Do local clubs prepare girls for elite college programs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The conclusion you should takeaway from OP’s post is that clubs like Solar are the top because they develop players prepared to play at the highest level. They have more players capable of making an impact than most other players and those players receive offers to Power 5 schools, which are more capable of offering scholarships.

Jesus, what is with the love of Solar? They are in freakin Texas, what do they have to do with local clubs?

Solar is huge, like PDA, that doesn’t mean development, that means monopoly of the best players in the area.

Per OP's post, the question is what is Solar and these other clubs listed doing to produce high numbers of players who are going to Power 5. It isn't a monopoly when you have several clubs from the same metro area producing this many players. Even if you combined FCV, McLean and Bethesda, you would not reach 20 girls going to the Power 5, including several that are on the YNT. Sorry but this is more than a monopoly. Maybe it is the weather. Maybe the area culture is more competitive (Sorry but Dallas has fewer snowflakes than DC). And PDA sent 51 girls to play in college, including 35 to DI and 12 to Power 5 programs. Weather is not a differentiating factor but others things are like training and culture.

When your in club player pool is 6000 kids it isn't hard to understand how this happens. Loudoun is the closest local club that has a large player pool to start with, time will tell if they squander that head start.

Gets to the point of culture. I don't know how many players are at Loudoun but I have seen their ECNL teams play and they are competitive but not in the same ball park as FCV and McLean. Even merging FCV, Mclean and Loudoun would produce the numbers produced by Michigan Hawks, NCFC or similar elite clubs. I think our view of things gets blurred because of the bubble in which we live. We have some good clubs but soccer in the DMV is not as strong as in other places around the country.

It doesn't really matter because here is where we are.

[Anonymous]

Yes this is about size of the club. This area has way too many clubs. Not just clubs in elite leagues (ECNL and GA) but just way too many clubs.

We are also talking mainly one age group. Solar was not even the best club in Dallas 5 years ago. It was Dallas Sting and then before that was Dallas Texans. There have been teams in this area that have had great classes like that but that was before the DA. And even after the DA, if you combined two groups then it wouldn't be far off. When you throw in that if the talent is combined and training together then they would be getting better as well. Dallas-Forth Worth is a huge area and has like 5 big clubs (Solar, Texans, Sting, FC Dallas, and D'Feeters). This area has VDA, Loudoun, BRYC, FCV, Metro, McLean, Bethesda, MD United, Pipeline, Armour, and Celtic-Union. Not mention others that have one off teams that compete in USYS.

Also talking about YNT players is silly because it was well known that they only selected from DA unless they were already in the pool before the DA was created.

So I would easily argue that this area is just as good as these other clubs given most of the local clubs don't have 6 or 7 teams in an age group. The top local team is usually competitive with these clubs and we have seen many teams/age groups that have competed with them.

So rather then bashing our very good soccer area. Lets appreciate that we have clubs that compete with the best/biggest clubs in the country. It like the GOAT arguments in pro sports. If you don't believe Lebron or Russell or Magic are better then MJ, doesn't mean they stink. Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Brett Favre are still great even if you think Tom Brady is the greatest of all time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes this is about size of the club. This area has way too many clubs. Not just clubs in elite leagues (ECNL and GA) but just way too many clubs.

We are also talking mainly one age group. Solar was not even the best club in Dallas 5 years ago. It was Dallas Sting and then before that was Dallas Texans. There have been teams in this area that have had great classes like that but that was before the DA. And even after the DA, if you combined two groups then it wouldn't be far off. When you throw in that if the talent is combined and training together then they would be getting better as well. Dallas-Forth Worth is a huge area and has like 5 big clubs (Solar, Texans, Sting, FC Dallas, and D'Feeters). This area has VDA, Loudoun, BRYC, FCV, Metro, McLean, Bethesda, MD United, Pipeline, Armour, and Celtic-Union. Not mention others that have one off teams that compete in USYS.

Also talking about YNT players is silly because it was well known that they only selected from DA unless they were already in the pool before the DA was created.

So I would easily argue that this area is just as good as these other clubs given most of the local clubs don't have 6 or 7 teams in an age group. The top local team is usually competitive with these clubs and we have seen many teams/age groups that have competed with them.

So rather then bashing our very good soccer area. Lets appreciate that we have clubs that compete with the best/biggest clubs in the country. It like the GOAT arguments in pro sports. If you don't believe Lebron or Russell or Magic are better then MJ, doesn't mean they stink. Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Brett Favre are still great even if you think Tom Brady is the greatest of all time.

I think you are trying to make a point that nobody is really arguing against. The landscapes between NOVA and Dallas are very different. But by the same token, Solar's success does not mean NOVA's failure at producing talent.

And, even with earlier posts Solar's success is fairly recent. Will it last? Who knows.

But if you are trying to impose a mega club approach to this area it would be pretty difficult to pull off. How many clubs would have to merge to make that happen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:there are very few full scholarships in women's soccer.

Full college scholarships go to football, men's basketball, women's gymnastics and track and field. Other sports could have books only scholarships. You are delusional if you think your daughter is getting a full ride for soccer.

If the girl is signing an NLI, she is getting some athletic $$$. Likely not a full scholarship, but something.

So many of those are staged, our high school does that every year for all kids going to play at any level in college. They put a hat on, sign a piece of blank paper and their friends cheer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:there are very few full scholarships in women's soccer.

Full college scholarships go to football, men's basketball, women's gymnastics and track and field. Other sports could have books only scholarships. You are delusional if you think your daughter is getting a full ride for soccer.

If the girl is signing an NLI, she is getting some athletic $$$. Likely not a full scholarship, but something.

So many of those are staged, our high school does that every year for all kids going to play at any level in college. They put a hat on, sign a piece of blank paper and their friends cheer.

The event is staged, but the NLI is a formal agreement that details the financial support the athlete receives from the school for the next year. http://www.nationalletter.org/aboutTheNli/index.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:there are very few full scholarships in women's soccer.

Full college scholarships go to football, men's basketball, women's gymnastics and track and field. Other sports could have books only scholarships. You are delusional if you think your daughter is getting a full ride for soccer.

If the girl is signing an NLI, she is getting some athletic $$$. Likely not a full scholarship, but something.

So many of those are staged, our high school does that every year for all kids going to play at any level in college. They put a hat on, sign a piece of blank paper and their friends cheer.

The event is staged, but the NLI is a formal agreement that details the financial support the athlete receives from the school for the next year. http://www.nationalletter.org/aboutTheNli/index.html

And yet soccer is not a head count sport so there is no presumption of a full ride. This understood in relation to women's college soccer. Nobody is deluded into thinking that there will be a full ride at the end of the rainbow. There is hope that a partial scholarship can bring private or out of state school tuition in line with in-state tuition though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:there are very few full scholarships in women's soccer.

Full college scholarships go to football, men's basketball, women's gymnastics and track and field. Other sports could have books only scholarships. You are delusional if you think your daughter is getting a full ride for soccer.

If the girl is signing an NLI, she is getting some athletic $$$. Likely not a full scholarship, but something.

So many of those are staged, our high school does that every year for all kids going to play at any level in college. They put a hat on, sign a piece of blank paper and their friends cheer.

The event is staged, but the NLI is a formal agreement that details the financial support the athlete receives from the school for the next year. http://www.nationalletter.org/aboutTheNli/index.html

And yet soccer is not a head count sport so there is no presumption of a full ride. This understood in relation to women's college soccer. Nobody is deluded into thinking that there will be a full ride at the end of the rainbow. There is hope that a partial scholarship can bring private or out of state school tuition in line with in-state tuition though.

Let's not pretend that kids are playing for scholarship money. Kids are playing because the love the sport and want to reach their potential and see where it takes them while also doing the same with academics and other talents.

[Anonymous]

merge all clubs in loudon, fairfax, prince william, and arlington counties into 1 club.

then we will have a nationally competitive team that will regularly produce NT youth prospects.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:merge all clubs in loudon, fairfax, prince william, and arlington counties into 1 club.

then we will have a nationally competitive team that will regularly produce NT youth prospects.

Isn’t that what DCU is designed to accomplish on the boys side?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:merge all clubs in loudon, fairfax, prince william, and arlington counties into 1 club.

then we will have a nationally competitive team that will regularly produce NT youth prospects.

Who cares if we have a nationally competitive team? How stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:merge all clubs in loudon, fairfax, prince william, and arlington counties into 1 club.

then we will have a nationally competitive team that will regularly produce NT youth prospects.

Who cares if we have a nationally competitive team? How stupid.

That too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:merge all clubs in loudon, fairfax, prince william, and arlington counties into 1 club.

then we will have a nationally competitive team that will regularly produce NT youth prospects.

So where do they practice? Because if it’s in London, another club will form closer in, if it’s closer in, another will form further out. The same applies with eastern fairfax/Alexandria/south Arlington vs North Arlington Western fairfax. Sure some people will spend hours driving to a practice- most wont

[Anonymous]

that's the problem around here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I rather my kid go to a state school for free. Yawn

what women soccer program hands out full scholarships?

They exist.

IF you have a child that is in the recruiting years and talk with other parents with the same age group kids, you’ll find out.

[Anonymous]

You know it is pretty easy to figure out where your kid stands and what may be available athletic scholarship wise.

You can (and should) find out where your prospective school(s) stand with soccer scholarships before you talk to a coach. You would look pretty silly demanding a full ride from a coach with only 4 scholarships to divvy up among 25 players. Only about 25% of women’s soccer programs are fully funded for scholarships. Do what digging you can do you know what is potentially possible.

Yes - if your kid is on the u20 national team, and if they are willing to look outside the top 20 soccer programs then a full ride might be possible. Otherwise - nope.

Yes - you can stack non-athletic money. In women’s soccer that is the usual deal. If your kid can get academic money - say 25% of the tuition and R&B, the coach can offer 25% and now your kid is half-price their freshman year. If your kid actually plays - maybe that 25% turns into 50% as a sophomore or junior.