Travel soccer at 7

[Anonymous]

then have him do travel basketball? is this is a serious question?

[Anonymous]

To the OP...I think people are getting on your case a bit because this is a personal choice. Personally, I'm terrified of making my kids feel like they have to do a sport when they really don't want to. That is a nightmare and will create real problems in the future. So, if they really don't want to play soccer and want to play basketball, what is the question here? Is it for you?

Also, saying what your kid is (average rec basketball player) at 7 is a real bold move. There are countless examples of people blossoming in sports (and all things) later than 7 years old. Do what they want to do and are passionate about...that is your only chance of success. It shouldn't be a tough choice in the end.

[Anonymous]

Hmm...it seems like I was in this boat not too long ago and things are drastically different...

There was no travel team at the U8 level even with the club teams in the area...

The clubs had what they called ADP (Advanced Development Program) for U8/U9 years and it was all pool play. No teams, no real games. Worked out really well as the kids were divided into smaller groups, worked on skills, and then tried those skills in practice in games.

I think that they might be doing this even at U10 now too.

Don't know if that type of program is available, but it allowed our kids to benefit from more advanced training at that age without the huge "travel" commitment and allowed them to do other stuff like hoops too in the summer and winter.

DS in college now and plays pickup soccer and DD is HS Soph and playing ECNL and loves it.

[Anonymous]

With very few exceptions, I don’t think travel soccer is beneficial at the youngest ages. If there is a good developmental program that is convenient for you and your child enjoys… great! If not, no problem to skip it.

What I would do is ball mastery at home. Do technical training for basketball too! There are plenty of videos on YouTube. I think many kids like basketball more than soccer when starting because using your hands vs feet is easier. I worked with my kids at home until they were competent technical players and then followed their lead. My youngest absolutely hated it at age 6 (he didn’t really like doing things he found hard) but we stuck with it for a few months. Nothing crazy, no cost, skills at home, 30-45 minutes most days making it as fun as we could. After he became comfortable with the ball he took off and now loves it! If he didn’t, that’s ok too. Ball mastery also helped him develop overall athletic and gross motor skills which would have helped him in other sports should he have gone that direction.

Ball mastery, wall ball, and futsal are great for developing at the younger ages.

[Anonymous]

Personally, I think specializing this early is crazy. My son just turned 8. He plays rec soccer right now that practices 1 time per week. He also plays baseball that practices 2 times per week. He is a good soccer player and likes it a lot. We are going to put him in "pre-travel" next year. He plays with one of the teams associated with his school. There are 3 teams from his school total. There are several kids across those 3 teams that have some skill. I'm cetain that there will be a cohort that moves to pre-travel next year. From my standpoint, I don't want my kid to specialize so early. He is fairly athletic so we let him play whatever he wants.
He likes being part of a team and being with his buddies.

If you are concerned about falling behind in skills, I would put him in one of the summer soccer camps. I saw a huge improvement when he went to DC United Soccer Camp. There are other camps around.

Just my $.02

[Anonymous]

i have two very different kids on very different paths
The younger child played up in Rec, dominated everything and so we signed them up for travel a year early. This child was good at multiple sports so we figured this was the right path for them. I still am not sure what the 'right' decision is for a kid like that because playing up was great for learning from a professional coach and the extra training was great, but the season was painful (basically a whole team of kids playing up) and they had little success. This group of kids that played up repeated their u9 year (e.g. not playing up anymore) knowing all the travel soccer basics but not having as much confidence in their own abilities. The other kids who they joined in their second year of u9 played in rec or in a rec-to-travel prep year and they came in more confident but didn't know positions and other u9 basics (build-up line, etc). It took our child a while to get their confidence back, they played on the second team for multiple years, but they've rebounded and are now on a top team and doing great. I won't trace any of their current success to playing up that year and I see very very few kids succeed in the long-term who play up. There are some occasional ones, but they tend to have parents that are driving them towards a specific goal. There are a few who love soccer but I've seen few at the top levels who love soccer more than their parents. Final part of the story is that of the kids that played up that first year, many dropped out of soccer and only a couple are playing on a top team.

I pushed my other child (the older one) into travel at the 'normal' time because I was worried they would fall behind (a lesson from my childhood). They were average/good in Rec, so I figured they would be average in travel. This child ended up being 'bad' at travel but somehow still fell in love with soccer. Not in love enough to want to train on their own, but enough to enjoy the extra training and to want to continue, even if they weren't a key player on the team. After ~2 years, I realized Rec would have been the better path and tried to push this child towards it, but they resisted because they wanted the better coaching and more committed players, even if they weren't overly successful. This child is now a teenager, still a starter on a bottom team, but will likely drop out of soccer because they have many non-sport interests. Not sure if they would have kept playing if they were in Rec, but I wouldn't push a kid like this into travel. I should have kept them in Rec, let them see if they wanted/needed a higher level (even if they didn't love soccer), and moved over at the appropriate time. This kid will leave soccer on great terms, which I am proud of (ensuring they are enjoying soccer even if they're not a star), but I’m not sure we made the right decisions along the way.
Let me add that neither child 'loves' soccer like other people refer to on here. Both kids tried a ton of different sports and probably chose soccer because that was my favorite sport. The younger child has succeeded in soccer because they found a team where the other players are like them (super competitive, very athletic, hard workers). They might not say that they love soccer, but they can't imagine not being on this team with this set of players. I'll also add that this younger child doesn't train on their own, but they are always willing to train extra with their friends & family. I've had to learn to follow their lead in terms of how much extra soccer they want to do and that interest level has changed every single year. I’ve also noticed that the less I push, the more they've liked soccer. Final point I'll add is that many of the kids on the top teams play multiple sports and are successful at all of them. So if your child is great at multiple sports, pushing them forward might be a good decision because they'll find like-minded kids that enjoy the same things they do. But if your kid is only so-so with sports enthusiasm, don't push them. Heck, I'd say even if your kid loves soccer, but isn't that skilled, don't push them. We've seen a number of kids that loved soccer - watched it at home, watched their friends play soccer, played at recess, played with their parents - but they got frustrated with travel soccer because their love didn't translate to skill & ability.
So long way of saying that I wouldn't push them to play up. If they want to pursue a great soccer career, there is no rush to train them or start early. An early start can be helpful, but understand that you're taking a big risk. Your kids don’t have to love soccer to play travel or even have to be amazing at soccer, but your kid needs to find a way to be successful at soccer if they're going to enjoy travel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i have two very different kids on very different paths
The younger child played up in Rec, dominated everything and so we signed them up for travel a year early. This child was good at multiple sports so we figured this was the right path for them. I still am not sure what the 'right' decision is for a kid like that because playing up was great for learning from a professional coach and the extra training was great, but the season was painful (basically a whole team of kids playing up) and they had little success. This group of kids that played up repeated their u9 year (e.g. not playing up anymore) knowing all the travel soccer basics but not having as much confidence in their own abilities. The other kids who they joined in their second year of u9 played in rec or in a rec-to-travel prep year and they came in more confident but didn't know positions and other u9 basics (build-up line, etc). It took our child a while to get their confidence back, they played on the second team for multiple years, but they've rebounded and are now on a top team and doing great. I won't trace any of their current success to playing up that year and I see very very few kids succeed in the long-term who play up. There are some occasional ones, but they tend to have parents that are driving them towards a specific goal. There are a few who love soccer but I've seen few at the top levels who love soccer more than their parents. Final part of the story is that of the kids that played up that first year, many dropped out of soccer and only a couple are playing on a top team.

I pushed my other child (the older one) into travel at the 'normal' time because I was worried they would fall behind (a lesson from my childhood). They were average/good in Rec, so I figured they would be average in travel. This child ended up being 'bad' at travel but somehow still fell in love with soccer. Not in love enough to want to train on their own, but enough to enjoy the extra training and to want to continue, even if they weren't a key player on the team. After ~2 years, I realized Rec would have been the better path and tried to push this child towards it, but they resisted because they wanted the better coaching and more committed players, even if they weren't overly successful. This child is now a teenager, still a starter on a bottom team, but will likely drop out of soccer because they have many non-sport interests. Not sure if they would have kept playing if they were in Rec, but I wouldn't push a kid like this into travel. I should have kept them in Rec, let them see if they wanted/needed a higher level (even if they didn't love soccer), and moved over at the appropriate time. This kid will leave soccer on great terms, which I am proud of (ensuring they are enjoying soccer even if they're not a star), but I’m not sure we made the right decisions along the way.
Let me add that neither child 'loves' soccer like other people refer to on here. Both kids tried a ton of different sports and probably chose soccer because that was my favorite sport. The younger child has succeeded in soccer because they found a team where the other players are like them (super competitive, very athletic, hard workers). They might not say that they love soccer, but they can't imagine not being on this team with this set of players. I'll also add that this younger child doesn't train on their own, but they are always willing to train extra with their friends & family. I've had to learn to follow their lead in terms of how much extra soccer they want to do and that interest level has changed every single year. I’ve also noticed that the less I push, the more they've liked soccer. Final point I'll add is that many of the kids on the top teams play multiple sports and are successful at all of them. So if your child is great at multiple sports, pushing them forward might be a good decision because they'll find like-minded kids that enjoy the same things they do. But if your kid is only so-so with sports enthusiasm, don't push them. Heck, I'd say even if your kid loves soccer, but isn't that skilled, don't push them. We've seen a number of kids that loved soccer - watched it at home, watched their friends play soccer, played at recess, played with their parents - but they got frustrated with travel soccer because their love didn't translate to skill & ability.
So long way of saying that I wouldn't push them to play up. If they want to pursue a great soccer career, there is no rush to train them or start early. An early start can be helpful, but understand that you're taking a big risk. Your kids don’t have to love soccer to play travel or even have to be amazing at soccer, but your kid needs to find a way to be successful at soccer if they're going to enjoy travel.

You make a really good point about it being hard to enjoy soccer without at least some success. I'm a PP that said we started our oldest in travel at 8, but we're hesitant to put our younger one there anytime soon if ever even though he really likes soccer. We knew that our oldest was likely to make either the first or second team when he tried out. He started on the second team and got moved up to the first. But some other kids we know who started at the same time were placed on lower teams and have not been moved up. They seem really frustrated with how things have turned out. Some of the kids really do love soccer but they just can't seem to get to that next level to where coaches of higher teams give them serious consideration. For some their small size/lack of aggression is probably hindering them. A lot of them do soccer as their only sport, so it's hard when that isn't going super well. Mine does two other sports at the club/travel level. The busiest parts of the other sports fall when soccer is the least busy. We will keep him in these other sports as long as we can make it work, which is probably a couple more years max. PP is right that a lot of kids who do well at soccer are also good at other things too. I think it's good not to put all the eggs in one basket. Just recently he dealt with a really tough situation in soccer, but still had a bright spot to the week with hard work leading to success in one of the other sports. And who knows what puberty will bring.

And last but not least, there is absolutely no difference between the kids who started travel a year early and the ones who started "on time". Of the kids we know who did this, multiple have been moved down a level as the years went on. Another couple have quit. Parents might think this gives their kid some kind of head start, but the benefit seems to diminish within 2 years. Development isn't linear, and a kid who starts travel soccer late can easily catch up and pass other kids if they are developmentally ready to master the skills, are athletic, and coachable.

[Anonymous]

Wait and see how he feels in a year or 2. I don’t know why you’re considering travel when you acknowledged he doesn’t love the sport. It will only make him hate it. I had the opposite kid. He started asking about travel at 7 even though I had no clue what travel soccer was. I played no sports and DH was a wrestler. We told him we’d consider it at 8 if he was still interested. When he was 8 he announced his intention to join a club. We tried our best to discourage travel and had a lot of reservations but it ended up being a great decision for him. He was out playing or practicing every chance he got. He happily missed parties and sleepovers to play. He still plays at u17. His friends who were pushed to play quit at u10 and u11. And we found rec players were joining his team at u10 and u11 and catching up pretty quickly so they didn’t seem to miss much.

[Anonymous]

I have two kids, my older one started travel because her friend was in it - this was U8. Since she didn't have much prior experience she only made the 3rd team for U9 with lackluster coaching and fell behind in skill progression. My younger kid seeing their sibling in soccer, wanted to follow... started travel at 7 (U8) and has bee thriving. We are in a "top" club, but travel at U8 or U9 pretty much means soccer plex, which I don't really consider travel. What I can say is, starting earlier builds up skills earlier and making 1st (or even 2nd team in a larger club with 3/4 teams) will provide better coaching. What your kid does with the coaching is a different conversation, but you cant discount better coaches in travel vs parent coaches in rec. Does this mean rec kids won't make it on travel as they get older (or travel kids will become super/untouchable players), no it does not, but if your kid likes soccer and can start earlier, they will likely get better coaching/skills. Plus the travel requirement can be very minimal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tryouts are coming up... and I am hesitant. If DS makes the team, it will be three practices a week, and games on the weekend. He will be 8 in the fall but it seems like a big commitment at that age. He doesn't love the sport, prefers basketball - he's at best, an average rec basketball player. My fear is that if he doesn't move into travel soccer, he will fall behind his peers. He's talented, but not the best player in his age group.

Question: Would you have him play travel or wait another year?

Play travel now imo. Having your kid busy 6 days out of the week is a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll give you a different perspective because everyone is so obsessed with getting left behind.

When my kid was 9, we ended up leaving travel ball in early March because of a move. This meant that he missed the last 2.5 months of travel. No team practices or games. In that time he said that he wanted to get better so we developed a plan for him...lots of training at home and some private/group sessions. We are talking 12+ hours a week. In those 2.5 months and the additional 3 months of summer, he got SOOOOO much better. He is now MLS Next and visiting academies. Team practices and games are not what they need to be focused on at this age.

You don't need to be on a team to get better. Focus on the basics and ball mastery. They can become a beast at 12+ years old without travel ball.

While this may be true, this requires a kid who loves soccer and has an inner drive to improve. Nothing OP has said suggests this is the case. It sounds like OP's son is naturally good at soccer but it's not their favorite. If OP signs their kid up for travel they could end up in a situation where they are essentially dragging their kid to practices.

Look, I get it. My kids are both pretty talented in the sport that I excelled in growing up. I see the potential and know exactly what to do at which ages to maximize their potential. But the problem is, they like it but don't love it. They aren't interested in the more intense path that I took. They prefer other sports that frankly they aren't as talented in. As a result they are falling behind other kids who are taking the more intense path. But I have to accept that as a parent. I am not going to sign them up for some intense year round program when they aren't asking for more. I don't want them looking back on childhood and resenting me for making them spend hours per week doing something they enjoy less than other things, just because I thought they could be good at it.

This statement made me laugh out loud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll give you a different perspective because everyone is so obsessed with getting left behind.

When my kid was 9, we ended up leaving travel ball in early March because of a move. This meant that he missed the last 2.5 months of travel. No team practices or games. In that time he said that he wanted to get better so we developed a plan for him...lots of training at home and some private/group sessions. We are talking 12+ hours a week. In those 2.5 months and the additional 3 months of summer, he got SOOOOO much better. He is now MLS Next and visiting academies. Team practices and games are not what they need to be focused on at this age.

You don't need to be on a team to get better. Focus on the basics and ball mastery. They can become a beast at 12+ years old without travel ball.

While this may be true, this requires a kid who loves soccer and has an inner drive to improve. Nothing OP has said suggests this is the case. It sounds like OP's son is naturally good at soccer but it's not their favorite. If OP signs their kid up for travel they could end up in a situation where they are essentially dragging their kid to practices.

Look, I get it. My kids are both pretty talented in the sport that I excelled in growing up. I see the potential and know exactly what to do at which ages to maximize their potential. But the problem is, they like it but don't love it. They aren't interested in the more intense path that I took. They prefer other sports that frankly they aren't as talented in. As a result they are falling behind other kids who are taking the more intense path. But I have to accept that as a parent. I am not going to sign them up for some intense year round program when they aren't asking for more. I don't want them looking back on childhood and resenting me for making them spend hours per week doing something they enjoy less than other things, just because I thought they could be good at it.

This statement made me laugh out loud.

Why, maybe OP is/was a coach or some sort of a talent scout... maybe he has an idea of how to gauge early abilities. Granted probably not as accurately as OP thinks, but I wouldn't discount it completely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll give you a different perspective because everyone is so obsessed with getting left behind.

When my kid was 9, we ended up leaving travel ball in early March because of a move. This meant that he missed the last 2.5 months of travel. No team practices or games. In that time he said that he wanted to get better so we developed a plan for him...lots of training at home and some private/group sessions. We are talking 12+ hours a week. In those 2.5 months and the additional 3 months of summer, he got SOOOOO much better. He is now MLS Next and visiting academies. Team practices and games are not what they need to be focused on at this age.

You don't need to be on a team to get better. Focus on the basics and ball mastery. They can become a beast at 12+ years old without travel ball.

While this may be true, this requires a kid who loves soccer and has an inner drive to improve. Nothing OP has said suggests this is the case. It sounds like OP's son is naturally good at soccer but it's not their favorite. If OP signs their kid up for travel they could end up in a situation where they are essentially dragging their kid to practices.

Look, I get it. My kids are both pretty talented in the sport that I excelled in growing up. I see the potential and know exactly what to do at which ages to maximize their potential. But the problem is, they like it but don't love it. They aren't interested in the more intense path that I took. They prefer other sports that frankly they aren't as talented in. As a result they are falling behind other kids who are taking the more intense path. But I have to accept that as a parent. I am not going to sign them up for some intense year round program when they aren't asking for more. I don't want them looking back on childhood and resenting me for making them spend hours per week doing something they enjoy less than other things, just because I thought they could be good at it.

This statement made me laugh out loud.

Why, maybe OP is/was a coach or some sort of a talent scout... maybe he has an idea of how to gauge early abilities. Granted probably not as accurately as OP thinks, but I wouldn't discount it completely.

Ha, I typed this and reading it back I see how it sounds. I didn't mean it like I have some 20 step training plan that I would make my kids follow to guarantee success. More that I understand the sport very well from my own experiences and staying involved with the community. I know which clubs/coaches are the best and what kind of environment is best at different ages. A lot of parents around here get excited about their kids' early talent and push them into heavy training too young, which burns them out. I have a good understanding of the long view, how much changes with puberty, and how to work through the inevitable setbacks. But I am clueless about soccer and feel like I've just been guessing. I wish I had understood what to look for in a soccer club and coach for a kid who loves it and wants to learn all they can. A few years in I can see a gap between my kid and those from other clubs that had an actual plan for development.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll give you a different perspective because everyone is so obsessed with getting left behind.

When my kid was 9, we ended up leaving travel ball in early March because of a move. This meant that he missed the last 2.5 months of travel. No team practices or games. In that time he said that he wanted to get better so we developed a plan for him...lots of training at home and some private/group sessions. We are talking 12+ hours a week. In those 2.5 months and the additional 3 months of summer, he got SOOOOO much better. He is now MLS Next and visiting academies. Team practices and games are not what they need to be focused on at this age.

You don't need to be on a team to get better. Focus on the basics and ball mastery. They can become a beast at 12+ years old without travel ball.

While this may be true, this requires a kid who loves soccer and has an inner drive to improve. Nothing OP has said suggests this is the case. It sounds like OP's son is naturally good at soccer but it's not their favorite. If OP signs their kid up for travel they could end up in a situation where they are essentially dragging their kid to practices.

Look, I get it. My kids are both pretty talented in the sport that I excelled in growing up. I see the potential and know exactly what to do at which ages to maximize their potential. But the problem is, they like it but don't love it. They aren't interested in the more intense path that I took. They prefer other sports that frankly they aren't as talented in. As a result they are falling behind other kids who are taking the more intense path. But I have to accept that as a parent. I am not going to sign them up for some intense year round program when they aren't asking for more. I don't want them looking back on childhood and resenting me for making them spend hours per week doing something they enjoy less than other things, just because I thought they could be good at it.

This statement made me laugh out loud.

Why, maybe OP is/was a coach or some sort of a talent scout... maybe he has an idea of how to gauge early abilities. Granted probably not as accurately as OP thinks, but I wouldn't discount it completely.

Ha, I typed this and reading it back I see how it sounds. I didn't mean it like I have some 20 step training plan that I would make my kids follow to guarantee success. More that I understand the sport very well from my own experiences and staying involved with the community. I know which clubs/coaches are the best and what kind of environment is best at different ages. A lot of parents around here get excited about their kids' early talent and push them into heavy training too young, which burns them out. I have a good understanding of the long view, how much changes with puberty, and how to work through the inevitable setbacks. But I am clueless about soccer and feel like I've just been guessing. I wish I had understood what to look for in a soccer club and coach for a kid who loves it and wants to learn all they can. A few years in I can see a gap between my kid and those from other clubs that had an actual plan for development.

I have two kids a few years apart and I am making sure not to make the same mistakes with the younger kid... I see how a lack of decent coaching/competition early on was/is detrimental to my older kid, now we have to work to bridge the gap. The younger one is benefiting and is already on a much stronger path forward. Unfortunately, the only thing that worked in our situation was getting private lessons to bridge the gap in training. I didnt do the lessons because I think my kid will play professionally, I just wanted her to be on par with her peers and not feel like she is lagging behind.

You might need to do the same to bridge that gap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll give you a different perspective because everyone is so obsessed with getting left behind.

When my kid was 9, we ended up leaving travel ball in early March because of a move. This meant that he missed the last 2.5 months of travel. No team practices or games. In that time he said that he wanted to get better so we developed a plan for him...lots of training at home and some private/group sessions. We are talking 12+ hours a week. In those 2.5 months and the additional 3 months of summer, he got SOOOOO much better. He is now MLS Next and visiting academies. Team practices and games are not what they need to be focused on at this age.

You don't need to be on a team to get better. Focus on the basics and ball mastery. They can become a beast at 12+ years old without travel ball.

While this may be true, this requires a kid who loves soccer and has an inner drive to improve. Nothing OP has said suggests this is the case. It sounds like OP's son is naturally good at soccer but it's not their favorite. If OP signs their kid up for travel they could end up in a situation where they are essentially dragging their kid to practices.

Look, I get it. My kids are both pretty talented in the sport that I excelled in growing up. I see the potential and know exactly what to do at which ages to maximize their potential. But the problem is, they like it but don't love it. They aren't interested in the more intense path that I took. They prefer other sports that frankly they aren't as talented in. As a result they are falling behind other kids who are taking the more intense path. But I have to accept that as a parent. I am not going to sign them up for some intense year round program when they aren't asking for more. I don't want them looking back on childhood and resenting me for making them spend hours per week doing something they enjoy less than other things, just because I thought they could be good at it.

This statement made me laugh out loud.

Why, maybe OP is/was a coach or some sort of a talent scout... maybe he has an idea of how to gauge early abilities. Granted probably not as accurately as OP thinks, but I wouldn't discount it completely.

Ha, I typed this and reading it back I see how it sounds. I didn't mean it like I have some 20 step training plan that I would make my kids follow to guarantee success. More that I understand the sport very well from my own experiences and staying involved with the community. I know which clubs/coaches are the best and what kind of environment is best at different ages. A lot of parents around here get excited about their kids' early talent and push them into heavy training too young, which burns them out. I have a good understanding of the long view, how much changes with puberty, and how to work through the inevitable setbacks. But I am clueless about soccer and feel like I've just been guessing. I wish I had understood what to look for in a soccer club and coach for a kid who loves it and wants to learn all they can. A few years in I can see a gap between my kid and those from other clubs that had an actual plan for development.

I have two kids a few years apart and I am making sure not to make the same mistakes with the younger kid... I see how a lack of decent coaching/competition early on was/is detrimental to my older kid, now we have to work to bridge the gap. The younger one is benefiting and is already on a much stronger path forward. Unfortunately, the only thing that worked in our situation was getting private lessons to bridge the gap in training. I didnt do the lessons because I think my kid will play professionally, I just wanted her to be on par with her peers and not feel like she is lagging behind.

You might need to do the same to bridge that gap.

Blaming bad coaching for your kid's lack of progression is wild. Stop relying on team practices/games and coaches to improve your kid. If they were working hard to make sure there wasn't a gap in the first place you wouldn't need to scapegoat some coach from the past. "Unfortunately, the only thing that worked in our situation was getting private lessons to bridge the gap in training." Unfortunately, you are to blame for ever thinking you could just pay a club money, drop them off at training with some random dude with a certificate, and expect them to come out better players.

And to confirm...yes, you will ABSOLUTELY need to be doing hours of work outside of team practices to maintain a level with the top teams. From an early age. Include pickup, street ball, futsal, individual training, and privates. You cannot expect a coach to get your player there and assuming they can is the adult making a big mistake for their kid.