Another perspective - especially for teams with younger kids.

You try to leverage the other offer to get your kid a spot on the higher level team with your current club and it works.

Now you've pissed off the other parents and the other kids on both the higher team and the lower team you just left. Now the kids treat your kid like dirt (higher level kids treat him like he doesn't belong there and lower level kids treat him like a snot who thinks he's better than them). Neither group of parents will be overly friendly because many soccer parents don't like other parents who game the system to give advantages to kids that aren't afforded to their own.

I've seen this happen a number of times and it rarely goes well.

Anonymous wrote:It won’t go the way you want. If your kid were that good they would already be placed where you want. Even if this somehow strong arms the club into the putting him on a higher team, he won’t get the playing time and fall behind.

Clubs have endless supply of paying customers. They really don’t care about your threats to leave. They’d rather take another customer who isn’t trying to leverage their way into teams and is surely a constant source of meddling for the coach.

It depends on how you got about it.

You talk with your coach and you ask what the best decision going forward since you have offers from this this and this. You will find out really quick where your child stands.

Anonymous wrote:It won’t go the way you want. If your kid were that good they would already be placed where you want. Even if this somehow strong arms the club into the putting him on a higher team, he won’t get the playing time and fall behind.

Clubs have endless supply of paying customers. They really don’t care about your threats to leave. They’d rather take another customer who isn’t trying to leverage their way into teams and is surely a constant source of meddling for the coach.

I think this is the right take. I can't imagine trying to get a club to put my DC on the first team at our current club just because another club offered it. The two teams/coaches probably have different needs. Don't put your kid in the position of having to prove that they belong on a team that didn't initially want them. The coach will always be viewing their play through that lens.

A couple years ago, about half of my DCs team (including DC) left for other clubs. Some left because the coach was toxic. A couple others left because they were either getting moved down or not getting moved up when they thought their kid should be first team. Those kids started out on the first team at new clubs, but have since been moved down because the new coach eventually saw the same issues as the one at the old club. So make sure you are being realistic as to whether your kid is truly being overlooked at your current club, or if they might end up in the same spot at a new club once they are actually on the team.

Anonymous wrote:It won’t go the way you want. If your kid were that good they would already be placed where you want. Even if this somehow strong arms the club into the putting him on a higher team, he won’t get the playing time and fall behind.

Clubs have endless supply of paying customers. They really don’t care about your threats to leave. They’d rather take another customer who isn’t trying to leverage their way into teams and is surely a constant source of meddling for the coach.

From what I've seen, I'd say it's 50/50 in terms of getting the response you want from the current club. But, who knows if there's more behind the scenes. IMO - it never hurts to let the current club know. We've used it to force a more focused conversation about our kids' development and future at the club, and see how the coach is articulating the vision/path forward. I also think it has the potential of building goodwill with the current club - letting them know this is an option. Most, if not all, coaches I've spoken to are 100% ok with your kids attending tryouts at other clubs. Lots of positives with that overall experience. Unsolicited advice - be mature and professional in your communications and approach - that's just my two cents. On the other hand, yeah, there for sure are parents who send texts/emails to the affect of - "We have this other offer....we will likely leave unless you give us XYZ." It's up to you how you want to handle.

This is all just a financial transaction.

The clubs do not care about your kid nearly as much as you'd like to think they do, so you are likely better off going with the other club.

Two perspectives, both captured in the first few posts.

One, you think your kid isn’t appropriately placed. You bring that with the club, and YOU are the problem.

Two, you think your kid isn’t appropriately placed but that another club does see it. Do others see it besides another club who wants your money or honestly are you just the parent who thinks your kid is better than they are. If it’s this one, then the club is the problem, not you.

It’s really that simple, just go unless you absolutely feel like you need to stay (kid is anxious, no friends on new team, other team will actually hurt kids development, this was all just an exercise to begin with). If more people stopped worrying about how their club will label them for doing normal things by their kids and instead made clubs worry about whether folks are willing to pay for their stupid games, we’d all be better off.

possibly, they're still making sausage.

Anonymous wrote:Think DC is one of the better players, but suspect large club is going to hit the easy button with age group change and blindly fill team with all trap player and push the rest down.

What do you mean by "push the rest down"? Are they moving your son from the first team to the second team?

Like your current club offered you 2nd team, but a club down the street offered him 1st team and you want him to be on the first team at current club?

sure, great idea. current club will take your money and sit him on the bench.

Think DC is one of the better players, but suspect large club is going to hit the easy button with age group change and blindly fill team with all trap player and push the rest down.

My thought is that they start from the top team and wait until offers are accepted/declined until they fill the team. Then they start making offers for the next team down. That would mean the offer you receive is the highest spot they have open at that time. I could be wrong, and they could leave a spot(s) open on the team, but it wouldn't make sense to leave their top teams incomplete. I'm sure people have tried to leverage offers, but I don't think it really benefits your child to be on a team above their level. Is there a risk of your player riding the bench most of the season, or stand out as the worst player on the field?

If you think that your child should on a higher team at the current club, and are ready to accept the offer at another club unless promoted, then shoot your shot. There's probably a risk of being labeled as a problem parent, or your kid developing slower, but it depends on your priorities.

Go ahead and let them know you are considering it and is there an opportunity for your kid to play on a similar level team. Always appropriate if done in a collaborative best interest of the child way versus “I’m taking all my toys and going home, mnah!” way.

Anonymous wrote:Waiting on a decision, thinking of pulling the chute and showing our cards. Anyone ever do this? This is on the younger end of the spectrum.

Happens all the time. Question is whether it puts the kid in a good situation. Does the coach of the higher team actually want the kid? What will playing time look like? Is the kid good enough to cut it at that level? Works out well sometimes but not every time.

It won’t go the way you want. If your kid were that good they would already be placed where you want. Even if this somehow strong arms the club into the putting him on a higher team, he won’t get the playing time and fall behind.

Clubs have endless supply of paying customers. They really don’t care about your threats to leave. They’d rather take another customer who isn’t trying to leverage their way into teams and is surely a constant source of meddling for the coach.

Waiting on a decision, thinking of pulling the chute and showing our cards. Anyone ever do this? This is on the younger end of the spectrum.