scholarship player at an elite club/academy level

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:he doesn't mind rotating, except now it seems like he's permanently on the weaker team in defense. it's almost been five months, and to a 9-year-old it is like eternity. he has become better and better during these 5 months because he wanted to get out of the weaker team and his position, but it doesn't seem to lead to any changes. while in the past, he was quite sensitive to my son's progress.

i just don't know if this is because he is on scholarship. wouldn't the club want the player they pay for to play at the stronger team and in the most effective position? it just doesn't make sense to me.

the real problem is that he doesn't see a way out. if he makes efforts, his teammates cannot possess the ball and they loses. if he is discouraged and doesn't work extra hard, they loses. after working so hard for almost five months, this past week he finally became unmotivated, and it is just hard to see. and this weak team is likely to stay weak for a long time, so he will always have to stay on this team? we seriously ask ourselves, should we stay or should we leave.

but is this the same with other clubs for the scholarship players?

You seem like a terrible helicopter parent. Maybe try tennis?

don't think you understand the pressure and sacrifice of playing at this level, especially at this young age.

just hope someone who has gone through something similar with us could share some real insights.

Been through this and understand what your going through and ignore the other posters who are offering negativity. Your question and concerns are legitimate. It isn't about being a helicopter parent. It is about genuinely wanting to know what is best for your son and this is understood.

A couple of things. The scholarship does change the dynamic a bit. They know you're not paying and there are decisions that they make based on this. Remember it is a business first. But I personally don't think the scholarship is driving their decisions here. It has more to do with what they feel is best for the club and their prospects of winning with both teams. If they take your son off the lower team, the lower team becomes terrible. The higher team without him is probably winning and with him they would still be winning but the brand takes a hit because the lower team will start losing. If you start looking at it this way things will become more clear in terms of why they make the decisions they do.

Now, they try to position this decision to play your son down as development. And honestly, they wouldn't totally be wrong. It is u9 soccer. Positions don't really matter and your son playing in the back will help him see the field better and make more decisions with the ball. He will probably be on the ball more in the back if the team is lousy. Those are good things. But, if he isn't challenged that is a problem by itself. Just make sure you're not focused on him scoring goals and winning above his development. Because I can tell you from experience that winning and scoring goals at u9 literally means absolutely nothing. But these are the foundational years for development and if you waste these years just focused on goal scoring and winning then when your kid is 15 he won't have any other skills and won't be a versatile player. Can't tell you how many parents and players I saw at u9 say my kids a striker and moved him club to club only to play striker and when those kids got to higher levels at older ages they didn't have the skills to be standout strikers because they just ran hard and used physicality to score goals at younger ages and when asked to play elsewhere to get minutes they couldn't do that because they only played one position their whole lives. Don't be this parent and player. Think long term about your son's development and not short term.

All of this said, what does your son need in terms of developing as a player? Is their a compromise position that can be evaluated i.e. could your son practice with the higher team for more challenge and play with the lower team but all over the field? Could he play up an age group on a lower team? All options I would raise with the club. Remember that at u9 it is about building a love for the game first and also developing high level skills. If the team is killing his love for the game then move him. It is the only power you have. If he is still enjoying playing, work with what you have and make the best out of the situation. Every environment can be a learning experience and this one can too you just need proper perspective that most parents don't have.

[Anonymous]

And the scholarship is why they feel they can move him to whatever team. Especially if he isn't dominating on the higher team. Paying parents are always in a clubs ear about where their son plays. Just realities.

[Anonymous]

Scholarship or not, parents have to be honest if their kids are impactful to the team or not. Maybe your kid is impactful on the white team but he would just be an average player on the top team. I mean he’s only 9yrs. If he won’t have impact on higher team then it wouldn’t make sense to move him up and play half the time he’s playing with his 2nd team.

Parents - it doesn’t matter how many goals you kids scored at such young age really. I’ve seen strikers moved to defender when they hit U14/ U15 or older. The mindset is playing defense feels like a demoted position to most parents. One of our defenders is probably the best player on the field and impactful to the team in both defense and offense.

Foster the love of the game. Lots of kids attitude came from the parents maybe not directly but they can certainly absorb your point of view on things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And the scholarship is why they feel they can move him to whatever team. Especially if he isn't dominating on the higher team. Paying parents are always in a clubs ear about where their son plays. Just realities.

It's not a scholarship (I.e. Scholarship generally referee to a grant or award made to support a students academic achievement based on academic achievement). It's financial aid, typically based on a low reported income. Although, sometimes financial aid is given to extremely talented players that club does want to play for their team. But sometimes, players who are receiving financial aid do get moved down to a lower team if they are not performing or participating at the expected level. I have seen 2 players on financial aid who just could not come to all the practices. That was seen as a lack of commitment to the team and they were demoted.