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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

I have three kids at two different clubs, one big and one small. My kids are strong, consistent players but not superstars.

I much prefer the smaller club, not in every way, but almost every way. The attention to the kids, the atmosphere, the parents, the price, and also, most definitely, the training is far superior at the small club. I think it is probably because at the small club the coaches have been around for years and are committed to and consistent about the club's training philosophy. At the bigger club, coaches come and go.

The one negative about the small club is that the level of play varies enormously among age groups and there is a huge gap between A and B teams. What I mean is: in local big club, you pretty much know what the level is going to be on an A team from year to year. Of course it can be variable but not as much as in the smaller club. At the small club, some of the age groups have an excellent first team and some have a very weak first team. I have had some luck, I guess, in this respect and my two small club kids are on two competitive teams. They are very happy on their teams and getting excellent training, very successful in the best tournaments, and having a great experience of moving along with roughly the same group of kids.

It is my kid with the overall weaker age group who has ended up being better off at the big club. Big club has an easier job placing kids on the appropriate-level team and teams at the appropriate level of competition. 
[/quote]

This is an excellent post and my experience with kids at both big and small clubs has been similar.  If you can find the right coach and group of kids, and the club has good field access, the small club experience can be special.

One thing I would caution you about as your kids age up is the other disadvantage to the small club is team stability.  At a big club with a deep talent pool, the A team can afford to lost a few top players, move kids up from the B team, and it's not the end of the world.  At a small club though, once the dominoes start falling, sometimes that's it. 
 Other parents start to worry whether the team will be competitive at all, or even have enough left to field a team, and then a couple hit the panic button and bail, and it becomes reality for the rest.  Just something to keep in mind for the future.  It can be really hard for small clubs to keep their very best players as they get into middle and high school years.  As with everything else in life though, enjoy it while it lasts.  Carpe diem and all that.  [/quote]

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