Anonymous wrote:Looking to switch Clubs...

Any feedback on FC Virginia boys? Do they train at the St. James or near by?

What level

Where in Fairfax, OP? That is a large area and a ton of clubs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking to switch Clubs...

Any feedback on FC Virginia boys? Do they train at the St. James or near by?

U12 and below primarily train at Bles Park in Ashburn. Older girls at Evergreen and Bles. Don't know about older boys.

Is this confirmed

?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I don't want to switch, my teen son wants to switch. He's very competitive and his team not as much. I am familiar with ex-DA and ECNL but I would like to avoid them (just look at the ex-DA thread) We're in Fairfax. I wonder if FC Virginia is similar to BRYC, great on the girls side but not so much on the boys...

The FC Virginia website doesn't say much either.

McLean has a great program, SYC has a great program, and Alexandria has a great program. Arlington is a hike but they're also really good.

1. Yes FCV is a girl-focused club - not great for boys.

2. I don't think you should specifically avoid DA or ECNL. If your son is truly looking for the best competition, that's where much of it is. So including those clubs - I would look at Arlington first and then Alexandria (non DA) as two strong, well-coached clubs where your son will definitely get what he's looking for. I'm not quite as sold on SYC and McLean as the immediately previous poster. Loudoun will give you competitive soccer, and some people swear by them, but they're not everyone's cup of tea. Herndon isn't a bad club either - perhaps not quite as strong Arlington/Alexandria/Loudoun, but quite a bit closer for you.

PP here to first recommended McLean/SYC/Alexandria/Arlington. Herndon and Loudoun also great programs. I didn't think of that direction, my apologies. +1

Other PP here . Might be worth expanding on Loudoun. They definitely put out well-disciplined and usually very competitive teams. They also definitely charge a lot of money and seem happy to put club before community more often than some people care for. As examples of the downsides:
- when they still had DA teams, they charged a lot more than the other DA clubs (almost twice as much!)
- they used to roster more kids than could play in games, so each weekend 2-3 kids were "inactive" on game day (i.e. couldn't dress or even sit with teammates); other teams did not do this
- they would stick to the letter of the law and refuse to let kids who wanted to leave try out elsewhere (this is one of my litmus tests for whether a club is putting the player first or the club first).

You shouldn't let those things detract too much if it's a good location for you (if you're coming from the Chantilly side of Fairfax it might be a lot easier than Alexandria for example), because you will definitely get competitive play, and many parents are perfectly happy there despite the factors I have just mentioned. But I thought you should be aware of the downsides too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I don't want to switch, my teen son wants to switch. He's very competitive and his team not as much. I am familiar with ex-DA and ECNL but I would like to avoid them (just look at the ex-DA thread) We're in Fairfax. I wonder if FC Virginia is similar to BRYC, great on the girls side but not so much on the boys...

The FC Virginia website doesn't say much either.

McLean has a great program, SYC has a great program, and Alexandria has a great program. Arlington is a hike but they're also really good.

1. Yes FCV is a girl-focused club - not great for boys.

2. I don't think you should specifically avoid DA or ECNL. If your son is truly looking for the best competition, that's where much of it is. So including those clubs - I would look at Arlington first and then Alexandria (non DA) as two strong, well-coached clubs where your son will definitely get what he's looking for. I'm not quite as sold on SYC and McLean as the immediately previous poster. Loudoun will give you competitive soccer, and some people swear by them, but they're not everyone's cup of tea. Herndon isn't a bad club either - perhaps not quite as strong Arlington/Alexandria/Loudoun, but quite a bit closer for you.

PP here to first recommended McLean/SYC/Alexandria/Arlington. Herndon and Loudoun also great programs. I didn't think of that direction, my apologies. +1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I don't want to switch, my teen son wants to switch. He's very competitive and his team not as much. I am familiar with ex-DA and ECNL but I would like to avoid them (just look at the ex-DA thread) We're in Fairfax. I wonder if FC Virginia is similar to BRYC, great on the girls side but not so much on the boys...

The FC Virginia website doesn't say much either.

McLean has a great program, SYC has a great program, and Alexandria has a great program. Arlington is a hike but they're also really good.

1. Yes FCV is a girl-focused club - not great for boys.

2. I don't think you should specifically avoid DA or ECNL. If your son is truly looking for the best competition, that's where much of it is. So including those clubs - I would look at Arlington first and then Alexandria (non DA) as two strong, well-coached clubs where your son will definitely get what he's looking for. I'm not quite as sold on SYC and McLean as the immediately previous poster. Loudoun will give you competitive soccer, and some people swear by them, but they're not everyone's cup of tea. Herndon isn't a bad club either - perhaps not quite as strong Arlington/Alexandria/Loudoun, but quite a bit closer for you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking to switch Clubs...

Any feedback on FC Virginia boys? Do they train at the St. James or near by?

U12 and below primarily train at Bles Park in Ashburn. Older girls at Evergreen and Bles. Don't know about older boys.

Is this confirmed

Anonymous wrote:Looking to switch Clubs...

Any feedback on FC Virginia boys? Do they train at the St. James or near by?

U12 and below primarily train at Bles Park in Ashburn. Older girls at Evergreen and Bles. Don't know about older boys.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I don't want to switch, my teen son wants to switch. He's very competitive and his team not as much. I am familiar with ex-DA and ECNL but I would like to avoid them (just look at the ex-DA thread) We're in Fairfax. I wonder if FC Virginia is similar to BRYC, great on the girls side but not so much on the boys...

The FC Virginia website doesn't say much either.

McLean has a great program, SYC has a great program, and Alexandria has a great program. Arlington is a hike but they're also really good.

Based on the track of records, among none-pre-DA clubs in the area, Alexandria, BRYC, SYC are good ones in Fairfax.

Anonymous wrote:OP. I don't want to switch, my teen son wants to switch. He's very competitive and his team not as much. I am familiar with ex-DA and ECNL but I would like to avoid them (just look at the ex-DA thread) We're in Fairfax. I wonder if FC Virginia is similar to BRYC, great on the girls side but not so much on the boys...

The FC Virginia website doesn't say much either.

McLean has a great program, SYC has a great program, and Alexandria has a great program. Arlington is a hike but they're also really good.

OP. I don't want to switch, my teen son wants to switch. He's very competitive and his team not as much. I am familiar with ex-DA and ECNL but I would like to avoid them (just look at the ex-DA thread) We're in Fairfax. I wonder if FC Virginia is similar to BRYC, great on the girls side but not so much on the boys...

The FC Virginia website doesn't say much either.

Anonymous wrote:Looking to switch Clubs...

Any feedback on FC Virginia boys? Do they train at the St. James or near by?

Not sure why, but the girls are the heart and soul of FCV, the boys very much an afterthought. Why are you looking to switch?

Anonymous wrote:Looking to switch Clubs...

Any feedback on FC Virginia boys? Do they train at the St. James or near by?

There's plenty of clubs in that area, you'll have choices. Depends on the level and ambitions of your son, of course. Regarding TSJ, eh, I don't know. Even when we reopen, I'm not sure what training will look like indoors with social distancing. What club(s) are you coming from?

Looking to switch Clubs...

Any feedback on FC Virginia boys? Do they train at the St. James or near by?