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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I thought this was a good article on the role of ODP from a few years ago: http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/club-soccer-articles/the-role-of-odp-in-american-youth-soccer_aid28535

One of the ODP coaches mentioned had this quote:  "Our job in the ODP, in my opinion, is going deeper into the communities and going where we never went before."

This is what I'd like to see ODP move toward.  DA, ECNL, and National league players don't need ODP to be noticed or to help them develop, but millions of kids have no access to those teams or to high level feeder teams due to geography, finances, or lack of a soccer culture in their communities.  ODP would be doing something hugely important if it focused on kids in those areas instead of working in areas like the suburban metro DC market, where there is already an overabundance of expensive soccer training options. [/quote]

Agree with you about where ODP should go into other areas but it should NOT ignore the suburban DC market as many are not in clubs with the opportunity for exposure and certainly not all can afford the expensive soccer training as options.[/quote]

But isn't ODP just another expensive training option?  Also, if a club in this area does not offer an opportunity for exposure to its kids, then I'm hoping its mission is either to offer recreational options for kids (in which case ODP is not needed) or to train kids well with the idea that it will then feed the best ones to teams at other clubs that can offer exposure (in which case ODP would not be needed, though it might be an OK training supplement along the way, albeit an expensive one).[/quote]

ODP is a [b]scouting[/b] process, not a training option. The higher the player climbs the more you spend obviously. The "training" fees are in line with any other private training company that you would sign up for. The difference is the sessions are essentially tryouts. In many cases once you make the State level and up the coaches are often college coaches, especially at the Regional level.[/quote]

If you are looking at ODP as primarily a scouting process, my point is only that it's mostly redundant in an area like ours where there is a large variety of geographically convenient options for exposure.  And soon there will be even more with the girls' DA and the boys' version of ECNL coming next year.

If a small club plus ODP regional/national experience offered exposure for a much lower price, then I might have a different view of it, but around here it seems like most kids who are in ODP at the higher levels also belong to the big expensive clubs.  See this Virginia roster as an example:   http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/odp/2016_odp_championship_2000_boys_rosters/  (This roster is also interesting in light of the earlier conversation here about whether it makes sense to add ODP if you are already playing on a National league team--I recognize several of these names from looking at National league rosters.)  [/quote]

I have been speaking as a parent of a female player. I think ODP is different in regards to its benefit in this regard. For girls, ODP still has value, less so for boys. That said, there is still value in the process. ODP will challenge players to play in different positions, with different players and different coaches. That has an intangible benefit that is correlated to any camp/tryout process.

I will not disagree with your perspective from the boys side.[/quote]

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