Does DA kill the love of the game?

[Anonymous]

So I know that's a loaded question, and one that probably has different answers from different people but I'm curious of kids you know in DA would you say they are starting to burn out from the schedule, travel, etc? I've read op ed's on soccer magazines that cite some "lack of fun" amongst DA players and many boys saying they left because they were burned out, but I'm not sure how much of that is true and how much is an excuse.

Any observations from those in the program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So I know that's a loaded question, and one that probably has different answers from different people but I'm curious of kids you know in DA would you say they are starting to burn out from the schedule, travel, etc? I've read op ed's on soccer magazines that cite some "lack of fun" amongst DA players and many boys saying they left because they were burned out, but I'm not sure how much of that is true and how much is an excuse.

Any observations from those in the program?

There is no sudden increase in "burn out" from practicing 1 extra day per week. If your kid "burned out" practicing 4 days a week on a DA team he/she would also have burned out practicing 3 days a week on an ECNL team.

[Anonymous]

My son has played DA for a number of years, and we know a lot of kids both here and in other parts of the country who have gone all or part-way through the system. I read those articles in soccer magazines too and rarely feel like they describe the DA experience we've had, so I think this is a really good question.

I'll start by saying that my son has very much enjoyed the years in DA, and has gotten a lot out of it. He's improved his game tremendously, made a ton of friends, and is on a very good recruiting path for college. For some of his friends, the DA exposure has led to youth national team invites and a few of them are, or are working on, going pro. For those that are happy with their DA team and club, the practice schedule is mostly a good thing, because they love playing soccer as often as possible, and the travel ranges from kind of tedious at worst (bus rides to NJ or PA a couple times a season) to really fun (showcases in FLA or CA). Commute to/from practice can be hard, as can balancing school work and non-soccer social life.

We also know many kids who have quit or been cut from DA teams. For those who quit, I think it's almost never "burn-out" with the game per se, but instead frustration with their coach and (pretty much 100% of the time) their playing time. If you are putting in 20 plus hours a week, season after season, and getting little if any playing time, it wears on you, especially when you see the starters/regulars getting all the interest from scouts and college coaches. Eventually kids in this boat either try out for a different DA club, or decide that club soccer plus HS would be more enjoyable. I've seen this happen to a lot of kids, and none of them have quit the sport, so I don't think it affects their love of the game. They typically get their confidence back quickly since kids who have played DA are usually sought after by both HS and other travel coaches. I know a fair number of bitter parents of former DA players though. It's hard to see your talented kid work so hard and not get the recognition you think they deserve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son has played DA for a number of years, and we know a lot of kids both here and in other parts of the country who have gone all or part-way through the system. I read those articles in soccer magazines too and rarely feel like they describe the DA experience we've had, so I think this is a really good question.

I'll start by saying that my son has very much enjoyed the years in DA, and has gotten a lot out of it. He's improved his game tremendously, made a ton of friends, and is on a very good recruiting path for college. For some of his friends, the DA exposure has led to youth national team invites and a few of them are, or are working on, going pro. For those that are happy with their DA team and club, the practice schedule is mostly a good thing, because they love playing soccer as often as possible, and the travel ranges from kind of tedious at worst (bus rides to NJ or PA a couple times a season) to really fun (showcases in FLA or CA). Commute to/from practice can be hard, as can balancing school work and non-soccer social life.

We also know many kids who have quit or been cut from DA teams. For those who quit, I think it's almost never "burn-out" with the game per se, but instead frustration with their coach and (pretty much 100% of the time) their playing time. If you are putting in 20 plus hours a week, season after season, and getting little if any playing time, it wears on you, especially when you see the starters/regulars getting all the interest from scouts and college coaches. Eventually kids in this boat either try out for a different DA club, or decide that club soccer plus HS would be more enjoyable. I've seen this happen to a lot of kids, and none of them have quit the sport, so I don't think it affects their love of the game. They typically get their confidence back quickly since kids who have played DA are usually sought after by both HS and other travel coaches. I know a fair number of bitter parents of former DA players though. It's hard to see your talented kid work so hard and not get the recognition you think they deserve.

We are not quite so far along on the journey but I agree with this. The issue is not the pressure, practice/travel time, or overall commitment level. It is all of that combined with lack of playing time which proves to be too much to bear for many kids.

[Anonymous]

DA is a good test run for D1 college programs and for the pros. If the kid doesn’t love having that much soccer in his or her life, then D1 and pro is not for that kid. So to the extent there are burnout kids who leave DA and play with a more local club, or just for high school, DA just served a pretty good purpose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DA is a good test run for D1 college programs and for the pros. If the kid doesn’t love having that much soccer in his or her life, then D1 and pro is not for that kid. So to the extent there are burnout kids who leave DA and play with a more local club, or just for high school, DA just served a pretty good purpose.

I agree with that. For some players, it's the answer to a question they had. Either the answer is yes or it is definitely no.