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[quote=Anonymous][quote=asksoccernova]Also, are you ok with kids leaving your team for a higher level team, or do you try to convince families to stay for the sake of the team?

Bottom line is the question: "What is in the best interests of the player?" Anyone (including parents) without a lot of soccer experience won't be able to answer that question. Players themselves also don't know. And the player's coach is biased because it is in his/her interests to retain the player.

You have to answer this question before you can start to decide if its best to stay or leave a team.

Its a complicated issue. It all starts with the coach and the culture he/she has set for the team.

Also, as a parent you have to know what your player's goals are!!!

There are a few types of coaches:

"A" coaches - incredibly enthusiastic, want to develop themselves as coaches and soccer educators over their careers, as well as develop their players, love to teach, extremely knowledgeable of the game. 
John Ellis / Graham Ramsay (if you look them up) would be great examples. A younger "A" coach would be someone that translates that enthusiastic attitude and love for the game over to their players.
Just being around them makes you excited about soccer.

"B" coaches - someone that has played the game, has gone through licensing courses, and does what is expected. They show up to practice prepared, do everything they need to do, the players have a good time and learn/develop, put together competitive teams, but they don't quite have that unbridled passion that an A coach is able to infuse in them. Also, a "B" coach does not put in much extra time/effort to build relationships with parents and extra work to help their team. When you coach 4 teams at once, it's hard not to fall into becoming a B coach in the "soccer factory". A coach that works with multiple teams but still keeps that enthusiasm is an "A" coach.

"C" coaches - someone who does the minimum - minimum licensing, minimum effort, minimum preparation, minimum attention & communication with parents and minimum thought into each of their players.

"D" coaches - hopefully we are doing a better job of keeping these people off the field.

We should all aspire to be "A" coaches in an ideal world, but realistically there are many "B" coaches doing well and that is satisfactory. If you feel your player is with a C coach or below, leave anyway.

If they are playing for an A coach, stay!!
If they are playing for a B coach, see if the player can be moved up an age group within the club for more of a challenge. If not, seek out an A coach at another club.

Also, it depends on the player's goals. If the player decides he wants to be #18 on a roster of 18 and be challenged day in and day out, then seek out another team. Most players would not be able to handle that, but they would develop faster.

Any time a coach has to try and "convince" someone of something, they are already on loose footing to begin with. Especially our club vs. their club.

Just my 2 cents but my decision factors would be:

#1 - the coach
#2 - the club
#3 - friends / social group

If it was a definite "elite" player, as a coach I would want them to stay with my team but play ODP or something supplemental so I could retain them.
If they are so, so good that I felt that they were being held back by the players around them, then I would recommend that they play up an age group within the club.

Any coach never likes to see their best player leave for another club unless it is a definite higher level that our team won't even play against because they are so good. If it is a competitor club or team that's only marginally better than the player's current club, that's bad.
Any player that is that truly "elite" or whatever will already be a subject of conversation among the coaches and they will know that that player needs special consideration.

The "A" coach will congratulate the player on the new opportunity and wish them well (but you shouldn't leave an "A" coach!!!)
The "B" coach will not be happy initially but then move on with the program
"C" and below coaches will use bargaining tools to try and keep the player because that player is their only hope to win shiny things.[/quote]

Is it in the players best interest to specialize positions at U10 ? The training is well run and kids play all positions in training and scrimmages, but for games and tournaments every player is locked into the same 1 or 2 positions. Only two keepers rotate in goal, they are very good but don't do any kind of special training or practice for keeper. Those two also get much less PT at other positions and did not volunteer to play keeper.  Same thing happens at other positions, two kids only play defensive positions, they are clearly the best defenders. Not sure if this is good or bad developmentally for U10, the coach has not communicated anything with parents so I can only guess this is to try and win league games and tournaments. [/quote]

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