Travel Soccer teams around NOVA let's discuss

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Is it your problem if a lot of good players leave (or never play) CCL because of the travel, watering down the competition.

Because ... that's happening.

Zero chance a lot of good players leave CCL because they have to travel to a few away games. One tournament could require more travel than all those league games combined.

Wrong.

We aren't the only ones on our team that left CCL club for top NCSL this year. There are excellent players and teams in top divisions of NCSL.

Tournaments are different anyways. You have a minimum 3-4 games vs sitting in traffic (like we did for VA beach game)...4+ hours ONE WAY...for ONE game!!! The 2hours+ to Fredericksburg one-way was also a complete PIA.

I played on a National Champion travel team from this area as a kid and we weren't driving anywhere near that far for regular season games.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Is it your problem if a lot of good players leave (or never play) CCL because of the travel, watering down the competition.

Because ... that's happening.

Zero chance a lot of good players leave CCL because they have to travel to a few away games. One tournament could require more travel than all those league games combined.

Wrong.

We aren't the only ones on our team that left CCL club for top NCSL this year. There are excellent players and teams in top divisions of NCSL.

Tournaments are different anyways. You have a minimum 3-4 games vs sitting in traffic (like we did for VA beach game)...4+ hours ONE WAY...for ONE game!!! The 2hours+ to Fredericksburg one-way was also a complete PIA.

I played on a National Champion travel team from this area as a kid and we weren't driving anywhere near that far for regular season games.

Coaches, do you like having to travel that far???? I know many have families and day jobs. Not sure where the incentive is coming from...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it funny that people get so defensive about their choices that they assume no more than one person may choose something else.

I wrote the 07/18/2016 18:03 post. I don't live in Annandale, and I didn't write the "15 miles" post. I also don't have a kid in CCL.

Plenty of people have issues with the travel, and it holds back the league.

I think CCL's administrators are well-intentioned, and I think they're trying to deal with the travel. But the bottom line is that you're still driving to Roanoke for a game that's not as good as they game you could have in Reston.

To answer another question: Who would Loudoun's fifth and sixth teams play? Same as now -- ODSL teams. Except they might have more local teams in the league.

Again, don't join the team that plays in a league that travels so far. Nobody is being defensive but complaining about travel that is avoidable if you make a simple choice.

It really doesn't matter if you made any of the posts that I referred to or not, the solution is the same regardless, put your kid on a team in a local league. I am sorry that you want the status without the inconvenience. If everyone agreed with you the leagues would fold, but they don't because people listen listen to the sales pitch.

The only way the leagues will change if people actually vote with their feet, but for every kid that walks there are 5 ready, willing and waiting to fill their spots. So either suck it up or leave, but your first world problem is your own.

Fine. Just remember not to beat your chest about CCL having all the best non-DA, non-ECNL players in the area when there are a lot of good players opting out of all that travel.

(Granted, this area has a lot of pretty good players who don't play travel at all. Or they play cheaply at some of the low-cost ODSL clubs that turn up at tournaments and beat a lot of unsuspecting teams from other leagues.)

"Status without the inconvenience"? What status? If I cared about impressing someone stuck in traffic behind me, I'd buy a fancier car. Probably a better investment than traveling all over creation just to claim "elite" status, and I'd have more of my weekends free to drive around where *I* want to go.

I really don't understand what your problem is. You can change leagues, you claim CCL isn't very good anyway, so move your kid to NCSL. All you are is stubborn and entitled.

Your kid is not forced to travel, play soccer or be on a CCL team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Is it your problem if a lot of good players leave (or never play) CCL because of the travel, watering down the competition.

Because ... that's happening.

Zero chance a lot of good players leave CCL because they have to travel to a few away games. One tournament could require more travel than all those league games combined.

Wrong.

We aren't the only ones on our team that left CCL club for top NCSL this year. There are excellent players and teams in top divisions of NCSL.

Tournaments are different anyways. You have a minimum 3-4 games vs sitting in traffic (like we did for VA beach game)...4+ hours ONE WAY...for ONE game!!! The 2hours+ to Fredericksburg one-way was also a complete PIA.

I played on a National Champion travel team from this area as a kid and we weren't driving anywhere near that far for regular season games.

To be fair, the poster did say a "lot of good players" wouldn't leave CCL, sooooo...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it funny that people get so defensive about their choices that they assume no more than one person may choose something else.

I wrote the 07/18/2016 18:03 post. I don't live in Annandale, and I didn't write the "15 miles" post. I also don't have a kid in CCL.

Plenty of people have issues with the travel, and it holds back the league.

I think CCL's administrators are well-intentioned, and I think they're trying to deal with the travel. But the bottom line is that you're still driving to Roanoke for a game that's not as good as they game you could have in Reston.

To answer another question: Who would Loudoun's fifth and sixth teams play? Same as now -- ODSL teams. Except they might have more local teams in the league.

Again, don't join the team that plays in a league that travels so far. Nobody is being defensive but complaining about travel that is avoidable if you make a simple choice.

It really doesn't matter if you made any of the posts that I referred to or not, the solution is the same regardless, put your kid on a team in a local league. I am sorry that you want the status without the inconvenience. If everyone agreed with you the leagues would fold, but they don't because people listen listen to the sales pitch.

The only way the leagues will change if people actually vote with their feet, but for every kid that walks there are 5 ready, willing and waiting to fill their spots. So either suck it up or leave, but your first world problem is your own.

Fine. Just remember not to beat your chest about CCL having all the best non-DA, non-ECNL players in the area when there are a lot of good players opting out of all that travel.

(Granted, this area has a lot of pretty good players who don't play travel at all. Or they play cheaply at some of the low-cost ODSL clubs that turn up at tournaments and beat a lot of unsuspecting teams from other leagues.)

"Status without the inconvenience"? What status? If I cared about impressing someone stuck in traffic behind me, I'd buy a fancier car. Probably a better investment than traveling all over creation just to claim "elite" status, and I'd have more of my weekends free to drive around where *I* want to go.

The "status" isn't the particular league, the 'status" is that you know your kid is no longer on the "A" team. The tone of your responses really begin to express nothing more than your own fatigue and burnout. When you said, "I'd have more of my weekends free to drive around where *I* want to go", this stopped being about your kid and it started to be about you. That is fine, you write the checks and drive the car so you are entitled to wanting to be selfish but perhaps instead of ranting on this site about all the terrible travel you should instead talk with your kid about his realistic soccer goals and find some compromise.

[Anonymous]

(Granted, this area has a lot of pretty good players who don't play travel at all. Or they play cheaply at some of the low-cost ODSL clubs that turn up at tournaments and beat a lot of unsuspecting teams from other leagues.)

Agree with the above statement, now if these leagues stopped worrying about only having the top clubs participate (including NCSL) and allow smaller clubs in than they would really see the competition and development of players evolve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:(Granted, this area has a lot of pretty good players who don't play travel at all. Or they play cheaply at some of the low-cost ODSL clubs that turn up at tournaments and beat a lot of unsuspecting teams from other leagues.)

Agree with the above statement, now if these leagues stopped worrying about only having the top clubs participate (including NCSL) and allow smaller clubs in than they would really see the competition and development of players evolve.

I think a good portion of the smaller clubs like where they are at. Again, we bemoan these leagues and the travel but not everyone wants to be a part of them, just accept that. Smaller clubs often like their role, which provides lower cost competitive soccer that kids and families can enjoy. Not everyone wants to be a part of the "rat race".

To the "I hate driving to VA Beach for a league game" join a excellent small club and just enjoy the experience.

[Anonymous]

QUESTION:

If, per NCAA rules, college coaches aren't allowed to contact players for recruiting purposes until their junior/senior year, then how do we have all these verbal commits from high school freshmen and eighth graders?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:QUESTION:

If, per NCAA rules, college coaches aren't allowed to contact players for recruiting purposes until their junior/senior year, then how do we have all these verbal commits from high school freshmen and eighth graders?

Contact is through club coaches to start. Players can talk to college coaches while they're on campus visiting -- that's when the commits happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:QUESTION:

If, per NCAA rules, college coaches aren't allowed to contact players for recruiting purposes until their junior/senior year, then how do we have all these verbal commits from high school freshmen and eighth graders?

Contact is through club coaches to start. Players can talk to college coaches while they're on campus visiting -- that's when the commits happen.

Players can also call coaches prior to junior year, and coaches are permitted to answer and speak to the prospect. But coaches can't return the players call or initiate calls to the player. It's all pretty absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:QUESTION:

If, per NCAA rules, college coaches aren't allowed to contact players for recruiting purposes until their junior/senior year, then how do we have all these verbal commits from high school freshmen and eighth graders?

Contact is through club coaches to start. Players can talk to college coaches while they're on campus visiting -- that's when the commits happen.

Players can also call coaches prior to junior year, and coaches are permitted to answer and speak to the prospect. But coaches can't return the players call or initiate calls to the player. It's all pretty absurd.

So if my 8th-9th grader isn't being contacted by a college via club coach, and isn't verbally committed to a college by 8th-9th grade, then are they assed-out to play in college???

[Anonymous]

I wasn't the one posting about driving to VA Beach, but I don't think there's anything wrong with saying...I don't see the point of having to drive to VA Beach, Roanoke, Richmond, etc when there is plenty of other competition much closer. It's valid point that I agree with. I also understand that people can vote with their feet, but sometimes that's not what is best overall so people stay and just bitch about it. Human nature. Not sure why local clubs needed to create a league with these distant clubs. I don't know the history. Maybe it was necessary at some point.

[Anonymous]

Some clubs have the attitude that if you don't want to travel excessively for no reason, you should join another club. But that's backwards. Clubs should ask THE PARENTS AND THE PLAYERS what they want to do, then do that. Much simpler kind of system than having everyone switch clubs after being stuck on the "A" team as a kind of death sentence.

[Anonymous]

I think a good portion of the smaller clubs like where they are at. Again, we bemoan these leagues and the travel but not everyone wants to be a part of them, just accept that. Smaller clubs often like their role, which provides lower cost competitive soccer that kids and families can enjoy. Not everyone wants to be a part of the "rat race".

To the "I hate driving to VA Beach for a league game" join a excellent small club and just enjoy the experience.

Not about the "rat race" but the small clubs wanting the exposure to better competition and the opportunity to continue growing. Small clubs can continue to offer competitive soccer at a lower cost. Most of the cost goes to paying coaches. Most ODSL small clubs just want to have access to NCSL just to play against better opposition. The travel time in ODSL and NCSL is about the same. Why should ODSL clubs/teams only be allowed exposure to better teams via tournaments? Like everyone else, they want competition on a weekend basis. It is what it is but the structure and set-up in NCSL and ODSL is not very different.

TBH, they should probably merge like NCSL/WAGS and just expand the divisions where all teams will have the opportunity to move up or down. The cost per team to play in each is about the same.

[Anonymous]

Yep most of the large fees by large clubs are going to coaches. Small clubs usually have capable volunteers or some that only receive a small compensation. If they have done it up to this point there is no reason why they wouldn't continue doing the same in a league like NCSL.