Which of these is most important for U10?
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ellep98
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Quality of coaching or quality of the peer/training group?
Our son has the opportunity to stay on the same team at his travel club, with the same coach and at least some of the same kids depending on who accepts. He is on the B team of a large club so each team has kids who are similar in level/development. We deal with all the pros and cons of a large club. He also has an offer to join the only team in the age group at a small club. The coaching and development plan seem excellent, but the team is likely to have a wider range of ability with a few kids more on par with our current club's C/D/E teams. We have been somewhat frustrated with the current coach/club. Our son has learned a lot, but the team often struggles to win. It feels like they don't work enough on game scenarios or spacing. We don't expect to win every time but sometimes we lose games that feel winnable due to poor strategy/coaching during games. It's easy to be tempted by the new club and the potential for better coaching. Of course we don't know if the grass (turf) is actually greener. We will need to decide soon and not sure what to do. Son seems equally fine with either choice. Help! |
Mdmom22
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| I’d go with the team where your kid is going to get the most playing time, and then the team that plays at a higher division level. It seems current coach is developing the kids’ skills but not game time IQ? There’s plenty of time for that to develop esp if your kid is getting playing time. And it sounds like you know a lot about the game so that’s something you can discuss postgame and when watching soccer matches together, etc., assuming your kid wants too as well. Good luck! |
soccer_dc
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At U10 I would go with the team where your son will enjoy practices and games the most. At that age it should be about fun.
In general the bigger club will be more consistent in that they will have enough players to field teams with similar skilled players. They will have the infrastructure to run the team. Small clubs and teams can be great, but they can also fall apart because not enough players one year, or be very dependent on a single coach who leaves and takes half the team with them. At bigger clubs, being there from young ages is an advantage for making teams later on. There will always be things you don't like about a coach's strategy or roster decisions or playing time or whatever. If you son is learning and having fun that's most of what matters. |