Travel Soccer teams around NOVA let's discuss

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Politics at the youth clubs around here are ridiculous. The coaches stand around in a circle at tryouts not even watching the play on the fields. Why? Teams are already picked. They just take the same kids from year-to-year even as they get progressively worse. If you aren't on a top team at 8 or 9---your career is over in most clubs. It doesn't matter how good you get---there is a bottle-stopper on your head that prevents any upward movement. It's a system that doesn't reward sheer talent/skill, drive and hard work. Players should have to fight for their spot every single year--not just have it be a given as it is at most clubs in the area. I don't even think kids know the term 'cut' in this area. It doesn't happen. Everyone gets a trophy and nobody gets cut or demoted. This is what kills a player's self-esteem and drives them out of the sport in droves by middle school. You get left with mediocrity.

Is it really true that this happens at "most clubs"? We have found that a lot of area clubs try pretty hard to put together highly competitive teams, and will promote/demote/recruit as necessary to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Politics at the youth clubs around here are ridiculous. The coaches stand around in a circle at tryouts not even watching the play on the fields. Why? Teams are already picked. They just take the same kids from year-to-year even as they get progressively worse. If you aren't on a top team at 8 or 9---your career is over in most clubs. It doesn't matter how good you get---there is a bottle-stopper on your head that prevents any upward movement. It's a system that doesn't reward sheer talent/skill, drive and hard work. Players should have to fight for their spot every single year--not just have it be a given as it is at most clubs in the area. I don't even think kids know the term 'cut' in this area. It doesn't happen. Everyone gets a trophy and nobody gets cut or demoted. This is what kills a player's self-esteem and drives them out of the sport in droves by middle school. You get left with mediocrity.

Is it really true that this happens at "most clubs"? We have found that a lot of area clubs try pretty hard to put together highly competitive teams, and will promote/demote/recruit as necessary to do so.

What happens after every tryout, whether club, school or ODP, is that parents who are unhappy with where their little superstar has been placed will claim that it's because of the dreaded "politics". Almost always though, it's because their kid is not quite the superstar that they think s/he is. Like you said, most coaches want to have the best players possible because it makes their jobs easier and makes them look better. Now do coaches get selections wrong? Of course, but it's rarely due to politics, but rather inability to properly evaluate players during a limited tryout period, incompetence, laziness or bad recommendations from other coaches. But unhappy parents need an excuse to justify what happened and crying politics provides an easy answer that requires no real evidence in support and can't be readily disproved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Politics at the youth clubs around here are ridiculous. The coaches stand around in a circle at tryouts not even watching the play on the fields. Why? Teams are already picked. They just take the same kids from year-to-year even as they get progressively worse. If you aren't on a top team at 8 or 9---your career is over in most clubs. It doesn't matter how good you get---there is a bottle-stopper on your head that prevents any upward movement. It's a system that doesn't reward sheer talent/skill, drive and hard work. Players should have to fight for their spot every single year--not just have it be a given as it is at most clubs in the area. I don't even think kids know the term 'cut' in this area. It doesn't happen. Everyone gets a trophy and nobody gets cut or demoted. This is what kills a player's self-esteem and drives them out of the sport in droves by middle school. You get left with mediocrity.

Is it really true that this happens at "most clubs"? We have found that a lot of area clubs try pretty hard to put together highly competitive teams, and will promote/demote/recruit as necessary to do so.

What happens after every tryout, whether club, school or ODP, is that parents who are unhappy with where their little superstar has been placed will claim that it's because of the dreaded "politics". Almost always though, it's because their kid is not quite the superstar that they think s/he is. Like you said, most coaches want to have the best players possible because it makes their jobs easier and makes them look better. Now do coaches get selections wrong? Of course, but it's rarely due to politics, but rather inability to properly evaluate players during a limited tryout period, incompetence, laziness or bad recommendations from other coaches. But unhappy parents need an excuse to justify what happened and crying politics provides an easy answer that requires no real evidence in support and can't be readily disproved.

We haven't found the above to be the case. We left a bottom team at a top local club after being recruited to play on the 'A' team at two comparable clubs.

My son is much happier. The teams train together instead of not letting the A/B teams anywhere near the C/D teams. There is constant movement and a feeling of comarderie amongst the kids---you know 'team' feeling.

At his old club he wasn't allowed to scrimmage or even be on the same tryout scrimmage with the A/B players for two years. It was f@cjng ridiculous...and talk about ass-kissing . I couldn't stomach the parent meetings. At our club, the squeaky wheel's kid got what he wanted. Those relying on talent to do talking are still waiting... Of course, douchebags like the pp always want to claim it's just a disgruntled parent problem--couldn't possibly be that it's time for some players to make the slow march down the ranks

[Anonymous]

You're very willing to call people names so why aren't you willing to provide ANY details supporting your belief that it was politics that caused your little Messi to be on the D team?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Politics at the youth clubs around here are ridiculous. The coaches stand around in a circle at tryouts not even watching the play on the fields. Why? Teams are already picked. They just take the same kids from year-to-year even as they get progressively worse. If you aren't on a top team at 8 or 9---your career is over in most clubs. It doesn't matter how good you get---there is a bottle-stopper on your head that prevents any upward movement. It's a system that doesn't reward sheer talent/skill, drive and hard work. Players should have to fight for their spot every single year--not just have it be a given as it is at most clubs in the area. I don't even think kids know the term 'cut' in this area. It doesn't happen. Everyone gets a trophy and nobody gets cut or demoted. This is what kills a player's self-esteem and drives them out of the sport in droves by middle school. You get left with mediocrity.

Is it really true that this happens at "most clubs"? We have found that a lot of area clubs try pretty hard to put together highly competitive teams, and will promote/demote/recruit as necessary to do so.

What happens after every tryout, whether club, school or ODP, is that parents who are unhappy with where their little superstar has been placed will claim that it's because of the dreaded "politics". Almost always though, it's because their kid is not quite the superstar that they think s/he is. Like you said, most coaches want to have the best players possible because it makes their jobs easier and makes them look better. Now do coaches get selections wrong? Of course, but it's rarely due to politics, but rather inability to properly evaluate players during a limited tryout period, incompetence, laziness or bad recommendations from other coaches. But unhappy parents need an excuse to justify what happened and crying politics provides an easy answer that requires no real evidence in support and can't be readily disproved.

We haven't found the above to be the case. We left a bottom team at a top local club after being recruited to play on the 'A' team at two comparable clubs.

My son is much happier. The teams train together instead of not letting the A/B teams anywhere near the C/D teams. There is constant movement and a feeling of comarderie amongst the kids---you know 'team' feeling.

At his old club he wasn't allowed to scrimmage or even be on the same tryout scrimmage with the A/B players for two years. It was f@cjng ridiculous...and talk about ass-kissing . I couldn't stomach the parent meetings. At our club, the squeaky wheel's kid got what he wanted. Those relying on talent to do talking are still waiting... Of course, douchebags like the pp always want to claim it's just a disgruntled parent problem--couldn't possibly be that it's time for some players to make the slow march down the ranks

But ... you proved his point. You're not set in stone on a C/D team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Politics at the youth clubs around here are ridiculous. The coaches stand around in a circle at tryouts not even watching the play on the fields. Why? Teams are already picked. They just take the same kids from year-to-year even as they get progressively worse. If you aren't on a top team at 8 or 9---your career is over in most clubs. It doesn't matter how good you get---there is a bottle-stopper on your head that prevents any upward movement. It's a system that doesn't reward sheer talent/skill, drive and hard work. Players should have to fight for their spot every single year--not just have it be a given as it is at most clubs in the area. I don't even think kids know the term 'cut' in this area. It doesn't happen. Everyone gets a trophy and nobody gets cut or demoted. This is what kills a player's self-esteem and drives them out of the sport in droves by middle school. You get left with mediocrity.

Is it really true that this happens at "most clubs"? We have found that a lot of area clubs try pretty hard to put together highly competitive teams, and will promote/demote/recruit as necessary to do so.

What happens after every tryout, whether club, school or ODP, is that parents who are unhappy with where their little superstar has been placed will claim that it's because of the dreaded "politics". Almost always though, it's because their kid is not quite the superstar that they think s/he is. Like you said, most coaches want to have the best players possible because it makes their jobs easier and makes them look better. Now do coaches get selections wrong? Of course, but it's rarely due to politics, but rather inability to properly evaluate players during a limited tryout period, incompetence, laziness or bad recommendations from other coaches. But unhappy parents need an excuse to justify what happened and crying politics provides an easy answer that requires no real evidence in support and can't be readily disproved.

We haven't found the above to be the case. We left a bottom team at a top local club after being recruited to play on the 'A' team at two comparable clubs.

My son is much happier. The teams train together instead of not letting the A/B teams anywhere near the C/D teams. There is constant movement and a feeling of comarderie amongst the kids---you know 'team' feeling.

At his old club he wasn't allowed to scrimmage or even be on the same tryout scrimmage with the A/B players for two years. It was f@cjng ridiculous...and talk about ass-kissing . I couldn't stomach the parent meetings. At our club, the squeaky wheel's kid got what he wanted. Those relying on talent to do talking are still waiting... Of course, douchebags like the pp always want to claim it's just a disgruntled parent problem--couldn't possibly be that it's time for some players to make the slow march down the ranks

But ... you proved his point. You're not set in stone on a C/D team.

Only by moving to a DIFFERENT club. If we had stayed at same club we would have remained where we were. There were only 2 movements. Nobody can say in kids that age that skill/ability doesn't change in a few short years (and often drastically). If a club doesn't train and do mixed scrummages amongst all of it's 35-45 players at the U9-12 age groups--something is wrong.

[Anonymous]

My experience is quite different. In my son's club, out of 9 players in last year first U10 travel team that tried out for U11 this summer, 3 graduated to the first U11 team, 2 to the second one, 2 to the third one and 2 were let go. This year U11 has actually more players from last year "second" team than from the first one.
It was consistent with the club's motto that all teams are equal at the U9-U10 level, even if it surprised many parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My experience is quite different. In my son's club, out of 9 players in last year first U10 travel team that tried out for U11 this summer, 3 graduated to the first U11 team, 2 to the second one, 2 to the third one and 2 were let go. This year U11 has actually more players from last year "second" team than from the first one.
It was consistent with the club's motto that all teams are equal at the U9-U10 level, even if it surprised many parents.

How many moved down?

[Anonymous]

Only by moving to a DIFFERENT club. If we had stayed at same club we would have remained where we were. There were only 2 movements. Nobody can say in kids that age that skill/ability doesn't change in a few short years (and often drastically). If a club doesn't train and do mixed scrummages amongst all of it's 35-45 players at the U9-12 age groups--something is wrong.

Something is wrong all right, most clubs are more concerned about money than doing what's best for the players

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My experience is quite different. In my son's club, out of 9 players in last year first U10 travel team that tried out for U11 this summer, 3 graduated to the first U11 team, 2 to the second one, 2 to the third one and 2 were let go. This year U11 has actually more players from last year "second" team than from the first one.
It was consistent with the club's motto that all teams are equal at the U9-U10 level, even if it surprised many parents.

How many moved down?

As I said, from U10 to U11, only 3 players stayed in the first team while the 6 others who tried out were selected for the other teams or were not selected at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Only by moving to a DIFFERENT club. If we had stayed at same club we would have remained where we were. There were only 2 movements. Nobody can say in kids that age that skill/ability doesn't change in a few short years (and often drastically). If a club doesn't train and do mixed scrummages amongst all of it's 35-45 players at the U9-12 age groups--something is wrong.

Something is wrong all right, most clubs are more concerned about money than doing what's best for the players



Agree.

[Anonymous]

I wish some of the people with very passionate gripes would call out their clubs. At least the Vienna parents aren't afraid to do that. I'm guess it's Arlington that doesn't allow move ups due to "politics"...at least that's what I've read on this post in the past. But I don't understand...Arlington [or Loudoun or whoever] is a huge club. Why would it need to appease a parent or two and keep a kid or two on the top team when he doesn't deserve it? I mean if you demote a kid and the kid wants to leave, let him leave. Most clubs have tons of kids (with plenty of money) to replace him. What's one or two kids...unless it's truly politics and the parents know the coach or directors and are able to pull strings. But as Doc Rivers has said...."I never met a coach that doesn't want to win." and clubs are under pressure for their top teams to win. I don't get this. I think it's more of what the one previous poster said and that your kid doesn't really deserve to move up and it's just in your head. Just because your kid might be able to score a goal or two against other clubs' 3rd teams, it doesn't mean that he'd be able to do it against 1st teams. There is a HUGE difference between the quality of play between some 1st teams and 2nd teams and 3rd teams...etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish some of the people with very passionate gripes would call out their clubs. At least the Vienna parents aren't afraid to do that. I'm guess it's Arlington that doesn't allow move ups due to "politics"...at least that's what I've read on this post in the past. But I don't understand...Arlington [or Loudoun or whoever] is a huge club. Why would it need to appease a parent or two and keep a kid or two on the top team when he doesn't deserve it? I mean if you demote a kid and the kid wants to leave, let him leave. Most clubs have tons of kids (with plenty of money) to replace him. What's one or two kids...unless it's truly politics and the parents know the coach or directors and are able to pull strings. But as Doc Rivers has said...."I never met a coach that doesn't want to win." and clubs are under pressure for their top teams to win. I don't get this. I think it's more of what the one previous poster said and that your kid doesn't really deserve to move up and it's just in your head. Just because your kid might be able to score a goal or two against other clubs' 3rd teams, it doesn't mean that he'd be able to do it against 1st teams. There is a HUGE difference between the quality of play between some 1st teams and 2nd teams and 3rd teams...etc.

It is pretty common all around. Very rarely do kids on the A team tryout at a different club because there is little incentive to. Coaches are sloooooow to change their minds on kids. It isn't enough that a B or C team kid improves, they have to blow away kids on the A team to move the needle.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know how many players is NCSL allowing to play up for the U9- U12 age group?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know how many players is NCSL allowing to play up for the U9- U12 age group?

Someone posted that a page or two back. I'm to lazy to look though