Are their any decent Soccer Clubs Left?

NumberTen said:
What is it about San Diego Clubs that you don't like?
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I don't see that as me not liking those clubs - read what it says.
Elite teams (SURF)
Winning Teams (Carlsbad)
Smoke and mirrors (ALBION)

I was talking about reputations based on girls soccer teams.
 
Agree it's not emotional at all. It's an opinion. I do feel though the DA has changed this around a little at least at DA level anyway. Rest of the ulittles will never ever change. That culture will never change- there are new parents to brainwash every six months.
Most of us are totally focused on our kid and their coach now at 04 and above so I don't see this affecting us as much. I don't buy into brands and feel sorry for parents that do as it relates to soccer. Half these coaches were not at these clubs you mentioned 2 years ago- and half of them won't be in 2 years . They "developed" nothing.
 
sandshark said:
I don't see that as me not liking those clubs - read what it says.
Elite teams (SURF)
Winning Teams (Carlsbad)
Smoke and mirrors (ALBION)

I was talking about reputations based on girls soccer teams.
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Of the three clubs mentioned, only Surf has a reputation of having good girls teams. Carlsbad was for those that couldn't make the top Surf team. I don't believe that Albion ever claimed to have good girls teams. Now with girls DA you might as well reset everything and expect chaos for at least two years.
 
sandshark said:
The "clubs" are nothing more than a business and you and your child are customers. So what you need to do is find the best salesman/coach that accommodates you families needs and follows through with his/hers promises as they were selling you on their coaching ability and club being the best fit for your family. The clubs do nothing more then manages a group of salesman to follow a common goal of recruiting more players to build a larger customer base. THAT IS ALWAYS THE BOTTOM LINE IN ALL BUSINESSES - SELL MORE!
Some clubs are building a reputation based on "elite teams" (SURF) some are building on "winning teams" (CARLSBAD) and some are complete smoke and mirrors (ALBION) based on zero stats and 95% of the customers never do any kind of real fact checking on. So figure out what teams belong to what coach and do some homework on the coach. Listen to what people are saying when asking questions about the club and coach. Always take a step back and read between the lines, DO NOT get caught up in the sales pitch spewing from the coaches lips. Keep things in perspective.
The thing is we all are looking for something different and I know for a fact most parents do not want the ugly truth about lil Suzie, most want a BS story on how lil Suzie is or can be one of the best players on the field with the right coach and team around her and guess what...EVERY SINGLE coach or club you talk to has that exact perfect fit for her! HA HA HA
I think there are good coaches but lets get one thing clear all clubs are selling a product to make money and they all want to sell as much of that product as possible. Some have better marketing strategies and great locations and others are just getting by. The more money the better their marketing budget.

It is no different then buying a new truck from Chevy, Dodge or Ford they all offer a good truck, they all offer cool colors, styles and they all offer a salesman willing to promise to the moon and back when your shopping. It all comes down to what style looks best to you and who sold you the best line of BS, because in the end they all have about the same pro's and cons. And YES they all want to sell volume because volume = money and money = bonus programs = happy employees!
The big difference is there is ZERO warranty or refunds in youth soccer, no matter what the story is you will never see your hard earned money come back to you if your don't get the product promised, so make your choice wisely. Good luck.
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I'd agree with most of your comments however, I'd like to think we got more than our money back when my DD committed this year ;) ... she received a substantial merit scholarship and she gets to continue the dream of playing in college.
 
Carlsbad 04 on any given day could hang with anyone.
It was my understanding that their olders have always been competitive. What you were saying is a tad inflammatory and not accurate so let me provide you with an additional perspective. There were ODP who did not like the coaches at surf and chose to go to Carlsbad. Carlsbad is no longer second best.
Change is hard and I don't expect anyone to part from their long held beliefs but I believe there are some deeply rooted changes in coaching philosophy for example. Parents are smart now- they aren't falling for Records and drama and they are choosing the best fit for them. All of those clubs have interesting options as of Jan.
 
Overlap said:
I'd agree with most of your comments however, I'd like to think we got more than our money back when my DD committed this year ;) ... she received a substantial merit scholarship and she gets to continue the dream of playing in college.
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That is great that your DD got a scholarship that made the time, money and travel all worth it in the end for you. This youth soccer business does actually fit a lot of peoples ideas of what their children's childhood should be about. Congrats to your DD.
 
sandshark said:
That is great that your DD got a scholarship that made the time, money and travel all worth it in the end for you. This youth soccer business does actually fit a lot of peoples ideas of what their children's childhood should be about. Congrats to your DD.
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Sandshark - thx, I'm sure going to miss her team, it was a really good time watching them all grow as players and young adults, 1 down, 1 to go!
 
Sandshark - Love your Smoke and mirrors Albion comment. Recently went on their webpage and looked at their college commits which fails to acknowledge that a lot of the scholars were solely based on academics AND the players were not recruited for soccer!
 
Fact said:
Sandshark - Love your Smoke and mirrors Albion comment. Recently went on their webpage and looked at their college commits which fails to acknowledge that a lot of the scholars were solely based on academics AND the players were not recruited for soccer!
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I have wondered about this? So none of them are playing for colleges? How can you determine if they had soccer money vs academic? That seems to me like something we as lay people can't ascertain?
 
Striker17 said:
I have wondered about this? So none of them are playing for colleges? How can you determine if they had soccer money vs academic? That seems to me like something we as lay people can't ascertain?
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Overlap said:
I'd agree with most of your comments however, I'd like to think we got more than our money back when my DD committed this year ;) ... she received a substantial merit scholarship and she gets to continue the dream of playing in college.
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Overlap, Is a "merit scholarship" an academic scholarship or sports scholarship?
 
I also checked the Albion page for their scholarships. Didn't see anything about the scholarship not being for soccer. I guess that you need the check the rosters of the mentioned colleges. Where did you get your info from?
Fact said:
Sandshark - Love your Smoke and mirrors Albion comment. Recently went on their webpage and looked at their college commits which fails to acknowledge that a lot of the scholars were solely based on academics AND the players were not recruited for soccer!
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NumberTen said:
I also checked the Albion page for their scholarships. Didn't see anything about the scholarship not being for soccer. I guess that you need the check the rosters of the mentioned colleges. Where did you get your info from?
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Ok we all know that for example Ivy's don't give athletic scholarships. But they will find a way to give you academic money so you play for them. I am not talking about those kids. I am talking about the ones that were never offered to play on the college team of the college they are attending; their scholarship is solely based on academic merit. I am familiar with many of the kids/parents/friends on that list so I have personal knowledge of who went where, what they got, and why the got the scholarship.
 
The other interesting thing about their list is that some names are listed twice; my guess is to make it appear larger than it is.
 
Fact said:
Sandshark - Love your Smoke and mirrors Albion comment. Recently went on their webpage and looked at their college commits which fails to acknowledge that a lot of the scholars were solely based on academics AND the players were not recruited for soccer!
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Why wouldn't a club post every player who goes to college on their website? They should be proud of all of their kids, not just the one's who achieve a soccer scholarship? Doesn't team sports play a large role in developing a child's work ethic and character?
 
Sunil Illuminati said:
Why wouldn't a club post every player who goes to college on their website? They should be proud of all of their kids, not just the one's who achieve a soccer scholarship? Doesn't team sports play a large role in developing a child's work ethic and character?
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Yes, but they are not selling academics. They are selling soccer. That tactic is deceptive.
 
Striker17 said:
Carlsbad 04 on any given day could hang with anyone.
It was my understanding that their olders have always been competitive. What you were saying is a tad inflammatory and not accurate so let me provide you with an additional perspective. There were ODP who did not like the coaches at surf and chose to go to Carlsbad. Carlsbad is no longer second best.
Change is hard and I don't expect anyone to part from their long held beliefs but I believe there are some deeply rooted changes in coaching philosophy for example. Parents are smart now- they aren't falling for Records and drama and they are choosing the best fit for them. All of those clubs have interesting options as of Jan.
Click to expand...
You will be surprise how many parents are still falling for the trophies. For example, look at San Diego Surf , Legends and Galaxy SB, how many teams do they have now for each age group?
 
sandshark said:
The "clubs" are nothing more than a business and you and your child are customers. So what you need to do is find the best salesman/coach that accommodates you families needs and follows through with his/hers promises as they were selling you on their coaching ability and club being the best fit for your family. The clubs do nothing more then manages a group of salesman to follow a common goal of recruiting more players to build a larger customer base. THAT IS ALWAYS THE BOTTOM LINE IN ALL BUSINESSES - SELL MORE!
Some clubs are building a reputation based on "elite teams" (SURF) some are building on "winning teams" (CARLSBAD) and some are complete smoke and mirrors (ALBION) based on zero stats and 95% of the customers never do any kind of real fact checking on. So figure out what teams belong to what coach and do some homework on the coach. Listen to what people are saying when asking questions about the club and coach. Always take a step back and read between the lines, DO NOT get caught up in the sales pitch spewing from the coaches lips. Keep things in perspective.
The thing is we all are looking for something different and I know for a fact most parents do not want the ugly truth about lil Suzie, most want a BS story on how lil Suzie is or can be one of the best players on the field with the right coach and team around her and guess what...EVERY SINGLE coach or club you talk to has that exact perfect fit for her! HA HA HA
I think there are good coaches but lets get one thing clear all clubs are selling a product to make money and they all want to sell as much of that product as possible. Some have better marketing strategies and great locations and others are just getting by. The more money the better their marketing budget.

It is no different then buying a new truck from Chevy, Dodge or Ford they all offer a good truck, they all offer cool colors, styles and they all offer a salesman willing to promise to the moon and back when your shopping. It all comes down to what style looks best to you and who sold you the best line of BS, because in the end they all have about the same pro's and cons. And YES they all want to sell volume because volume = money and money = bonus programs = happy employees!
The big difference is there is ZERO warranty or refunds in youth soccer, no matter what the story is you will never see your hard earned money come back to you if your don't get the product promised, so make your choice wisely. Good luck.
Click to expand...
This is the truth and nothing but the truth!
Good job sandshark
 
Sunil Illuminati said:
Why wouldn't a club post every player who goes to college on their website? They should be proud of all of their kids, not just the one's who achieve a soccer scholarship? Doesn't team sports play a large role in developing a child's work ethic and character?
Click to expand...

That would be great if they stated they were academic scholarships. To not do that insinuates that they are all soccer scholarships. That's false advertising.
 
They ALBION Sc has been notorious for years of claiming millions in "scholarships"
Sunil Illuminati said:
Why wouldn't a club post every player who goes to college on their website? They should be proud of all of their kids, not just the one's who achieve a soccer scholarship? Doesn't team sports play a large role in developing a child's work ethic and character?
Click to expand...

Ha your serious? You have to be a Albion coach or a U-little Mommy or Daddy to actually even say this kinda crap.
Come on we (most of us) get it "why?" because they are using "smoke and mirrors" marketing to make it seem as if they land a huge amount of girls in college. Lets get real here.. 99% of every scholarship is based mostly on academics and then they give out a small % for athletics.

And NO Albion does not get to take credit for these kids that are earning a scholarship mostly based on academics! AND MY GOSH did you really say "doesn't team sports play a LARGE roll in developing a child's work ethic and character" HA HA HA HA HA HA are you serious? No not in my home, God, my wife and I are responsible for those traits. Soccer and the coaches are nothing but a sport to exercise the traits and personality a persons child has been taught in their home! Everything starts at home.

You know what our children will remember about team sports / club sports when they are 30 years old.. a few teammates, a few fun trips doing crazy things at the hotels, restaurants and some year end parties. The games will all be a blur the coaches will all be a blur. This sport is not as important to the kids in the same reasons the coaches, clubs and parents think it is.
 
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