Overlap
SILVER ELITE
same here, one of the kids 5-6 years ago, left and a few years later, became the HS tennis captain and is killing it on the court, terrific kid, was just really slow at the time
Top Rejection Lines by Club Coaches 2019
- Thread starter Supermodel56
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Bradley was so good by the time he was in high school that he was gone all the time at tournaments all over the country. Then in his Senior year he already had a full ride from Stanford, so he took a break from travel to play on the HS team with his friends. He didn't come close to losing a singles or doubles match all season.
Paul Spacey
SILVER ELITE
Some VERY funny responses in this thread...funny but at the same time worrying that they are actually used as 'excuses' by coaches or whoever delivers the bad news.
I posted this new article the other day to help parents (and perhaps coaches) appreciate that being 'dropped' from a team doesn't have to be the end of the world, as long as the news is delivered honestly and respectfully.
https://www.fcengland.com/news_article/show/986861
I posted this new article the other day to help parents (and perhaps coaches) appreciate that being 'dropped' from a team doesn't have to be the end of the world, as long as the news is delivered honestly and respectfully.
https://www.fcengland.com/news_article/show/986861
The article assumes that the coaches have the best interest of the player in mind. That it's actually about development. But it's not always [usually?] the case. The coaches (being judged on wins/losses for a variety of reasons we've previously discussed on these forums) are looking for upgrades-- the so-called "impact" players they advertise for on the soccer announcement board. They are in particular looking for upgrades in the striker, AM, CB, and keeper positions because those players have a disproportionate impact on the game.
But let's assume, arguendo, it really is about the weaker third of the team. If it were about development, then the system would have periodic evaluations where the weaknesses of players are identified in the bottom third and the club would work to rectify it....as it is now, it's up to the player and parent to fix things (why such an active privates market exists in the US) and in some cases even figure out what the coach wants because some coaches get defensive when approached or challenged for information for why Billy is benched. Some players maybe shouldn't have been selected for the team, but perhaps the coach now regrets his decision or perhaps needed the roster filled out to make expenses. And if the player still isn't progressing after the season, and the time comes for a decision that the player should play on another team, efforts would be made within the club to put them on an appropriate tiered team (Sarah is having problems with the pacing on the A team, but let's move her to lead striker on the B team and work on those timing issues for a year, then reevaluate) after a discussion with the parents (yeah I get that parents are overly sensitive too and don't want to hear it).
Two random observations also. One, this is why what the United program is doing is a good thing....trying to come up with multiple levels so that every kid has an appropriate place to play. Unfortunately, their tryout system (renamed something else now but still a tryout in all but name) and yearly reshuffling of coaches and teams prevents any real progress on that front. Some of the larger clubs with ABCD teams also do this, but sometimes the cash grab gets in the way, as does the tiered system
Second, the pressure for teams to move up in tiers also doesn't help. Take the case of my son's former team. Finished second in their bronze division this year. Offered a choice of promotion, and shockingly accepted it. In competitions against the top team in the bracket, this team was often just shut out. Against silvers, both tournaments and League Cup, the team folded easily. By all metrics, for the sake of the players, they'd be best being the top bronze team in the bracket. But the club feels pressure to move their teams up the silver, which will likely mean upgrades will be needed in the striker/AM/CB/keeper positions, instead of continuing the development of the players they have. The coaches will be blamed with the team struggles at the bottom of the silver, and they'll take it out on the players.
It's not about the kids, at least here in the U.S., which is why the system is a bit of a mess.
Paul Spacey
SILVER ELITE
You make some excellent points Grace, as always. I agree with much of what you say (I share your views on the state of youth soccer in general).
The article does come from the viewpoint of coaches who truly have kids’ best interests in mind (I personally come from that viewpoint of course). There are coaches and clubs out there with the same viewpoint but unfortunately there are many with the approach that you describe in your post (cash grabbing, filling spots etc).
I think if a coach makes a mistake or adds someone to their roster and realizes they aren’t going to make up enough ground by the end of the season to ‘catch up’ with the level of the team, the right thing is to be honest about it, even if it seems unfair. Even with best intentions at the outset and experience evaluating players, you can make mistakes or overestimate how much you hope someone will improve because they have a strong work ethic and good character for example. I’ve done this a couple of times, I’ll be honest.
United are doing a pretty good job and I’ve mentioned them before in this regard. The volunteer coach issue and shuffling you mention is a problem (shuffling is a problem for lots of the bigger clubs so kids can change coaches often) but nobody has the perfect solution. Smaller clubs (like ours) can probably give more focus to individual players and we have control over staying with them (not chopping/changing coaches) but there are downsides to being ‘smaller’ and I’m aware of that, so again no club or approach is perfect.
A tiered system/club where players can move up and down based on their level of play is a good thing IMO but only if the system is conducted openly and honestly by coaches and directors. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case a lot of the time, as we know.
It’s not about the kids, you’re spot on there. It will continue to be a mess until (many) more people prioritize the needs of the kids above all else.
The article does come from the viewpoint of coaches who truly have kids’ best interests in mind (I personally come from that viewpoint of course). There are coaches and clubs out there with the same viewpoint but unfortunately there are many with the approach that you describe in your post (cash grabbing, filling spots etc).
I think if a coach makes a mistake or adds someone to their roster and realizes they aren’t going to make up enough ground by the end of the season to ‘catch up’ with the level of the team, the right thing is to be honest about it, even if it seems unfair. Even with best intentions at the outset and experience evaluating players, you can make mistakes or overestimate how much you hope someone will improve because they have a strong work ethic and good character for example. I’ve done this a couple of times, I’ll be honest.
United are doing a pretty good job and I’ve mentioned them before in this regard. The volunteer coach issue and shuffling you mention is a problem (shuffling is a problem for lots of the bigger clubs so kids can change coaches often) but nobody has the perfect solution. Smaller clubs (like ours) can probably give more focus to individual players and we have control over staying with them (not chopping/changing coaches) but there are downsides to being ‘smaller’ and I’m aware of that, so again no club or approach is perfect.
A tiered system/club where players can move up and down based on their level of play is a good thing IMO but only if the system is conducted openly and honestly by coaches and directors. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case a lot of the time, as we know.
It’s not about the kids, you’re spot on there. It will continue to be a mess until (many) more people prioritize the needs of the kids above all else.