Girls Development Academy

gkrent said:
It is extremely difficult to for an American to play pro soccer in England...she should start researching what paperwork she needs now as it could take some time...
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She has an in at one of the top clubs in their setup. If she still wants to go in 2 years she already has at least one party that is interested. Our conversations right now are about resting her injury (she doesn't want to get out of shape with only 6 weeks left), winning a Natty this year and getting ready to take the MCAT next year. The idea of a gap year to play soccer isn't very appealing to me but when she gets an idea in her head she makes it happen.

Thanks for the info.
 
MakeAPlay said:
She has an in at one of the top clubs in their setup. If she still wants to go in 2 years she already has at least one party that is interested. Our conversations right now are about resting her injury (she doesn't want to get out of shape with only 6 weeks left), winning a Natty this year and getting ready to take the MCAT next year. The idea of a gap year to play soccer isn't very appealing to me but when she gets an idea in her head she makes it happen.

Thanks for the info.
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We are so involved with our children. It's nice to see because so many of our parents were so focused in surviving and "kids are made to be seen, not heard".

I look forward to reading about her continued successes!
 
C.A.M. said:
We are so involved with our children. It's nice to see because so many of our parents were so focused in surviving and "kids are made to be seen, not heard".

I look forward to reading about her continued successes!
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We Gen Xers may be helicopter parents but I would rather be accused of that than the opposite. I was a latch key kid with two working parents so outside of drop offs and pickups and showing up for games, my parents were waaaaay to busy to be as involved as I have been with my daughter's career. In my parents defense they had significantly more children than I have with a much smaller birth year gap in between each of us.
 
MakeAPlay said:
Look I am the first person to say that the season hasn't happened yet so it is hard to judge the results. At the same time it's hard to deny that there are an extremely hard core group of pro-GDA parents that have been posting about how "different" everything is and how they have seen "growth" from their player already. If you look around hard enough you will find plenty of claims. I guess that we will see the evidence soon enough. I am eagerly awaiting it. Good luck to you and your player.
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Agree. Only time will tell. Why not be optimistic. I hope it works out. I want it to be everything it's claiming to be, of course. My kid would be a beneficiary. But, "luck" is where preparation meets opportunity. Your daughter didn't get where she is by luck, IMO. So, like yours, my kid is working her ass off so when opportunity presents itself, she'll be prepared. If this "new" system provides more opportunities, great! But, I honestly believe it's going to work out for her no matter.
 
Alright back to the Academy discussion. We had a few girls "guesting" with us this weekend. Really we were all trying each other out. It just confirmed my thoughts that being great athletes will not be enough to succeed under this curriculum.

Girls are going to be challenged mentally in a way most have never been. It will be more than just the fastest, most powerful athletes getting fed the ball by some really good tactical players. I think they will have to be more complete in the following ways:

Better understanding of the possession based game.
Better understanding at varying tempos and the ability to succeed at slow, medium and fast paced tempos.
Better understanding of the team game. Especially in trusting and the usage of teammates in all parts of the field.
Expanding knowledge of different formations and the varying strategies used in each formation.
*ENJOYMENT OF THE GAME* - coaching occurs in practice with little in game instruction allowing the players to relax and "do their thing".
 
Striker17 said:
So cal showcase? Heard it was some "interesting soccer". That's code for it's going to be a real mess until they gel...
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Definitely could see the difference between the girls working in the system for the last few months and those who haven't been. Also could see the vast difference in style and "game objective" between the DA and non DA teams.

Here is what I noticed:

Non DA teams were much more direct (launching and chasing). They also subbed more to stay fresh in the terrible heat. I can hate on that. They came to win nd put it all on the line.

DA teams were working on connecting, building out of the back and creating chances though off ball player movement. Subs were much less generous with the girls prepping to play longer with the no re-entry rule. I know we wanted to win, but were more focused on executing what they learned in practice in real game situations. We had varied success depending on the personnel playing.

From an outside view it looks worse than it actually was. In our case we had 4 girls who haven't been at one single practice. One played with us at Legends College Showcase and the other 3 had never played with the team. It really, really showed as they weren't accustomed to the style of play. I will go so far to say it killed our rhythm at times, while still being successful in the overall win column. It's not their fault though.

I have maintained that this will be a major change for the majority of players coming over. The only untrained girl who would have played our style would have been the one who naturally plays that way. I really saw why we train 4 days a week. The DA doesn't want a super ugly product to sell it's dream.
 
C.A.M. said:
Definitely could see the difference between the girls working in the system for the last few months and those who haven't been. Also could see the vast difference in style and "game objective" between the DA and non DA teams.

Here is what I noticed:

Non DA teams were much more direct (launching and chasing). They also subbed more to stay fresh in the terrible heat. I can hate on that. They came to win nd put it all on the line.

DA teams were working on connecting, building out of the back and creating chances though off ball player movement. Subs were much less generous with the girls prepping to play longer with the no re-entry rule. I know we wanted to win, but were more focused on executing what they learned in practice in real game situations. We had varied success depending on the personnel playing.

From an outside view it looks worse than it actually was. In our case we had 4 girls who haven't been at one single practice. One played with us at Legends College Showcase and the other 3 had never played with the team. It really, really showed as they weren't accustomed to the style of play. I will go so far to say it killed our rhythm at times, while still being successful in the overall win column. It's not their fault though.

I have maintained that this will be a major change for the majority of players coming over. The only untrained girl who would have played our style would have been the one who naturally plays that way. I really saw why we train 4 days a week. The DA doesn't want a super ugly product to sell it's dream.
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Any new player that joins or is guest playing will be at a disadvantage not knowing the style of play and her teammates. You can't judge a player after a couple or so games. If the guest player is being recruited, obviously your head coach sees something he/she likes. Maybe he/she sees she has a higher ceiling than the other girls he has now or she fills a need the team is lacking such as a forward with pace to stretch an opposing defense. You never know and why I suggest don't be so quick to write off a new player. Focus your attention to improving your DD instead, because that is all that matters in the grand scheme of things.

BTW, I'm pretty sure your DD plays for LA Premier.
 
C.A.M. said:
Definitely could see the difference between the girls working in the system for the last few months and those who haven't been. Also could see the vast difference in style and "game objective" between the DA and non DA teams.

Here is what I noticed:

Non DA teams were much more direct (launching and chasing). They also subbed more to stay fresh in the terrible heat. I can hate on that. They came to win nd put it all on the line.

DA teams were working on connecting, building out of the back and creating chances though off ball player movement. Subs were much less generous with the girls prepping to play longer with the no re-entry rule. I know we wanted to win, but were more focused on executing what they learned in practice in real game situations. We had varied success depending on the personnel playing.

From an outside view it looks worse than it actually was. In our case we had 4 girls who haven't been at one single practice. One played with us at Legends College Showcase and the other 3 had never played with the team. It really, really showed as they weren't accustomed to the style of play. I will go so far to say it killed our rhythm at times, while still being successful in the overall win column. It's not their fault though.

I have maintained that this will be a major change for the majority of players coming over. The only untrained girl who would have played our style would have been the one who naturally plays that way. I really saw why we train 4 days a week. The DA doesn't want a super ugly product to sell it's dream.
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That IE surf team has some good players and they definitely don't play kickball. They also got very far in national cup with only 12. It is probably not a good idea to come on here subtly trashing a team.
 
If you can't play you will be found out. Can't hide behind two letters. If DA was an open market many a DA team would be exposed. As it stands there is a reason Blues, Surf, PDA, Etc are always on top. Consistency. DA is not about development it's not about getting better over time, or we almost won. In its purest form DA is simple a new venue for national team caliber players to play and be seen and evaluated against other national team caliber players. Consistent teams play that way, train that way and expect their teammates to play that way. Coaches who say unlucky or let the game be the teacher, or do your thing. Sigh. So yes training 4 days a week might help but only to a point. The gap already exists across the spectrum of DA. Good luck because it might be a long season for lots of teams across the county.
 
NoGoal said:
Any new player that joins or is guest playing will be at a disadvantage not knowing the style of play and her teammates. You can't judge a player after a couple or so games. If the guest player is being recruited, obviously your head coach sees something he/she likes. Maybe he/she sees she has a higher ceiling than the other girls he has now or she fills a need the team is lacking such as a forward with pace to stretch an opposing defense. You never know and why I suggest don't be so quick to write off a new player. Focus your attention to improving your DD instead, because that is all that matters in the grand scheme of things.

BTW, I'm pretty sure your DD plays for LA Premier.
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She does and I'm not writing any of the guest players off. I'm extremely familiar with the clubs and styles they come from and was expecting just what I saw.

I can definitely see what the coach sees in these kids and have no qualms with them being there this weekend. The positives outweigh the negatives by far. It just shows talent isn't enough. The training clearly matters.

Now I see why my sons club has kids doing 2-4 month trials before signing them. It was a frustrating process, but once you see the team continuity it's clear the process vetts out those who don't fit. And by don't fit, I do not mean not talented.
 
chargerfan said:
That IE surf team has some good players and they definitely don't play kickball. They also got very far in national cup with only 12. It is probably not a good idea to come on here subtly trashing a team.
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1. Never said they didnt have good players. They sure the hell wouldn't have beat us if they didn't. Other teams playing their way still were shut out and controlled. We had our chances and didn't finish. They had theirs and did. In fact, they are right behind some other IE/ECNL powerhouses with their style. They beat Beach Demelo in National Cup which is no easy feat. They were playing to win the tournament. We were playing to perfect our style and try to win within the system we play. Neither of us accomplished our goal.
2. Didn't subtly trash the team. I explained the differences I saw between the DA and non DA teams. I don't do anything subtly. I say what I mean. Not trying to fight with you, just asking you not to put a spin on my words please. I didn't say any team was bad.
3. I didn't see their other games. Against us they played EXTREMELY DIRECT. We would have them buried deep in their own end and they were launching the ball from their defenders to however far they could for their players to run on. It wasn't tactical counter attacking. It was kick and chase and they are damn good at it. I have seen the video and man that ball was flying in the air back and forth and not to feet. That's my version of kickball.
 
C.A.M. said:
1. Never said they didnt have good players. They sure the hell wouldn't have beat us if they didn't. Other teams playing their way still were shut out and controlled. We had our chances and didn't finish. They had theirs and did. In fact, they are right behind some other IE/ECNL powerhouses with their style. They beat Beach Demelo in National Cup which is no easy feat. They were playing to win the tournament. We were playing to perfect our style and try to win within the system we play. Neither of us accomplished our goal.
2. Didn't subtly trash the team. I explained the differences I saw between the DA and non DA teams. I don't do anything subtly. I say what I mean. Not trying to fight with you, just asking you not to put a spin on my words please. I didn't say any team was bad.
3. I didn't see their other games. Against us they played EXTREMELY DIRECT. We would have them buried deep in their own end and they were launching the ball from their defenders to however far they could for their players to run on. It wasn't tactical counter attacking. It was kick and chase and they are damn good at it. I have seen the video and man that ball was flying in the air back and forth and not to feet. That's my version of kickball.
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BTW, IE Surf didn't beat Beach in National Cup.
 
C.A.M. said:
Get o

I could have swore I was in the Girls DA forum.
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Ok since I started the firestorm. Where are all the posts with players in the Academy who doesn't like what the kids are learning or working on?

Give the other side of the picture. That's what we're here for. Don't come hating on me. Spill your venom about what you don't like about the DA and bring the balance. Otherwise deal with it.
 
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