Small Club Questions

C

Chalklines

GOLD
New to So Cal. Have done the dance at multiple area clubs and spoken with parents/coaches/directors/managers.

Is joining a smaller local club with high quality coaching at this age group worth the difficultys that come with it especially when the player choosing could start on other large proven clubs in the area?

Concerns of the small club Outlook:

Lack of tallent

Lack of resources

Small Roster

Positives:

Coaching

More 1 on 1 (fewer numbers)

Cost
 
For deciding between big or small club, I think it boils down to talent and cost. Big clubs will attract more/better talent and the first teams will compete against top teams. But big clubs do tend to cost more ($500 - 1000/year?).

Coaching is hit or miss regardless of whether you are at a big or small club. Just because you have a great coach now does not guarantee you will have the same coach next year. I would look at the current and future older coaches when evaluating club coaching quality.
 
chargerfan said:
For a 7/8 year old, the only things that matter are a fun coach that teaches skill and nice teammates. Sounds like you are putting way too much thought into it.
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Sorry

I'm a Texas transfer. Youth sports get competitive very early where I'm from.

When we moved I was under the impression girls softball & soccer in California was the same if not more intense.

Also figure since all the clubs we have looked at all charge a hefty penny I should do some homework.
 
Chalklines said:
Sorry

I'm a Texas transfer. Youth sports get competitive very early where I'm from.

When we moved I was under the impression girls softball & soccer in California was the same if not more intense.

Also figure since all the clubs we have looked at all charge a hefty penny I should do some homework.
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Don't be sorry. There are plenty of parents, including on this site, that are hard core. They just don't talk about it openly and will deny that they have their kids do extra training if you ask. Just find a club that has a coach and teammates your kid likes and a team where they will learn the fundamentals, especially good foot skills. Everything else that is important will become obvious as your kid ages.
 
Monkey said:
Don't be sorry. There are plenty of parents, including on this site, that are hard core. They just don't talk about it openly and will deny that they have their kids do extra training if you ask. Just find a club that has a coach and teammates your kid likes and a team where they will learn the fundamentals, especially good foot skills. Everything else that is important will become obvious as your kid ages.
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This site tends to attract the "crazies" at the younger ages. Most of us saw it for what it was, a bunch of kindergarteners/1st graders kicking the ball around with friends. I agree with what Monkey says above. Find a club close to home too, and playing in a local league.
 
Smaller v bigger clubs shouldn't even be a concern right now for you at 09. First, talk to the clubs that are closest to you, go to a practice or two. You should get a good idea of the dynamics of the team, the atmosphere, coaching style, players skills and personalities, as well as any parents that hang out at practice. You want a coach that will teach your child the fundamentals and you kid will will enjoy it and want to continue to play.

You will have many years down the road to worry about what team, level, coach, club, best college exposure, etc. Good luck in finding a good fit for your DD. The season starts after Labor Day weekend and tournaments have a few more weekends left, so you might want to get going on contacting clubs, coaches, etc.
 
I find it interesting that U-older parents come onto the U-little threads and tell people that they shouldn't worry about anything and that the "kids should just have fun!" Well, if you don't put a little due diligence into researching a team you may find your daughter on a team that is not fun to play on. Winning isn't everything...but when your team is getting their butt whooped every weekend it is not a lot of fun. You could just see the kids lose all fight by the second half and none of them wanted to be there. This poster is doing the right thing in asking questions first rather than sink $2-3k and a full season's worth of development.

I believe in the opposite as what's being posted above. Put the energy/time into finding a good team now for a U8/U9 player and make sure they get a good start/trajectory with the sport. I think by the time they're U14 and if they don't have the skills/ambition to play college soccer then at that time the U-olders should take their own advice and to not worry about what club/team they're on and to just let their kid play on any team they're having fun with or just quit club altogether and go play high school soccer .
 
I think the devil is in the details.
Coach first- teaching right thing. At the mega clubs that isn't happening unless you have the right coach. I know of one former powerhouse who has the "winning record" but it was all done on recruitment and he's a horrible coach- well known.

So what you are missing in print is the feeling that coach is first, then having fun. Most 7-10 year old parents kind of have the feeling that their kid is the next big thing. I don't know why but we all are kind of thrust into that vortex. By 13 proof is pretty evident and we can see and so we calm down at the club level and ramp up on the non club level aka recruiting etc.

I applaud research! I applaud making sure it's a good fit but I fear he's already a big club go getter wanting the bumper sticker. My only advice is buyer beware. I don't know your DD age group so I can't speak but if you said you DD age group and asked a positive question like "whose a great coach at d age level and why" it may be more helpful to you
 
rainbow_unicorn said:
I find it interesting that U-older parents come onto the U-little threads and tell people that they shouldn't worry about anything and that the "kids should just have fun!" Well, if you don't put a little due diligence into researching a team you may find your daughter on a team that is not fun to play on. Winning isn't everything...but when your team is getting their butt whooped every weekend it is not a lot of fun. You could just see the kids lose all fight by the second half and none of them wanted to be there. This poster is doing the right thing in asking questions first rather than sink $2-3k and a full season's worth of development.

I believe in the opposite as what's being posted above. Put the energy/time into finding a good team now for a U8/U9 player and make sure they get a good start/trajectory with the sport. I think by the time they're U14 and if they don't have the skills/ambition to play college soccer then at that time the U-olders should take their own advice and to not worry about what club/team they're on and to just let their kid play on any team they're having fun with or just quit club altogether and go play high school soccer .
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Parents of u8/9 kids shouldn't worry about anything other than are they having fun and is the coach teaching the fundamentals. I don't know why a parent new to club soccer wouldn't want the advice of parents who have been around? And if that is our advice collectively, why would you not listen to it?

Most of us don't remember wins or losses from that age. But we do remember fun times and friendships made. For the parents that are still on here with kids playing at u14 and up, it was that experience that fostered the love of the game. A little bit of talent or being on a "winning" team at 7-8 years old means very little. Most of my favorite players in my kids age group came from no-name clubs. Several still play for them.

Also, there should be no need to spend close to 3k for u8-9.
 
rainbow_unicorn said:
For deciding between big or small club, I think it boils down to talent and cost. Big clubs will attract more/better talent and the first teams will compete against top teams. But big clubs do tend to cost more ($500 - 1000/year?).

Coaching is hit or miss regardless of whether you are at a big or small club. Just because you have a great coach now does not guarantee you will have the same coach next year. I would look at the current and future older coaches when evaluating club coaching quality.
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Oh, you're the one who does the ranking for u8 teams. This explains a lot.
 
chargerfan said:
Parents of u8/9 kids shouldn't worry about anything other than are they having fun and is the coach teaching the fundamentals. I don't know why a parent new to club soccer wouldn't want the advice of parents who have been around? And if that is our advice collectively, why would you not listen to it?
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The original poster (who has had plenty of experience w/ club soccer outside of So Cal) was specifically looking for feedback on big versus small clubs in this area. Telling them that U-little parents tend to get crazy and just find a club where your kid will have fun is not very helpful and a bit demeaning.
 
rainbow_unicorn said:
The original poster (who has had plenty of experience w/ club soccer outside of So Cal) was specifically looking for feedback on big versus small clubs in this area. Telling them that U-little parents tend to get crazy and just find a club where your kid will have fun is not very helpful and a bit demeaning.
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You're ranking 8 year olds, but telling me u little parents can't be crazy? Okkkk.....
 
chargerfan said:
You're ranking 8 year olds, but telling me u little parents can't be crazy? Okkkk.....
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Some people appreciate it to get a general feel for teams in the age group. Heck, I started that thread since the forum admin Dominc had requested it. There is a small minority of truly crazy parents that think that ranking means a lot. Most of us know how silly that is...no need to explain more.

There are crazy parents in both U-little and U-older...let's not limit it to a particular age group. If it pains you to see the rankings, then just ignore the thread...not that hard. We have enough trolls on the board as is.
 
rainbow_unicorn said:
Some people appreciate it to get a general feel for teams in the age group. Heck, I started that thread since the forum admin Dominc had requested it. There is a small minority of truly crazy parents that think that ranking means a lot. Most of us know how silly that is...no need to explain more.

There are crazy parents in both U-little and U-older...let's not limit it to a particular age group. If it pains you to see the rankings, then just ignore the thread...not that hard. We have enough trolls on the board as is.
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Oh come on, just admit how much you like doing the rankings and discussing 09 girls soccer. I check it every so often when I am bored at work for a little chuckle.

I gave what I thought, and what I think most parents of older girls would agree, is good advice.

Good luck with your rankings.
 
chargerfan said:
Oh come on, just admit how much you like doing the rankings and discussing 09 girls soccer. I check it every so often when I am bored at work for a little chuckle.

I gave what I thought, and what I think most parents of older girls would agree, is good advice.

Good luck with your rankings.
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Absolutely love it...why else would I do it? :)
 
rainbow_unicorn said:
I find it interesting that U-older parents come onto the U-little threads and tell people that they shouldn't worry about anything and that the "kids should just have fun!" Well, if you don't put a little due diligence into researching a team you may find your daughter on a team that is not fun to play on. Winning isn't everything...but when your team is getting their butt whooped every weekend it is not a lot of fun. You could just see the kids lose all fight by the second half and none of them wanted to be there. This poster is doing the right thing in asking questions first rather than sink $2-3k and a full season's worth of development.

I believe in the opposite as what's being posted above. Put the energy/time into finding a good team now for a U8/U9 player and make sure they get a good start/trajectory with the sport. I think by the time they're U14 and if they don't have the skills/ambition to play college soccer then at that time the U-olders should take their own advice and to not worry about what club/team they're on and to just let their kid play on any team they're having fun with or just quit club altogether and go play high school soccer .
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Interesting response to the advice offered by U older parents. I think this speaks volumes' about the state of youth soccer in the US and our troubles competing on the global stage today and going forward. What you and others may not realize is that the U older parents are not only giving their advice, they are sharing in their experience and wisdom. I don't think that there are many on this board and the other boards that would argue that the kids that started out on the A teams (obviously with exceptions) finish on the B teams. Since they have seen and lived through it, they realize that all those little girls on the 09 blues team you speak so highly of will not likely be on their top team 6 or 7 years from now. Since you seem very dismissive of the advice offered by the U older parents, do a different kind of "research". Look up the Blues 02 super team roster, and post on this board, which club every one of those girls played THEIR U9 season on. CDA Slammers Cerritos has winning teams every year at the U little ages going all the way back to their infinity days. Where are those girls now? What happened to those teams? Why can't their older teams compete in Flight 1? Wait, why don't they have any older teams?

No need to respond with an angry reply talking about the exceptions, just take the information for what it is....informative.

Maybe one day in the future when you have a bit more experience and a U little parent asks you for some advice or guidance, you will get lucky and they will be a bit more respectful of you and the help you are providing.

Somehow, I doubt it though. Not a personal dig, just the state of youth soccer.
 
The problem is they aren't looking for coaches- they are looking for wins and "teams" when they should be looking at who their girl is and who can teach them the best way. Maybe it's the a team coach at blues maybe it's not.
They aren't doing themselves favors by not being honest.
If I could turn back time I would have gone with the most advanced technical guy I could find who happened to be coaching at a garbage club. Instead I felt that "iron sharpens iron" as "she needed to be with the best". Yes we won everything. Yes it was a lot more fun. 12-14 though you find yourself patching gaps and although it's doable it's not fun.
For the record there are very few great coaches. So again buyer beware. It's not "to each their own" their are some very specific things to be looking for I believe that I was never taught to do
 
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