Discovery Player, Part Time Player, Dual Rostered Player, Academy Player, etc.

[Anonymous]

Call it what you like depending on the club and league -- as kids get older, there seems to be a group of players who are perceived as not good enough to be on the "top team" but good enough to want to hold onto. They are given apparent opportunity to be challenged and improve their game so that they at some point can make that "top team".... How often does it happen? How often is it just a means of stringing a kid along when he/she would be better off moving to a new club, coach, system that would either be truthful about the prospects, or see something different in the player?

Do all these players get some guarantee of at least a limited number of games with the "top team" or is practicing with that group considered a fulfillment of the promise? Do they all pay the same as the top team? Do they ever actually move up or are any slots always filled by outside players? At our club there are several players in this situation in various age groups and I've never understood exactly how it works. Anyone who has knowledge or a DC in such a position able to elaborate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Call it what you like depending on the club and league -- as kids get older, there seems to be a group of players who are perceived as not good enough to be on the "top team" but good enough to want to hold onto. They are given apparent opportunity to be challenged and improve their game so that they at some point can make that "top team".... How often does it happen? How often is it just a means of stringing a kid along when he/she would be better off moving to a new club, coach, system that would either be truthful about the prospects, or see something different in the player?

Do all these players get some guarantee of at least a limited number of games with the "top team" or is practicing with that group considered a fulfillment of the promise? Do they all pay the same as the top team? Do they ever actually move up or are any slots always filled by outside players? At our club there are several players in this situation in various age groups and I've never understood exactly how it works. Anyone who has knowledge or a DC in such a position able to elaborate?

Research Chelsea football club. They are the kings of this.

[Anonymous]

This is for the girls side. They just string them along. If you do not get playing time move to a new club. Think about it. By u14 you only have 3-4 year left playing soccer. At u14 you know. Go to somewhere you can start and play in games.

Most of these coaches/clubs have a style of play. They like a certain type of player. It does not matter about skill etc. Its a system and you just need the right system players. If your kid is not that type of player, they will never be anything more than a scout team for the “real” players.

[Anonymous]

the reason is that you need backups in case one or several of the top 18 move on, get injured, switch clubs, etc. You can't bring a kid up from rec to replace player #17.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the reason is that you need backups in case one or several of the top 18 move on, get injured, switch clubs, etc. You can't bring a kid up from rec to replace player #17.

I've seen this happen in clubs that have several levels of travel teams, not rec. Like McLean.... How does that work for the Green players if there are Discovery players also? Do Discovery players get to play games? Do Green players ever get to move up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Call it what you like depending on the club and league -- as kids get older, there seems to be a group of players who are perceived as not good enough to be on the "top team" but good enough to want to hold onto. They are given apparent opportunity to be challenged and improve their game so that they at some point can make that "top team".... How often does it happen? How often is it just a means of stringing a kid along when he/she would be better off moving to a new club, coach, system that would either be truthful about the prospects, or see something different in the player?

Do all these players get some guarantee of at least a limited number of games with the "top team" or is practicing with that group considered a fulfillment of the promise? Do they all pay the same as the top team? Do they ever actually move up or are any slots always filled by outside players? At our club there are several players in this situation in various age groups and I've never understood exactly how it works. Anyone who has knowledge or a DC in such a position able to elaborate?

Here is how it works at Arlington and I have seen this for a few years now. Three or four of the red team players get to come to one practice a week with the academy team. Over the course of the year they will likely play one or two scrimmages with the academy team - but not more than that. Then, if they are good enough, they will be offered a full spot the following year. In my experience it has only been one player each year who has been offered a full spot - but it is based on ability rather than a numbers game - so if two kids had been good enough they both would have got spots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Call it what you like depending on the club and league -- as kids get older, there seems to be a group of players who are perceived as not good enough to be on the "top team" but good enough to want to hold onto. They are given apparent opportunity to be challenged and improve their game so that they at some point can make that "top team".... How often does it happen? How often is it just a means of stringing a kid along when he/she would be better off moving to a new club, coach, system that would either be truthful about the prospects, or see something different in the player?

Do all these players get some guarantee of at least a limited number of games with the "top team" or is practicing with that group considered a fulfillment of the promise? Do they all pay the same as the top team? Do they ever actually move up or are any slots always filled by outside players? At our club there are several players in this situation in various age groups and I've never understood exactly how it works. Anyone who has knowledge or a DC in such a position able to elaborate?

Here is how it works at Arlington and I have seen this for a few years now. Three or four of the red team players get to come to one practice a week with the academy team. Over the course of the year they will likely play one or two scrimmages with the academy team - but not more than that. Then, if they are good enough, they will be offered a full spot the following year. In my experience it has only been one player each year who has been offered a full spot - but it is based on ability rather than a numbers game - so if two kids had been good enough they both would have got spots.

Same with our club. They pick 5 or 6 B-Team players to practice and scrimmage, once a week with the A-Team, towards the end of the spring season. They also invite a couple of A-Team players from the year behind. This is basically a tryout before the actual tryouts. Let's see how you've progressed over this past season and if you can hang with the best players now. Then the coaches will have more to compare with when outside players come in for tryouts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Call it what you like depending on the club and league -- as kids get older, there seems to be a group of players who are perceived as not good enough to be on the "top team" but good enough to want to hold onto. They are given apparent opportunity to be challenged and improve their game so that they at some point can make that "top team".... How often does it happen? How often is it just a means of stringing a kid along when he/she would be better off moving to a new club, coach, system that would either be truthful about the prospects, or see something different in the player?

Do all these players get some guarantee of at least a limited number of games with the "top team" or is practicing with that group considered a fulfillment of the promise? Do they all pay the same as the top team? Do they ever actually move up or are any slots always filled by outside players? At our club there are several players in this situation in various age groups and I've never understood exactly how it works. Anyone who has knowledge or a DC in such a position able to elaborate?

Here is how it works at Arlington and I have seen this for a few years now. Three or four of the red team players get to come to one practice a week with the academy team. Over the course of the year they will likely play one or two scrimmages with the academy team - but not more than that. Then, if they are good enough, they will be offered a full spot the following year. In my experience it has only been one player each year who has been offered a full spot - but it is based on ability rather than a numbers game - so if two kids had been good enough they both would have got spots.

Same with our club. They pick 5 or 6 B-Team players to practice and scrimmage, once a week with the A-Team, towards the end of the spring season. They also invite a couple of A-Team players from the year behind. This is basically a tryout before the actual tryouts. Let's see how you've progressed over this past season and if you can hang with the best players now. Then the coaches will have more to compare with when outside players come in for tryouts.

With Arlington the "development players" practise once a week with the top team for the whole year. It's more than, and different to, a tryout. It is genuinely a development opportunity which challenges them to play at a higher level over a protracted period.

[Anonymous]

^ this is more a European way of doing it and recognizes that player development does not occur in a linear fashion always. Sometimes a kid could be very technical but hasn’t fleshed out in physicality. The middle school years especially. Many top European players were held back or even played down an age group in their youth development. If you are trying to develop and build a program this would be the way to do it. There should be no stigma some of these kids may actually have higher IQ or ball skill but need more time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Call it what you like depending on the club and league -- as kids get older, there seems to be a group of players who are perceived as not good enough to be on the "top team" but good enough to want to hold onto. They are given apparent opportunity to be challenged and improve their game so that they at some point can make that "top team".... How often does it happen? How often is it just a means of stringing a kid along when he/she would be better off moving to a new club, coach, system that would either be truthful about the prospects, or see something different in the player?

Do all these players get some guarantee of at least a limited number of games with the "top team" or is practicing with that group considered a fulfillment of the promise? Do they all pay the same as the top team? Do they ever actually move up or are any slots always filled by outside players? At our club there are several players in this situation in various age groups and I've never understood exactly how it works. Anyone who has knowledge or a DC in such a position able to elaborate?

Here is how it works at Arlington and I have seen this for a few years now. Three or four of the red team players get to come to one practice a week with the academy team. Over the course of the year they will likely play one or two scrimmages with the academy team - but not more than that. Then, if they are good enough, they will be offered a full spot the following year. In my experience it has only been one player each year who has been offered a full spot - but it is based on ability rather than a numbers game - so if two kids had been good enough they both would have got spots.

Same with our club. They pick 5 or 6 B-Team players to practice and scrimmage, once a week with the A-Team, towards the end of the spring season. They also invite a couple of A-Team players from the year behind. This is basically a tryout before the actual tryouts. Let's see how you've progressed over this past season and if you can hang with the best players now. Then the coaches will have more to compare with when outside players come in for tryouts.

With Arlington the "development players" practise once a week with the top team for the whole year. It's more than, and different to, a tryout. It is genuinely a development opportunity which challenges them to play at a higher level over a protracted period.

The GA development kids on our team at Arlington have not practiced with the GA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Call it what you like depending on the club and league -- as kids get older, there seems to be a group of players who are perceived as not good enough to be on the "top team" but good enough to want to hold onto. They are given apparent opportunity to be challenged and improve their game so that they at some point can make that "top team".... How often does it happen? How often is it just a means of stringing a kid along when he/she would be better off moving to a new club, coach, system that would either be truthful about the prospects, or see something different in the player?

Do all these players get some guarantee of at least a limited number of games with the "top team" or is practicing with that group considered a fulfillment of the promise? Do they all pay the same as the top team? Do they ever actually move up or are any slots always filled by outside players? At our club there are several players in this situation in various age groups and I've never understood exactly how it works. Anyone who has knowledge or a DC in such a position able to elaborate?

Here is how it works at Arlington and I have seen this for a few years now. Three or four of the red team players get to come to one practice a week with the academy team. Over the course of the year they will likely play one or two scrimmages with the academy team - but not more than that. Then, if they are good enough, they will be offered a full spot the following year. In my experience it has only been one player each year who has been offered a full spot - but it is based on ability rather than a numbers game - so if two kids had been good enough they both would have got spots.

Same with our club. They pick 5 or 6 B-Team players to practice and scrimmage, once a week with the A-Team, towards the end of the spring season. They also invite a couple of A-Team players from the year behind. This is basically a tryout before the actual tryouts. Let's see how you've progressed over this past season and if you can hang with the best players now. Then the coaches will have more to compare with when outside players come in for tryouts.

With Arlington the "development players" practise once a week with the top team for the whole year. It's more than, and different to, a tryout. It is genuinely a development opportunity which challenges them to play at a higher level over a protracted period.

The GA development kids on our team at Arlington have not practiced with the GA.

COVID messed this up to some degree but pre-COVID if you were not doing this there is a message there. It depends on the team but people do move up and down.

[Anonymous]

Being a DP for a year is fine and worth a shot. Being a DP for more than that, you’ll never make the squad. Time to move on.

[Anonymous]

The secret nobody talks about is it keeps potential competition from other clubs. its a very poor version of stock piling talent. Not top talent but prevents 2nd and 3rd tier talent from breaking thru.

[Anonymous]

This depends on the club too. Some clubs only see these players as extra revenue and come next year adding additional revenue from outside will always take precedence over existing revenue from a lower team. Look at your club's record on moving players up before you accept one of these positions. If your club is a full service club from top to bottom maybe, but most of the local clubs that see themselves as destination clubs at the top of the pyramid are much better at moving players down their structure than up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Call it what you like depending on the club and league -- as kids get older, there seems to be a group of players who are perceived as not good enough to be on the "top team" but good enough to want to hold onto. They are given apparent opportunity to be challenged and improve their game so that they at some point can make that "top team".... How often does it happen? How often is it just a means of stringing a kid along when he/she would be better off moving to a new club, coach, system that would either be truthful about the prospects, or see something different in the player?

Do all these players get some guarantee of at least a limited number of games with the "top team" or is practicing with that group considered a fulfillment of the promise? Do they all pay the same as the top team? Do they ever actually move up or are any slots always filled by outside players? At our club there are several players in this situation in various age groups and I've never understood exactly how it works. Anyone who has knowledge or a DC in such a position able to elaborate?

Here is how it works at Arlington and I have seen this for a few years now. Three or four of the red team players get to come to one practice a week with the academy team. Over the course of the year they will likely play one or two scrimmages with the academy team - but not more than that. Then, if they are good enough, they will be offered a full spot the following year. In my experience it has only been one player each year who has been offered a full spot - but it is based on ability rather than a numbers game - so if two kids had been good enough they both would have got spots.

Our Club is similar, except some players only get to practice with the "Academy", but are never part of the roster. They play games with their own team. Then we have our "bench warmers" who are part of the roster but get 10 min. of game time. As much as the coaches hype it, "keep working hard and you'll get a chance", they really don't as Coaches stick to the original Roster.