We play in the same circuit I believe.
Girls Development Academy
- Thread starter Swoosh
- Start date
We play in the same circuit I believe.
All the veteran parents have told me the drop offs happen a few different times:
1. Going to the big field and higher level of competition. CHECK.
2. Ages 14-16. High School, opposite sex, injuries, lack of interest, no longer developing. - this is where we are now.
3. Ages 18-19. College, opposite sex, injuries, lack of interest, no longer developing.
Aha. Now I understand the controlled environment statement and have to say I agree mostly.
I still believe the Academy curriculum will facilitate the drop off. I am only speaking of the way out Academy is being coached of course and using that as a marker. Not trying to get into that argument again
I absolutely understand your intent don't worry about me!
I was speaking more philosophically and wondering if we have seen a decrease in those drop offs due to the increase in available platforms for families to pursue.
In the past it seemed a little bit more funneled- and ECNL year start was a big drop off year. I have not seen that at all this year
Awesome cause I just want good conversation and information.
There is a gigantic drop off between the Academy team we are on now and the SCSDL Tier 1 squad we were on last season for a few reasons and athleticism isn't even the highest. With a lot of people scrambling to find an Academy the selection process seems to have been more selective and refined. I am seeing these differences:
1. Players with better attitudes towards teamwork (less drama so far). Fingers crossed. The girls are really working for each other and the game play style is more "advanced" in my opinion.
2. Players with higher soccer IQs. This is leading to more robust and intense practice sessions focused on real development of the team and not just select players. The pace is vastly increased mentally and physically and the A level coaching is more direct and clear. Classroom workdays and physical fitness only days allow for growth to occur off the field also.
My DD hasn't been this happy as a player who loves to learn the game and play with other smart players in years. Just dropped her off and her excitement level for her 3rd practice of the week was just as high as the first day. She loves the challenge.
MakeAPlay
DA
There are two reasons that you might not have seen it since I believe that you are truly paying attention.
1. You are at the beginning of the drop off.
There are lots of players, lots of teams and lots of leagues. Losing a player here or there on every team is pretty common especially when you consider how today is the age of having to switch teams every year due to some top down mandate. This is usually balanced out by new players coming onto a team from other clubs and new players entering club for the first time. This creates new teams which makes it seem endless. There becomes a point where many lower level players start giving up club for other activities (rec soccer, HS soccer, dance, lacrosse, rowing, etc.) especially if the expense is a considerable amount. At the beginning of the decline it really starts among the players that aren't trying to do something in/with soccer. It starts at the fringes with the players that aren't passionate about it. When you are in a crowd of people heading towards a ledge, it's easy to miss seeing the ledge. Especially when you are at the back. The shift is subtle but there is a shift happening.
2. The higher the level your player competes at the more you are insulated from the dropoff.
There are plenty of players that are not competing at the highest level yet and that are just waiting on the chance to take an available spot on a high level team. In addition there are top players that migrate to higher level teams later in the process for various reasons. This causes the rosters of the top teams in an age group to always be at capacity with a seemingly endless supply of mercenaries ready to come in and take an existing players minutes. On the highest levels roster sizes don't peak until U16/17 and it could be upwards of 25 players with 7 not getting to play. It is a " first world" problem. Plenty of the lower level teams barely have 15-16 players.
I'm going to clue you into some bad news about the top teams with the truly elite players. If you haven't already figured it out the top players tend to miss a lot of time for YNT camps which can significantly alter the outcome of individual games. With next year being a U17 WWC year I imagine some teams are going to be SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED.
Here is a way to describe it:
Think of now as a gradual decline in the number of overall players which leads to less teams. Think about club soccer as a huge multi room nightclub. When you are in the front part of the line and turn around it seems really busy. As you filter in and the club reaches capacity it's hard to tell how many people are in there especially if you get into the VIP room. People come and go throughout the night but at some point the amount of people leaving exceeds the amount coming in. It's still hard to notice all that if you are in the VIP room because that is always at its capacity. What you will notice is that even in the VIP room towards the end of the night the real ballers have after parties to go to and even that section is empty before the doors close.
Good luck to you and your player.
NoGoal
DA
What age group is your DD? Statistics are in 6 yrs an entire roster almost turns over. Look back at your DDs U10 team and how many of those players are still playing or going to be recruited to play college soccer.
Lucking back on my DDs U11 club team 7 years ago. 4 players on that team ended up playing college soccer this fall. Of those 4 only 1 is still at that club.
You know what I am waiting for is someone savvy enough to sue both US Soccer and the clubs. In the pay to play system I as a customer am paying for a product. That product includes the coaching staff, the team and its team environment and the events that my team is in or has the potential to be in. In essence the devolpment environment for my kid and the exposure for my kid. If enough high level players are missing due to US Soccer I would say that environment is greatly reduced or destroyed. Hence breach of contract? Further since US Soccer doesn't give a shit about anybody but themselves I would figure out how to drag them through the mud. They certainly didn't give a crap about Manchester Cup, ECNL, High School or National championships?
Ok I don't get the rage. I thought the idea was to have players develop enough to go to those US Teams. I know the clubs love it because they get to advertise they are able to develop kids well and use them as the example. I understand politics play apart, but the clubs still get the free publicity and can recruit better players due to it.
I agree we play for development and need to receive it, but I don't see how this makes your point. Please explain.
I might have a different perspective. My kid is one of those kids. My kid was ripped from a team that would have won Manchester Cup had not three left to go to camp - mine being one of those. A U14 camp which at the time is a "big deal" but looking back and becoming more wise (jaded) now can say it meant jack squat in the real scheme of things. US Soccer knew when the tournament was but they scheduled a camp anyways. Mine and other kids had to go cause if you don't well you wouldn't want to piss mother off shall we say. Not trying to be an egomaniac but that team was greatly reduced one those three players left for camp. All those parents paid a lot of money to be on a team to make that trip and I believe got short changed due to US Soccer. Have you figured out I don't care too much for them? And yes we have been on both ends. I just thru a bomb out there for the heck of it to see if there would be any discussion or reaction. The real topic is your second sentence. Who does the development? US Soccer or the clubs? The clubs. Why does US Soccer place themselves at the top of the pyramid if the clubs do the developing? Why is US Soccer calling the shots? Do you think the RFEF in Spain calls the shots? No the clubs call the shots. They decide if they will release "their players" to the National Team. Until that happens in the US the others will keep gaining and we will keep diminishing.
I see your point. I don't put too much in winning tourneys like Manchester Cup and such, but my girl has tons of those championship medals and I was spoiled by that success and she puts more value in the experience in those games versus the medals. I know most kids play for and parents pay for those championships so your point is very clear.
I know a group of eligible girls just went to Mexico to participate in the Mexican OD Tourney. Every single one of those girls had to be released from their clubs. I'm not sure if that is the same for US Soccer camps and stuff.
I will venture to say that won't be such an issue moving forward in the DA system since it was made directly for that purpose. I mean losing 3 top players devastates any squad, but when you come in with that being the focus it changes the outlook may be?
NoGoal
DA
Just making sure you know the former Nike Manchester Cup is different than the Manchester City Cup.
The Nike Manchester Cup was a invite only tournament for the best teams several years back and held at Nike headquarters.
Good catch. I didn't know that. Thanks for clarifying.
MakeAPlay
DA
It was a great tournament with a who's who of top teams and players. I remember my players team being in the bracket with Pugh's Real Colorado team and Madison Haley's Dallas Texans being among the teams the year Pulgita's player and mine were there. It was about as elite a tournament as existed in the US. The winner got an all expense paid trip to the Gothia Cup to represent the US. It was awesome. Very sad to see it go.
El Clasico
GOLD
Little Flea, if you understood the true purpose of US Soccer (not stated, but through actions), you might not get so upset. US Soccer has demonstrated that their only goal is to grow the income base, not necessarily the player base (GDA as an example) but if player base grows, it is merely a side benefit. Your passion for the sport has clouded your vision. Do you not see the posts on this board of all the parents praising the GDA and all its achievements? Really quite impressive when you consider that, for all real purposes, it hasn't even started yet. Having watched the implementation of Boys DA and seen what a disaster the results are, I fear that the USWNT, who was so dominant for so long, will continue it's decline on the world stage. What makes the rise of the European teams that much more impressive is that they are still years away from their culture fully buying into girls soccer. Yes, girls have been playing there for years but on average, the buy in is nothing like here in the states. I have yet to see a girls European U8 club circuit, but I digress.
To cite an example of your point about who calls the shots...didn't Schalke 04's refuse to release three American players (U20s, I think) for our Olympic qualifiers?
US Soccer continues to look for ways to get more dollars from the public's wallet without having to deliver results. What a business model. I don't expect to see that change anytime soon.
Dos Equis
GOLD
How amazing. People actually understand the purpose of the DA model, and the consequences. Like most situations, when the organization's goals are aligned with yours, all is great. And at this point, with everything new and mostly unknown, people are transferring their own desires onto the GDA, and claiming what an amazing concept and success it is.
While control and money are always a motivation, their primary goal is producing a winning USWNT/USMNT, regardless of the impact on individual players, teams, clubs, schools, colleges or any other outside groups. We can debate whether the DA structure is the best way to produce that result, and opinions will vary. But it is good to see people are not ignoring the unintended (and often intended) consequences.
While control and money are always a motivation, their primary goal is producing a winning USWNT/USMNT, regardless of the impact on individual players, teams, clubs, schools, colleges or any other outside groups. We can debate whether the DA structure is the best way to produce that result, and opinions will vary. But it is good to see people are not ignoring the unintended (and often intended) consequences.
As a parent in today's soccer we better all know the main object is money. That's why we act as our kids agents and find them the best club for their development on the road to riches (scholarships, pro team, yada yada).
As a life time sales rep I just don't know if I agree US Soccer believes they don't have to show results to get the AMOUNT of money they want. With both my kids playing DA now there has been a very clear move to producing a high level product (players playing productive, winning and beautiful soccer) with HUGE investments coming in at the club level. Now that may be the clubs (lucky us) we have chosen/been chosen by, but I'm seeing a movement towards this with the competitors also.
Another factor is competing federations are starting to snatch up our "not as marketable" higher level talent on the girls side. With these other federations starting to see success with American born/raised players and the players being open to going, it is changing the playing field a bit. No longer does US Soccer have to put all it's top talent on the US teams to show it is building / developing productive high level players that are international worthy.
Many of my kids teammates have opportunities outside the US. So many can play for the Philippines, Mexico, Nigeria, Sweden, Jamaica, Costa Rica, etc.... And are doing that at the youth level teams (this is the girls as the boys are too young). More power to them. If your kid can play in the Olympics and World Cup and the US doesn't want them, oh well. Get in where you fit in.
My point is this is a win win for the players and US Soccer when we play it right and stay focused on the long term goals of college scholarships and keeping these damn kids out of trouble so they can have productive adult lives. Some of us know who the big pimps on the block are. US Soccer, NCAA, ECNL, the Clubs. We are navigating the red light district the best we can without being used and abused ourselves.
Thing is, this is the system we have. I can hate it, but my kids love the game and are playing at the higher levels so I have to buy in, but with open eyes. See the pitfalls, listen to the vets and get them to the finish line wherever that ends up.