Discussion: What actually matters to you about your club and coaches?

[Anonymous]

Close and convenient for me (multiple kids, multiple activities, so has to be)

How has no one mentioned sportsmanship? The guy screaming at his players, the ref, the other team - we would never stand for that

Plus what many others have said...

[Anonymous]

In no particular order: quality of competition, amount of play time, quality of coaching, and small roster size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In no particular order: quality of competition, amount of play time, quality of coaching, and small roster size.

Small roster size with quality players and away games within 1 hour driving distance. (Unfortunately, Santa Clause won’t be able to deliver this.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm going to put in a plug here for *efficiency.*

What I mean in general is a relatively high proportion of the overall time spent on soccer (including practice and game travel) to the time spent with a ball at your feet, with a higher premium on game time. So driving to Connecticut (4 or 5 hours each way) for 11 minutes of game time is atrociously inefficient. Driving to Connecticut for just about anything is inefficient. The longer I've been at this travel soccer thing, the more I'm convinced that it's not the actual time spent at practice and games that burns out the kids--it's 20 minutes of playing time in a "home" game taking up 4.5 hours (an hour each way to the game, hour warmup, 1.5 hr game). Burns out the parents, too.

Also, it's dumb. DCU academy has to go to NYCFC academy to find a team that can beat them? Dumb

ECNL teams have to go to the Carolinas to play games? Dumb (but not as inefficient as going to NYC and back for just one game)

Yeah, I value a club that values the time of their parents and players. Efficiency.

Well said. I’d add that the hour long warmup gets annoying when 1) there is no space to warmup, 2) the coach shows up 5 mins before kickoff, 3) the kids are 9 and don’t need an hour to get warmed up, 4) it’s pouring or 100 degrees out or 5) the game is 4 hours away.

Regarding the parents, I’ve noticed that when parents are frustrated with a team, especially with inefficiency, lack of communication, etc. their kid will almost always pick up on that and the negativity cascades down and has an impact on a kid’s interest, performance, etc.

[Anonymous]

soccer utopia

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In no particular order: quality of competition, amount of play time, quality of coaching, and small roster size.

Small roster size with quality players and away games within 1 hour driving distance. (Unfortunately, Santa Clause won’t be able to deliver this.)

True, but as a matter of necessity, I've accepted to drive further to get to better. I'd have to move to Europe or Latin America for that kind of convenience. And quite frankly, even in Europe, players often have to board to get into the high quality academies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent, I want a coach who :
- is competent in all tactical and strategic aspects of soccer and can communicate (teach) these
- is smart enough to balance player development and team competitiveness appropriate to the age group
- is excellent at interpersonal communication with kids
- is good at interpersonal communication with parents
- has excellent integrity, means what he says, says what he means
- develops and communicates criteria for roster and playing time decisions and enforces it uniformly
- is approachable, open, honest, and respectful with regard to parent communications

As a parent of still youngish players, all of these things, and especially the bolded one.

We have a coach that loves to make snide comments about players to those other players around him. For example: Why is she too stupid to not go get the ball? If she weren't 10 lbs over weight she would have beat her defender. Too personal, too petty, not soccer related. Kids will always share what they hear. It honestly disgusts me that people tolerate this

Sounds like Gus. Almost verbatim. He also bad mouths other coaches (especially Bobby). Not to their face of course. Part of the reason the 05 team and their parents struggle with Bobby as they all played for Gus pre-DA.

[Anonymous]

All my kid wanted from Travel was a team that played good hard games, a supportive coach who knows his stuff and a few practices a week.

Kid quit travel at 15.

We don't know why but this proved to be almost impossible to achieve. We still don’t understand why it was so hard.

He went back to rec at 15, had some fun and played other sports, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent, I want a coach who :
- is competent in all tactical and strategic aspects of soccer and can communicate (teach) these
- is smart enough to balance player development and team competitiveness appropriate to the age group
- is excellent at interpersonal communication with kids
- is good at interpersonal communication with parents
- has excellent integrity, means what he says, says what he means
- develops and communicates criteria for roster and playing time decisions and enforces it uniformly
- is approachable, open, honest, and respectful with regard to parent communications

As a parent of still youngish players, all of these things, and especially the bolded one.

We have a coach that loves to make snide comments about players to those other players around him. For example: Why is she too stupid to not go get the ball? If she weren't 10 lbs over weight she would have beat her defender. Too personal, too petty, not soccer related. Kids will always share what they hear. It honestly disgusts me that people tolerate this

But yet you stay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent, I want a coach who :
- is competent in all tactical and strategic aspects of soccer and can communicate (teach) these
- is smart enough to balance player development and team competitiveness appropriate to the age group
- is excellent at interpersonal communication with kids
- is good at interpersonal communication with parents
- has excellent integrity, means what he says, says what he means
- develops and communicates criteria for roster and playing time decisions and enforces it uniformly
- is approachable, open, honest, and respectful with regard to parent communications

As a parent of still youngish players, all of these things, and especially the bolded one.

We have a coach that loves to make snide comments about players to those other players around him. For example: Why is she too stupid to not go get the ball? If she weren't 10 lbs over weight she would have beat her defender. Too personal, too petty, not soccer related. Kids will always share what they hear. It honestly disgusts me that people tolerate this

Sounds like Gus. Almost verbatim. He also bad mouths other coaches (especially Bobby). Not to their face of course. Part of the reason the 05 team and their parents struggle with Bobby as they all played for Gus pre-DA.

No this was all about Bobby - the bad talker

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent, I want a coach who :
- is competent in all tactical and strategic aspects of soccer and can communicate (teach) these
- is smart enough to balance player development and team competitiveness appropriate to the age group
- is excellent at interpersonal communication with kids
- is good at interpersonal communication with parents
- has excellent integrity, means what he says, says what he means
- develops and communicates criteria for roster and playing time decisions and enforces it uniformly
- is approachable, open, honest, and respectful with regard to parent communications

As a parent of still youngish players, all of these things, and especially the bolded one.

We have a coach that loves to make snide comments about players to those other players around him. For example: Why is she too stupid to not go get the ball? If she weren't 10 lbs over weight she would have beat her defender. Too personal, too petty, not soccer related. Kids will always share what they hear. It honestly disgusts me that people tolerate this

Sounds like Gus. Almost verbatim. He also bad mouths other coaches (especially Bobby). Not to their face of course. Part of the reason the 05 team and their parents struggle with Bobby as they all played for Gus pre-DA.

No this was all about Bobby - the bad talker

No it wasn’t. Try ECNL. Had nothing to do with FCV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent, I want a coach who :
- is competent in all tactical and strategic aspects of soccer and can communicate (teach) these
- is smart enough to balance player development and team competitiveness appropriate to the age group
- is excellent at interpersonal communication with kids
- is good at interpersonal communication with parents
- has excellent integrity, means what he says, says what he means
- develops and communicates criteria for roster and playing time decisions and enforces it uniformly
- is approachable, open, honest, and respectful with regard to parent communications

As a parent of still youngish players, all of these things, and especially the bolded one.

We have a coach that loves to make snide comments about players to those other players around him. For example: Why is she too stupid to not go get the ball? If she weren't 10 lbs over weight she would have beat her defender. Too personal, too petty, not soccer related. Kids will always share what they hear. It honestly disgusts me that people tolerate this

Sounds like Gus. Almost verbatim. He also bad mouths other coaches (especially Bobby). Not to their face of course. Part of the reason the 05 team and their parents struggle with Bobby as they all played for Gus pre-DA.

No this was all about Bobby - the bad talker

No it wasn’t. Try ECNL. Had nothing to do with FCV.

Sounds like your kid is a snowflake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent, I want a coach who :
- is competent in all tactical and strategic aspects of soccer and can communicate (teach) these
- is smart enough to balance player development and team competitiveness appropriate to the age group
- is excellent at interpersonal communication with kids
- is good at interpersonal communication with parents
- has excellent integrity, means what he says, says what he means
- develops and communicates criteria for roster and playing time decisions and enforces it uniformly
- is approachable, open, honest, and respectful with regard to parent communications

As a parent of still youngish players, all of these things, and especially the bolded one.

We have a coach that loves to make snide comments about players to those other players around him. For example: Why is she too stupid to not go get the ball? If she weren't 10 lbs over weight she would have beat her defender. Too personal, too petty, not soccer related. Kids will always share what they hear. It honestly disgusts me that people tolerate this

They weren't suspended recently were they???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent, I want a coach who :
- is competent in all tactical and strategic aspects of soccer and can communicate (teach) these
- is smart enough to balance player development and team competitiveness appropriate to the age group
- is excellent at interpersonal communication with kids
- is good at interpersonal communication with parents
- has excellent integrity, means what he says, says what he means
- develops and communicates criteria for roster and playing time decisions and enforces it uniformly
- is approachable, open, honest, and respectful with regard to parent communications

As a parent of still youngish players, all of these things, and especially the bolded one.

We have a coach that loves to make snide comments about players to those other players around him. For example: Why is she too stupid to not go get the ball? If she weren't 10 lbs over weight she would have beat her defender. Too personal, too petty, not soccer related. Kids will always share what they hear. It honestly disgusts me that people tolerate this

Sounds like Gus. Almost verbatim. He also bad mouths other coaches (especially Bobby). Not to their face of course. Part of the reason the 05 team and their parents struggle with Bobby as they all played for Gus pre-DA.

No this was all about Bobby - the bad talker

No it wasn’t. Try ECNL. Had nothing to do with FCV.

Sounds like your kid is a snowflake.

It takes a snowflake to know a snowflake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent, I want a coach who :
- is competent in all tactical and strategic aspects of soccer and can communicate (teach) these
- is smart enough to balance player development and team competitiveness appropriate to the age group
- is excellent at interpersonal communication with kids
- is good at interpersonal communication with parents
- has excellent integrity, means what he says, says what he means
- develops and communicates criteria for roster and playing time decisions and enforces it uniformly
- is approachable, open, honest, and respectful with regard to parent communications

As a parent of still youngish players, all of these things, and especially the bolded one.

We have a coach that loves to make snide comments about players to those other players around him. For example: Why is she too stupid to not go get the ball? If she weren't 10 lbs over weight she would have beat her defender. Too personal, too petty, not soccer related. Kids will always share what they hear. It honestly disgusts me that people tolerate this

Sounds like Gus. Almost verbatim. He also bad mouths other coaches (especially Bobby). Not to their face of course. Part of the reason the 05 team and their parents struggle with Bobby as they all played for Gus pre-DA.

No this was all about Bobby - the bad talker

No it wasn’t. Try ECNL. Had nothing to do with FCV.

Nadir?