CYA and SYA merger?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish youth soccer was more like swim -- NVSL (Northern Virginia Swim League) has 17 Divisions with 6 teams each. Every Feb/March team reps get together and explain why their team should stay, go up or down from the division the summer before (obviously the previous season's 5 meet results come in to play). The league really tries to make sure the divisions are actually competitive so that there aren't horrific blowouts. Yes, a team may lose all 5 meets in a summer but it would at least it's usually close... and if a team knows they are losing lots of strong seniors or whatever from one season to the next, they can try to factor that in.

My kid is in CYA Travel -- last year (2019-2020- although there really wasn't a spring) we were so=so competitive... but this past fall, we had about 4 kids choosing to sit out for COVID safety and another leave for another league (ironically, I think it was SYA). Our games were often blowouts. Usually blowouts. Not.even.close.

All this talk about how awful CCL or whatever leagues are not competitive... I'd rather my kid be in a lower swim division and have a shot at winning than to get a beat down every.single.week...

I'd rather my kid have a good competitive soccer experience. I want professional coaches and not some Dad who is out there for his own ego. I want him to look back on his soccer days with some joy. I want him to be physically fit, to learn the rules of the game and good sportsmanship. I want him to be a lifelong fan of playing and watching soccer.

With that mentality, your kid belongs in a competitive rec league. Frankly, parents like you are a problem, because you are willing to drop $2K-$3K on travel, but don’t want it to be too hard or too challenging for little Johnny. If you are at CYA, you are paying for a ‘professional’ coach who is only a professional coach because people like you exist and are plentiful in this area, not because they actually have some coaching acumen or ability.

If a team can't win a game, it was placed in the wrong league. Some clubs refuse to accept reality, but being in a league where they have no chance of winning games does nothing for the kids. They are better off playing similar teams and winning a few and losing a few

YES!! That's exactly my point - now of course we didn't know we'd lose so much of the team to sitting out for COVID, obviously, and who knows how we'd look this past fall if they were still playing... but we have no business being in the league we are in now and hope there will be some changes with the CYA and SYA travel merger!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish youth soccer was more like swim -- NVSL (Northern Virginia Swim League) has 17 Divisions with 6 teams each. Every Feb/March team reps get together and explain why their team should stay, go up or down from the division the summer before (obviously the previous season's 5 meet results come in to play). The league really tries to make sure the divisions are actually competitive so that there aren't horrific blowouts. Yes, a team may lose all 5 meets in a summer but it would at least it's usually close... and if a team knows they are losing lots of strong seniors or whatever from one season to the next, they can try to factor that in.

My kid is in CYA Travel -- last year (2019-2020- although there really wasn't a spring) we were so=so competitive... but this past fall, we had about 4 kids choosing to sit out for COVID safety and another leave for another league (ironically, I think it was SYA). Our games were often blowouts. Usually blowouts. Not.even.close.

All this talk about how awful CCL or whatever leagues are not competitive... I'd rather my kid be in a lower swim division and have a shot at winning than to get a beat down every.single.week...

I'd rather my kid have a good competitive soccer experience. I want professional coaches and not some Dad who is out there for his own ego. I want him to look back on his soccer days with some joy. I want him to be physically fit, to learn the rules of the game and good sportsmanship. I want him to be a lifelong fan of playing and watching soccer.

With that mentality, your kid belongs in a competitive rec league. Frankly, parents like you are a problem, because you are willing to drop $2K-$3K on travel, but don’t want it to be too hard or too challenging for little Johnny. If you are at CYA, you are paying for a ‘professional’ coach who is only a professional coach because people like you exist and are plentiful in this area, not because they actually have some coaching acumen or ability.

HAHAHA - this has NOTHING to do with not wanting it to be hard on little Johnny. I literally said I want him to play competitively. What I don't want is to put my kid in a situation where he gets a beat down every.single.week -- sorry, but when I earned my MEd, there was nothing that showed learning and growth came from beating a kid down day after day or week after week. I sincerely hope that your Non-CYA coaches with the "acumen" and "ability" do not believe there is success in a constant beat down either?!

This kid is a highly competitive kid - heck, when he was in Kindergarten and frustrated about a homework assignment (don't get me started on why it's ridiculous to have homework in Kindergarten) his father and I said -- hey, it's ok... no one is perfect. In response, this kid looked at us and said, "oh yeah? Well I'm going to be the FIRST!" Sigh. So yeah, I worry about my kid's perfectionist tendencies - he pushes himself WAY harder than we would in many areas. We ask that he challenges himself, that he works to his potential, and that he actually finds some joy in what he is doing - win or lose. His first year in Travel they won every game that spring and a tournament. It was GREAT. But you know, there are lessons in losing too and we worried all that winning would be a problem. Luckily the next season was a mix. But I'm telling you , flash forward to this fall -- and always losing is miserable.

If a team can’t compete in NPL - I’m assuming it’s NPL - it doesn’t belong in travel. Getting hammered by the Strikers and/or Kickers is forgivable, but a slate of Stafford, Tidewater, Villarreal, GFR, VYS, etc.? As for coaching, I’m not picking on CYA specifically - even though they certainly aren’t good - but most travel coaching in this area is poor because there is too much of a market for ‘travel’ soccer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish youth soccer was more like swim -- NVSL (Northern Virginia Swim League) has 17 Divisions with 6 teams each. Every Feb/March team reps get together and explain why their team should stay, go up or down from the division the summer before (obviously the previous season's 5 meet results come in to play). The league really tries to make sure the divisions are actually competitive so that there aren't horrific blowouts. Yes, a team may lose all 5 meets in a summer but it would at least it's usually close... and if a team knows they are losing lots of strong seniors or whatever from one season to the next, they can try to factor that in.

My kid is in CYA Travel -- last year (2019-2020- although there really wasn't a spring) we were so=so competitive... but this past fall, we had about 4 kids choosing to sit out for COVID safety and another leave for another league (ironically, I think it was SYA). Our games were often blowouts. Usually blowouts. Not.even.close.

All this talk about how awful CCL or whatever leagues are not competitive... I'd rather my kid be in a lower swim division and have a shot at winning than to get a beat down every.single.week...

I'd rather my kid have a good competitive soccer experience. I want professional coaches and not some Dad who is out there for his own ego. I want him to look back on his soccer days with some joy. I want him to be physically fit, to learn the rules of the game and good sportsmanship. I want him to be a lifelong fan of playing and watching soccer.

With that mentality, your kid belongs in a competitive rec league. Frankly, parents like you are a problem, because you are willing to drop $2K-$3K on travel, but don’t want it to be too hard or too challenging for little Johnny. If you are at CYA, you are paying for a ‘professional’ coach who is only a professional coach because people like you exist and are plentiful in this area, not because they actually have some coaching acumen or ability.

HAHAHA - this has NOTHING to do with not wanting it to be hard on little Johnny. I literally said I want him to play competitively. What I don't want is to put my kid in a situation where he gets a beat down every.single.week -- sorry, but when I earned my MEd, there was nothing that showed learning and growth came from beating a kid down day after day or week after week. I sincerely hope that your Non-CYA coaches with the "acumen" and "ability" do not believe there is success in a constant beat down either?!

This kid is a highly competitive kid - heck, when he was in Kindergarten and frustrated about a homework assignment (don't get me started on why it's ridiculous to have homework in Kindergarten) his father and I said -- hey, it's ok... no one is perfect. In response, this kid looked at us and said, "oh yeah? Well I'm going to be the FIRST!" Sigh. So yeah, I worry about my kid's perfectionist tendencies - he pushes himself WAY harder than we would in many areas. We ask that he challenges himself, that he works to his potential, and that he actually finds some joy in what he is doing - win or lose. His first year in Travel they won every game that spring and a tournament. It was GREAT. But you know, there are lessons in losing too and we worried all that winning would be a problem. Luckily the next season was a mix. But I'm telling you , flash forward to this fall -- and always losing is miserable.

If a team can’t compete in NPL - I’m assuming it’s NPL - it doesn’t belong in travel. Getting hammered by the Strikers and/or Kickers is forgivable, but a slate of Stafford, Tidewater, Villarreal, GFR, VYS, etc.? As for coaching, I’m not picking on CYA specifically - even though they certainly aren’t good - but most travel coaching in this area is poor because there is too much of a market for ‘travel’ soccer.

there are a lot of players who are better than rec, worse that NPL and just want to play more. Soccer is pay to play and there are a ton of clubs willing to take their money and put them on an NCSL team. For some reason parents/clubs prefer to say they're in NPL/CCL and get blown out every week

[Anonymous]

No kid wants to lose every game. That's ridiculous. There are so many leagues and teams, even the "just a little better than rec teams" should be able to find some fair competitions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s no way the clubs can merge travel soccer only. I am familiar with how SYA runs and their soccer program financials are very intertwined (rec and travel). They also centrally allocate field space amongst all their sports every season. It would be extremely difficult to administer that.

What's the upside for SYA? CYA is generally crappier and in more debt.

[Anonymous]

getting talked about on DCUM

[Anonymous]

That’s more a con than a pro.

[Anonymous]

You don’t have to like it. Done deal, I think it’s a good move for both clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don’t have to like it. Done deal, I think it’s a good move for both clubs.

No question it's a good move. If you combine the soccer programs at GFR, CYA, SYA, Herndon and VYS, they would be far better than McLean and BRYC at U9-12 and, if people stayed, competitive with those clubs at U13-.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t have to like it. Done deal, I think it’s a good move for both clubs.

No question it's a good move. If you combine the soccer programs at GFR, CYA, SYA, Herndon and VYS, they would be far better than McLean and BRYC at U9-12 and, if people stayed, competitive with those clubs at U13-.

Nobody is merging 5 clubs into one...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t have to like it. Done deal, I think it’s a good move for both clubs.

No question it's a good move. If you combine the soccer programs at GFR, CYA, SYA, Herndon and VYS, they would be far better than McLean and BRYC at U9-12 and, if people stayed, competitive with those clubs at U13-.

Nobody is merging 5 clubs into one...

No kidding. So they will stay where they stay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t have to like it. Done deal, I think it’s a good move for both clubs.

No question it's a good move. If you combine the soccer programs at GFR, CYA, SYA, Herndon and VYS, they would be far better than McLean and BRYC at U9-12 and, if people stayed, competitive with those clubs at U13-.

McLean would be more likely to combine those clubs than any of those clubs simply doing that on their own.

There would be no real pathway or reason for those clubs to join forces and to what end? At the youngest ages it would make no sense. There is not a particularly central place for such a large youth and rec player pool to play. Those ages are best served by smaller very local clubs. But then at the oldest ages you might have a super NPL or EDP team but who cares about that?

For something like this to work it would require the hook of ECNL or even GA as a place to put the top team of these combined clubs.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, there are rumors about McLean, GFR, and maybe Herndon firming an alliance of sort. They play ECNL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t have to like it. Done deal, I think it’s a good move for both clubs.

No question it's a good move. If you combine the soccer programs at GFR, CYA, SYA, Herndon and VYS, they would be far better than McLean and BRYC at U9-12 and, if people stayed, competitive with those clubs at U13-.

McLean would be more likely to combine those clubs than any of those clubs simply doing that on their own.

There would be no real pathway or reason for those clubs to join forces and to what end? At the youngest ages it would make no sense. There is not a particularly central place for such a large youth and rec player pool to play. Those ages are best served by smaller very local clubs. But then at the oldest ages you might have a super NPL or EDP team but who cares about that?

For something like this to work it would require the hook of ECNL or even GA as a place to put the top team of these combined clubs.

Agree, a bandaid solution if it were to happen. So now you have better teams in CCL or NPL, but you're still losing your best players to bigger leagues.

[Anonymous]

Given everything that transpired this past year, I'm actually shocked more clubs didn't merge. COVID should have changed the landscape with fewer clubs but haven't really seen that yet. We got one less league (i.e. ODSL) but nothing else corresponding.