Travel Soccer teams around NOVA let's discuss

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought folks like to say their kid isn't on a top team because top teams travel to much.

I can only speak for myself, but I've often mentioned that in reference not to my own kids but to others I've coached and others I know.

It's a legitimate concern.

Does it mean CCL is inherently evil? No.

And conversely, I'd like to see ODSL and much of NCSL cut down its own travel so people aren't driving from Springfield to West Virginia or from Loudoun to Arundel just because they're in the same "division."

The occasional long trip? Sure. Maybe a "crossover" week, or maybe your local team just goes outside its usual stomping grounds for a tournament or two. Yeah, it's a bonding experience, and it's the same principle as going on the occasional work trip vs. commuting from West Virginia to D.C. every day.

But if you don't think driving 2-4 hours each way every other week (for ONE of your two, three or four kids) is a deterrent for a lot of travel parents, I don't know what reality you've constructed for yourself.

well said, it's a true concern for many families (not all).

+2
CCL is rough at U11 and U12 on families with many soccer-playing children, but sounds like NCSL has issues too. No perfect solution and there is not a myriad of choices for us. There is no magical club or lower team that would solve anything, despite what some on this board state. We have put fingers crossed that the travel soccer restaurant will start offering pizza options close by soon. I love hearing that Braddock Road is charging leagues for its younger players, but they are too far away. At the town hall did they say where they would be going?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought folks like to say their kid isn't on a top team because top teams travel to much.

I can only speak for myself, but I've often mentioned that in reference not to my own kids but to others I've coached and others I know.

It's a legitimate concern.

Does it mean CCL is inherently evil? No.

And conversely, I'd like to see ODSL and much of NCSL cut down its own travel so people aren't driving from Springfield to West Virginia or from Loudoun to Arundel just because they're in the same "division."

The occasional long trip? Sure. Maybe a "crossover" week, or maybe your local team just goes outside its usual stomping grounds for a tournament or two. Yeah, it's a bonding experience, and it's the same principle as going on the occasional work trip vs. commuting from West Virginia to D.C. every day.

But if you don't think driving 2-4 hours each way every other week (for ONE of your two, three or four kids) is a deterrent for a lot of travel parents, I don't know what reality you've constructed for yourself.

well said, it's a true concern for many families (not all).

The sheer # of tournaments as well. We moved from a CCL club to a NCSL club. In U9-u12 only two tournaments each season. 4 total and they are local. Parents have choice of which tournaments they want...parents always pick local.

Kids are happy. Development/training good and practices are fun. The parents are much less intense. Atmosphere much better.

It's how they practice that matters most at those ages anyways. You don't need to travel far to develop. In fact, the backyard is the best place. Weekend games are fun for kids--and they are just as happy playing a game 20 min away vs. 3 hours away. My kids actually bitch and moan if they hear a game is over an hour drive away. I notice the team never plays as well when we are away and it's been a very long drive to get there. Sitting in the car for so many hours eats up a Sunday they could be playing with friends after the game. We are talking about 8-12 year olds after all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought folks like to say their kid isn't on a top team because top teams travel to much.

I can only speak for myself, but I've often mentioned that in reference not to my own kids but to others I've coached and others I know.

It's a legitimate concern.

Does it mean CCL is inherently evil? No.

And conversely, I'd like to see ODSL and much of NCSL cut down its own travel so people aren't driving from Springfield to West Virginia or from Loudoun to Arundel just because they're in the same "division."

The occasional long trip? Sure. Maybe a "crossover" week, or maybe your local team just goes outside its usual stomping grounds for a tournament or two. Yeah, it's a bonding experience, and it's the same principle as going on the occasional work trip vs. commuting from West Virginia to D.C. every day.

But if you don't think driving 2-4 hours each way every other week (for ONE of your two, three or four kids) is a deterrent for a lot of travel parents, I don't know what reality you've constructed for yourself.

well said, it's a true concern for many families (not all).

+2
CCL is rough at U11 and U12 on families with many soccer-playing children, but sounds like NCSL has issues too. No perfect solution and there is not a myriad of choices for us. There is no magical club or lower team that would solve anything, despite what some on this board state. We have put fingers crossed that the travel soccer restaurant will start offering pizza options close by soon. I love hearing that Braddock Road is charging leagues for its younger players, but they are too far away. At the town hall did they say where they would be going?

They indicated that the younger age groups (U9-U12) would not play in a league. They'll train, participate in tournaments, and play friendlies with neighboring clubs. There's a chance some teams (possibly including grandfathered second teams) may be able to fill gaps in CCL but they said that is still TBD. The rising U13s (05s) will likely participate in pre-ECNL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought folks like to say their kid isn't on a top team because top teams travel to much.

I can only speak for myself, but I've often mentioned that in reference not to my own kids but to others I've coached and others I know.

It's a legitimate concern.

Does it mean CCL is inherently evil? No.

And conversely, I'd like to see ODSL and much of NCSL cut down its own travel so people aren't driving from Springfield to West Virginia or from Loudoun to Arundel just because they're in the same "division."

The occasional long trip? Sure. Maybe a "crossover" week, or maybe your local team just goes outside its usual stomping grounds for a tournament or two. Yeah, it's a bonding experience, and it's the same principle as going on the occasional work trip vs. commuting from West Virginia to D.C. every day.

But if you don't think driving 2-4 hours each way every other week (for ONE of your two, three or four kids) is a deterrent for a lot of travel parents, I don't know what reality you've constructed for yourself.

well said, it's a true concern for many families (not all).

+2
CCL is rough at U11 and U12 on families with many soccer-playing children, but sounds like NCSL has issues too. No perfect solution and there is not a myriad of choices for us. There is no magical club or lower team that would solve anything, despite what some on this board state. We have put fingers crossed that the travel soccer restaurant will start offering pizza options close by soon. I love hearing that Braddock Road is charging leagues for its younger players, but they are too far away. At the town hall did they say where they would be going?

They indicated that the younger age groups (U9-U12) would not play in a league. They'll train, participate in tournaments, and play friendlies with neighboring clubs. There's a chance some teams (possibly including grandfathered second teams) may be able to fill gaps in CCL but they said that is still TBD. The rising U13s (05s) will likely participate in pre-ECNL.

Damn. I am sorry it's too far a drive for us in rush hour. This is exactly the type of thing I'm looking for. BRYC was the girls leader back in the day for a reason.

I am hoping after a decade or so of all of this madness--soccer in this area goes back to the grassroots. It was such a nicer experience---and development was much better when there weren't so many 'educated/licensed' coaches f*cking things up.

[Anonymous]

Often the less intense the competition is expected to be the more kids learn and the more risks they are willing to take in games.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought folks like to say their kid isn't on a top team because top teams travel to much.

I can only speak for myself, but I've often mentioned that in reference not to my own kids but to others I've coached and others I know.

It's a legitimate concern.

Does it mean CCL is inherently evil? No.

And conversely, I'd like to see ODSL and much of NCSL cut down its own travel so people aren't driving from Springfield to West Virginia or from Loudoun to Arundel just because they're in the same "division."

The occasional long trip? Sure. Maybe a "crossover" week, or maybe your local team just goes outside its usual stomping grounds for a tournament or two. Yeah, it's a bonding experience, and it's the same principle as going on the occasional work trip vs. commuting from West Virginia to D.C. every day.

But if you don't think driving 2-4 hours each way every other week (for ONE of your two, three or four kids) is a deterrent for a lot of travel parents, I don't know what reality you've constructed for yourself.

well said, it's a true concern for many families (not all).

+2
CCL is rough at U11 and U12 on families with many soccer-playing children, but sounds like NCSL has issues too. No perfect solution and there is not a myriad of choices for us. There is no magical club or lower team that would solve anything, despite what some on this board state. We have put fingers crossed that the travel soccer restaurant will start offering pizza options close by soon. I love hearing that Braddock Road is charging leagues for its younger players, but they are too far away. At the town hall did they say where they would be going?

They indicated that the younger age groups (U9-U12) would not play in a league. They'll train, participate in tournaments, and play friendlies with neighboring clubs. There's a chance some teams (possibly including grandfathered second teams) may be able to fill gaps in CCL but they said that is still TBD. The rising U13s (05s) will likely participate in pre-ECNL.

Thanks! That seems seismic. What were parents reactions to that announcement? Are there any other local clubs that have completely opted of joining a league and just training at these ages? Seems very interesting, especially if the tournaments were limited to 2-3 a season.

[Anonymous]

^ Follow-up: do they plan to reduce to just one team per age group for U9-U12 under this model?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought folks like to say their kid isn't on a top team because top teams travel to much.

I can only speak for myself, but I've often mentioned that in reference not to my own kids but to others I've coached and others I know.

It's a legitimate concern.

Does it mean CCL is inherently evil? No.

And conversely, I'd like to see ODSL and much of NCSL cut down its own travel so people aren't driving from Springfield to West Virginia or from Loudoun to Arundel just because they're in the same "division."

The occasional long trip? Sure. Maybe a "crossover" week, or maybe your local team just goes outside its usual stomping grounds for a tournament or two. Yeah, it's a bonding experience, and it's the same principle as going on the occasional work trip vs. commuting from West Virginia to D.C. every day.

But if you don't think driving 2-4 hours each way every other week (for ONE of your two, three or four kids) is a deterrent for a lot of travel parents, I don't know what reality you've constructed for yourself.

well said, it's a true concern for many families (not all).

+2
CCL is rough at U11 and U12 on families with many soccer-playing children, but sounds like NCSL has issues too. No perfect solution and there is not a myriad of choices for us. There is no magical club or lower team that would solve anything, despite what some on this board state. We have put fingers crossed that the travel soccer restaurant will start offering pizza options close by soon. I love hearing that Braddock Road is charging leagues for its younger players, but they are too far away. At the town hall did they say where they would be going?

They indicated that the younger age groups (U9-U12) would not play in a league. They'll train, participate in tournaments, and play friendlies with neighboring clubs. There's a chance some teams (possibly including grandfathered second teams) may be able to fill gaps in CCL but they said that is still TBD. The rising U13s (05s) will likely participate in pre-ECNL.

Thanks! That seems seismic. What were parents reactions to that announcement? Are there any other local clubs that have completely opted of joining a league and just training at these ages? Seems very interesting, especially if the tournaments were limited to 2-3 a season.

I have to believe that there were likely parental freakouts. BRYC really has to sell the benefits and I just tend to think that parents will not trust that their kids will be fine in the long run.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought folks like to say their kid isn't on a top team because top teams travel to much.

I can only speak for myself, but I've often mentioned that in reference not to my own kids but to others I've coached and others I know.

It's a legitimate concern.

Does it mean CCL is inherently evil? No.

And conversely, I'd like to see ODSL and much of NCSL cut down its own travel so people aren't driving from Springfield to West Virginia or from Loudoun to Arundel just because they're in the same "division."

The occasional long trip? Sure. Maybe a "crossover" week, or maybe your local team just goes outside its usual stomping grounds for a tournament or two. Yeah, it's a bonding experience, and it's the same principle as going on the occasional work trip vs. commuting from West Virginia to D.C. every day.

But if you don't think driving 2-4 hours each way every other week (for ONE of your two, three or four kids) is a deterrent for a lot of travel parents, I don't know what reality you've constructed for yourself.

well said, it's a true concern for many families (not all).

+2
CCL is rough at U11 and U12 on families with many soccer-playing children, but sounds like NCSL has issues too. No perfect solution and there is not a myriad of choices for us. There is no magical club or lower team that would solve anything, despite what some on this board state. We have put fingers crossed that the travel soccer restaurant will start offering pizza options close by soon. I love hearing that Braddock Road is charging leagues for its younger players, but they are too far away. At the town hall did they say where they would be going?

They indicated that the younger age groups (U9-U12) would not play in a league. They'll train, participate in tournaments, and play friendlies with neighboring clubs. There's a chance some teams (possibly including grandfathered second teams) may be able to fill gaps in CCL but they said that is still TBD. The rising U13s (05s) will likely participate in pre-ECNL.

Thanks! That seems seismic. What were parents reactions to that announcement? Are there any other local clubs that have completely opted of joining a league and just training at these ages? Seems very interesting, especially if the tournaments were limited to 2-3 a season.

I have to believe that there were likely parental freakouts. BRYC really has to sell the benefits and I just tend to think that parents will not trust that their kids will be fine in the long run.

That's a great way to weed out the dumb parents---who usually happen to be the biggest PIAs as well. Bye-buh!

I am going to bring this model up to my Club.

[Anonymous]

What BRYC is doing is giving soccer back to the kids. Gotsoccer is nothing in this model. There is no pushing for the physicality of play and reliance on it in the younger years. A model like this allows for development of players. Nobody is caring how many tournament wins or league rankings. It's perfect.

Let the douchey parents that like to sit around the water cooler bragging about little Jimmy's prowess and medals take it to the other Clubs. This takes the wind out of the sails of a lot of the jerks that come in and ruin Clubs by their focus on recruiting and winning with young kids.

[Anonymous]

From BRYC's FAQs -

17. What happened with the GDA?
We could not come to an agreement with the Spirit that we felt was a positive path for the future of the club.

18. Will we still play in the CCL in 2017-2018?
No, we will not continue with CCL because we are unable to put our top teams into the league. We will be leaving CCL
in good-standing.

. . . interesting that CCL wanted their top team only . . . Mclean puts its second team in CCL on the girls side . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From BRYC's FAQs -

17. What happened with the GDA?
We could not come to an agreement with the Spirit that we felt was a positive path for the future of the club.

18. Will we still play in the CCL in 2017-2018?
No, we will not continue with CCL because we are unable to put our top teams into the league. We will be leaving CCL
in good-standing.

. . . interesting that CCL wanted their top team only . . . Mclean puts its second team in CCL on the girls side . . .

and that's a huge issue with quality and age-group holes that have to be filled by outside teams
MD United too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From BRYC's FAQs -

17. What happened with the GDA?
We could not come to an agreement with the Spirit that we felt was a positive path for the future of the club.

18. Will we still play in the CCL in 2017-2018?
No, we will not continue with CCL because we are unable to put our top teams into the league. We will be leaving CCL
in good-standing.

. . . interesting that CCL wanted their top team only . . . Mclean puts its second team in CCL on the girls side . . .

Perhaps BRYC just felt that with their progressive development path for the U Littles that CCL or any league for that matter just didn't serve a purpose? It also sounds like they just want to be a ECNL only club.

They are certainly going all in on ECNL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From BRYC's FAQs -

17. What happened with the GDA?
We could not come to an agreement with the Spirit that we felt was a positive path for the future of the club.

18. Will we still play in the CCL in 2017-2018?
No, we will not continue with CCL because we are unable to put our top teams into the league. We will be leaving CCL
in good-standing.

. . . interesting that CCL wanted their top team only . . . Mclean puts its second team in CCL on the girls side . . .

There won't be second teams at most age groups for them to put in CCL.

I didn't sense a lot of freak out about the no-league thing for the younger kids. There was more angst expressed over whether ECNL would cost more, whether ECNL on the boys side would ramp up quickly enough for boys who are in prime recruiting years, and what would happen to players who are currently on second teams (will they have a shot to make the ECNL teams, will the second teams continue to exist, and if so, where will they compete, etc.). BRYC pointed out that they do still have ODSL teams available for players who are looking for something less intense than ECNL, although that is run through the rec side of the club so not the same training/player development model.

[Anonymous]

I know McLean and Md United don't for the ECNL teams on the girls side (ie, the older teams), and on the boys side, Loudoun, McLean and Arlington have younger DA teams . I think the difference for BRYC is that NONE of their top teams would be in CCL, plus the fact that BRYC doesn't have two teams in most of the older age groups.