Bethesda Soccer Club if your kid isn't on the first team

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping. OP, did you accept the offer?
Anyone with recent experience on Red or another low team have any advice?

We heard from someone whose child was on a low team several years back that it was not a good experience with a mediocre coach and kids who weren't very into soccer so we are wondering if things have improved.

My son tells me that his friend was just promoted from green to pre-DA 1. He is a great player and we were always surprised he was not on a higher team but I’m surprised that Bethesda would have given him the opportunity to jump that many levels based on feedback on this forum. At my sons club, kids don’t move up although there are always empty promises.

"My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping. OP, did you accept the offer?
Anyone with recent experience on Red or another low team have any advice?

We heard from someone whose child was on a low team several years back that it was not a good experience with a mediocre coach and kids who weren't very into soccer so we are wondering if things have improved.

My son tells me that his friend was just promoted from green to pre-DA 1. He is a great player and we were always surprised he was not on a higher team but I’m surprised that Bethesda would have given him the opportunity to jump that many levels based on feedback on this forum. At my sons club, kids don’t move up although there are always empty promises.

"My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious."

And most people here are smart enough to recognize "we heard" on this board is just a way to give cover to parents who are actually talking about their own kids but don't want to be called out on it...

[Anonymous]

This just speaks to me about how arbitrary the tryout process can be in a big club that has a lot of teams in one age group. It's impossible for them to actually get to know the new players.

Although I guess it's possible the child got much better over the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This just speaks to me about how arbitrary the tryout process can be in a big club that has a lot of teams in one age group. It's impossible for them to actually get to know the new players.

Although I guess it's possible the child got much better over the year.

If kids can’t improve over the year then how will they ever change teams?

It is not always a single step up or down, I’ve seen DA kids dropped 2 teams down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping. OP, did you accept the offer?
Anyone with recent experience on Red or another low team have any advice?

We heard from someone whose child was on a low team several years back that it was not a good experience with a mediocre coach and kids who weren't very into soccer so we are wondering if things have improved.

My son tells me that his friend was just promoted from green to pre-DA 1. He is a great player and we were always surprised he was not on a higher team but I’m surprised that Bethesda would have given him the opportunity to jump that many levels based on feedback on this forum. At my sons club, kids don’t move up although there are always empty promises.

Striker? He must be a real stand out and the green coach must have advocated for him. I do think it's easier to tell with strikers because if they are on too low of a team they are scoring constantly, but harder with FBs or defending mid when you are dealing with a huge number of players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If kids can’t improve over the year then how will they ever change teams?

It is not always a single step up or down, I’ve seen DA kids dropped 2 teams down.

Every kid should be improving but the rate of improvement varies. Have seen kids hardly get the ball in U9 to being fast and amazing in U11.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping. OP, did you accept the offer?
Anyone with recent experience on Red or another low team have any advice?

We heard from someone whose child was on a low team several years back that it was not a good experience with a mediocre coach and kids who weren't very into soccer so we are wondering if things have improved.

My son tells me that his friend was just promoted from green to pre-DA 1. He is a great player and we were always surprised he was not on a higher team but I’m surprised that Bethesda would have given him the opportunity to jump that many levels based on feedback on this forum. At my sons club, kids don’t move up although there are always empty promises.

Striker? He must be a real stand out and the green coach must have advocated for him. I do think it's easier to tell with strikers because if they are on too low of a team they are scoring constantly, but harder with FBs or defending mid when you are dealing with a huge number of players.

It's the opposite at older ages, when they play 11 v 11, where strikers need good service from midfield.

[Anonymous]

I can see the logic in that. Assumed younger player because of reference to pre-DA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping. OP, did you accept the offer?
Anyone with recent experience on Red or another low team have any advice?

We heard from someone whose child was on a low team several years back that it was not a good experience with a mediocre coach and kids who weren't very into soccer so we are wondering if things have improved.

My son tells me that his friend was just promoted from green to pre-DA 1. He is a great player and we were always surprised he was not on a higher team but I’m surprised that Bethesda would have given him the opportunity to jump that many levels based on feedback on this forum. At my sons club, kids don’t move up although there are always empty promises.

Striker? He must be a real stand out and the green coach must have advocated for him. I do think it's easier to tell with strikers because if they are on too low of a team they are scoring constantly, but harder with FBs or defending mid when you are dealing with a huge number of players.

This isn't surprising at all.
It's pretty much impossible to get into one of the top teams just from tryouts, so many really good players start out on lower teams, and rise dramatically when people see their skills.

[Anonymous]

So wait, these families are still paying 3-4k and their kids aren't on the top team or even close in some cases?

[Anonymous]

Yes. Bethesda has eight. EIGHT teams in one of the age groups this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Bethesda has eight. EIGHT teams in one of the age groups this year.

And the price is the same? Do people not realize there are smaller clubs? I genuinely am flabbergasted by that.

[Anonymous]

Yes, basically, give or take about $100 difference for different leagues. I think it's the name recognition. Until I started this process I had no idea that there were this many teams and when I previously heard so and so's child played for some of the big clubs it was impressive.

[Anonymous]

Do these clubs with so many teams ever NOT accept a player?

[Anonymous]

I know some of the smaller club tryouts are brutal and they end up taking only a handful of new kids but what about places like McLean, Arlington, Bethesda, Potomac?