NCSL merging with Suburban Friendship Rec League

[Anonymous]

It doesn't really make sense to me how a rec team that practices 1-2x a week for a short rec season with someone's random dad could be better than kids who have been practicing 3-4 times per week year round (for many years, by high school age) with paid coaches.

[Anonymous]

It doesn't really make sense to me how a rec team that practices 1-2x a week for a short rec season with someone's random dad could be better than kids who have been practicing 3-4 times per week year round (for many years, by high school age) with paid coaches.

I can't speak for all teams, but the dad who coaches our team is an immigrant, and played soccer himself a ton. Most of the kids are the same nationality, and they are a pretty tight knit group who play soccer together often outside of formal practices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't really make sense to me how a rec team that practices 1-2x a week for a short rec season with someone's random dad could be better than kids who have been practicing 3-4 times per week year round (for many years, by high school age) with paid coaches.

More talented athletes. The athletic ability of most of the players on the lower level travel teams is pretty mediocre.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It doesn't really make sense to me how a rec team that practices 1-2x a week for a short rec season with someone's random dad could be better than kids who have been practicing 3-4 times per week year round (for many years, by high school age) with paid coaches.

I can't speak for all teams, but the dad who coaches our team is an immigrant, and played soccer himself a ton. Most of the kids are the same nationality, and they are a pretty tight knit group who play soccer together often outside of formal practices.

This. Culture of soccer (they watch more, play pick up more, practice individuality more) for immigrants that cannot afford travel. Just like poor kids that play pick up hoops for hours and hours everyday. Same idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't really make sense to me how a rec team that practices 1-2x a week for a short rec season with someone's random dad could be better than kids who have been practicing 3-4 times per week year round (for many years, by high school age) with paid coaches.

That's because you don't understand team sports.

[Anonymous]

My son is playing his second season of SFL this fall after playing travel with a local club for the previous two seasons. Honestly, I did not see much drop off with the more competitive teams we faced (Herndon, Springfield, Sterling particularly) and I’m pretty sure our SFL team would pummel our old travel team. There were too many kids on that travel team who didn’t belong but could pay their way on. I think travel prices out many families which is a shame. The reasons we left travel were:

-too much money. I think we paid -150 plus a $30 uniform this season for the SFL team.
-my son plays flag football in the fall and wrestles in the winter. That’s not possible if you play travel.
-too much of a commitment with expectation to do all the extra stuff in the off-season for fear of losing your spot on the top team. The travel team we played for allowed us just to play in the spring but as they got larger, that option went away. Ironically, my son would come back after a year of not playing soccer and could hang with the kids who were playing year round and doing all the clinics. He wasn’t the best on the team, but he was a starter. That just reinforced to me that you don’t need to play year round.
-less travel. Most of the clubs are in NOVa, one I DC, and the farthest west is Warrenton.
-less pressure, more fun, the list goes on

Our dad coach doesn’t even have a son on the team, but played and knows his stuff.

I think it would be interesting if they had a system of promotion and relegation. It would be interesting to see how far up the table an SFL team could go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is playing his second season of SFL this fall after playing travel with a local club for the previous two seasons. Honestly, I did not see much drop off with the more competitive teams we faced (Herndon, Springfield, Sterling particularly) and I’m pretty sure our SFL team would pummel our old travel team. There were too many kids on that travel team who didn’t belong but could pay their way on. I think travel prices out many families which is a shame. The reasons we left travel were:

-too much money. I think we paid -150 plus a $30 uniform this season for the SFL team.
-my son plays flag football in the fall and wrestles in the winter. That’s not possible if you play travel.
-too much of a commitment with expectation to do all the extra stuff in the off-season for fear of losing your spot on the top team. The travel team we played for allowed us just to play in the spring but as they got larger, that option went away. Ironically, my son would come back after a year of not playing soccer and could hang with the kids who were playing year round and doing all the clinics. He wasn’t the best on the team, but he was a starter. That just reinforced to me that you don’t need to play year round.
-less travel. Most of the clubs are in NOVa, one I DC, and the farthest west is Warrenton.
-less pressure, more fun, the list goes on

Our dad coach doesn’t even have a son on the team, but played and knows his stuff.

I think it would be interesting if they had a system of promotion and relegation. It would be interesting to see how far up the table an SFL team could go.

Why interest?

They are 2 different experiences neither is “better”.

In travel or sfl you parents that measure your child’s and team success based on w/l starting etc are missing the forest for the trees. Success is growing and having fun. None of these kids will play pro. Certainly not because of any coaching or teammates or parents. A lot of silliness

[Anonymous]

We have had great experiences with SFL teams (on the boys side, the division 1 games are usually very competitive with talented players).

The main difference for our organization is that the travel teams get much better and more practice space. Our SFL teams are usually as good or better than the second/third level of our org's travel teams, even with amateur coaching and grass practice fields without goals.

Has anyone heard any more info on how the transition to NCSL this spring will work?

Where are the Alexandria teams playing this fall?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is playing his second season of SFL this fall after playing travel with a local club for the previous two seasons. Honestly, I did not see much drop off with the more competitive teams we faced (Herndon, Springfield, Sterling particularly) and I’m pretty sure our SFL team would pummel our old travel team. There were too many kids on that travel team who didn’t belong but could pay their way on. I think travel prices out many families which is a shame. The reasons we left travel were:

-too much money. I think we paid -150 plus a $30 uniform this season for the SFL team.
-my son plays flag football in the fall and wrestles in the winter. That’s not possible if you play travel.
-too much of a commitment with expectation to do all the extra stuff in the off-season for fear of losing your spot on the top team. The travel team we played for allowed us just to play in the spring but as they got larger, that option went away. Ironically, my son would come back after a year of not playing soccer and could hang with the kids who were playing year round and doing all the clinics. He wasn’t the best on the team, but he was a starter. That just reinforced to me that you don’t need to play year round.
-less travel. Most of the clubs are in NOVa, one I DC, and the farthest west is Warrenton.
-less pressure, more fun, the list goes on

Our dad coach doesn’t even have a son on the team, but played and knows his stuff.

I think it would be interesting if they had a system of promotion and relegation. It would be interesting to see how far up the table an SFL team could go.

That will never happen. It would be far too embarrassing for clubs to have their rec teams beat and then get promoted over their travel teams. Why go to tryouts and pay 2k more only to get placed on a division 3 team when there is a rec team sitting in division 2?

[Anonymous]

Right, its all about the money of course.
Anyone who pays attention knows there are many great rec teams in this area full of kids who can't afford or don't want to pay 3k to play soccer.
There are some very delusional parents who think their kid making the fifth travel team at their club means something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Right, its all about the money of course.
Anyone who pays attention knows there are many great rec teams in this area full of kids who can't afford or don't want to pay 3k to play soccer.
There are some very delusional parents who think their kid making the fifth travel team at their club means something.

My daughter's rec team is composed almost entirely of former travel players choosing to focus on other sports. The could easily beat the second and third teams at our club and would give the first team a good game. When covid shut down indoor soccer, the club had a winter league open to rec and club teams. That lasted two years until travel parents started asking why C and D travel teams were getting mercy ruled by rec teams

[Anonymous]

dcu13 wrote:Many have shared a feeling that the better rec teams would easily beat the lower travel teams.

Honest question - why don't the kids on those rec teams switch to travel?

$ for many families and commitment to other endeavors… I have had many kids play travel and switch to SFL because of poor coaching in travel, level of commitment from the clubs toward b,c and d teams. SFL used to be much better as well but over the last few years the level of commitment from SFL has diminished (used to provide end of the season tournaments). Hopefully, NCSL will reintroduce some of the end of the season tournaments. I have coached various team for 10 plus years in SFL and there are some that could definitely hand with 2nd team travel and some 1st depending on the club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

dcu13 wrote:Many have shared a feeling that the better rec teams would easily beat the lower travel teams.

Honest question - why don't the kids on those rec teams switch to travel?

$ for many families and commitment to other endeavors… I have had many kids play travel and switch to SFL because of poor coaching in travel, level of commitment from the clubs toward b,c and d teams. SFL used to be much better as well but over the last few years the level of commitment from SFL has diminished (used to provide end of the season tournaments). Hopefully, NCSL will reintroduce some of the end of the season tournaments. I have coached various team for 10 plus years in SFL and there are some that could definitely hand with 2nd team travel and some 1st depending on the club.

Our org started sending our SFL teams to All star tournaments instead of picking all star teams since there is no SFL tournament any longer. The fall Herndon All Star tournament is decent but was a little disorganized last year, Fairfax Police spring tournament is good, heard from a Chantilly coach that the spring Valor tournament was terrible. NVSC has a fall tournament as well but no direct experience.

Does anyone have information on NCSL taking over SFL? It is supposed to happen for this Spring season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

dcu13 wrote:Many have shared a feeling that the better rec teams would easily beat the lower travel teams.

Honest question - why don't the kids on those rec teams switch to travel?

$ for many families and commitment to other endeavors… I have had many kids play travel and switch to SFL because of poor coaching in travel, level of commitment from the clubs toward b,c and d teams. SFL used to be much better as well but over the last few years the level of commitment from SFL has diminished (used to provide end of the season tournaments). Hopefully, NCSL will reintroduce some of the end of the season tournaments. I have coached various team for 10 plus years in SFL and there are some that could definitely hand with 2nd team travel and some 1st depending on the club.

Our org started sending our SFL teams to All star tournaments instead of picking all star teams since there is no SFL tournament any longer. The fall Herndon All Star tournament is decent but was a little disorganized last year, Fairfax Police spring tournament is good, heard from a Chantilly coach that the spring Valor tournament was terrible. NVSC has a fall tournament as well but no direct experience.

Does anyone have information on NCSL taking over SFL? It is supposed to happen for this Spring season.

valor tournament is essentially chantilly tournament, even Chantilly backed out at last minute of their own tournament and went to other tournament

all the sfl is really is a league office central scheduling administration mechanism for various clubs to submit teams

if th ncsl takes over administering the sfl it really shouldnt be noticeable to most sfl teams, it is not like there will suddenly be sfl teams playing in ncsl d5

[Anonymous]

Has anyone heard any updates on this? SFL website says they are closed down, but there is nothing on the NCSL website regarding rec teams either.