Bethesda Soccer On Way Down
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Anonymous
Investing in Bratt's house and the bros golf outings |
Anonymous
For sure they take credit in developing the player. In a game / team setting they absolutely do that - where outside of a club or team can your kid develop as a team player or in games? Duh….and while you might resent it because of the amount of outside work, or the position of your kid in the hierarchy, I think it’s totally fair game for the club to do that. But if the club promoting itself is the windmill you’re tilting at because you’re unhappy with your kid’s pathway…better not open instagram…gonbe a long hard road for you my friend. Check out most kids entering recruiting year’s socials, they’re not crediting every coach that helped them on every post. And I’d be floored if a kid credited their parents’ sacrifices and effort in a post. As far as the kids “PR” goes, it was all their own sweat blood and tears (and for a 15yo, it probably feels like it too…I don’t remember much anymore how I felt at 15). But nobody is complaining about kids not giving credit where credit is due. Why not? Because the kids is doing the work, just like the club and coaches, by and large, are doing their portions (it’s not a huge portion, but it’s an important portion) of the work. Like I said, it’s a mismatch of expectations. Nobody can to be more invested in the outcome than the player, not even the parent. And if the parent’s desired outcome is not in line with the work the kid is willing to do, the parent is the one out of alignment. If the club is not willing to do the work for the parent’s desired outcome, the parent is out of alignment. If the club isn’t willing to do the work for the kid’s desired outcome, then it’s the club, and you need to change clubs. This isn’t that hard of an equation. |
Anonymous
| Investing in branded half zips, hats, and machismo. |
Anonymous
The attempt to dismiss parental concerns as a “mismatch of expectations” is insulting. It’s not about unrealistic expectations; it’s about clubs failing to meet even the most basic commitments they’ve made. Parents invest their time, money, and hopes into these clubs, expecting their children to receive genuine development, not empty promises and self-serving credit-grabbing. And to suggest that parents should just accept this nonsense or change clubs if they don’t like it? That’s a coward’s response. It’s the club’s responsibility to deliver on what they promise, not to blame parents or players when they don’t. If a club can’t fulfill its role in a player’s development, it has no business taking any credit whatsoever. The bottom line is this: Clubs that fail to truly invest in their players but still claim credit for their success are nothing more than opportunistic frauds. They don’t deserve your respect, your money, or your time. If a club isn’t delivering, they deserve to be called out, not coddled. |
Anonymous
+ 1000! |
Anonymous
“Parents invest their time, money, and hopes into these clubs, expecting their children to receive genuine development, not empty promises and self-serving credit-grabbing” Where did the club rep, website, contract, coach, etc EVER say they would take on the responsibility for your time, your hopes, or your opinion of what their portion of your child’s “genuine” development is supposed to look like? Club fees are what? Top $8k a year for some high end mega clubs on the west coast? Development costs at the top end residential (free except R&B) academies are $150-300k for the academy. And, you’re raging claiming that for $48k in fees, but often more like $36k, the club not doing what OL Academy in France does for your kid isn’t your mismatch in expectations? Man, your kid is being taught all the wrong things about this journey they’re on. |
Anonymous
This response is not only condescending but also completely misses the point. First off, bringing up the disparity in costs between a local club and a top-tier academy like OL Academy in France is nothing but a deflection. No one is expecting a $36,000 club to operate like a $300,000 academy. What parents do expect, however, is that clubs deliver on the promises they make, regardless of the fee structure. When a club markets itself as a development-focused organization, parents have every right to expect a certain level of commitment and quality. It’s not about the exact dollar amount; it’s about the club holding up its end of the bargain. If they promise to develop players, they should be providing more than just the bare minimum. Hiding behind the excuse that “we never said we’d take responsibility for your hopes or opinions” is nothing more than an attempt to dodge accountability. The argument that club fees are too low to warrant genuine development is disingenuous. Clubs are quick to tout their development programs, post success stories, and use these narratives to attract new players and justify their fees. But when they fail to deliver, suddenly the tune changes to “you’re expecting too much.” It’s a classic bait-and-switch tactic, and it’s unacceptable. |
Anonymous
This take is completely outside of reality. If a club says “our program offers 4 practices a week with C licensed coach, and 3 tournaments a year. Plus some opportunities for extra skills sessions, access to a physio, video resources for highlights and game review, off field seminars, and once a year a recruiting workshop” and you’re expecting them to teach whatever “genuine development” means in your mind, you’ve acquired an out of touch expectation. Your club, I promise, gives your kid an IDP at least once a year, maybe more often if the club is solid. That IDP has a handful of things they excel at, and a few things they need to work on. The club isn’t taking responsibility for your kid to work on those. They’re giving you and your kid the feedback. Your club DOES provide an environment and opportunity for your kid to work on them in practice and games, but not some special extra fertilized training session with a guru on that that fundamental. Take some responsibility bruh. |
Anonymous
| Although I agree with you, you are starting to sound like a whiney little biatch right now. You're the consumer, take your money someplace else or prepared to get clowned on here further if you choose the path expecting much from these clubs |
Anonymous
First, listing out the basics like practices, tournaments, and occasional extras doesn’t excuse a club from fulfilling its core promise: actual player development. You’re treating these standard offerings as if they’re above and beyond, but they’re the bare minimum any decent club should provide. The idea that parents should lower their expectations because the club can only offer what’s on a checklist is absurd. “Genuine development” isn’t some mysterious, unattainable concept—it’s the reason parents choose a club in the first place. If a club markets itself as developmental, then that’s exactly what it should be delivering. As for the IDP, it’s laughable to act like a once-a-year review is some grand gesture. Giving a kid a few bullet points on what they’re good at and where they need to improve is not the same as actively participating in their development. Handing out feedback and then washing your hands of the responsibility is a cop-out. The club absolutely should be invested in helping players work on those areas, not just ticking a box and leaving the rest up to the player and their parents. The real issue here is accountability. Clubs want to market themselves as elite development centers, but when it comes time to actually do the work, they deflect responsibility. |
Anonymous
What does “genuine development” mean? |
Anonymous
The “actual work” is 100% the responsibility of the athlete…clubs aren’t car dealers. |
Anonymous
If you bought all the marketing hype above the minimum you're a bit gullible. If you think dropping off you kid and picking them up is enough you're mistaken. A local grassroots club and team environment isn't private and personal training. They indeed should be teaching the group as much as they can to facilitate development, but which local club can provide bespoke individual training during team practices? |
Anonymous
Wait so this is all Bulls**t? BETHESDA SC Developing Professional and Collegiate Soccer Players. We are a development club first. |
Anonymous
| Wow I missed the fireworks today! |