Anonymous
Post 12/17/2025 14:43     Subject: Getting Out Of The Rat Race Early - Looking For Others

If you want him to be competitive you better step it up to 90 mins a day. And start feeding him. DC United may not notice him if he isn’t double the size of his opposition. Might as well take him to the tanning salon too, otherwise he won’t even get a second look.
Anonymous
Post 12/17/2025 12:58     Subject: Getting Out Of The Rat Race Early - Looking For Others

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:First season has come to a close for my U9 son for a travel team in Northern Virginia. As everyone here says with any club, don't like it, get out. I decided its time to get out early and make informed decision based on everything I read on this forum and talked to others. Not a knock on the club where I am currently at but the whole system as a whole. My family decision based on coaching staff, training style, costs, time, my child's mentality, and upcoming birth year to school year change are issues I'll face at any club. Maybe in 2-3 years we may change our mind and jump back into travel.

At this time, I think its best to take into my own hands my son's training. I grew up playing soccer all my life, attended many camps, previously coached NCSL U12-15 and there are abundance of training material and information out there. I'm looking for other parents interested in doing the same and getting out of the rat race for now. Looking for a parent who has lots of playing experience or coached at a high level and has a child U8-U10 age range. If we can get anywhere from 8-10 kids, we could run practices like a real club on technical aspects, team play and slow down to teach the kids soccer. We could run scrimmages within our own group. Practices will be run seriously, kids can get the closer attention they need, but take away most the pressure associated with travel soccer. I ask for parents with playing/coaching experience because we would all could be involved and contribute during our sessions. There is no better investment than from ourselves.

I am training my child individually 3-4 times a week but I can't replace the team play and challenge from other children his age. Recreational soccer is not good enough, hiring a private trainer and doing constant camps is too pricey. This could act as a standalone soccer training or maybe supplement to recreational soccer. Practice once a week and a scrimmage once a week during each season. I do have a higher goal for my son which is actually attainable which is why I want to do this. And as stated previously, can still jump back in to travel soccer in few years. Please leave your contact information if you are interested, I will reach out and try to organize. Thank you.

Isn't everyone still in the middle of their season???


No, friend. Everyone just finished the fall season and has begun the winter season. That looks different in terms of training schedule and game/leagues/tournaments for each club. The spring season will begin in late March and the training season for the spring begins shortly before that.
We are all in the middle of the same soccer year and the commitment that entails.

All that you stated above is one season from start to finish. It's one season that runs from the Fall until the Spring/Summer.
Anonymous
Post 12/17/2025 12:16     Subject: Getting Out Of The Rat Race Early - Looking For Others

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:First season has come to a close for my U9 son for a travel team in Northern Virginia. As everyone here says with any club, don't like it, get out. I decided its time to get out early and make informed decision based on everything I read on this forum and talked to others. Not a knock on the club where I am currently at but the whole system as a whole. My family decision based on coaching staff, training style, costs, time, my child's mentality, and upcoming birth year to school year change are issues I'll face at any club. Maybe in 2-3 years we may change our mind and jump back into travel.

At this time, I think its best to take into my own hands my son's training. I grew up playing soccer all my life, attended many camps, previously coached NCSL U12-15 and there are abundance of training material and information out there. I'm looking for other parents interested in doing the same and getting out of the rat race for now. Looking for a parent who has lots of playing experience or coached at a high level and has a child U8-U10 age range. If we can get anywhere from 8-10 kids, we could run practices like a real club on technical aspects, team play and slow down to teach the kids soccer. We could run scrimmages within our own group. Practices will be run seriously, kids can get the closer attention they need, but take away most the pressure associated with travel soccer. I ask for parents with playing/coaching experience because we would all could be involved and contribute during our sessions. There is no better investment than from ourselves.

I am training my child individually 3-4 times a week but I can't replace the team play and challenge from other children his age. Recreational soccer is not good enough, hiring a private trainer and doing constant camps is too pricey. This could act as a standalone soccer training or maybe supplement to recreational soccer. Practice once a week and a scrimmage once a week during each season. I do have a higher goal for my son which is actually attainable which is why I want to do this. And as stated previously, can still jump back in to travel soccer in few years. Please leave your contact information if you are interested, I will reach out and try to organize. Thank you.

Isn't everyone still in the middle of their season???


No, friend. Everyone just finished the fall season and has begun the winter season. That looks different in terms of training schedule and game/leagues/tournaments for each club. The spring season will begin in late March and the training season for the spring begins shortly before that.
We are all in the middle of the same soccer year and the commitment that entails.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2025 13:51     Subject: Re:Getting Out Of The Rat Race Early - Looking For Others

Anonymous wrote:I highly doubt anyone is going to leave you their contact information on this forum. Maybe you should provide a way for someone to contact you?


You missed it above, the OP did:
If you're interested, you can contact me at soccershot12@gmail.com. Admins please let me know if this is ok, if not, remove this post, I will try find another avenue for interested parties to contact me.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2025 12:50     Subject: Getting Out Of The Rat Race Early - Looking For Others

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:These never work, you'll end up with a really good rec team or bolt onto an existing club as their lowest level team. Some have gone the route of Vista (club, but not a club). You'll get 1-2 years and the good kids will want more and move on and you will be scrambling to find new players to keep your team a float.


It doesn't sound like he wants to play games, just lurk around the edges of a local field with a bunch of kids annoying the people with the proper permits.


HAHAHA we've all seen those "trainers". Setting up a thousand cones like a turf field on a Wednesday at 6 pm will just happen to be free.


And they always feign surprise as a show to the parent that the field is taken.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2025 09:58     Subject: Re:Getting Out Of The Rat Race Early - Looking For Others

I highly doubt anyone is going to leave you their contact information on this forum. Maybe you should provide a way for someone to contact you?
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2025 09:27     Subject: Getting Out Of The Rat Race Early - Looking For Others

We have no soccer experience in our family and going from rec to travel was a huge leap. Never mind the game itself, multiple parents on our team lived in FEAR of their kids getting demoted which lead to a lot of screaming at their kids on the pitch. Not good for the mental health of anyone.

Can our we have teams that support each other at this age?