DMCV Sharks Girls Director

LouSag said:
How are high school players pool players? On a whim, the high school coach can move any player(s) between varsity, JV and JVR. Isn’t that the very definition of a pool player rotating between teams based on need and ability.

Maybe I should rephrase my above, pool play is here to stay for the bigger clubs like Surf, LAFC, Blues and Legends. Is it really that different on who makes the first team/second team—now decided on a weekly basis instead of an annual basis. And you get the benefits of training with first team players and coaches 2-3 times per week. It’s all about development, I hope….
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You cannot compare HS to pay to play club. I get what you are saying but to make it an apples to apples comparison doesn't make sense.

We use the word development a ton in youth soccer. The word provides such comfort to parents as they shell out the $$$. Some kids get developed, many don't. It's about wins and college placement for the big clubs. Many of us here on the forum are on our 2 or 3rd player, with our first off to play at the next level (or not). We shouldn't be so naive about the system.
 
One of the GA/DPL clubs here in MA tried the “pool” concept and it was a disaster. We have friends on both the GA & DPL team. Top 8 kids stayed on GA so they were happy. Bottom 8 kids only played on DPL so they felt slighted. Middle 16 kids were in a constant state of flux, not knowing where they were playing week to week. That lead to a lot of “My kid was better than that kid at practice this week, why didn’t she get picked for the higher team?” Plus, the parents hated not knowing it they had a local game or travel game until late in the week. It was a mess and I believe the “pool” concept only lasted one year.
 
Surf Zombie said:
One of the GA/DPL clubs here in MA tried the “pool” concept and it was a disaster. We have friends on both the GA & DPL team. Top 8 kids stayed on GA so they were happy. Bottom 8 kids only played on DPL so they felt slighted. Middle 16 kids were in a constant state of flux, not knowing where they were playing week to week. That lead to a lot of “My kid was better than that kid at practice this week, why didn’t she get picked for the higher team?” Plus, the parents hated not knowing it they had a local game or travel game until late in the week. It was a mess and I believe the “pool” concept only lasted one year.
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Probably why the pool concept if used abroad works. No parents, one program, a real academy program, and end result that the players know they can be released.
 
Surf Zombie said:
One of the GA/DPL clubs here in MA tried the “pool” concept and it was a disaster. We have friends on both the GA & DPL team. Top 8 kids stayed on GA so they were happy. Bottom 8 kids only played on DPL so they felt slighted. Middle 16 kids were in a constant state of flux, not knowing where they were playing week to week. That lead to a lot of “My kid was better than that kid at practice this week, why didn’t she get picked for the higher team?” Plus, the parents hated not knowing it they had a local game or travel game until late in the week. It was a mess and I believe the “pool” concept only lasted one year.
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Have never seen it work. Way to much of what you describe above gets in the way. If anyone can do it, it would be Surf. They have a loyal following and parents may fall in line.
 
LouSag said:
It depends on the college conference, but the number of players rostered varies between 27-30 players. My math is a bit fuzzy, but that’s more than 2 teams. Pool of players to choose from. Yes.
Isn’t the definition of pool play being that a coach is able to choose from a pool of players for each match?
So high school and college and pro is most definitely pool play.
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By your definition every team is pool play then. You cannot be serious. Pool play is moving players between teams (ECNL/ECRL for example).
 
Heres another issue with pool play parents have to consider. When the initial group of players is selected (both A and B) clubs will already have offered scholarship to X amount. Everyone else is fighting for playing time. The club/coach will leverage the inequal balance of power to pressure parents into paying their dues in full asap. What will happen is the players who pay their dues first will be the ones that play on the A team in the first tournaments of the year. Coaches dont even need to go this far. They just have to seperate the players in practice who's parents are paid in full with the scholarship players. Parents will get the hint fast to pay up or your kid is on the B team.
 
Carlsbad7 said:
Heres another issue with pool play parents have to consider. When the initial group of players is selected (both A and B) clubs will already have offered scholarship to X amount. Everyone else is fighting for playing time. The club/coach will leverage the inequal balance of power to pressure parents into paying their dues in full asap. What will happen is the players who pay their dues first will be the ones that play on the A team in the first tournaments of the year. Coaches dont even need to go this far. They just have to seperate the players in practice who's parents are paid in full with the scholarship players. Parents will get the hint fast to pay up or your kid is on the B team.
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LA breeds gangsters but the Bay Area breeds pimps, players, and hustlers.

Shot out to Deza. What’s good pimpin? I think Berner looks like Deza so I dedicate this song to all y’all feeling the pool play.
 
Carlsbad7 said:
Heres another issue with pool play parents have to consider. When the initial group of players is selected (both A and B) clubs will already have offered scholarship to X amount. Everyone else is fighting for playing time. The club/coach will leverage the inequal balance of power to pressure parents into paying their dues in full asap. What will happen is the players who pay their dues first will be the ones that play on the A team in the first tournaments of the year. Coaches dont even need to go this far. They just have to separate the players in practice who's parents are paid in full with the scholarship players. Parents will get the hint fast to pay up or your kid is on the B team.
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Excellent takes bro. I would also add the "extra privates" with the pool director each week would make A team a shoe in.....lol Funny Friday The 13th :)
 
LASTMAN14 said:
Pool play seems like an experiment here and now. We will see if it works out. I also doubt most clubs will utilize it. Deza from what I was told tried to implement this somehow at SJQ, but it did not happen.
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I tend to differentiate soccer club structures by how "team-centric" they are. A club that has tryouts at the beginning of the year and selects players from that tryout and those are the players that train together and play together as a team the whole season is highly team-centric. Pool play would be the other end of the spectrum - players train and play across age groups/teams and new players come in regardless of roster size or time of the year.

My impression is that you need at least two, fully rostered teams in an age group that have a very similar schedule to have any chance of successfully implementing "pure" pool play. I don't believe most families will regularly accept, "Your daughter won't be playing this weekend" when others in the pool are playing. Even with a 2nd team that has a similar schedule, it will still be a struggle to keep those borderline kids who are more often with the 2nd team - especially if they can go to another team in the league and play with the first team.

The SJQ DA never had two DA teams in an age group, but they did move players between age groups regularly. It can be argued that the reasoning was not only developmental for the player but also strategic for the club as both purposes were served. I'd also say that their training was more "pool play" oriented as multiple age groups often trained at the same time and worked through training stations with combined age groups.

What Deza did at SJQ DA was not easy to implement. All the coaches had to buy into the same training methodology and have much less autonomy than they typically would have when coaching a club team. Parents would regularly see multiple roster changes on a weekly basis and many would evaluate what that meant for their daughter and the team. I'd be surprised if that type of club structure became common on the girls' side.
 
kickingandscreaming said:
The SJQ DA never had two DA teams in an age group, but they did move players between age groups regularly. It can be argued that the reasoning was not only developmental for the player but also strategic for the club as both purposes were served. I'd also say that their training was more "pool play" oriented as multiple age groups often trained at the same time and worked through training stations with combined age groups.

What Deza did at SJQ DA was not easy to implement. All the coaches had to buy into the same training methodology and have much less autonomy than they typically would have when coaching a club team. Parents would regularly see multiple roster changes on a weekly basis and many would evaluate what that meant for their daughter and the team. I'd be surprised if that type of club structure became common on the girls' side.
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Excellent, excellent truth speak here brother. I remember trying to figure what team was showing up back in those days. Basically, SJQ had some of the best 03s, 04s and 05s that could all ball at the highest of levels because of their God given talent of speed, size, athleticism, soccer IQ and just flat out can ball with all the greats. I saw one game where all the top goats played with the 03 team and that made the 04s weaker that day and the 04s would lose because 03s were pushing for playoffs. I honestly believe that my dd was that last 04 team to ball against all the top SJQ 04s and 05s all at once. It was Deza vs Dolinsky down at Del Mar in 2017 bro. I need that video if anyone has a copy. My copy got locked up someone's Dropbox. PD wanted that Doc job btw and moo, with a little improvements on admin, working with feisty players and how to deal with craxy parents like me ((lol, were cool and we all get each other today and 100% all is forgiven)) he would have down a great job but was not offered the gig. We won 2-0 too and I believe the PD 03 won so score board. Now Deza got the gig. My kid still thinks PD was her best coach explaining the passing game to her and his training were what his U18 national team did. It was the best. I also think some players should play up and some should stay with their age group because their leaders. JH over at Legends said that to me as did the other great coaches. Hard to lead as 05 with a team of 03s. One is not better. PD and Deza know how to work a pool of players. PD told my dd so many amazing things about her gifts and abilities and as a family, we cherish them. No satire. If he was the Doc, he said this and that about my dd but because of this and that he was not allowed. I will always wonder, "what if." That was by far the best soccer I saw played with two teams btw K&S. Sorry MLVA vs LAFC, close second, MOO.
 
crush said:
Excellent, excellent truth speak here brother. I remember trying to figure what team was showing up back in those days. Basically, SJQ had some of the best 03s, 04s and 05s that could all ball at the highest of levels because of their God given talent of speed, size, athleticism, soccer IQ and just flat out can ball with all the greats. I saw one game where all the top goats played with the 03 team and that made the 04s weaker that day and the 04s would lose because 03s were pushing for playoffs. I honestly believe that my dd was that last 04 team to ball against all the top SJQ 04s and 05s all at once. It was Deza vs Dolinsky down at Del Mar in 2017 bro. I need that video if anyone has a copy. My copy got locked up someone's Dropbox. PD wanted that Doc job btw and moo, with a little improvements on admin, working with feisty players and how to deal with craxy parents like me ((lol, were cool and we all get each other today and 100% all is forgiven)) he would have down a great job but was not offered the gig. We won 2-0 too and I believe the PD 03 won so score board. Now Deza got the gig. My kid still thinks PD was her best coach explaining the passing game to her and his training were what his U18 national team did. It was the best. I also think some players should play up and some should stay with their age group because their leaders. JH over at Legends said that to me as did the other great coaches. Hard to lead as 05 with a team of 03s. One is not better. PD and Deza know how to work a pool of players. PD told my dd so many amazing things about her gifts and abilities and as a family, we cherish them. No satire. If he was the Doc, he said this and that about my dd but because of this and that he was not allowed. I will always wonder, "what if." That was by far the best soccer I saw played with two teams btw K&S. Sorry MLVA vs LAFC, close second, MOO.
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If you want to see another 04 girls team that plays excellent possession soccer, check out the Concorde '04 ECNL team. They are fun to watch.
 
kickingandscreaming said:
If you want to see another 04 girls team that plays excellent possession soccer, check out the Concorde '04 ECNL team. They are fun to watch.
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No one got hurt in our games bro and that right there is what I remember. They were all "go getters" that day and played with ganas but under control :)
 
Goforgoal said:
The amount that this thread has been derailed and gone off topic is off the charts.
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Sorry bro, it's my fault. Outlaw would get so pissed off at me for bringing up the past and saying, "my dd' all the time. Me and K & S go way back, even before the great heist of the GDA over ECNL in 2016 that sewed division between best friends because one was better than the other. KS, I'll PM you. Go Sharks, Go Rebels, Go Surf and go all teams in SD.
 
Goforgoal said:
Naw not your fault man. You're just being you. It started with all the pool play stuff, although to be fair it has provided some interesting and insightful conversation which is always good.
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Thanks for the "no fault" bro. I thought about it again and feel both myself and K&S bring experience to this thread for many reasons. Pool play was done with SJQ and they won the 03 I believe first ever GDA Natty. My dd team was team first and no one allowed to play up. That worked as well for my dd team, they won 2017 natty with "no" play ups allowed unless you got a special waiver or US Soccer demanded it...lol. If pool play is the way, then the great Deza will 100% pull the best from Socal. Those that want to learn from one of the best will make the 1 to 2 hour drive. I would drive from Temecula if Deza recruited my kid and said, "she gots it." I would have been honored and so would have my goat. The guy can flat out coach and teach possession. It's a win win really. The local Del Mar kids and surrounding areas will show the out of towners who the true locals are.
 
I'm hearing rumblings of some unhappy Sharks parents who's kids are getting pushed aside by new kids coming in. I mean I get it, the timing is rough as they signed up and paid fees for what they thought would be an ECNL slot for the next season, but it's what needs to happen to improve the club's performance like it or not. What if sitting at or near the bottom too much longer meant Sharks lost ECNL altogether? No bueno. Either way, it does sound like a shake up is well underway and while there will inevitably be some collateral damage, it needs to happen.
 
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