Reply to 2023 Girls ISL and WCAC outlook

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The question posed to you was what have you done about the few bad apples. You actually address the answer in your response. High level clubs should not allow parents to coach or allow them to influence play at all. This in turn should help ensure the best players are on the field and in the right positions. Most issues stem from a few insecure parents who want to control the situation and influence club decisionsg. Club directors need to remove these few parents. Tough to do though given club lacrosse is big business. You state there are some bad parents but this is not the issue, so if it’s not a few people what is making the sport so toxic and what do you propose be done?[/quote]

One thing I've been thinking about recently is that because parents put so much time, effort and money into their kids sports (driving, gas, hotels, club fees, etc.) they feel entitled to express their opinions and get more involved. They are way more vested considering they are giving up their weekends. In a way, I don't blame them to a certain extent. If their kid should be getting playing time but maybe isn't because of some relationship or politics, they feel they have a right to say something. Back in the day, when you paid $25 for the whole season and the practices and games were all less than 3 miles from your house, parents really didn't care as much if little Jenny got it or not. Go to the pool and have fun after the game. Just a thought. [/quote]

Agree, the amount of money and time parents invest in clubs is helping to fuel the toxicity. The pressure for an ROI grows every year. To me it’s about setting proper expectations. Club directors need to be transparent about playing time and positions when parents are looking to invest in their clubs. High level clubs should want to be competitive at the highest level. This in turn will attract the college coaches, which is important to successful recruiting. This is what parents expect from their high level club. Get their DDs recruited to good schools and lax programs. This should be the clubs sole focus at this level. Clubs that want to focus on rec level players and fun is a different story.

With this goal parents need to understand just because they paid the same amount as everyone else it does not guarantee their DD playing time or the position she wants to play. Paying doesn’t entitle a parent to make the demands or influence club decisions that lead to the toxicity. Clubs need to make it clear players will earn playing time based on their effort and talent compared to others. The best will rise to the top and play. But at least everyone will have bought into this upfront knowing there are no guarantees and everything will be earned. Those who complain about this after buying into this expectation should be removed from the team.

Much of this issue is driven by a few. Set the expectations upfront. Have everyone acknowledge they understand and agree to these expectations and remove those who don’t live by those expectations.[/quote]

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