youth soccer participation down 23.5% in key 6-12 year age group...

[Anonymous]

Soccer doesn't work that way. You sign an agreement to make every game and practice, unless some special circumstance. Parents can't say no to the coach simply because they paid. It doesn't work that way. You are impacting all the other players who need you at practice and games. It is a team sport and all the other players need you to fulfill your role. Ever seen a Rec Soccer Team where half of the team doesn't show for the weekend games because the parents don't feel like it and don't force their kids to attend, and then the other half of the team is stuck there having to forfeit? It is a year long commitment.

The solution is to simply leave and not try out again. Best for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Soccer doesn't work that way. You sign an agreement to make every game and practice, unless some special circumstance. Parents can't say no to the coach simply because they paid. It doesn't work that way. You are impacting all the other players who need you at practice and games. It is a team sport and all the other players need you to fulfill your role. Ever seen a Rec Soccer Team where half of the team doesn't show for the weekend games because the parents don't feel like it and don't force their kids to attend, and then the other half of the team is stuck there having to forfeit? It is a year long commitment.

The solution is to simply leave and not try out again. Best for everyone.

No it can work that way. You pay, you are the customer. I didn’t say skip games. I said go to piano lessons on Tuesday night. No reasonable coach will care. If your kid needs a night off, take it. If missing some practices is what it would take to keep a kid involved in the sport long term then it is a small price to pay.

You do what is right for your kid and for some “contract” you signed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soccer doesn't work that way. You sign an agreement to make every game and practice, unless some special circumstance. Parents can't say no to the coach simply because they paid. It doesn't work that way. You are impacting all the other players who need you at practice and games. It is a team sport and all the other players need you to fulfill your role. Ever seen a Rec Soccer Team where half of the team doesn't show for the weekend games because the parents don't feel like it and don't force their kids to attend, and then the other half of the team is stuck there having to forfeit? It is a year long commitment.

The solution is to simply leave and not try out again. Best for everyone.

No it can work that way. You pay, you are the customer. I didn’t say skip games. I said go to piano lessons on Tuesday night. No reasonable coach will care. If your kid needs a night off, take it. If missing some practices is what it would take to keep a kid involved in the sport long term then it is a small price to pay.

You do what is right for your kid and for some “contract” you signed.

Depends on coach and team. We played for a club that at U9 penalized players for missing soccer for family weddings and funerals. We left fairly quickly. Bunch of a_holes. What is ultimately more important lesson to teach an 8-year old? The real sick part is the parents that gave up everything outside of soccer for a kid at that age that probably won't even make the HS team or still be playing down the road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soccer doesn't work that way. You sign an agreement to make every game and practice, unless some special circumstance. Parents can't say no to the coach simply because they paid. It doesn't work that way. You are impacting all the other players who need you at practice and games. It is a team sport and all the other players need you to fulfill your role. Ever seen a Rec Soccer Team where half of the team doesn't show for the weekend games because the parents don't feel like it and don't force their kids to attend, and then the other half of the team is stuck there having to forfeit? It is a year long commitment.

The solution is to simply leave and not try out again. Best for everyone.

No it can work that way. You pay, you are the customer. I didn’t say skip games. I said go to piano lessons on Tuesday night. No reasonable coach will care. If your kid needs a night off, take it. If missing some practices is what it would take to keep a kid involved in the sport long term then it is a small price to pay.

You do what is right for your kid and for some “contract” you signed.

Depends on coach and team. We played for a club that at U9 penalized players for missing soccer for family weddings and funerals. We left fairly quickly. Bunch of a_holes. What is ultimately more important lesson to teach an 8-year old? The real sick part is the parents that gave up everything outside of soccer for a kid at that age that probably won't even make the HS team or still be playing down the road.

Then leave that club, but not the sport. Or play on a less intensive B or C team if possible.

[Anonymous]

Too few clubs offer an alternative for U9-U12s. Rec teams are not even serious and treated as a joke, and few selection-based teams offer something in between rec and full blown NCSL travel ---- where we are with its big tourneys, winter practices, etc.

Can anyone name a VA club that has a U9-U12 select or travel-lite team that:

does not require a year commitment

practices only twice a week within 30 minutes of DC

plays in maybe one tourney a season

has all its home and away games within an hour drive of DC

has professional coaches

costs half of the usual $3K a year ---- because it doesn't have any DOCs, etc., etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too few clubs offer an alternative for U9-U12s. Rec teams are not even serious and treated as a joke, and few selection-based teams offer something in between rec and full blown NCSL travel ---- where we are with its big tourneys, winter practices, etc.

Can anyone name a VA club that has a U9-U12 select or travel-lite team that:

does not require a year commitment

practices only twice a week within 30 minutes of DC

plays in maybe one tourney a season

has all its home and away games within an hour drive of DC

has professional coaches

costs half of the usual $3K a year ---- because it doesn't have any DOCs, etc., etc.

My 12-yo's rec team is pretty serious and no player or parent treats it as a joke. Their skill/competition level may look like a joke to you or your child but that's not our problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too few clubs offer an alternative for U9-U12s. Rec teams are not even serious and treated as a joke, and few selection-based teams offer something in between rec and full blown NCSL travel ---- where we are with its big tourneys, winter practices, etc.

Can anyone name a VA club that has a U9-U12 select or travel-lite team that:

does not require a year commitment

practices only twice a week within 30 minutes of DC

plays in maybe one tourney a season

has all its home and away games within an hour drive of DC

has professional coaches

costs half of the usual $3K a year ---- because it doesn't have any DOCs, etc., etc.

Play on 3rd or 4th team and work out your schedule with your coach. It really is not that hard to talk to a coach and work stuff out you know. If the coach says no, then that is not the spot for you but it also doesn't mean that is how all coaches are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soccer doesn't work that way. You sign an agreement to make every game and practice, unless some special circumstance. Parents can't say no to the coach simply because they paid. It doesn't work that way. You are impacting all the other players who need you at practice and games. It is a team sport and all the other players need you to fulfill your role. Ever seen a Rec Soccer Team where half of the team doesn't show for the weekend games because the parents don't feel like it and don't force their kids to attend, and then the other half of the team is stuck there having to forfeit? It is a year long commitment.

The solution is to simply leave and not try out again. Best for everyone.

No it can work that way. You pay, you are the customer. I didn’t say skip games. I said go to piano lessons on Tuesday night. No reasonable coach will care. If your kid needs a night off, take it. If missing some practices is what it would take to keep a kid involved in the sport long term then it is a small price to pay.

You do what is right for your kid and for some “contract” you signed.

Depends on coach and team. We played for a club that at U9 penalized players for missing soccer for family weddings and funerals. We left fairly quickly. Bunch of a_holes. What is ultimately more important lesson to teach an 8-year old? The real sick part is the parents that gave up everything outside of soccer for a kid at that age that probably won't even make the HS team or still be playing down the road.

Then leave that club, but not the sport. Or play on a less intensive B or C team if possible.

How about reading the whole post before firing off your comment? We did leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soccer doesn't work that way. You sign an agreement to make every game and practice, unless some special circumstance. Parents can't say no to the coach simply because they paid. It doesn't work that way. You are impacting all the other players who need you at practice and games. It is a team sport and all the other players need you to fulfill your role. Ever seen a Rec Soccer Team where half of the team doesn't show for the weekend games because the parents don't feel like it and don't force their kids to attend, and then the other half of the team is stuck there having to forfeit? It is a year long commitment.

The solution is to simply leave and not try out again. Best for everyone.

No it can work that way. You pay, you are the customer. I didn’t say skip games. I said go to piano lessons on Tuesday night. No reasonable coach will care. If your kid needs a night off, take it. If missing some practices is what it would take to keep a kid involved in the sport long term then it is a small price to pay.

You do what is right for your kid and for some “contract” you signed.

Depends on coach and team. We played for a club that at U9 penalized players for missing soccer for family weddings and funerals. We left fairly quickly. Bunch of a_holes. What is ultimately more important lesson to teach an 8-year old? The real sick part is the parents that gave up everything outside of soccer for a kid at that age that probably won't even make the HS team or still be playing down the road.

Then leave that club, but not the sport. Or play on a less intensive B or C team if possible.

How about reading the whole post before firing off your comment? We did leave.

Sometimes things are written for other people with the basic context of the general thread or point without necessarily replying to a post in its entirety. But be angry about nothing if you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too few clubs offer an alternative for U9-U12s. Rec teams are not even serious and treated as a joke, and few selection-based teams offer something in between rec and full blown NCSL travel ---- where we are with its big tourneys, winter practices, etc.

Can anyone name a VA club that has a U9-U12 select or travel-lite team that:

does not require a year commitment

practices only twice a week within 30 minutes of DC

plays in maybe one tourney a season

has all its home and away games within an hour drive of DC

has professional coaches

costs half of the usual $3K a year ---- because it doesn't have any DOCs, etc., etc.

Yes, Arlington Soccer has its Arlington Development Program (ADP) not Development Academy. It sits at that sweet spot between Rec and Travel - and some of the teams are better than the lower travel teams. You have to try out for the team, 2 practices a week - one with a professional coach and one with a parent coach, and games are only against other Arlington ADP teams. Some of the ADP parent coaches will enter their team into various travel team competitions. The cost is either $300 a semester or for the whole year, and that includes the uniforms and socks. They try to base it around your school, but if one team gets too good, they will shuffle teams around to even them out to keep it competitive for all. My son's team had several kids who could have easily been high ASA travel players, but the parents did not want that kind of commitment or worked too much. They have tryouts in both the Fall and Spring, but Spring is just to fill in some kids who left. Is it perfect? No, one of the worst parents I've come across, and I've had 3 kids in travel, was an ADP parent screaming at his kid every game. All games are in Arlington, just now always the best fields.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Too few clubs offer an alternative for U9-U12s. Rec teams are not even serious and treated as a joke, and few selection-based teams offer something in between rec and full blown NCSL travel ---- where we are with its big tourneys, winter practices, etc.

Can anyone name a VA club that has a U9-U12 select or travel-lite team that:

does not require a year commitment

practices only twice a week within 30 minutes of DC

plays in maybe one tourney a season

has all its home and away games within an hour drive of DC

has professional coaches

costs half of the usual $3K a year ---- because it doesn't have any DOCs, etc., etc.

Yes, Arlington Soccer has its Arlington Development Program (ADP) not Development Academy. It sits at that sweet spot between Rec and Travel - and some of the teams are better than the lower travel teams. You have to try out for the team, 2 practices a week - one with a professional coach and one with a parent coach, and games are only against other Arlington ADP teams. Some of the ADP parent coaches will enter their team into various travel team competitions. The cost is either $300 a semester or for the whole year, and that includes the uniforms and socks. They try to base it around your school, but if one team gets too good, they will shuffle teams around to even them out to keep it competitive for all. My son's team had several kids who could have easily been high ASA travel players, but the parents did not want that kind of commitment or worked too much. They have tryouts in both the Fall and Spring, but Spring is just to fill in some kids who left. Is it perfect? No, one of the worst parents I've come across, and I've had 3 kids in travel, was an ADP parent screaming at his kid every game. All games are in Arlington, just now always the best fields.

The ADP teams also choose to enter the ARL rec indoor leagues against rec teams with all rec players. They are allowed unlimited ADP players per team, but travel players are limited to 2 tops.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Too few clubs offer an alternative for U9-U12s. Rec teams are not even serious and treated as a joke, and few selection-based teams offer something in between rec and full blown NCSL travel ---- where we are with its big tourneys, winter practices, etc.

Can anyone name a VA club that has a U9-U12 select or travel-lite team that:

does not require a year commitment

practices only twice a week within 30 minutes of DC

plays in maybe one tourney a season

has all its home and away games within an hour drive of DC

has professional coaches

costs half of the usual $3K a year ---- because it doesn't have any DOCs, etc., etc.

Yes, Arlington Soccer has its Arlington Development Program (ADP) not Development Academy. It sits at that sweet spot between Rec and Travel - and some of the teams are better than the lower travel teams. You have to try out for the team, 2 practices a week - one with a professional coach and one with a parent coach, and games are only against other Arlington ADP teams. Some of the ADP parent coaches will enter their team into various travel team competitions. The cost is either $300 a semester or for the whole year, and that includes the uniforms and socks. They try to base it around your school, but if one team gets too good, they will shuffle teams around to even them out to keep it competitive for all. My son's team had several kids who could have easily been high ASA travel players, but the parents did not want that kind of commitment or worked too much. They have tryouts in both the Fall and Spring, but Spring is just to fill in some kids who left. Is it perfect? No, one of the worst parents I've come across, and I've had 3 kids in travel, was an ADP parent screaming at his kid every game. All games are in Arlington, just now always the best fields.

I have seen some horrific parents on the sidelines at ADP. Maybe because the travel coaches don't allow that behavior and ADP games are not paid coaches, usu. volunteers that won't stand up (or are part of the crazy).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Too few clubs offer an alternative for U9-U12s. Rec teams are not even serious and treated as a joke, and few selection-based teams offer something in between rec and full blown NCSL travel ---- where we are with its big tourneys, winter practices, etc.

Can anyone name a VA club that has a U9-U12 select or travel-lite team that:

does not require a year commitment

practices only twice a week within 30 minutes of DC

plays in maybe one tourney a season

has all its home and away games within an hour drive of DC

has professional coaches

costs half of the usual $3K a year ---- because it doesn't have any DOCs, etc., etc.

Yes, Arlington Soccer has its Arlington Development Program (ADP) not Development Academy. It sits at that sweet spot between Rec and Travel - and some of the teams are better than the lower travel teams. You have to try out for the team, 2 practices a week - one with a professional coach and one with a parent coach, and games are only against other Arlington ADP teams. Some of the ADP parent coaches will enter their team into various travel team competitions. The cost is either $300 a semester or for the whole year, and that includes the uniforms and socks. They try to base it around your school, but if one team gets too good, they will shuffle teams around to even them out to keep it competitive for all. My son's team had several kids who could have easily been high ASA travel players, but the parents did not want that kind of commitment or worked too much. They have tryouts in both the Fall and Spring, but Spring is just to fill in some kids who left. Is it perfect? No, one of the worst parents I've come across, and I've had 3 kids in travel, was an ADP parent screaming at his kid every game. All games are in Arlington, just now always the best fields.

ADP is pretty small, limited to Arl. in-house teams, and stops at U11 . . . but that is a pretty good example.

Any others? Anything like what MD has with MSI Select where travel-lite teams from small clubs can play without the travel of CCL, NCSL, etc.?

ADP may be the only option down in VA, but from those I know, it is not like the MSI Select league. Are there no VA clubs that field simple teams that want to go up once a week and play in Montgomery County? Like ADP, but more competition. Aren't there even divisions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Too few clubs offer an alternative for U9-U12s. Rec teams are not even serious and treated as a joke, and few selection-based teams offer something in between rec and full blown NCSL travel ---- where we are with its big tourneys, winter practices, etc.

Can anyone name a VA club that has a U9-U12 select or travel-lite team that:

does not require a year commitment

practices only twice a week within 30 minutes of DC

plays in maybe one tourney a season

has all its home and away games within an hour drive of DC

has professional coaches

costs half of the usual $3K a year ---- because it doesn't have any DOCs, etc., etc.

Yes, Arlington Soccer has its Arlington Development Program (ADP) not Development Academy. It sits at that sweet spot between Rec and Travel - and some of the teams are better than the lower travel teams. You have to try out for the team, 2 practices a week - one with a professional coach and one with a parent coach, and games are only against other Arlington ADP teams. Some of the ADP parent coaches will enter their team into various travel team competitions. The cost is either $300 a semester or for the whole year, and that includes the uniforms and socks. They try to base it around your school, but if one team gets too good, they will shuffle teams around to even them out to keep it competitive for all. My son's team had several kids who could have easily been high ASA travel players, but the parents did not want that kind of commitment or worked too much. They have tryouts in both the Fall and Spring, but Spring is just to fill in some kids who left. Is it perfect? No, one of the worst parents I've come across, and I've had 3 kids in travel, was an ADP parent screaming at his kid every game. All games are in Arlington, just now always the best fields.

ADP is pretty small, limited to Arl. in-house teams, and stops at U11 . . . but that is a pretty good example.

Any others? Anything like what MD has with MSI Select where travel-lite teams from small clubs can play without the travel of CCL, NCSL, etc.?

ADP may be the only option down in VA, but from those I know, it is not like the MSI Select league. Are there no VA clubs that field simple teams that want to go up once a week and play in Montgomery County? Like ADP, but more competition. Aren't there even divisions?

No, because then that is simply travel soccer. Trying to schedule intra club rec stuff is a nightmare which is partially why leagues exist in the first place. The league handles the schedule making.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too few clubs offer an alternative for U9-U12s. Rec teams are not even serious and treated as a joke, and few selection-based teams offer something in between rec and full blown NCSL travel ---- where we are with its big tourneys, winter practices, etc.

Can anyone name a VA club that has a U9-U12 select or travel-lite team that:

does not require a year commitment

practices only twice a week within 30 minutes of DC

plays in maybe one tourney a season

has all its home and away games within an hour drive of DC

has professional coaches

costs half of the usual $3K a year ---- because it doesn't have any DOCs, etc., etc.

If you want something done right, do it yourself. Seriously, take yourself through the Soccer for Dummies coaching licenses and become a "professional coach" yourself with a E or D license. Start off this spring with your kid in Rec and volunteer to coach his team. Then convince those players to join you for travel. Go to VISTA or DFC and sign up, they will provide you with fields for games and practice fields during certain hours. There are some manuals that provide you with drills, and pick a few that you know how to do well and do them often. You'll probably pay around $800 plus you get to pick your own uniform, how often to change it, and your team name. Trust me, do this for one year and tell me if it's not the most fun you ever had. Unless your kid has potential like Pulisic, don't worry about your kid not being a world class players. By the way, with the savings you can then sign him up for HP Elite, Golden Boot, those kinds of expensive training.