Travel Soccer?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Douchebags have taken over the sport in this country.

I grew up in this area and it used to be only the very, very best kids played travel soccer. There used to be one team per town. If you weren't one of the 15 kids you played "house league". Now there are "B", "C", "D" and so-on and if your parents are willing to take the time and $ you will be able to get your child on a traveling soccer team. Then- the rest of us get to hear you drone on and on about your 'superstar'.

I have a sibling that played professional and I played on a National team. The fact these traveling coaches get paid a salary is IMO ridiculous. My dad used to do it for free and was more knowledgable than what passes for coaches nowadays.

I am really surprised that you are saying that as a former player. It seems like soccer has advanced a ton in the US in the last 2 decades and I think that is great. The growth of youth soccer has been the base of this advancement. With more kids playing there need to be good competitive opportunities for them. The whole structure has changed, especially with the introduction of the Development Academies. That is where the top kids are. But why not let the next tier of players be well coached too? In our experience the professional coaches have been excellent, parent coaches not so much.

i believe 17:25's point was, at $3K a pop, current travel soccer is more about money than talent/passion. other than the A teams the rest is just a bunch of rich wannabe kids who should just compete in rec leagues.

Yup. If you're willing to pay, your kid can play "travel" soccer somewhere. It's helps subsidize the good coaches for the A-team kids. It's such a joke

I'll never understand why people are so offended by the idea of letting more kids play travel. At younger ages, puberty has not yet sorted out the early bloomers from the actual talents. At older ages, why not let everyone have the experience?

No argument from me about the cost -- too many tournaments, too much travel, too many b.s. "elite" leagues, etc.

Didnt you just contradict yourself with the first and second part of your post?

Not at all. "Travel" itself isn't the ridiculous part. The trouble is that so many people get hyper about it. "More tournaments! We need GotSoccer points! And this 'elite' league wouldn't let us in, so let's form another one and drive to New Jersey for league games!"

The basic experience -- committing to a team, trying to get better, traveling (not too far away or too much) -- is fine. No reason that shouldn't be open to as many kids as possible.

But with so many kids playing travel, you can argue that to find competition you shouldn't have to travel very far at all. Personally, I think it's a way to stroke parental egos, while providing full-employment for soccer trainers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Not at all. "Travel" itself isn't the ridiculous part. The trouble is that so many people get hyper about it. "More tournaments! We need GotSoccer points! And this 'elite' league wouldn't let us in, so let's form another one and drive to New Jersey for league games!"

The basic experience -- committing to a team, trying to get better, traveling (not too far away or too much) -- is fine. No reason that shouldn't be open to as many kids as possible.

But with so many kids playing travel, you can argue that to find competition you shouldn't have to travel very far at all. Personally, I think it's a way to stroke parental egos, while providing full-employment for soccer trainers.

Sure, you shouldn't have to travel very far, at least for league play. One or two tournaments away from home each year can be fun. All that can be done relatively cheaply.

It's really why it's better in a lot of respects to be on a B, C or D team than it is to be on an A team.

[Anonymous]

Poor Experience with Potomac Soccer - Very inconsistent coaching. It’s great if you get a good coach, but odds are you won’t. Potomac does a very poor job of screening, hiring or training coaches. Most coaches we had were not high quality. The teams are also not supported by a strong club philosophy, so training methods are also very inconsistent. As a whole the club does not promote strong technical development of its players, which is critical for young players who want to play in high school. My kid was well behind when we finally switched clubs. We always had really nice fields to practice on, but that may have been due to some parents making that happen.

[Anonymous]

Where, pray tell, is there a club in suburban Maryland with a "strong club philosophy"? Sounds like you also think this club is poor at spotting and supporting elite talent. Hope your DC gets more playing time in the new environment.

[Anonymous]

Sadly an experience like PP's with Potomac Soccer is not limited to that club. We're with a different club, had a fantastic coach one year and a bad coach another year. You never really which coach you will end up with when you accept the spot so there doesn't seem to be a good way to control for it. It seems like all clubs have good coaches and bad, just like schools have good teachers and bad.

[Anonymous]

Fairly obvious I know but when deciding about where to tryout please:

1. Make sure you know who the coach will be and, if different, who will be the trainer. Don't wait for the day of tryouts to find out. Pick up the phone and ask a week ahead. Yes clubs can't promise there will not be a change. Coaches quit all the time. But, you can know the plan going in.

2. Do some research. Watch a practice and a game coached by the proposed coach if at all possible. Talk to a couple parents and see what they think. What license does the coach have? How long with the club?

Coaches need to be thinking about making all the kids better. As a parent you need to looking at the best environment for your kid within family cost and logistic parameters. That means different things to different people. Focus on what works for your kid and family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where, pray tell, is there a club in suburban Maryland with a "strong club philosophy"? Sounds like you also think this club is poor at spotting and supporting elite talent. Hope your DC gets more playing time in the new environment.

Not sure why we would revive a 9-year old thread (started in 2008!) for this topic, but Bethesda feels like an actual club rather than a random assortment of teams under one banner, and at least for boys' provides very good technical training in the young age groups. Potomac can be an ok alternative if you don't make a top team at Bethesda or feel unappreciated there, or if you get an offer from one of the good coaches. It's also a good place for independent teams to go if they are looking to play in one of the leagues Potomac participates in since there are openings for teams at most age groups, especially on the girls' side. Potomac hasn't put much focus on the girls' side, at least for the last decade or so, and I've never been sure why.