Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that NL is fine and the Mitchell brothers are nice guys but I don’t see them very well represented in the big tournaments. At least not in the middle school years.

Which tournaments, and which DMV teams traditionally go to them?

BLC and ML go to bigger tournaments. NAL, NLF

Anonymous wrote:I agree that NL is fine and the Mitchell brothers are nice guys but I don’t see them very well represented in the big tournaments. At least not in the middle school years.

Which tournaments, and which DMV teams traditionally go to them?

I agree that NL is fine and the Mitchell brothers are nice guys but I don’t see them very well represented in the big tournaments. At least not in the middle school years.

NL is a terrific program. But go wherever is most convenient for your schedule and where you think he'll have most fun. He'll make new friends on any team, but if he already has buddies at another club then consider that club and the built in carpool that comes with it. NL has professional coaches so no daddy ball. They also know that development is more important than winning at this age group. Parents who are obsessed with scores of 3rd/4th grade teams generally haven't been through the process yet.

BLC 2030 is the best in that year, Madlax and NL are about equal.

Playing time is already uneven at that age level. Go to the team that allows your DS to get as much PT as possible. Development occurs during practice and individual work. Games during HOCO and Summer tournaments are about winning.

NL had 4 2030s reclass to 2031 (entering St. Albans), so the 30 team needs reinforcements. The Mitchell brothers do a great job leading that program. The 30 coach (and St Albans coach) is a little more intense, good for at least one Hoco suspension a year.

You really can't go wrong with BLC, NL, or Madlax in the younger age groups. VLC seems to be every other year, their 29's are the strongest and play the best competition, but a notch below the other 3 across all age groups.

The NL middles school teams are outstanding. Congrats to your son earning the invite!

Anonymous wrote:Where does NL practice?

Variety of spots: Washington Episcopal, The Heights and St. Albans I think are the most common spots.

Where does NL practice?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take the offer and run. (unless you think he is bottom of roster and won't play).

Next Level has the best combo and player development and competition.

If you let me know which team, I could give you more details.

OP here. Thanks much for this—it’s very helpful. My son is a 2030. In terms of his ability, he’s a good player with speed. At his age, he of course can improve on all aspects of his game. That said, he has improved considerably in the last year, and I think he’d benefit immensely from the right developmental/instructional setting, and I’ve liked what I’ve seen from NL to this point. The kids at tryouts were impressive overall, and I thought my son hung in there fine. Made some impressive plays; got beaten on other reps. Not sure that tells you (or me) a whole lot in terms of where he’d stack up on the eventual roster. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Original replier here -- based on that, I would definitely take the spot.

Starting at 6th grade (29s) playing time becomes somewhat uneven. But at this age, development (especially around Lax IQ) will be so much better than almost any B level club or rec program.

If you got blue, take it. Red offer is not worth the drive

Anonymous wrote:Take the offer and run. (unless you think he is bottom of roster and won't play).

Next Level has the best combo and player development and competition.

If you let me know which team, I could give you more details.

OP here. Thanks much for this—it’s very helpful. My son is a 2030. In terms of his ability, he’s a good player with speed. At his age, he of course can improve on all aspects of his game. That said, he has improved considerably in the last year, and I think he’d benefit immensely from the right developmental/instructional setting, and I’ve liked what I’ve seen from NL to this point. The kids at tryouts were impressive overall, and I thought my son hung in there fine. Made some impressive plays; got beaten on other reps. Not sure that tells you (or me) a whole lot in terms of where he’d stack up on the eventual roster. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If in Northern VA no need to travel far until at least 7th grade. Also a good player can get on a team at any time. Teams add players at all times. The tryouts are usually just money makers.

Completely disagree. Coaching at Next Level (and level of competition) is much better than most if not all programs.

No kid stays with the same team through HS if they start in early elm school. The teams change a lot as well as the team results. The player can always join a top team if the skill is there.

Anonymous wrote:If in Northern VA no need to travel far until at least 7th grade. Also a good player can get on a team at any time. Teams add players at all times. The tryouts are usually just money makers.

Completely disagree. Coaching at Next Level (and level of competition) is much better than most if not all programs.

If in Northern VA no need to travel far until at least 7th grade. Also a good player can get on a team at any time. Teams add players at all times. The tryouts are usually just money makers.

Take the offer and run. (unless you think he is bottom of roster and won't play).

Next Level has the best combo and player development and competition.

If you let me know which team, I could give you more details.

My son has gotten an offer to play for one of NL’s younger teams (elementary school age). The offer explodes in 24 hours, which means that we won’t have the ability to try out for any other squads. I’ve heard great things about NL and liked what I saw from the coaches at tryouts. We live in NOVA so commuting to practice is a concern (though we’ve been doing that for other squads now, albeit not quite as far).

I read the other thread comparing clubs and thought it was helpful (and very accurate, to the limited extent that I have knowledge about some of the posts). Thoughts and advice welcome.