My Gripe with Arlington Soccer Association (ASA)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to find something else to worry about, this is just silly.

+1

Not silly. The OP is trying to find a decent program for her son or daughter, who deserves better than she will get from Arlington. It is frustrating to pay all that money to your own town for such a poor quality product.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC's DC stoddert team is majority maryland and we are fine with it.

Is that because DC goes to a DC private school? DC Stoddert teams are (mostly) school based, and we've yet to play a team that is not a DC school.

[Anonymous]

We live in MD and my DC played for McLean Soccer in HS. Our "local" club is Bethesda, which has kids from PG County, VA, DC and all over Moco. These are not rec clubs or community clubs at the high school level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC's DC stoddert team is majority maryland and we are fine with it.

Is that because DC goes to a DC private school? DC Stoddert teams are (mostly) school based, and we've yet to play a team that is not a DC school.

That is true for rec teams but this is travel team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm stunned that parents just accept this sort of thing as normal -- that being pretty good in a sport means shopping around so you may end up driving 45 minutes to practice instead of 10.

No wonder elite soccer has a reputation as a sport for rich suburbanites who can afford to have a parent take time off work (or a nanny) to drive them all over creation so they can *maybe* make half their money back with a college scholarship.

How about this -- play for your local club unless you're good enough to play for D.C. United's academy, where the lack of fees can offset any extra driving you have to do.

Sorry this isn't communist Russia.

[Anonymous]

Our travel team had several players from Arlington, and we had to pay the county extra money for those players. I assume that Arlington has the same setup as far as field fees go.

And in general, not everyone has a "home club" that is near them or has the ability to take new players. This is clear when you look at the spread of clubs across the area and who they serve. A previous poster mentioned DC Stoddart, but there are other clubs in DC as well. Some clubs are tiny and only have 1-2 teams per age group, if that. Some are larger and can accommodate more kids. But to limit folks to their geographic area when not all geographic areas are well represented by clubs (like travel baseball is) is silly.

That said, if your child played in a club and did not move up in the ranks, then it might be time to move to another club (if you are dissatisfied). There are many clubs who recruit players - we have had several players recruited to Arlington over the years from our soccer club, and they are told that they are stronger players than those that were grown in house. What this says to me is simply that the individual player is stronger, and at the upper age groups (U15+) there's nothing really wrong with recruiting in players to build teams. That's what you do at that age and above. At the younger ages, well, not so much as you are still building players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm stunned that parents just accept this sort of thing as normal -- that being pretty good in a sport means shopping around so you may end up driving 45 minutes to practice instead of 10.

No wonder elite soccer has a reputation as a sport for rich suburbanites who can afford to have a parent take time off work (or a nanny) to drive them all over creation so they can *maybe* make half their money back with a college scholarship.

How about this -- play for your local club unless you're good enough to play for D.C. United's academy, where the lack of fees can offset any extra driving you have to do.

If your kid is goid enough, work hard and are dedicated they will make the team. If not they don't. Why is this such a hard concept to grasp.

Our travel team is very diverse, many kids from different SES backgrounds.

How about this, if you would rather drive to Alexandria than dc united practices go for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So here's the deal, it was recently brought to my attention that Arlington Soccer Association (ASA) is actively recruiting kids from neighboring soccer clubs for the higher level/older ASA travel soccer teams, and these recruits are displacing many, and in some cases most of the Arlington kids. These are Arlington kids who’ve worked and trained hard for years, and as Arlington’s best players, (I would say) have earned the right to play for Arlington’s travel soccer team.

I know, I know, par for the course, and from what I hear anecdotally, I understand most clubs do some poaching for their older, higher level teams. The ethics of doing so are debatable because it’s essentially a zero sum game, but that's not what's got me irked. It appears that at the older/higher levels it's gotten to the point at ASA where due to excessive recruiting and the success of the ASA program, the majority of the kids on some ASA teams (up to 60-75%) aren't even from Arlington.

I'm fine with allowing some kids from around the NOVA area to try out for and make the Arlington travel teams, it adds to the competition and some local areas don't have competitive clubs of their own, but I think that there should be some sort of limit - a minimum set percentage of the kids (e.g., 50%, 60% or 70%) who must come from the clubs home turf.

As it currently stands, we have Arlington kids who’ve been playing ASA travel soccer successfully for 6-8 years and whose parents have spent $10K+ in travel soccer dues, and through hard work and dedication are arguably some of the best players in Arlington, only to get bumped off their travel teams, not by the normal cycle of some kids getting better and others not keeping up, but instead by groups of kids ASA management and coaches are recruiting and bringing over “in mass” from neighboring clubs.

When ASA management is asked about this policy, they've repeatedly blown parents off, stating that ASA is a private club and since they are not affiliated with Arlington County, ASA can do whatever it wants. ASA management is correct, but also shortsighted.

The residents of Arlington County pay considerable taxes to maintain the dozens of soccer fields that ASA uses for their programs. These fields are a valuable county asset which cost millions each year to build and maintain (the new Long Bridge turf fields being a prime example) and given this huge contribution by the county that makes the ASA travel soccer program possible, I think ASA owes the county some concessions in return. At minimum, I think that at least a majority of each team - at minimum - should concsist of Arlinton residents. I’m guessing the residents of any other county would expect the same.

What are your thoughts? Is it an unreasonable expectation that at least a majority of players on any given Arlington Travel Soccer team be from Arlington? And if you there should be a minimum, what is appropriate? [In case you’re wondering, my kids are younger and haven’t had to face this yet.]

I think this is a really interesting post OP, and though I don't agree that clubs should have a minimum percentage of local players, I do think you've raised some points that you should continue to address with the Arlington management. A few thoughts on the bolded parts above:

I agree with others who have said that there is nothing wrong about a club recruiting kids at the older ages. I don't think "poaching" is a fair way to describe it, and I don't think it's a zero sum game. For example, I've learned from DCUM that Vienna has a community-oriented program, and their mission is not to become a premiere club that can produce teams that compete at the highest levels. If they happen to produce a kid who can compete at that level and that kid goes to Arlington to get more college recruiting exposure, it doesn't really harm Vienna much (though his teammates may be sad to see him leave), but it does help the soccer reputation of both Arlington and the kid.

I don't think that any parent should expect that paying fees to a club for travel soccer over any period of time will guarantee them a spot on a top team at a club that is (or seeks to be) premiere. Those fees buy training/coach salaries, field time, and league and tournament entry. If the club is doing the job properly, each child whose family pays those fees will end up having learned the skills necessary to compete at the best of that child's abilities, and will have had a lot of fun, made a lot of friends, and learned a lot of life lessons about discipline and other things along the way. Whether the kid makes any top team at the older ages has to come down to talent, work and aptitude. It would not be fair to the kids who have those things to stock their team with legacies who make it harder for them to compete.

If Arlington management is completely blowing off parent concerns that entire teams are being brought in from elsewhere to replace all the homegrown players, that is not good (though are you sure that's really the case with the board and technical directors as a whole?). I would definitely want to know why the club is failing to develop a significant number of top players in-house, as I'm sure player development is one of their core values. The team my son plays for (Bethesda) has kids from all over VA and Maryland (like from Stafford up to Baltimore and beyond), but the vast majority of kids on my son's team and on the other teams in his age group have played for Bethesda (or Olney, our newly affiliated club) for many years, which seems to be the ideal. I will say that the two Arlington teams we are familiar with, the boys U14 and U15 teams, both seem to have retained a core group of players for many years as well, and both these teams are very impressive.

I'd note that in general it's a challenging time for a lot of area clubs these days with the ascendance of the Development Academy and ECNL, and other factors like the tensions between USYSA and US Club soccer, which sanction most of the youth leagues in the country. It is good to be aware of the pressures clubs face in trying to stay competitive when you are evaluating what actions they take with their teams. You might want to attend a board meeting or two if you have not already done so (assuming they are open to the public).

[Anonymous]

I understand that this is how the game is played among all these clubs these days. I'm just saying it's ridiculous.

Arlington recruits players from elsewhere. So those players go elsewhere. Eventually, you may have an "Arlington" team that's 1/3rd Arlington, 2/3 everywhere else. The "McLean" team will be about 1/3 McLean, with a few players from Arlington and a few from elsewhere. Hey, maybe the Arlington players can still find a home at Annandale!

And the CCL, which has all these clubs' "top" teams, claims they're all about building up from within the club! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

If you're one of the 0.1 percent, by all means try ECNL, DA or a national title-contending club. Otherwise, you're just fooling yourself, spending time in your cars you could be spending on something productive, and robbing your kids of their childhoods.

Get ... a ... grip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand that this is how the game is played among all these clubs these days. I'm just saying it's ridiculous.

Arlington recruits players from elsewhere. So those players go elsewhere. Eventually, you may have an "Arlington" team that's 1/3rd Arlington, 2/3 everywhere else. The "McLean" team will be about 1/3 McLean, with a few players from Arlington and a few from elsewhere. Hey, maybe the Arlington players can still find a home at Annandale!

And the CCL, which has all these clubs' "top" teams, claims they're all about building up from within the club! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

If you're one of the 0.1 percent, by all means try ECNL, DA or a national title-contending club. Otherwise, you're just fooling yourself, spending time in your cars you could be spending on something productive, and robbing your kids of their childhoods.

Get ... a ... grip.

+100 Well said. Do you think any of the crazies in this area will listen? I know high school kids who can barely get out of bed in the morning from all the "high-level" soccer they've been playing through the years. And the one's who don't make it (which is to say the majority) always lament so much time wasted for one thing and a crippled body to show for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand that this is how the game is played among all these clubs these days. I'm just saying it's ridiculous.

Arlington recruits players from elsewhere. So those players go elsewhere. Eventually, you may have an "Arlington" team that's 1/3rd Arlington, 2/3 everywhere else. The "McLean" team will be about 1/3 McLean, with a few players from Arlington and a few from elsewhere. Hey, maybe the Arlington players can still find a home at Annandale!

And the CCL, which has all these clubs' "top" teams, claims they're all about building up from within the club! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

If you're one of the 0.1 percent, by all means try ECNL, DA or a national title-contending club. Otherwise, you're just fooling yourself, spending time in your cars you could be spending on something productive, and robbing your kids of their childhoods.

Get ... a ... grip.

+100 Well said. Do you think any of the crazies in this area will listen?

Nope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand that this is how the game is played among all these clubs these days. I'm just saying it's ridiculous.

Arlington recruits players from elsewhere. So those players go elsewhere. Eventually, you may have an "Arlington" team that's 1/3rd Arlington, 2/3 everywhere else. The "McLean" team will be about 1/3 McLean, with a few players from Arlington and a few from elsewhere. Hey, maybe the Arlington players can still find a home at Annandale!

And the CCL, which has all these clubs' "top" teams, claims they're all about building up from within the club! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

If you're one of the 0.1 percent, by all means try ECNL, DA or a national title-contending club. Otherwise, you're just fooling yourself, spending time in your cars you could be spending on something productive, and robbing your kids of their childhoods.

Get ... a ... grip.

+100 Well said. Do you think any of the crazies in this area will listen? I know high school kids who can barely get out of bed in the morning from all the "high-level" soccer they've been playing through the years. And the one's who don't make it (which is to say the majority) always lament so much time wasted for one thing and a crippled body to show for it.

Whoa. If the travel soccer scene in NOVA is resulting in crippled children who have been robbed of their childhoods, I'd advise people to try a club in Maryland or DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand that this is how the game is played among all these clubs these days. I'm just saying it's ridiculous.

Arlington recruits players from elsewhere. So those players go elsewhere. Eventually, you may have an "Arlington" team that's 1/3rd Arlington, 2/3 everywhere else. The "McLean" team will be about 1/3 McLean, with a few players from Arlington and a few from elsewhere. Hey, maybe the Arlington players can still find a home at Annandale!

And the CCL, which has all these clubs' "top" teams, claims they're all about building up from within the club! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

If you're one of the 0.1 percent, by all means try ECNL, DA or a national title-contending club. Otherwise, you're just fooling yourself, spending time in your cars you could be spending on something productive, and robbing your kids of their childhoods.

Get ... a ... grip.

+100 Well said. Do you think any of the crazies in this area will listen? I know high school kids who can barely get out of bed in the morning from all the "high-level" soccer they've been playing through the years. And the one's who don't make it (which is to say the majority) always lament so much time wasted for one thing and a crippled body to show for it.

Whoa. If the travel soccer scene in NOVA is resulting in crippled children who have been robbed of their childhoods, I'd advise people to try a club in Maryland or DC.

I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone miss the point in spectacular fashion that this. (Unless you're being ironic, in which case, major kudos.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand that this is how the game is played among all these clubs these days. I'm just saying it's ridiculous.

Arlington recruits players from elsewhere. So those players go elsewhere. Eventually, you may have an "Arlington" team that's 1/3rd Arlington, 2/3 everywhere else. The "McLean" team will be about 1/3 McLean, with a few players from Arlington and a few from elsewhere. Hey, maybe the Arlington players can still find a home at Annandale!

And the CCL, which has all these clubs' "top" teams, claims they're all about building up from within the club! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

If you're one of the 0.1 percent, by all means try ECNL, DA or a national title-contending club. Otherwise, you're just fooling yourself, spending time in your cars you could be spending on something productive, and robbing your kids of their childhoods.

Get ... a ... grip.

+100 Well said. Do you think any of the crazies in this area will listen? I know high school kids who can barely get out of bed in the morning from all the "high-level" soccer they've been playing through the years. And the one's who don't make it (which is to say the majority) always lament so much time wasted for one thing and a crippled body to show for it.

Whoa. If the travel soccer scene in NOVA is resulting in crippled children who have been robbed of their childhoods, I'd advise people to try a club in Maryland or DC.

I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone miss the point in spectacular fashion that this. (Unless you're being ironic, in which case, major kudos.)

"more spectacular fashion than this," that is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand that this is how the game is played among all these clubs these days. I'm just saying it's ridiculous.

Arlington recruits players from elsewhere. So those players go elsewhere. Eventually, you may have an "Arlington" team that's 1/3rd Arlington, 2/3 everywhere else. The "McLean" team will be about 1/3 McLean, with a few players from Arlington and a few from elsewhere. Hey, maybe the Arlington players can still find a home at Annandale!

And the CCL, which has all these clubs' "top" teams, claims they're all about building up from within the club! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

If you're one of the 0.1 percent, by all means try ECNL, DA or a national title-contending club. Otherwise, you're just fooling yourself, spending time in your cars you could be spending on something productive, and robbing your kids of their childhoods.

Get ... a ... grip.

+100 Well said. Do you think any of the crazies in this area will listen? I know high school kids who can barely get out of bed in the morning from all the "high-level" soccer they've been playing through the years. And the one's who don't make it (which is to say the majority) always lament so much time wasted for one thing and a crippled body to show for it.

Whoa. If the travel soccer scene in NOVA is resulting in crippled children who have been robbed of their childhoods, I'd advise people to try a club in Maryland or DC.

I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone miss the point in spectacular fashion that this. (Unless you're being ironic, in which case, major kudos.)

If you are referrying to my "Whoa..." comment, then yes. Sarcasm was intended.