Reply to How competitive is ASA travel soccer team? Is it hard to make the team?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]19:25 PP - ADP vs. Travel  - Depends on the kid and how much you're ok spending.

My daughter played for a lower-level Travel team last year.  She didn't do well enough in try-outs the second time around to STAY in travel, unfortunately.  (new coach preferred new incoming kids over her.)  So she tried out for ADP for this year and made a team.

I initially thought the year of Travel was a real waste of money, but then I watched her play with her ADP and Rec teams and she is a much stronger player this year than she was before Travel.  After one season of ADP, I can say that I don't think she would have learned as much in ADP as she did in Travel.  ADP has one pool session with a paid coach and one with a volunteer coach, and that doesn't always compare to 3 weekly sessions with paid coaches.  And our Rec coach is a great guy who never played at a high level himself, and this was his first season coaching a format (7x7) and positions that she had already played for a year.  So she knew a lot vs. most of her teammates on either team, and became a leader on both teams.  She get a ton of playing time on both teams and loves playing and practicing.

We're considering going back to Travel next year because our ADP coach will be moving out of the area and he's a big reason we like the team.  Plus ADP only goes for one more year for us, so if she wants a higher level of play, she'd have to go back to Travel anyway.

So to recap, I personally think the training in Travel is superior to that of ADP and Rec.  But if your kid isn't one of the better kids on one of the better teams, they might not get enough playing time or recognition to advance. And the difference in fees is significant - $700 v. $2400 for us.  That can make a difference.[/quote]

To continue on the PP question, and for those of us that would like to see the player receive the best training by joining the the 1st or 2nd team.  In my experience as a parent at the U9-U12 travel teams for a club in VA, it is highly unlikely a player will try out and be offered a 3rd team or lower spot in an age group, and come back the following year without joining travel at all and be offered a 1st team spot at the same club.  The vice versa also applies, if a child is placed on a first team, for whatever reason, and joins that club, I have not seen however poorly the player plays to be demoted to 3rd team if available.

The coaches viewing the players are humans, and may rationalize why a player with 'so much potential' is not achieving it.  Also, “iron sharpens iron” so the player that probably didn't belong on the 1st team after playing with the better kids will improve, significantly.  That is a tried and true approach that applies to all sports, and other non-physical activities as well.  [/quote]

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