stronger than ASA. A lot of Gunston girls ended up top teams at ASA, so on some level Gunston develops pretty well. I would stay at Gunston, check them out before figuring out what your kid needs developmentally, then figure out the right club when they are older.

Lmao! You may want to do some research outside of this post. I saw that 2012 ASA team move the ball flawlessly and had no problems scoring last week in statecup. Most clubs in area target Alex girls due to them knowing how to play soccer vs kickball.