Girls Development Academy
- Thread starter Swoosh
- Start date
Thank you
MakeAPlay
DA
Legends does not have a long record of success whereas Arsenal does. When my daughter started club there was no such thing as Legends. Josh Hodges is a marketer and has done a good job marketing his area of influence. If Cle and Noah Kooiman had never left Arsenal this wouldn't even be a question as they are both vastly superior coaches to anything either club has now. It's a damn shame that the kids in the IE lost out on the opportunity to play for them. There is some outstanding talent in the 909/951 area and it sucks that they don't get the same opportunities that are available in the OC.
T
TD1
Guest
How old is your kid?
The best path is to call up both clubs and arrange for your kid to go out and attend several practices. Personally I would start with the club that is closer to where you live and go from there.
NoGoal
DA
I live in the IE and can give you unbaised information on the 2 clubs. My DD and son both played for Legends, when they were originally Gendora Football Club aka GFC. My DD played 2 years of ulittles at Legends and son for 8 years. Both kids took 3 years of private training wih Matt Evans who is the Legends technical director. I know more about Legends than the biggest homer on this forum does....cough CaliKlines!
As MakeAPlay has pointed out Arsenal Girls ECNL has struggled to attract top players in the IE. The biggest mistake the club did was allow the Kooiman's to stop running the club. Cle now runs IE Surf and Noah coaches at Albion. Once, both Kooiman's left, Legends became the dominant club in the IE.
Legends is a good club, but didn't have ECNL. That was their biggest knock and why so many top players in my DDs U18/19 age group ended up commuting to ECNL clubs. Legends getting Girls DA, will give them a HUGE lift in convincing top players in the area from going elsewhere. They are financially stable, because they have tons of teams in every age group. If there is any club who can actually fully fund Girls DA, Legends is probably the club.
If I had a stud ulittle DD, I would have her tryout and see if she could make Legends DA team. If not, I would then have her tryout for another DA club or have her play ECNL with a club outside the IE.
Last edited:
MakeAPlay
DA
It depends upon the coach. There are some outstanding teachers out there that will do wonders for your daughter's game. They can be found at big and small clubs. There are also some extremely horrible coaches that have supremely talented teams and they do very little with them. It is all about the coach. My daughters first club which was an ECNL club had their best coach working with the "C" team! My daughter was on the "B" team at the time and we begged for him but they wouldn't have him coach above the third team. He was her coach for private trainings for a couple years (until his schedule wouldn't allow it) and he did amazing things with her.
The bottom line is the coach is the most important thing.
T
TD1
Guest
What a great age. Mine played for AYSO until U11 when we moved her to the local club. Spent next two years at small local clubs, and then bounced to one of the big clubs at U13. Legend? Arsenal? Save yourself some money and time and don't buy into the college hype with a kid so young. Truthfully it's pretty hard to tell if a kid will have the chops to play college ball until they are quite a bit older, and no matter how much you spend if they don't love putting in the work and have loads of natural talent neither club is going to change that.
Last edited by a moderator:
I have to echo what the posters have said before, have fun watching her play and develop. Focus on details such as skills / touch / vision but keep it fun! Find a good coach and the club becomes secondary, best of luck!
NoGoal
DA
At ulittle, have your DD play for a great coach who allows her to enjoy the game, develop her skills and be creative on the pitch. There is no need to play for a big club until U14 and older.
NoGoal
DA
Unless she is freak athlete, get her in club as soon as possible, my DD began club at U8-U9. Dam almost 10 years ago.
Enjoy the journey and the lasting memories!
Last edited:
Generik
SILVER
You're in the right place now...ask away and these Forum members are great resources!
We've all experienced "the good, the bad, and the ugly" that is SoCal youth soccer - and most of us here want to give our "two-cents" worth of past experiences to help out our fellow families.
Everyone will have a different opinion...but the more information you have, the better choices you can make.
Good luck...and give your neighbor RB my love!
I coach an AYSO Extra (select) team. It's been a great program for the girls in it. We started at u9 and we will be u12 this Fall.
We've had a few girls leave for club teams and a few girls join us from club teams.
As mentioned above, it's all about the coach. (Not saying I'm the best, but I certainly put in a ton of effort). But almost as important at the younger ages, it's about the families that are on your team.
outside!
DA
DD started club at U10. She was always BFS but tended to rely on speed over technique. She has worked hard on skills and if all works out will be playing D1 with a great program and school in 2018. She was never on an ECNL team, but has gotten lots of exposure through USYS National League. The start of GDA changes the landscape going forward however.
Emphasize skill training and first touch with futsal, privates and individual work. For a club soccer, coach and teammates matter more than the name on the jersey. Get her on a team where she will start, but is not the best player. If she keeps working, she will become one of the best players at which time it will probably be time to move on to a higher level team. Aim to be on a top team at an ECNL or GDA club by around U13 if she still loves it. Despite what some say, juggling helps and is one of the things that helped DD get noticed. Make time for other sports if she is interested while she is younger.
devupa2.0
SILVER
Picaboo - you have a number of good choices in your area at ulittle.
Legends, I.E. Surf, I.E. Surf West all have coaches that work to develop skills in players at the young ages. This is not an exhaustive list, there are others too.
My point would be that the first priority is that your DD is at a spot that she enjoys and sees plenty of time on the field with the following keys (just my thoughts and others might add/edit):
1. She shouldn't be the best player on the team. This allows her to be pushed by some other players that will challenge her.
2. The coach should be almost completely focused on skills development. A focus on team play develops over time, but at this age great coaches will work to get players confident on the ball. The concepts of moving the ball around as a team are good, but overrated at the younger ages. This will be taught and emphasized later. In the earlier years your DD should become as technical and confident as possible on the ball.
3. The coach should not identify specific positions for players. Your DD should have the chance to be all over the field, thus getting familiar with many roles.
4. Winning is fun and may be important for some of your daughter's confidence, but the coach should not seem super focused on this. resist the temptation to go to a team/club because that team has a great record. Focus more on the coaching philosophy (see #2 and #3).
5. She has to enjoy her team and you need to enjoy the parents. Club soccer ends up commanding a lot of time (yours and hers), so you want to like the folks your with. If you find the right group, it can be a tremendous journey and a ton of fun!
The water is warm - time to dive in!
Legends, I.E. Surf, I.E. Surf West all have coaches that work to develop skills in players at the young ages. This is not an exhaustive list, there are others too.
My point would be that the first priority is that your DD is at a spot that she enjoys and sees plenty of time on the field with the following keys (just my thoughts and others might add/edit):
1. She shouldn't be the best player on the team. This allows her to be pushed by some other players that will challenge her.
2. The coach should be almost completely focused on skills development. A focus on team play develops over time, but at this age great coaches will work to get players confident on the ball. The concepts of moving the ball around as a team are good, but overrated at the younger ages. This will be taught and emphasized later. In the earlier years your DD should become as technical and confident as possible on the ball.
3. The coach should not identify specific positions for players. Your DD should have the chance to be all over the field, thus getting familiar with many roles.
4. Winning is fun and may be important for some of your daughter's confidence, but the coach should not seem super focused on this. resist the temptation to go to a team/club because that team has a great record. Focus more on the coaching philosophy (see #2 and #3).
5. She has to enjoy her team and you need to enjoy the parents. Club soccer ends up commanding a lot of time (yours and hers), so you want to like the folks your with. If you find the right group, it can be a tremendous journey and a ton of fun!
The water is warm - time to dive in!
US Soccer is trying to build a better foundation for players, so that they will reach a higher ceiling after high school. What you do early on in development is very important. Our culture of winning at all costs sometimes deters this.
Josh is very passionate about his club and it shows. He has thrived and is now being rewarded. Legends is the obvious choice in the IE.
The Kooiman's were great for the IE as well. But have not been able to replicate the same success they had a Arsenal.
NoGoal
DA
The more you post the more you sound like a Legends homer, particulary a coach! I see you are 29 years old and guess who is about the same age. A certain DOC's little brother.
