RV sounds good if your kid moves up the ranks....lol
Is club soccer a waste of time/money for youngers (under 10 yo)?
- Thread starter Socal-Soccer-Dad
- Start date
Regarding size, I was expressing to another soccer parent that my kid has a hard time playing against bigger kids. Not that he can’t, just that it’s harder. The bigger kid might be able to knock him off the ball so my kid has scramble to try to get it back or prevent a pass. Or he might lose in the air challenges. This parent’s opinion is that size doesn’t and shouldn’t matter and was pressing me to explain more. Of course, he has a bigger kid. I’m thinking sure, easy for you to say. Your kid doesn’t have someone at least 5-7 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier going after him. He did concede that the top teams seem to be filled with bigger kids and size can mean more attention from coaches and being tracked earlier.
It's huge when the kids are younger when each child has different growth patterns. Size 100% matters. Some grow early and some grow late. My little girl grew late and was always the smallest and kicked to the ground or pushed. Refs were lousy at times making calls when it was obvious the bigger girls would just knock my kid to the grown and get away with it. It was the only way for big kid to play and if refs don;t call fouls, our small kids are in a disadvantage and can get hurt. It will even out later when big kid goes to the bench.....lol! I will say whenever my dd had a good game in the youngers, it was when refs called the game tight and yellow card on hackers on my dd were called quickly. My dd got fouled all the time
I think you are correct. Flight 1 team appears to be more even. Flight 2 & 3 teams that I saw have players with mixed skill level.
My expectation is for a coach or club to only form a team that consists of everyone at the same level but I guess it is easier said than implemented. It surprises me that it really up to the parents to decide which team to join (I understand it is an exaggeration but in reality there is a chance the best flight 3 player can be better than the worst flight 2 player).
Thank you for the explanation. Your first paragraph clears some of my confusion when I watch some games. It could be the team, the players, size, etc. There is no one explanation why a team is flight 1 or gold.
Your second paragraph kind of brings more questions. Which one is the official league? Why Can't USSOCCER just approve a league for each tier per geographic region? If private investor wants to create separate league/tournament then it is fine but at least there is one "approved/sanctioned" league like Division 1,2,3 in pro soccer.
I live in a big city so there are several clubs/academies. Kids sign up to join clubs to train but there is no guarantee to be part of a team. The clubs usually have first team/second/third team that joins an age group league.
Kids who never got picked to a team eventually quits. They would sometimes play local events (similar to ayso) or school tournaments that are loosely organized.
Big difference is that there is no independent "team/coach". Everyone signs up to a club then the club decides who gets in the team.
the European football authorities have declined to press uniformity on us (there might also be legal issues with that in this country too). To the extent there’s an “official”top tier, on the boys side it is mls because that’s where the pro team academies are
the org split actually begins with the bigger org that first really helped soccer take off: ayso. Ayso has resisted turning over its authority and submitting to the other entities. It’s tried to create its own independent tiered system with ayso United (which plays club) extras, all stars, core and vip, but ayso jealously guards the way it does things, most importantly with its everyone plays philosophy. It was the insistence in the 80s and early 90s that everyone plays in the same tier that led to things spinning off and the great migration into club. Insisting that the future pro (who couldn’t get the ball passed to them and therefore couldn’t develop) and the handicapped kid (who, kids being smart, never got the ball) led to frustration all around so this ad hoc tiered system we have now developed chaotically in response.
Soccer is a game about mistakes. If the teams were evenly matched skill wise and the players well coached on mistakes appropriate to their age, games would normally overwhelming end tied or with a 1 point difference. You couldn’t have any one team dominate their particular bracket and leagues would be decided by a handful of points. But instead we have mismatches which happen becomes teams have players that aren’t appropriately placed for their division, or which are used as filler by weaker teams to collect the pay check because they can’t recruit better players. It’s made worse in leagues with pro/rel because you can only advance if you have players on the team which aren’t well placed and should be playing for higher level teams. Because soccers governance is divided among various leagues and orgs there’s no way to impose uniformity. If we had one big brother org a way to do it would be to give players rankings and only allow them to play in appropriate tiers or up, but no one (least of all the parents which are the paying customers) would like that.
Parents intimately involved in their kids level of play (vs the clubs or teams defining) is the rub with American Youth Soccer + actually any youth sport in the US.
I know of multiple situations where parents have just given up on playing the social games needed sometimes to get on or play with XYZ club. If you're new to the situation what you don't see is that there's all kinds of ways exploit the situation. Coaches, Parents, and Clubs are all doing it at the same time. This is why we as a nation can't field a good national team on the mens side. Focus is 60% playing and 40% everything else that goes along with getting on XYZ team to get noticed. In other countries parent influence doesn't exist. Players get thrown into the club meat grinder + talent rises to the top.
It comes down to who the individual evaluator is in the States and that's usually a Docs, a Coach, a Team Manager or some Dads on the team looking for "Impact" player. "Please come to our Evaluation Tryouts." We will at this time tell you what flight your kid is at." The player should not be judged at the "Flight Level" at all. "Hey dad, well after looking at your player today, she is flight 3 at this time. We just started a new flight 3 team with the other flight 3 players. Actually, we also have three flight 2 players coming to this years flight 3 team because they want to win and help our flight three team win league. Our flight 2 team sucks and we beat them in scrimmages all the time.....lol. Oh ya, a flight 1 player is also coming. Shhhhh, don tell the parents because they dont know yet that their player is now flight 3 level." No one likes to go backwards. If you tell your dd allowance is now $25 a week from $50, they don;t like that kind of discussion. I can say 100% parents do not like being told their kid is dropped from the A team to the C team. Who does this in other parts of the world with soccer? Plus, if you pay the evaluator for privates and extras, you automictically become flight 2 player, because flight 2 players are willing to go the extra mile to be the best they can be. If you pay and stay, you will 100% be developed into a flight 1 player. Add high GPA and high SAT and your in like flint
That's what we got all wrong here in the States. The Academy should only be judged by winning in the flight their club is in and earned from playing on the field, not a board room. Top local players will help the lower flight club promote to top flight, if they have good coaches and by winning and developing their players, not other clubs players. Legends and Beach were trying to do that but all the ECNL clubs poached their top players when they turned 10 to the top flight league and not necessarily a top flight club, if you know what I mean. The Promotion or Regulation is a micro of what our country is going through right now. It's still the Wild West.
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paytoplayisgood
SILVER
why did you spend all that time to write a whole essayIt comes down to who the individual evaluator is in the States and that's usually a Docs, a Coach, a Team Manager or some Dads on the team looking for "Impact" player. "Please come to our Evaluation Tryouts." We will at this time tell you what flight your kid is at." The player should not be judged at the "Flight Level" at all. "Hey dad, well after looking at your player today, she is flight 3 at this time. We just started a new flight 3 team with the other flight 3 players. Actually, we also have three flight 2 players coming to this years flight 3 team because they want to win and help our flight three team win league. Our flight 2 team sucks and we beat them in scrimmages all the time.....lol. Oh ya, a flight 1 player is also coming. Shhhhh, don tell the parents because they dont know yet that their player is now flight 3 level." No one likes to go backwards. If you tell your dd allowance is now $25 a week from $50, they don;t like that kind of discussion. I can say 100% parents do not like being told their kid is dropped from the A team to the C team. Who does this in other parts of the world with soccer? Plus, if you pay the evaluator for privates and extras, you automictically become flight 2 player, because flight 2 players are willing to go the extra mile to be the best they can be. If you pay and stay, you will 100% be developed into a flight 1 player. Add high GPA and high SAT and your in like flint
I see you just joined. I do not answer a new avatar unless they PM me. I am leaving June 5th so PM and I will give you the skinny on why the essay. PM your Q's and I will answer you. Question for you though. Why is pay to play good for American Soccer and are you a coach?
It comes down to who the individual evaluator is in the States and that's usually a Docs, a Coach, a Team Manager or some Dads on the team looking for "Impact" player. "Please come to our Evaluation Tryouts." We will at this time tell you what flight your kid is at." The player should not be judged at the "Flight Level" at all. "Hey dad, well after looking at your player today, she is flight 3 at this time. We just started a new flight 3 team with the other flight 3 players. Actually, we also have three flight 2 players coming to this years flight 3 team because they want to win and help our flight three team win league. Our flight 2 team sucks and we beat them in scrimmages all the time.....lol. Oh ya, a flight 1 player is also coming. Shhhhh, don tell the parents because they dont know yet that their player is now flight 3 level." No one likes to go backwards. If you tell your dd allowance is now $25 a week from $50, they don;t like that kind of discussion. I can say 100% parents do not like being told their kid is dropped from the A team to the C team. Who does this in other parts of the world with soccer? Plus, if you pay the evaluator for privates and extras, you automictically become flight 2 player, because flight 2 players are willing to go the extra mile to be the best they can be. If you pay and stay, you will 100% be developed into a flight 1 player. Add high GPA and high SAT and your in like flint
Wow...it is almost like you are listening in while I was talking to these coaches/managers/club directors.
Especially this statement below, hearing it a few times already...
"Hey dad, well after looking at your player today, she is flight 3 at this time. We just started a new flight 3 team with the other flight 3 players. Actually, we also have three flight 2 players coming to this years flight 3 team because they want to win and help our flight three team win league. Our flight 2 team sucks and we beat them in scrimmages all the time..."
The more I understand the situation, the more exhausting it feels. Maybe some parents like it this way because competition is less. I barely have time to practice/games and I have a pretty good job with reasonable hours. Most people I know work 50+ hours/week so now I understand why none of their kids play more than weekend softball/soccer/basketball.
It is amazing that US still produces a lot of world class athletes considering all the money and time commitment/investment required from the parents, especially in the beginning.
What you're describing is why people call soccer a rich kids sport in the US.
General FYI, look into Futsal teams/clubs in your area. Cost is much lower than field soccer and kids love playing.
When you get to the older years/highest levels it becomes a real bear beyond just the money. Saturday/Sunday games...tournaments on major holiday weekends including Thanksgiving. Games spread out from Chula Vista to Santa Barbara. Practices sometimes an hour or more away and multiple days. That's why it's important to know how much your kid is dedicated (rather than being pushed) to the sport beyond the flight 3/2 ranks. That's part of the reason why so many drop out as they get older.
Ask yourself first if SOCCER will be the life you have planned out for your child? Then ask your child what he/she wants to become in life? At less than 10 years old, I don't think they have a clue....It makes no sense putting your child in CLUB for any sport at less than 10 years old. They're going to need to be exposed to other sports. Not only to experience other sports, but to make them a more well rounded athlete in the process.
paytoplayisgood
SILVER
you spend so much of your life on this forum. If your daughter found out that you gossip online about youth soccer I bet she would be laughing
What makes you think it's gossip coach? She is home today recovering from getting hurt playing flag football and stays in her own business and I stay in my own business. I am the one who pays all the soccer bills so my kid could play. You didn;t answer my question. Are you still coaching? Your starting to write like someone who has already used up all his avatars.....lol! Just come clean and be you.
What if your told by director of rec that your kid is too good and making the other kids feel bad and left out? "Go to club" they told me. I also tried to get my dd to play basketball and softball and it was always, "no, I want to play soccer and get after game snacks and medals."