# Who Do You Recommend?



## Culprit FC (Aug 10, 2016)

Hello everybody,

My youngest daughter was born in 2009, and I intend on having her transition from AYSO to club next year.  We are looking for some names of coaches that you would recommend who emphasize development, while still keeping it fun.  I'm not a fan of the "kick it long, and run" style… so please withhold the names of the coaches who allow that.  We are hoping to find a coach that will continually improve the skill level of the girls and be able to get the most out of them during training and game time.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  We live in Costa Mesa…

BTW… I would have posted this in the 2009 forum, however there isn't a whole lot of traffic.


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## Eagle33 (Aug 11, 2016)

The best way is to go and practice with different teams in the area. This way you can see coach, players and parents. Some coaches will be good for some and not good for others, so it's better to see it for yourself.


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## LASTMAN14 (Aug 11, 2016)

Culprit FC said:


> Hello everybody,
> 
> My youngest daughter was born in 2009, and I intend on having her transition from AYSO to club next year.  We are looking for some names of coaches that you would recommend who emphasize development, while still keeping it fun.  I'm not a fan of the "kick it long, and run" style… so please withhold the names of the coaches who allow that.  We are hoping to find a coach that will continually improve the skill level of the girls and be able to get the most out of them during training and game time.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  We live in Costa Mesa…
> 
> BTW… I would have posted this in the 2009 forum, however there isn't a whole lot of traffic.


Doug Swanson at West Coast FC is a possibility if he takes a team that young.


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## espola (Aug 11, 2016)

Culprit FC said:


> BTW… I would have posted this in the 2009 forum, however there isn't a whole lot of traffic.


That's because no one posts there.


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## bababooey (Aug 11, 2016)

Strikers OC has some very good younger teams out there. Pete Aguirre is well thought of, so you may want to contact him. Heard great things about Doug Swanson too.

Regardless of which names you get, you should attend a practice or two with multiple coaches to see who you (and more importantly, your daughter) like the most. At that age, having fun is almost as important as learning technique.


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## zebrafish (Aug 11, 2016)

Cannot agree more that you need to have your kid attend practices with the coach that will be coaching them. Certain clubs were vague about whom the coach was going to be. That was an immediate reason not to move forward. 

It is a complete pain in the butt, but my child practiced with 3 different teams-- but consider that you are sinking several thousand bucks and committing this money up front for an entire year. We eliminated 1/3 coaches immediately, but my daughter went to 3-4 practices with the other two teams. I talked to at least 4-5 parents from each team under consideration.

My personal opinion is that the "club" doesn't matter so much at this young age-- it is the coach and the training environment that the coach provides that is really important. But the club does set the tone to some degree.

My daughter had a pretty strong feeling that she liked one of the two final coaches more than the other. I felt both were going to be ok. Buy-in from your kid is huge, so we went with her feeling about the coach she liked better.

Personally, I took it beyond going to practices. I actually went to watch the team/coach play in games (at the time, it was State Cup time-- which is perfect-- see the team after a whole season in more of a high-stakes environment)-- I wanted to see how the coach not only ran practices, but also how they coached during games. I'm sure from the AYSO, you understand that people can behave very differently in game environments. Do you want a yeller? A joysticker? A coach that screams at kids? I've seen all this. My kid would hate playing for a coach like this.

There are so many things to look at-- my daughter is also on the younger side. There were teams that were going to carry 13-14 players on a roster playing 7v7. I thought that was insane. There were other teams that were going to carry 10. Think about the playing time for those two options.... There are coaches who play to win and will stick your kid at one position, and there are coaches who do it the right way (in my opinion) and develop your player at multiple positions. These coaches may not win as many games, but your kid will probably develop into a more complete player.

Good luck...


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## Technician72 (Aug 11, 2016)

LASTMAN14 said:


> Doug Swanson at West Coast FC is a possibility if he takes a team that young.


Doug has taken on some young squads as of late, I would also recommend him.


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## Culprit FC (Aug 11, 2016)

Thanks for all the helpful info and names. That is exactly what I plan on doing... get some names... talk to the coach... and watch the team/Coach in action.


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## Culprit FC (Aug 11, 2016)

zebrafish said:


> Cannot agree more that you need to have your kid attend practices with the coach that will be coaching them. Certain clubs were vague about whom the coach was going to be. That was an immediate reason not to move forward.
> 
> It is a complete pain in the butt, but my child practiced with 3 different teams-- but consider that you are sinking several thousand bucks and committing this money up front for an entire year. We eliminated 1/3 coaches immediately, but my daughter went to 3-4 practices with the other two teams. I talked to at least 4-5 parents from each team under consideration.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the detail. I too have just realized it is more important to find a quality Coach rather than put too much emphasis on which club my daughter will be playing for.


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## timbuck (Aug 11, 2016)

Technician72 said:


> Doug has taken on some young squads as of late, I would also recommend him.


There's a few coaches of that age group over there.  Not sure how much of a "choice" you get when signing up.  As stated, make sure the coach is a good fit for your kid.


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## Culprit FC (Aug 11, 2016)

bababooey said:


> Strikers OC has some very good younger teams out there. Pete Aguirre is well thought of, so you may want to contact him. Heard great things about Doug Swanson too.
> 
> Regardless of which names you get, you should attend a practice or two with multiple coaches to see who you (and more importantly, your daughter) like the most. At that age, having fun is almost as important as learning technique.


Thanks for the reply.
I'm hoping to get a few more names of quality coaches to contact.  We plan on attending practices and a few games.  Thanks again.


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## timbuck (Aug 11, 2016)

Culprit FC said:


> Hello everybody,
> 
> My youngest daughter was born in 2009, and I intend on having her transition from AYSO to club next year.  We are looking for some names of coaches that you would recommend who emphasize development, while still keeping it fun.  I'm not a fan of the "kick it long, and run" style… so please withhold the names of the coaches who allow that.  We are hoping to find a coach that will continually improve the skill level of the girls and be able to get the most out of them during training and game time.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  We live in Costa Mesa…
> 
> BTW… I would have posted this in the 2009 forum, however there isn't a whole lot of traffic.


Does your AYSO region have an Extra program?  Like anything else, it really depends on the coach you get.  But you'll be close to home and it's a step up from rec.


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## Culprit FC (Aug 11, 2016)

timbuck said:


> Does your AYSO region have an Extra program?  Like anything else, it really depends on the coach you get.  But you'll be close to home and it's a step up from rec.


Hey Tim…
Costa Mesa (Region 120) does have an Extra team that starts at U-9.  My older daughter (2007) played up a year for the Extra team before transitioning to club. I don't believe any of the girls on her team gained much experience, mainly due to the coach rarely being at practices or games.  His wife led the team during practices and games when he wasn't there, and made it clear that she didn't want help from any of the parents.  I agree with you 100% when you say that it all depends on the coach you get.  
During the season my older daughter played Extra, we also let her play in the local Sunday league with some of her other friends.  The Sunday league was interesting because it was co-ed… she definitely learned to play a little more physical.
Thanks for the reply Tim.


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## timbuck (Aug 11, 2016)

That sucks.  Sorry to hear that. 
I don't know any of the coaches by name, but in your neck of the woods you have NHB, Slammers and Strikers (formerly Newport-Mesa). All have good reputations.


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## jrcaesar (Aug 12, 2016)

Further to @timbuck post, no reason not to take a look at AYSO 56 near you, too.


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## Zoro (Aug 16, 2016)

I liked the posts I agreed with.  I'm too far out of it as DD was that age in 2004. 
My contribution is that the value of a long commute is often underestimated.


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