Why no freshman soccer?

[Anonymous]

Other schools may vary, but I just learned to my surprise that our school has freshman *field hockey* but not freshman soccer.

Surely more people play soccer than field hockey. At this school and others that I know, you have to be on a top-level travel team (local club's A team or maybe a stronger team at another club) just to make the JV.

Is it simply a question of field space? How do they solve it for freshman football/field hockey in the fall?

[Anonymous]

From what I understand, it's actually the opposite thought process. Tons more do play soccer, so there's no need to start a freshman soccer team. The freshman teams are for the purpose of introducing a lesser played sport to kids who have never played it so that they'll play and hopefully be decent the next year on JV.

Soccer is difficult in VA, at least. At our high school, 120 boys came out for 40 spots (JV and V). They were all very good, so many very good players get cut. It's so disappointing and seems like there's politics involved, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Other schools may vary, but I just learned to my surprise that our school has freshman *field hockey* but not freshman soccer.

Surely more people play soccer than field hockey. At this school and others that I know, you have to be on a top-level travel team (local club's A team or maybe a stronger team at another club) just to make the JV.

Is it simply a question of field space? How do they solve it for freshman football/field hockey in the fall?

Where is this?

I played Varsity soccer as a Freshman. Is this a small school without a JV program? I know 8th graders that are allowed to play HS soccer in this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From what I understand, it's actually the opposite thought process. Tons more do play soccer, so there's no need to start a freshman soccer team. The freshman teams are for the purpose of introducing a lesser played sport to kids who have never played it so that they'll play and hopefully be decent the next year on JV.

Soccer is difficult in VA, at least. At our high school, 120 boys came out for 40 spots (JV and V). They were all very good, so many very good players get cut. It's so disappointing and seems like there's politics involved, too.

HS soccer has even been more notoriously political than travel. If you can believe that...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other schools may vary, but I just learned to my surprise that our school has freshman *field hockey* but not freshman soccer.

Surely more people play soccer than field hockey. At this school and others that I know, you have to be on a top-level travel team (local club's A team or maybe a stronger team at another club) just to make the JV.

Is it simply a question of field space? How do they solve it for freshman football/field hockey in the fall?

Where is this?

I played Varsity soccer as a Freshman. Is this a small school without a JV program? I know 8th graders that are allowed to play HS soccer in this area.

Not PP but at our MCPS about 100 boys come out for 40 spots across the two teams. Plenty more don't even try out because it's notoriously difficult. Girls soccer is just as competitive.

Not sure a freshman team would be helpful. Not even all the JV players end up making varsity so having a whole extra group would not be too useful. In MCPS JV is limited to 9th and 10th graders. In our experience the coaches try to balance it pretty evenly between the two grades to have the pipeline. But that does mean that there are only 10-12 boys from each grade on the teams. A few sophomores, and maybe a superstar freshman or two, will go direct to varsity.

[Anonymous]

I would suggest a call to the AD if you really are interested in knowing. Sometimes it can be difficult getting freshman games. Perhaps there are several schools in your area that have freshman field hockey teams.

[Anonymous]

So I guess I'd say, OP, that having a freshman team isn't to provide opportunities for more kids to play, but instead to cultivate kids in a less popular sport so that you have a chance to have sufficient players to field a team.

[Anonymous]

The catholic schools tend to have freshman sports. There are enough that they can play each other. But I think many of them also require sports so they need to provide opportunities for more kids to play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I understand, it's actually the opposite thought process. Tons more do play soccer, so there's no need to start a freshman soccer team. The freshman teams are for the purpose of introducing a lesser played sport to kids who have never played it so that they'll play and hopefully be decent the next year on JV.

Soccer is difficult in VA, at least. At our high school, 120 boys came out for 40 spots (JV and V). They were all very good, so many very good players get cut. It's so disappointing and seems like there's politics involved, too.

HS soccer has even been more notoriously political than travel. If you can believe that...

How is the game played? Do the kids have to kiss up to the coach? Please don't tell me parents get involved. Two years now my ds didn't make the team. He's not the very best, but he's quite good and gets lots of play on his club team. Guys he got to know through tryouts who made the team couldn't believe he got cut and that there were worse players who did make the team. Even they were mad about decisions that were made.

Anything you can share? I'm sure he's done and won't put himself out there again, but I'm curious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So I guess I'd say, OP, that having a freshman team isn't to provide opportunities for more kids to play, but instead to cultivate kids in a less popular sport so that you have a chance to have sufficient players to field a team.

That actually makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I understand, it's actually the opposite thought process. Tons more do play soccer, so there's no need to start a freshman soccer team. The freshman teams are for the purpose of introducing a lesser played sport to kids who have never played it so that they'll play and hopefully be decent the next year on JV.

Soccer is difficult in VA, at least. At our high school, 120 boys came out for 40 spots (JV and V). They were all very good, so many very good players get cut. It's so disappointing and seems like there's politics involved, too.

HS soccer has even been more notoriously political than travel. If you can believe that...

How is the game played? Do the kids have to kiss up to the coach? Please don't tell me parents get involved. Two years now my ds didn't make the team. He's not the very best, but he's quite good and gets lots of play on his club team. Guys he got to know through tryouts who made the team couldn't believe he got cut and that there were worse players who did make the team. Even they were mad about decisions that were made.

Anything you can share? I'm sure he's done and won't put himself out there again, but I'm curious.

So at a tryout there are the top 10%, middle 80% and the bottom 10%. If you follow soccer(not just watch youth soccer), you can pick the top and bottom out very easily. After you ID the top, you have to build your team. So the skill sets and positions of the top players will dictate the rest of your team. A lot of the "politics" are really the coach deciding how to build his/her team. Do you need 3 or 6 midfield players if you have an all star attacking midfielder? Do you need another attacking mid or do you select a defense midfield?

[Anonymous]

That's not really politics, that's smart selection. Politics would be parents or club coaches influencing the process.

Other factors (appropriate) that I've seen come in to play include basic fitness (if tryouts are in August an unfit kid isn't going to be game ready by September), work ethic and attitude, team dynamics, ability to improve (hard to judge, but there are some kids who you can tell don't need much to be able to contribute).

[Anonymous]

I thought some (mainly eastern county) FCPS high schools attempted to start freshman boys soccer teams this spring? What happened?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I understand, it's actually the opposite thought process. Tons more do play soccer, so there's no need to start a freshman soccer team. The freshman teams are for the purpose of introducing a lesser played sport to kids who have never played it so that they'll play and hopefully be decent the next year on JV.

Soccer is difficult in VA, at least. At our high school, 120 boys came out for 40 spots (JV and V). They were all very good, so many very good players get cut. It's so disappointing and seems like there's politics involved, too.

HS soccer has even been more notoriously political than travel. If you can believe that...

How is the game played? Do the kids have to kiss up to the coach? Please don't tell me parents get involved. Two years now my ds didn't make the team. He's not the very best, but he's quite good and gets lots of play on his club team. Guys he got to know through tryouts who made the team couldn't believe he got cut and that there were worse players who did make the team. Even they were mad about decisions that were made.

Anything you can share? I'm sure he's done and won't put himself out there again, but I'm curious.

So at a tryout there are the top 10%, middle 80% and the bottom 10%. If you follow soccer(not just watch youth soccer), you can pick the top and bottom out very easily. After you ID the top, you have to build your team. So the skill sets and positions of the top players will dictate the rest of your team. A lot of the "politics" are really the coach deciding how to build his/her team. Do you need 3 or 6 midfield players if you have an all star attacking midfielder? Do you need another attacking mid or do you select a defense midfield?

Thanks, that makes sense.

[Anonymous]

^^some places--club coaches are intertwined. That is how it is at our HS and the same families carry their shit over there.