"Buyer beware" should always be your motto when it comes to anything involved with youth soccer. I'm a born skeptic, but against my better judgement I fell victim (actually my son was the victim) to trusting a coach's representation that I knew had a propensity for dishonesty. He did us a favor because now my kid is with an amazing coach and some great kids.
Keep in mind that clubs and most coaches don't have your kids' best interests in mind. They have no incentive to do so when the primary focus is on $$$ and winning. They're great coaches out there, they're just hard to find. Clubs don't invest in kids, they will always take the "shiny new object" over the longer term committed player because the "grass is always greener" (not that parents don't chase this same concept). At the top levels this is highly competitive soccer, so it comes with the territory. It's not wrong per se, you just have to be aware of it despite what club or coach may tell you.
You have to be your child's best advocate, because club or coach likely will not be, but don't be over the top about it. Rely only on what a club or coach shows you, put zero reliance on what they tell you. Despite what you're told, don't expect your kid to be treated any differently than the other kids on the team. We're just pups in club soccer going into our sixth year (not counting the years I played club which is unrecognizable from today's club soccer), but I think its best to take one season at a time and not look past the current year (maybe its different for older kids that are hoping to play college soccer in the next few years).
Keep in mind that clubs and most coaches don't have your kids' best interests in mind. They have no incentive to do so when the primary focus is on $$$ and winning. They're great coaches out there, they're just hard to find. Clubs don't invest in kids, they will always take the "shiny new object" over the longer term committed player because the "grass is always greener" (not that parents don't chase this same concept). At the top levels this is highly competitive soccer, so it comes with the territory. It's not wrong per se, you just have to be aware of it despite what club or coach may tell you.
You have to be your child's best advocate, because club or coach likely will not be, but don't be over the top about it. Rely only on what a club or coach shows you, put zero reliance on what they tell you. Despite what you're told, don't expect your kid to be treated any differently than the other kids on the team. We're just pups in club soccer going into our sixth year (not counting the years I played club which is unrecognizable from today's club soccer), but I think its best to take one season at a time and not look past the current year (maybe its different for older kids that are hoping to play college soccer in the next few years).