# Is there a right/wrong way for a coach to leave a club?



## The Ghost of Johan Cruyff (Feb 22, 2018)

Seems like every year there is that team and is imploding while it does the death march to State Cup. This year it was us. Our coach is/was leaving for a new club. It wasnt announced but it was probably the worst kept secret ever. After some awkward moments on the side lines during three loses and even more awkward hugs and handshakes it was over. Never mind the great season we had for an up and coming team, the last two months was purgatory. I' glad its over. 

But now i'm thinking about what could have been done. I dont know enough about soccer or clubs but people on this forum do, so I want to know...what is the correct way for a coach to leave a club? What is the wrong way? How should the club handle it? Players? Parents? Has their been a smooth transition? 

I feel bad for my kid  and like to be able to explain the thought process. thanks for the help...


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## timbuck (Feb 22, 2018)

As long as we have “lame duck Cup” in February and tryouts in December, it will continue to happen. 
I heard a story a few years ago of a coach who was leaving and wanted to take the top half of the team with him.  This was made known to the top half of the team in January.  Coach asked them to keep quiet about it. 
Bottom half of the team had no idea.  But parents were friends and felt bad that the bottom half of kids were going to be left without a team in the next 45 days. So the news slipped out. 
The coach lost his bonus check from the club he was leaving because the rest of the team decided they weren’t coming back. 
Coach dropped a “guilt bomb” on the parents he was planning to take with him. I heard 1 or 2 parents ponied up to pay the couple thousand dollar bonus to the coach. 
Coach promised “free private training for life” to those parents.  But whenever they tried to schedule it, he was always busy.
Coach did something similar this year. Got his team to commit to coming back, but then he left for a college coaching job in the middle of summer.


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## RedCard (Feb 22, 2018)

3 seasons ago my son’s coach left after the 6th game in the CSL season which totally sucked. He got picked up by another team within the club since he was a goalie, not sure what happened to the other players as that team forfeited the rest of the season.

And the girls side of that same club the coach left a couple of weeks before this past season was going to start.

I would stay those are 2 wrong ways for a coach to leave.


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## mirage (Feb 22, 2018)

The Ghost of Johan Cruyff said:


> .....But now i'm thinking about what could have been done. .......what is the correct way for a coach to leave a club? What is the wrong way? How should the club handle it? Players? Parents? Has their been a smooth transition?
> 
> I feel bad for my kid  and like to be able to explain the thought process. thanks for the help...


First and foremost, coaching, like anything else that people do to get paid, is a job.

Your question needs to be answered just as any other job separation.

Tell your kid that the coach had a different opportunity that was better for him and that's why he left. Just as you would do so yourself.

As for timing, it is what it is.  Vast majority of coaches are independent contractor (1099) to their club so the relationship is even more cut and dry than an employee-employer relationship.

I find it interesting that the very first thing you've posted after joining yesterday is this thread.....


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## The Ghost of Johan Cruyff (Feb 22, 2018)

There isn't much interesting. I did sign up just to ask this specific question. Ive been content lurking as a Guest, reading the gossip and enjoying the fights. But posting on forums have never been my thing. Maybe we've been lucky or something because up until now we have not dealt with any  "drama" that looks to be so common. I can see why people get so angry and upset. And to the person who said that its the coach's means of income...I totally get that. I respect that because I have an idea of what he probably makes and its not a lot to live in Orange County. That is part of the reason I asked if there was a "right" way. He can still pursue better opportunities but we won't be left feeling like collateral damage. Maybe there is no right way....i dont know


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## Deadpoolscores! (Feb 22, 2018)

The Ghost of Johan Cruyff said:


> There isn't much interesting. I did sign up just to ask this specific question. Ive been content lurking as a Guest, reading the gossip and enjoying the fights. But posting on forums have never been my thing. Maybe we've been lucky or something because up until now we have not dealt with any  "drama" that looks to be so common. I can see why people get so angry and upset. And to the person who said that its the coach's means of income...I totally get that. I respect that because I have an idea of what he probably makes and its not a lot to live in Orange County. That is part of the reason I asked if there was a "right" way. He can still pursue better opportunities but we won't be left feeling like collateral damage. Maybe there is no right way....i dont know


Parents have a tendency of doing the same thing... It's a shame that the one's that get short end of the stick are the kids.


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## The Ghost of Johan Cruyff (Feb 22, 2018)

I agree that parents are to blame. It's like for 3 months of the year, coaches turn into used car salesmen and parents becoming pathological liars. One of ours kept saying all the right things. "let the kids focus on state" "lets go out on a postive note" "if we stick together then we create leverage so we need to stick together" I thought wow, this guy is taking the high road and then boom....i think he signed with a new team before we made it home from the last game....I guess I'm naive but I'm not sure that is a bad thing anymore. The "pro" parents seem to feed into the game instead of try to be different. What happend to integrity?


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## Surf Zombie (Feb 22, 2018)

At the end of  my DD’s U9 season she tried out for and got a spot on the top team at a much better rival club. After her last game, and just before tryouts, we thanked her U9 coach and told him we were moving on.  Kept things cordial, but got a huge guilt trip, as did several other families who ultimately elected to stay. We were essentially looked at as traitors. 

Three weeks into the U10 season the coach had a blowout with the club and left for another job, and all those kids who were guilted into staying  were left in a bad spot with a crappy fill in coach the rest of the year. 

Stuff happens, try to be above board, but always look out for your kid first and foremost and don’t be surprised when things that are out of your control occur.


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## push_up (Feb 22, 2018)

The coach that is leaving should be fired by his/her club and replaced immediately.  New coach works toward retaining parents/players.


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## Deadpoolscores! (Feb 22, 2018)

The Ghost of Johan Cruyff said:


> I agree that parents are to blame. It's like for 3 months of the year, coaches turn into used car salesmen and parents becoming pathological liars. One of ours kept saying all the right things. "let the kids focus on state" "lets go out on a postive note" "if we stick together then we create leverage so we need to stick together" I thought wow, this guy is taking the high road and then boom....i think he signed with a new team before we made it home from the last game....I guess I'm naive but I'm not sure that is a bad thing anymore. The "pro" parents seem to feed into the game instead of try to be different. What happend to integrity?


Yes I agree...what happen to integrity from both the parents and coaches?


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## Messi>CR7 (Feb 22, 2018)

The Ghost of Johan Cruyff said:


> I agree that parents are to blame. It's like for 3 months of the year, coaches turn into used car salesmen and parents becoming pathological liars. One of ours kept saying all the right things. "let the kids focus on state" "lets go out on a postive note" "if we stick together then we create leverage so we need to stick together" I thought wow, this guy is taking the high road and then boom....i think he signed with a new team before we made it home from the last game....I guess I'm naive but I'm not sure that is a bad thing anymore. The "pro" parents seem to feed into the game instead of try to be different. What happend to integrity?


I think this is quite straight forward to explain to the kids.  It's simply an employment decision that we all make.  At the end of the day, this is a JOB as far as your coach is concerned.  It's solely his discretion to decide what's best for his family as the same opportunity might not be available three months later.  Having said that, it's also up to him to consider whether the way he left will have an impact on his reputation and his ability to recruit in the future.  My DD has been lucky enough to have great soccer coaches, but going into it I never expected or asked them to be great educator or life coach.

I think your question should really be whether "the club" should have done something differently.  At my work and many places, you're escorted out immediately if you're leaving for a competitor.  IMO that's what the club should've done and replaced him with another coach immediately.  Having a prolonged lame duck season doesn't benefit anyone.


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## Fact (Feb 22, 2018)

Despite what others say on this board, most coaching contracts end in December.  Coaches do not always know if the club is going to retain them for the next season and thus if there is not an open dialogue must look elsewhere.  And the coaches incoming club wants them to be there for tryouts so they do not have a lot of good chooses in the matter.  They have to look out for their finacial security.

One of my son's coaches could not come to an agreement with the club when his contract was up in December.  He asked if he could coach the team in National Cup since he was not planning to take a coaching job at the youth level and the club said no.  So you don't aways know who is behind the coach leaving as well.


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## Josep (Feb 23, 2018)

Hard to control. Find a coach that has good tenure with a club.  But that still doesn’t stop coaches.  They hop frequently. It is what it is.  Sometimes it’s a blessing. Teach your kid that club soccer is fluid. Teammates and coaches come and go, and always be on the lookout for a coach you admire or a team that may be a better fit.  Don’t wait for your team to implode. Stay proactive.


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## SSJSG UI (Feb 24, 2018)

Messi>CR7 said:


> I think this is quite straight forward to explain to the kids.  It's simply an employment decision that we all make.  At the end of the day, this is a JOB as far as your coach is concerned.  It's solely his discretion to decide what's best for his family as the same opportunity might not be available three months later.  Having said that, it's also up to him to consider whether the way he left will have an impact on his reputation and his ability to recruit in the future.  My DD has been lucky enough to have great soccer coaches, but going into it I never expected or asked them to be great educator or life coach.
> 
> I think your question should really be whether "the club" should have done something differently.  At my work and many places, you're escorted out immediately if you're leaving for a competitor.  IMO that's what the club should've done and replaced him with another coach immediately.  Having a prolonged lame duck season doesn't benefit anyone.



This is happening to us!! But we actually made it out of the group stage so it dragged on a little bit more.  Coach is taking half of the team is somewhere else because the other half did not like the coach's style and had voiced their concerns to the club.  Apparently the club and that coach blew up and the complaints were probably the catalyst as there were likely other issues that we weren't aware of.  The coach is replaced right away...now here we are both teams are looking for players.....


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## mkg68 (Feb 25, 2018)

In most age groups, tryouts for the next season happen before the current season is finished. This is what is causing all the cloak and dagger BS we see.

If a coach accepts a job at another club, that job offer will happen when they are under contract with the first club. The 2nd club wants that coach to participate in tryouts, start recruiting, etc prior to tryouts. So the coach is in an awkward spot. 

This problem is more pronounced in the "top" leagues - the DA season runs from August to June, so coaches sign contracts to coach the season, but get job offers midseason. See Albion's Toumi, who got a DoC job offer from a startup club in December, so he jumped midseason and left Albion. It sucks for the parents/kids on his Albion team, but what else could he do? Continue to coach them through June and ignore the tryout season for the new club?


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## GoldenFjord (Feb 25, 2018)

mkg68 said:


> In most age groups, tryouts for the next season happen before the current season is finished. This is what is causing all the cloak and dagger BS we see.
> 
> If a coach accepts a job at another club, that job offer will happen when they are under contract with the first club. The 2nd club wants that coach to participate in tryouts, start recruiting, etc prior to tryouts. So the coach is in an awkward spot.
> 
> This problem is more pronounced in the "top" leagues - the DA season runs from August to June, so coaches sign contracts to coach the season, but get job offers midseason. See Albion's Toumi, who got a DoC job offer from a startup club in December, so he jumped midseason and left Albion. It sucks for the parents/kids on his Albion team, but what else could he do? Continue to coach them through June and ignore the tryout season for the new club?


I’m at brunch right now and reading this just made me spit bloody mary all over my table, phone, and wife. Thanks for the chuckle B-squad. I am glad I got to see this though. It’s like when a 2nd grader writes a report on Tolstoy. Sure there’s some war and there’s a little bit of peace in there too but there’s a just a bit more to it than that. 
Most of us are glad to be rid of Toumi. He was okay at best with an ego of someone who doesn’t start f%^*ing up the moment he wakes up. Furthermore he already jumped ship at the “club” he ran off to because spoiler alert he’s a colossal tool that doesn’t realize actions have consequences. Watching his loyal flock trying to follow him has been a riot. 

Because you clearly have some catching up to do here is where you can start to catch up

And here is where you can get the finishing touches


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## Fact (Feb 25, 2018)

mkg68 said:


> In most age groups, tryouts for the next season happen before the current season is finished. This is what is causing all the cloak and dagger BS we see.
> 
> If a coach accepts a job at another club, that job offer will happen when they are under contract with the first club. The 2nd club wants that coach to participate in tryouts, start recruiting, etc prior to tryouts. So the coach is in an awkward spot.
> 
> This problem is more pronounced in the "top" leagues - the DA season runs from August to June, so coaches sign contracts to coach the season, but get job offers midseason. See Albion's Toumi, who got a DoC job offer from a startup club in December, so he jumped midseason and left Albion. It sucks for the parents/kids on his Albion team, but what else could he do? Continue to coach them through June and ignore the tryout season for the new club?





GoldenFjord said:


> I’m at brunch right now and reading this just made me spit bloody mary all over my table, phone, and wife. Thanks for the chuckle B-squad. I am glad I got to see this though. It’s like when a 2nd grader writes a report on Tolstoy. Sure there’s some war and there’s a little bit of peace in there too but there’s a just a bit more to it than that.
> Most of us are glad to be rid of Toumi. He was okay at best with an ego of someone who doesn’t start f%^*ing up the moment he wakes up. Furthermore he already jumped ship at the “club” he ran off to because spoiler alert he’s a colossal tool that doesn’t realize actions have consequences. Watching his loyal flock trying to follow him has been a riot.
> 
> Because you clearly have some catching up to do here is where you can start to catch up
> ...


Both of you are wrong.  Most coaching  contacts end after league/December including Albion DA coaches!  I have confirmed this again and specifically in regards to Albion.  Don't believe me?  Go ask to see a contract for yourself.


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## timbuck (Feb 25, 2018)

The whole system is out of whack.  Cal South needs to get everything in a standardized schedule.  
Just put everything in line with the DA schedule.


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## mkg68 (Feb 25, 2018)

Fact said:


> Both of you are wrong.  Most coaching  contacts end after league/December including Albion DA coaches!  I have confirmed this again and specifically in regards to Albion.  Don't believe me?  Go ask to see a contract for yourself.


But the DA "league" ends in June? Why would a club sign a coach to half the season? 

Albion aside, I'm pretty sure clubs sign their coaches to the whole season, and my point was that tryouts often happen midseason. Coaches are put in a tough situation if they choose to move. It's a broken system, I really wouldn't place blame on either the club or the coach. I just used Toumi because he seemed like a good example. I'm sure there are many others who fall into the same category.


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## coachsamy (Feb 26, 2018)

This is a market like any other and what drives this market? Parents do! A few years back one of my DD's former coach he was leaving to another club, he finished the state cup before leaving, and he left in good terms and the kids had a good run in state cup. Now I know this is not always the case as I seen when everything falls apart, and in most cases is when parents are leaving in which they put their kids in a tough situation and make it awkward for everyone else. The parents that are sabotaging the entire process and kids experience are the root of this whole issue. Chasing that pot under the rainbow, and jumping ship at the first opportunity given to be in that "better" club/team are not quite thinking about the life lessons they are teaching their children, and don't get me wrong that if people wants to move its ok to move and get your child into a better situation, but don't do it after making a commitment.

So my point is that when parents stick to their commitments made during the preseason and then look once that ends (Whether is league play or state cup), clubs will adapt quickly. After all those tracksuit wearing businessmen understand how to make their living.


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