Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So completely worthless in VA?

I just got the try out email and figure it was either a waste of time money grab or something my kid isn’t actually good enough for.

Our U13 DD’s team isn’t looking great next for next year so I’m looking for something to supplement for the year.

Not completely worthless in VA. DD had great experience at u13 and better understood where she stacked up against other players. There are some great players and some average, the experience got better as selections kept getting made.

This is for VA

It's not worthless. There is value in playing with different players and getting different coaching perspectives.

Worth it? $500 for district training--10 weeks x 1.5 hrs on Sunday nights maybe near you. Fall 2017 the training was in Leesburg. 2018 it was in Fairfax.

$500 for state pool training. 10 Saturdays or Sundays x 1.5 or 2 hrs in Fredericksburg. And wait until you carefully plan your weekend around ODP and then get an email on Friday night that they've switched to the "inclement weather" schedule, meaning that now your plans are all messed up.

$500 for each weekend event, in which your DC will participate in 3 games. Usually 3 weekend events.
If you're keeping count, we're up to $2500 now, which is about the cost of a year of travel soccer.

Camp is another $500, and the big Europe trip is around $3k.

Every family needs to decide whether it's worth it.

This looks like a big 'ol money grab - which isn't anything new except this time it is actually the state governing body that is profiting from it, which is kind of sickening to me.

If VYSA was serious about offering an alternative pathway for the top (non-DA) players in the state (which would be awesome IMO), ODP would be free. At the very least, they would be liberally granting scholarships and advertising that fact very prominently in their emails and on their web site (they don't). They would also be sending emails in Spanish as well as English (nada).

Instead, you get a program that is only for players who can afford to pay an additional $2500 per year, on top of what they are already paying in fees for their regular club team.

If you are considering signing your kid up and wondering about the level of player, let that sink in for a bit. They are only selecting from a pool of players who can afford to be spending $4000-$5000 a year on soccer. They aren't getting the best players. They're getting the best rich players.

Dig a little deeper and look at the math. They are charging $50 per 90 minute session. They have the same costs as your kid's club team - field rentals and paying the coaches. How much does your kid's club team charge per 90 minute session? Let's say your team practices 3x/week and takes one month off in the winter, 2 months off in the summer. So that's about 40 weeks x 3 sessions/week = 120. Figure at least an additional 25 games between fall and spring leagues, a couple/few tournaments, and some friendlies. So as a ball-park, you're getting about 145 sessions a year. Even if your club charges $3000 a year, that works out to a little more than $20 a session.

To get to the $50 a session that ODP charges, a club would have to charge $6000 a year and only offer 120 sessions in total.

Further comparision - even HP Elite is under $35 a session, and they are paying for indoor space. No one charges $50 for group training sessions.

Bottom line - instead of subsidizing ODP to offset the expense and keep costs down for eligible players, VYSA is doing the exact opposite. It is a cash grab and a total rip-off.

We should expect and demand more.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So completely worthless in VA?

I just got the try out email and figure it was either a waste of time money grab or something my kid isn’t actually good enough for.

Our U13 DD’s team isn’t looking great next for next year so I’m looking for something to supplement for the year.

Not completely worthless in VA. DD had great experience at u13 and better understood where she stacked up against other players. There are some great players and some average, the experience got better as selections kept getting made.

This is for VA

It's not worthless. There is value in playing with different players and getting different coaching perspectives.

Worth it? $500 for district training--10 weeks x 1.5 hrs on Sunday nights maybe near you. Fall 2017 the training was in Leesburg. 2018 it was in Fairfax.

$500 for state pool training. 10 Saturdays or Sundays x 1.5 or 2 hrs in Fredericksburg. And wait until you carefully plan your weekend around ODP and then get an email on Friday night that they've switched to the "inclement weather" schedule, meaning that now your plans are all messed up.

$500 for each weekend event, in which your DC will participate in 3 games. Usually 3 weekend events.
If you're keeping count, we're up to $2500 now, which is about the cost of a year of travel soccer.

Camp is another $500, and the big Europe trip is around $3k.

Every family needs to decide whether it's worth it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just another avenue for your child to get some extra training, opportunity to attend ID camps, and travel abroad. With the DA and the ECNL becoming more and more prominent, the years past historical data of pro players that played in ODP can be skewed, as there are many other paths one can take at this time.

If you are on a travel team that practices 3 times a week already, and you want a 4th night (ODP is always Monday nights), then go for it. I personally think the cost is not worth it.

Who would sign up for ODP with training on Mondays when you don't know yet when your club team will practice? If your practicing 3 days a week a good chance one of those days is a Monday.

Anonymous wrote:Just another avenue for your child to get some extra training, opportunity to attend ID camps, and travel abroad. With the DA and the ECNL becoming more and more prominent, the years past historical data of pro players that played in ODP can be skewed, as there are many other paths one can take at this time.

If you are on a travel team that practices 3 times a week already, and you want a 4th night (ODP is always Monday nights), then go for it. I personally think the cost is not worth it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So completely worthless in VA?

I just got the try out email and figure it was either a waste of time money grab or something my kid isn’t actually good enough for.

Our U13 DD’s team isn’t looking great next for next year so I’m looking for something to supplement for the year.

I would say check it out and see the quality of players who show up to tryouts. That impacts it's value. If the quality doesn't challenge her, you may consider a Futsal club.

Anonymous wrote:So completely worthless in VA?

I just got the try out email and figure it was either a waste of time money grab or something my kid isn’t actually good enough for.

Our U13 DD’s team isn’t looking great next for next year so I’m looking for something to supplement for the year.

Anonymous wrote:It means that ODP used to be an avenue for the best kids in each state to be selected for ever more exclusive teams, culminating in a possible national team selection.

Now, the best players in most states play in Development Academy teams (boys side). So ODP isn't the best of the best. It's more like, "willing to pay of the rest."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So completely worthless in VA?

I just got the try out email and figure it was either a waste of time money grab or something my kid isn’t actually good enough for.

Our U13 DD’s team isn’t looking great next for next year so I’m looking for something to supplement for the year.

Not completely worthless in VA. DD had great experience at u13 and better understood where she stacked up against other players. There are some great players and some average, the experience got better as selections kept getting made.