I have definitely come across some crazy CYA parents—U11 boys in particular. However, there is one (if not more) of those AT EVERY CLUB. The CYA mom was so nutty it was actually pretty entertaining (though probably not for her mortified son).

Lots of good things going on at CYA. The positives:

- Great facilities
- Well organized 10 month program that includes winter outdoor training.
- Excellent internal futsal league at NOVA Fieldhouse
- Really nice Nike gear that the kids love. Maybe not that important to the parents, but very important to the kids. DS lives in his warmup jacket. He'd sleep in it if we'd let him.
- TD and a few others are outstanding

And the not so positives:

- Too many teams at the younger ages. Lower tier teams have a lot of players that would be better suited to rec.
- The club has more than its share of nutty parents.
- Much of the training, and the academy training, in particular, lack intensity. There is a lot of standing around and time when the kids aren't working hard. This is partly a function of the level of many of the kids, but also a reflection on the coaches.

It varies WIDELY from age group to age group as to the quality and level of training. That said, the coaches for the most part are good. We have liked the younger ages training program, but once you get to about U13 or so the training varies widely from coach to coach, which you would expect when you have four teams in an age group. I'd suggest looking into the particular age group that you are interested in - many teams have an open spot or two to take on new players - and you can reach out directly to the coach at the top of that age group to see where your child might fit. The parents and the kids that we have played with have all been very nice.

Anonymous wrote:Just moved to the area and thinking of having my kids join CYA travel. Any insight on the program or coaches? Any horror stories?

My kids have played against CYA for years. Seems to be a solid program on both boys and girls sides, and usually well-matched for my kids' teams. Haven't noticed any obvious jerks among the coaches or parents during CYA games!

Anonymous wrote:Just moved to the area and thinking of having my kids join CYA travel. Any insight on the program or coaches? Any horror stories?

Younger kids may work with Jane Dawber, whom I liked in Vienna.

Haven't seen or heard any horror stories. It's not considered big time, which means you might avoid some of the more psycho parents in the area.

If it's closest to you, it's probably fine.

Just moved to the area and thinking of having my kids join CYA travel. Any insight on the program or coaches? Any horror stories?