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I think a lot of it will come down to how far you want to drive and how competitive your son wants his experience to be. U12 is tricky: it’s the last year before they start in the more competitive leagues (ECNL and MLS Next), and many of the clubs you’ll be looking at will have the most competitive kids feed into partnership clubs (e.g. McLean and Springfield formed Virginia Union, BRYC and Vienna formed BRAVE, PWSI and Herndon, I think, formed VDA). So you may want to consider that, both from the moving on to an elite league, and from who’s left behind perspective (not all the kids you play with at U12 are going to be together at U13). As far as summer programs: Super Y is popular, and there are camps run by Nike, UVA, and some of the European clubs (Ajax, Barca).
SoccerRef wrote:SuburbanDad wrote:Also, if you’re not a ref, be nice to the refs. $30-50 isn’t nearly enough for the amount of abuse refs have been getting locally/lately. If you get a chance, thank your kid’s ref after the game, win or lose (especially if it’s clear they’re trying to kids safe and learn their sport). Imagine if you treated other folks doing their jobs like you do refs “Those aren’t even close to enough sprinkles in my Blizzard!! What’re you, blind?!?!”
Saying as a dad, not a ref
While I agree that a “good job ref” while you’re walking away is nice, with all the ref abuse we have to deal with I DO NOT want any parents approaching me or my crew after a game, even with good intentions.
Teach your kids to thank the refs after the game instead.
Thanks for the clarification. Yeah, I’ll usually kind of say it across the field as I’m getting our kid, if the ref’s are in earshot.
Also, if you’re not a ref, be nice to the refs. $30-50 isn’t nearly enough for the amount of abuse refs have been getting locally/lately. If you get a chance, thank your kid’s ref after the game, win or lose (especially if it’s clear they’re trying to kids safe and learn their sport). Imagine if you treated other folks doing their jobs like you do refs “Those aren’t even close to enough sprinkles in my Blizzard!! What’re you, blind?!?!”
Saying as a dad, not a ref
Saying as a dad, not a ref
I don’t think final announcements have been made yet. I discovered that BRAVE emails were going to my spam folder, so may be worth checking there either way. Again, best of luck.
Funforfamily wrote:Boys u13. Still haven’t heard anything…
SuburbanDad wrote:Hey FunForFamily, we were wondering the same thing. Looks like they’re still doing ID sessions.
We received this from Fairfax BRAVE:
When will offers start going out?
Offers will go out after the next round of ID sessions. No offers have been sent because we want to allow everyone to attend an ID session. However, rosters will be made after the next round of ID sessions. If you are interested in playing ECNL, don’t miss out!
When will the coaching staff be announced?
We will be announcing the boy's staff in the coming days.
Here’s a link to all the upcoming sessions. Good luck!
[url] https://www.fairfaxbrave.org/boys-ecnl/boys-id-sessions
All three are respected/respectable programs. I know a high level girls player who moved from VA Union (well, McLean) to Arlington because, if I recall correctly, the family felt that there was a bit too much drama and politics with the VA Union club. I didn’t pry, so can’t really give too much perspective on that front; probably turbulence from the merging of the two clubs. I know a few families on the boys side who love it. My one caveat, I’d be cautious of a 20+ kid roster. Not sure how much fun the kids riding the pine are having, and I wonder how much individualized coaching/development they’re all getting with that many kids.
One thing that may be good to do: plug in the address from your new place and Bethesda’s practice into Waze for the time that her practices would be. The beltway around rush hour here is… um, challenging. That may help you weigh the overall cost/benefit in your decision-making.
I suppose it sounds like I’m pro-Arlington, but I’ve got no dog in the hunt in this one (we’re part of a different club). Best of luck and welcome to the area.
One thing that may be good to do: plug in the address from your new place and Bethesda’s practice into Waze for the time that her practices would be. The beltway around rush hour here is… um, challenging. That may help you weigh the overall cost/benefit in your decision-making.
I suppose it sounds like I’m pro-Arlington, but I’ve got no dog in the hunt in this one (we’re part of a different club). Best of luck and welcome to the area.
Hey FunForFamily, we were wondering the same thing. Looks like they’re still doing ID sessions.
We received this from Fairfax BRAVE:
When will offers start going out?
Offers will go out after the next round of ID sessions. No offers have been sent because we want to allow everyone to attend an ID session. However, rosters will be made after the next round of ID sessions. If you are interested in playing ECNL, don’t miss out!
When will the coaching staff be announced?
We will be announcing the boy's staff in the coming days.
Here’s a link to all the upcoming sessions. Good luck!
[url] https://www.fairfaxbrave.org/boys-ecnl/boys-id-sessions
We received this from Fairfax BRAVE:
When will offers start going out?
Offers will go out after the next round of ID sessions. No offers have been sent because we want to allow everyone to attend an ID session. However, rosters will be made after the next round of ID sessions. If you are interested in playing ECNL, don’t miss out!
When will the coaching staff be announced?
We will be announcing the boy's staff in the coming days.
Here’s a link to all the upcoming sessions. Good luck!
[url] https://www.fairfaxbrave.org/boys-ecnl/boys-id-sessions