Anonymous wrote:+1 to all the positive replies. Good experience overall. True- all the driving is hateful and depending on where your kid is at from a development standpoint it might not be worth it.
Certainly not for everyone, but if your not playing for an ECNL or DA club it provides 10+ weeks of good competition as measuring stick to see where your kid stands against other quality players.

My DD no longer does ODP because of DA. Even if it wasn't banned, there is just no time. But if she did drop back to the ECNL again, she would because of the way it compliments the high school season (in VA) and it is a chance to play with other players so she isn't just in a habit with her teammates, because it may give her a chance to play a different position, and to be with some other coaches. I think the district is kind of a wash, but the state stuff was helpful and not that expensive. But the regional tournament and camp the last year we went was awful. The fields were terrible, the officiating was subpar and the competition was inferior. The previous years It had been much better, so this is probably the DA effect. I wouldn't recommend those two. Not enough juice for the money.

Anonymous wrote:We refuse to drive to Fredericksburg (like a great majority of parents) so ODP was never something we considered.

Typically practice is on a Sunday night

Anonymous wrote:ODP has run it's course. It is another thing for parents to say

Do college coaches still attend ODP events

Anonymous wrote:+1 to all the positive replies. Good experience overall. True- all the driving is hateful and depending on where your kid is at from a development standpoint it might not be worth it.
Certainly not for everyone, but if your not playing for an ECNL or DA club it provides 10+ weeks of good competition as measuring stick to see where your kid stands against other quality players.

+1 and to add exposure to some other coaches outside their club and a style of play that is also different.

+1 to all the positive replies. Good experience overall. True- all the driving is hateful and depending on where your kid is at from a development standpoint it might not be worth it.
Certainly not for everyone, but if your not playing for an ECNL or DA club it provides 10+ weeks of good competition as measuring stick to see where your kid stands against other quality players.

It has become a little more intriguing as it becomes a way in which you get ID'd and invited to the Regional ID camp that occurs during the summer and a few selected from their are given the opportunity to participate in another camp at the IMG academy where for the older ages, scouts are their to take a look. The final camp at the IMG Academy is paid for those who get invited, you just have to show up.

We did MD ODP one year. It was okay and we did a lot of driving. Your kid will get more out of doing some 1v1 training sessions and it will be cheaper.

ODP is the soccer equivalent of those "Who's Who" directories of schoolkids that you have to pay to get into.

We refuse to drive to Fredericksburg (like a great majority of parents) so ODP was never something we considered.

ODP has run it's course. It is another thing for parents to say

+1

Our first year in MD ODP girls. All is well. I think the only thing they favor heavy is attendance. Girls are placed fairly well across the teams with one or two exceptions. That fair as well since they have limited exposure to the group.

You are paying for extra touches against above average competition.

coaches involved with ODP market it to their players. they have an incentive to, because they want a stronger team when they go play other states.

Coaches not involved with ODP don't really have any incentive to market it and promote the program to their own players.

Sorry but all of youth soccer is a money grab. Some activities provide values others don't. ODP might have lost its relevance.

Is Maryland ODP a giant money-making scheme? We see girls all from the same club team on the top team, with a former coach. We see girls with siblings on other ODP teams also getting prime roster placements. Rosters themselves are posted well before any of the practices, so it seems that the spots are predetermined and not based on actual evaluation of talent. Is there any chance for an “unknown” to be noticed and break through this apparent nepotism?