U15 and above for playing up 2 years, if she wants to be a pro. And not just playing up, but showing well in that age group.
GA & ECNL need to merge, or play nice.
- Thread starter Surf Zombie
- Start date
rainbow_unicorn
PREMIER
100% the parents fault if they have unrealistic expectations. If they have a relationship and actually asked the club if their kid is P4 or pro level the club would tell them the truth.
Why would s club tell a paying customer that they're not good enough to play at a high level? There's no upside from a club perspective.
agree. parents "think" they are being honest with them because they probably told them they are definitely p4, top player ...hahahhaha
100% and it's actually the other way around at most clubs. The club will say, "If you work hard, pay your dues and pay for extra privates, buy lots of golf balls at fundraiser, you can achieve whatever you dream, if you set your heart & mind to it and pay, we will help you achieve your goals." Coaches are there to provide the coaching and the best ones have very solid connections. I know one that makes a call, and the college coach will pursue the player. If coach says, "trouble, stay clear" then coach stays clear. I know one player that was average at best for ECNL and just ok. Her parents were very wealthy and had connections of their own. With the help of the club coach and mommy & daddy, she secured a roster spot at a very nice P4. I mean very nice. Excellent student by the way and that helps with bonus for high team GPA. She only got 10% scholarship money and zero play time. Well, I shouldn't say zero but very little and just mop up minutes at home games, no road trips. She is no P4 player, but she is super happy. She would be a top player at D3 or NAIA but bench at best at p4 and really just a practice player but gets special mop up minutes because of the parents and the club coach. These are what I call, "Roll players with parents that are super rich and well connected." I bet when she graduates, pops will donate a little to the school.
It could also work the other way around, if college coaches don't like your club coach / DOC for whatever reason, they will go with a player that plays under a coach they have a good relationship with.
100%. I dealt with one of the top Docs and he told me straight up if gives certain coaches bad intel just to get a commit and a brag on inninstagram, he will be blacklisted. Be careful who you put your trust in. One doc told me my dd was too picky and ask too many questions about many important things that soccer 43 was saying. Coaches will tell other coaches this Doc is full of shit, stay clear. So many good players and the Docs who know a good fit for college come in handy and highly valued from coach, parent and player.
This is true but at some point coaches have to weigh their hate of a DOC against the need to find the best talent to win games.
I would suspect it's more likely that nobody really hates each other. But some clubs have a better reputation and some docs have better connections / relationships with college coaches.
With 28 player rosters, a huge transfer portal, and potential international players competition for roster spots is going to be extremely challenging. I'm already starting to hear about gap year programs where players take a year "off" after HS to only play soccer + then apply to colleges.
Absolutely, a college coach wants and needs to win games and they will never pass up a truly talented player no matter what BUT how many “goats” are there? Very few. For every talented player at any position there is another that is just as talented across the nation that plays at a club or with a coach they “like” more. If given the two choices they will pick the player that plays for the coach or DOC they like more or have a relationship with. No one in this landscape will show their true colors or disdain for each other outwardly. That would be suicide for all of their careers, it’s a business / politics. On top of that, there are way too many players to sift thru. Way easier to get a recommendation from a coach or DOC they trust.
What you're describing is logical and will happen until it doesn't work. By doesn't work I mean losing to teams full of international players. Or more applicable to our situation only pulling players from a handful of ECNL teams. This might work if you're a coach for a team all the top players want to play for. But, it's a known pipeline which means there will be serious competition for players. If you're not a coach at a super college you're not going to get the top recruits. This means you're going to need to sift through what's left just like everyone else looking for diamonds in the rough. If winning is a factor in a college coaches employment (often it's not) they won't care where talent comes from. If winning isn't important I can see a coach just dialing up a couple of DOCs they like + asking for players.
If parents are wanting their girls to go pro they are failing their kid. That pathway is a joke. Go get your degree. The girls with a good head on their shoulders learn what pro gets you and that dream dies immediately.
I guess I’m lucky!
Many parents have strong opinions and influences on what they want their children to be. As a parent, I want my dd safe, protected, happy and I want her to live HER LIFE to the full. I read lots of judgement on your post. You come across like a control freak. I know one pro player that gets paid to play and is taking online courses towards her degree in accounting all while traveling in tje EU For free. I know another dd that did what her daddy wanted and went to his school of choice, to make dad proud. It was Pac 12 and the place she went was packed full of abuse, lies and bullies. She is now enrolled at her third college and this time she picked the school of her choice. Mother helped her because daddy is mad because.
I agree with you. Girls want to please their parents so bad, regardless of how controlling they can be. Parents also bribe their children to college and if they don't take the bribe, then they will scare the shit out of them if they don't attend Big U, like no inheritance and no trust fund money and for sure no car. Mom and dad dream of posting that Instagram post of their child getting a college deal in soccer and then receive all the "likes" and comments from friends and family. These social media posts are dope to the brain. Top players dream of being Pro 100%. Who wants to pay to play soccer when you can get paid. Alyssa Thompson walked away from a full ride to Stanford to follow her dream of being a Pro. She now has 42 million reasons why that was a good decision. I remember when I was a young lad, and I dreamed of playing pro baseball. I had it all planned out bro. When the curve ball was too frustrating for me to overcome, I switched to Pro Surfer and fell short of that dream. I did try though. My adopted mommy from foster care told me I can do anything I want after I turn 18, but I need to find my own place to live and pay my own way because she was retiring from raising 12 kids, 8 foster/adopted. I was the last of the 8. She truly was my Guardian Angel that saved me from torture and certain death. Not sure if they were going to sell my organs but they & them were going to have complete control of all my body.
Last edited:
Yea, kids don't think rationally. But, that's what makes being young fun and exciting. As they get older people trade their dreams for stability and comfort. That's the responsible choice when you have a family that depends on you.
The people that interest me are the ones that have enough $$$ to live however they like but choose to live simply so their kids have the best upbringing possible. Being boring and a solid role model is a choice when you're sitting on a pile of money.
My youngest has started playing competitively so I'm on the merry go round for another full tour. It's interesting seeing how much has changed and how much has stayed the same. One thing I have noticed is that right now there's all kinds of pro sports players who's daughters are into soccer. It wasn't like this 10 years ago. The future is bright for clubs, players, and coaches in Socal.
So true Carlsbad. You grow up as a young boy dreaming the dreams and then the young boy becomes a man and we trade in our dreams to be slaves to everyone.
I dedicate this song to all the dads!!!
There are very few girls that truly love the game and the process. Maybe more boys dream of being pro but there are many girls that dream of pro because of the attention. Most girls think they want pro because their daddy forced it on them from a young age. Behind closed doors they tell their friends or anybody else that they don’t even want to play college but their daddy tells everyone their DD loves soccer. As soon as you read this I am sure dads or moms you know personally pop up in your head because there are so many of them, hounding their girls at every game, every practice even at 16 years old. How many girls watch soccer and know all the teams and players like the boys? They may know all the famous ones that’s it. From what I have seen, I have seen more daddies drive the bus than the girls. Daddy controlling Instagram and Twitter. College is always a big test for many of them. Many superstars aren’t superstars anymore. And daddy can’t kiss up anymore to anyone to get their way.
JeterwastheBEST
SILVER ELITE
Karlton Athletic
SILVER
My tween niece, back in England, wants to be an actress, which is about as long shot as being a pro athlete. Her parents remind me of many of the DD parents here, but you know what, she’s just finished her 2nd season of a well known BBC kids’ show and is starting work on Spielberg produced movie by an Oscar winning director whose last movie was a Marvel MCU thing. I think one key thing though is that her Dad was a TV presenter / actor, so he knows what it takes, realistically, to get to that level.