Anyone know anything about Alexandria Futsal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Understood. My experience is the talent pool is varied by age group for sure. Hope you were able to find a good program for her to play. Its a great sport that is fun to watch and they love to play.

True. My biggest complaint was the coach wanted to keep her with that group because she made it more competitive, gave them a better chance at the tournament. Which is fine. I didn't even mind her being with them some as a show of solidarity, be a leader, etc, but for her development, the league is pretty easy. Let her train additionally elsewhere and add on league play elsewhere. The director knew her, had seen her and was fine with it, but the coach wasn't willing. He said she needed to focus on making sure that other team won.

Anyways, she did. She found another team actually in her age group that was all from a top club in Nova. Loved it, and she got offers to guest with other teams as well. So it worked out, but I think the experience is relevant for the OP as a sort of buyer beware. Check out the team that she's been offered a spot to and ask the right questions about their development plan for her.

With the right things in place, it can be a good experience, but there is a definite risk of it being a waste of time. Puma is only really good if you make the top team. So that's another caution.

What 2-3 month futsal team will have a “development plan” for any player? Especially hired guns from outside of the host club?

Development is the main reason most do Futsal. It's in the training and happens as part of the game experience. That's why US Soccer has Futsal as part of its Academy.

Yes, futsal helps a lot but that doesn't mean that as an outsider if I sign my kid up for Alexandria or Puma I should expect a tailored development plan for my player.

Tailored? Maybe not, nothing that involved. I don't even think they do a fully tailored plan for their own players. But to only put a player to win games and not be willing to challenge him or her in training and the league is basically the total opposite. Again, we're not even talking the tournaments.

By the way, a good program could have always led to recruitment, so this is also in the club's best interests. And if the goal is winning, then developing the player with training and leagues will in fact lead to more winning.

As for Puma, I don't know that that's the same thing. But in either case, it can only make the program better by offering something valuable to prospective players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Understood. My experience is the talent pool is varied by age group for sure. Hope you were able to find a good program for her to play. Its a great sport that is fun to watch and they love to play.

True. My biggest complaint was the coach wanted to keep her with that group because she made it more competitive, gave them a better chance at the tournament. Which is fine. I didn't even mind her being with them some as a show of solidarity, be a leader, etc, but for her development, the league is pretty easy. Let her train additionally elsewhere and add on league play elsewhere. The director knew her, had seen her and was fine with it, but the coach wasn't willing. He said she needed to focus on making sure that other team won.

Anyways, she did. She found another team actually in her age group that was all from a top club in Nova. Loved it, and she got offers to guest with other teams as well. So it worked out, but I think the experience is relevant for the OP as a sort of buyer beware. Check out the team that she's been offered a spot to and ask the right questions about their development plan for her.

With the right things in place, it can be a good experience, but there is a definite risk of it being a waste of time. Puma is only really good if you make the top team. So that's another caution.

What 2-3 month futsal team will have a “development plan” for any player? Especially hired guns from outside of the host club?

Development is the main reason most do Futsal. It's in the training and happens as part of the game experience. That's why US Soccer has Futsal as part of its Academy.

Yes, futsal helps a lot but that doesn't mean that as an outsider if I sign my kid up for Alexandria or Puma I should expect a tailored development plan for my player.

Tailored? Maybe not, nothing that involved. I don't even think they do a fully tailored plan for their own players. But to only put a player to win games and not be willing to challenge him or her in training and the league is basically the total opposite. Again, we're not even talking the tournaments.

By the way, a good program could have always led to recruitment, so this is also in the club's best interests. And if the goal is winning, then developing the player with training and leagues will in fact lead to more winning.

As for Puma, I don't know that that's the same thing. But in either case, it can only make the program better by offering something valuable to prospective players.

Yes, all that is somewhat true but the line I'm referring to is the following:

"Check out the team that she's been offered a spot to and ask the right questions about their development plan for her."

Almost all futsal is thrown together through a couple of ways:
1. A group of kids form the same club or other clubs who find a team to play on.
2. A club/coach will register their team into a futsal league. Usually a game once a week with very little futsal specific training.
3. Kids, on their own will join a more focused futsal club that will offer some combination of year round training or fall training through the winter season.

Clubs may use futsal as a form of recruitment, but beyond the simple act of futsal being used as a developmental outlet for their own club teams one should never expect a "development plan" for their kid from the host club. Even as far as the host club is concerned futsal itself is simply nothing more than a checkbox for development. They do not tweak the futsal training as part of some individualized development plan especially for an outside kid.

[Anonymous]

Ok, I maybe could have worded it another way, so I don't want either of us to get caught up on vernacular, but what I mean is see the team she is going to be on and if she is there to win games for them and the level of the team is weak, then ask if they will do other things to develop her. They turned me down, but maybe since they have added on professional Futsal, etc, maybe they will be more flexible than they were with her.

I don't mean a written 4 page outline of how they will take her to the next level. I didn't even mind her being a ringer for their tournaments. And I liked Hanna from the limited interactions we had. He has a positive energy. But I had upfront mentioned what we were looking for, he was on board with it, we declined other options, and then the actual coaches didn't want to (maybe because she was an outside player). So then we had to scramble once we realized it was a dead end.

Hope that makes sense. Not trying top beat them up. This is just an honest advice for the OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, I maybe could have worded it another way, so I don't want either of us to get caught up on vernacular, but what I mean is see the team she is going to be on and if she is there to win games for them and the level of the team is weak, then ask if they will do other things to develop her. They turned me down, but maybe since they have added on professional Futsal, etc, maybe they will be more flexible than they were with her.

I don't mean a written 4 page outline of how they will take her to the next level. I didn't even mind her being a ringer for their tournaments. And I liked Hanna from the limited interactions we had. He has a positive energy. But I had upfront mentioned what we were looking for, he was on board with it, we declined other options, and then the actual coaches didn't want to (maybe because she was an outside player). So then we had to scramble once we realized it was a dead end.

Hope that makes sense. Not trying top beat them up. This is just an honest advice for the OP.

"then ask if they will do other things to develop her."

And they turned you down because why would they? That is my point. Futsal is a wonderful development tool in and of itself but the competition part of it is frankly more of a mid season outlet. Maximize touches, stay indoors and have some fun on top of all the great things that futsal can do just on its own. But again, unless it is a futsal centric club there is nothing a club is going to do beyond the practice and games for a kid, particularly an outside kid.

So, generally just make your decision based on the quick assessment of the quality of the players, the schedule, the number of tournaments and the cost. Futsal is just such a short window and can be a very intense tournament schedule if you are in a competitive environment that they really are not focused on anything long term or individualized. There are lots of hired guns in futsal and they are recruited for wins and what they can do for the club trophy case and never what they can do for the kid.

[Anonymous]

This is where we disagree. I think there could have been a win/win. We were upfront with Alexandria about what we were looking for. We were told they could do that, and then they couldn't. But more importantly, if she is a "hired gun" , as you say, that doesn't mean she can't play more competitively for training and leagues and be that gun. I was willing to compromise.

And when I say recruitment, we were fascinated with Alexandria at first. If it had worked out, we might have put them on the list. What my Dd cares about is getting better.

In fact, that's why we chose a club. If it were just for touches and fun, we could just throw any team together and put a parent coach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is where we disagree. I think there could have been a win/win. We were upfront with Alexandria about what we were looking for. We were told they could do that, and then they couldn't. But more importantly, if she is a "hired gun" , as you say, that doesn't mean she can't play more competitively for training and leagues and be that gun. I was willing to compromise.

And when I say recruitment, we were fascinated with Alexandria at first. If it had worked out, we might have put them on the list. What my Dd cares about is getting better.

In fact, that's why we chose a club. If it were just for touches and fun, we could just throw any team together and put a parent coach.

I don’t have a dog in the fight and I don’t agree or disagree. I’m just pointing out the general facts of how futsal is treated.

Clubs simply don’t offer developmental opportunities to outsiders.

The win for them was your money and your kid playing on the assigned team. If they felt your kid would be a win for them on another team they would have made that happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is where we disagree. I think there could have been a win/win. We were upfront with Alexandria about what we were looking for. We were told they could do that, and then they couldn't. But more importantly, if she is a "hired gun" , as you say, that doesn't mean she can't play more competitively for training and leagues and be that gun. I was willing to compromise.

And when I say recruitment, we were fascinated with Alexandria at first. If it had worked out, we might have put them on the list. What my Dd cares about is getting better.

In fact, that's why we chose a club. If it were just for touches and fun, we could just throw any team together and put a parent coach.

I don’t have a dog in the fight and I don’t agree or disagree. I’m just pointing out the general facts of how futsal is treated.

Clubs simply don’t offer developmental opportunities to outsiders.

The win for them was your money and your kid playing on the assigned team. If they felt your kid would be a win for them on another team they would have made that happen.

With them not even trying it, I think it was more what is easy. But you're right: it was about the money. No argument here.

[Anonymous]

All reasons the OP should look around for options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All reasons the OP should look around for options.

Look for a soccer club that incorporates futsal or look for a futsal club to join in addition to your regular soccer club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All reasons the OP should look around for options.

Look for a soccer club that incorporates futsal or look for a futsal club to join in addition to your regular soccer club.

Yes, that's what the OP should probably do, if his DD wants anything with quality.

[Anonymous]

What other u16 programs are out there that offer competitive futsal coached by serious people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What other u16 programs are out there that offer competitive futsal coached by serious people?

Puma is worth looking into. Premier Futsal Academy is excellent. In fact, the main director Sascha Filippi is amazing. He really knows the game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What other u16 programs are out there that offer competitive futsal coached by serious people?

Puma is worth looking into. Premier Futsal Academy is excellent. In fact, the main director Sascha Filippi is amazing. He really knows the game.

All true.

Just one thing to consider and this is not about any Futsal program but about Futsal in general.

The older the kids get and the higher the level of futsal the game becomes something very very different from soccer. Past a certain point futsal is played by mostly full time futsal players. The game techniques and tactics become more and more distant to soccer. The game begins to resemble soccer in the way that badminton resembles tennis or softball resembles baseball.

It is still good for the touches but the techniques used for higher level futsal are just not commonly used or useful on the soccer field in as much as soccer touches are not useful on the futsal court.

So, just a PSA/disclaimer. It is a great game and offers a lot to a soccer player just don't be to driven past 13/14 years old to find the absolute highest level of futsal.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks you for the wonderful insights and suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What other u16 programs are out there that offer competitive futsal coached by serious people?

Puma is worth looking into. Premier Futsal Academy is excellent. In fact, the main director Sascha Filippi is amazing. He really knows the game.

All true.

Just one thing to consider and this is not about any Futsal program but about Futsal in general.

The older the kids get and the higher the level of futsal the game becomes something very very different from soccer. Past a certain point futsal is played by mostly full time futsal players. The game techniques and tactics become more and more distant to soccer. The game begins to resemble soccer in the way that badminton resembles tennis or softball resembles baseball.

It is still good for the touches but the techniques used for higher level futsal are just not commonly used or useful on the soccer field in as much as soccer touches are not useful on the futsal court.

So, just a PSA/disclaimer. It is a great game and offers a lot to a soccer player just don't be to driven past 13/14 years old to find the absolute highest level of futsal.

This. We lived in Spain and Futsal players at a certain age are strictly Futsal players. They see outdoor as an entirely different game.