Anonymous wrote:looks like it did not hurt there development!
Agreed.
Some have brought up the very valid point that the early years are the most formative in a player's developing ball handling, deception, IQ and a general love for the game.
The best club in the world will not benefit a player with limited aptitude or interest in growing his/her game. Meanwhile, a BS club will not help a player with development and exposure --- usually because the club or the league is just not on anyone's radar through its play (league play, tournaments, good relations with other orgs/clubs/etc.)
But at the end of the day, the most critical things a club offers the ambitious player is tactical knowledge and a "stage" (league and tournament selection) on which to play. You don't get those things by practicing on your driveway. If the stage and the tactics are weak, the player will always be invisible, no matter how talented or effective s/he is.
Give respect where it's due. Whoever these five or six guys are, their clubs did not hold them back one bit.