Same club, same coach all the way up - or move?

L

lulu9155

SILVER
On my son’s club team in SoCal there is one coach that has 6 teams and he is the best coach at the club. he coaches my son’s flight 1 team u9 as well as every year up after that the EA teams. Next year my son’s team will be EA. And they will continue with him. This is our second year with him.

Basically if we don’t leave we won’t switch coaches. And to be honest if we stay at the club there is no other coach that I would even want. The rest are sub par. That’s why he has 6 teams. Everyone else complains about the other coaches at the top teams so he gets the top team in every age group almost.

Is it good to have the same coach from when you are 8 up to as long as you stay the club? Is it not better to get different coaching styles every couple of years? Do all clubs keeps the same coach with the same kids forever? And if this is not good, is it better to leave for another club (with an EA or ECNL team) just to experience different coaching? How do you know you will even get a good coach?
 
Youth soccer is coaching roulette. It's rare to have the same coach for more than 2 years. There are pros and cons to both options and too many variables to suggest the preferred route. My only advice is to take it one year at a time and don't lock yourself in too early with paying club dues until you've had a chance to evaluate any new coach. (it is not that difficult to switch clubs or teams before the fall season begins depending on availability of clubs in your area and quality of your player)

Another word of advice, don't rely solely on other people's opinion of coaches. My son played for coaches that others hated that he loved, and vice versa. It's about the fit with the personality of your child. Lower the bar on your expectation of the quality of coaching. There a very few great coaches in youth soccer. At your son's age the best teacher will be futsal.
 
lulu9155 said:
On my son’s club team in SoCal there is one coach that has 6 teams and he is the best coach at the club. he coaches my son’s flight 1 team u9 as well as every year up after that the EA teams. Next year my son’s team will be EA. And they will continue with him. This is our second year with him.

Basically if we don’t leave we won’t switch coaches. And to be honest if we stay at the club there is no other coach that I would even want. The rest are sub par. That’s why he has 6 teams. Everyone else complains about the other coaches at the top teams so he gets the top team in every age group almost.

Is it good to have the same coach from when you are 8 up to as long as you stay the club? Is it not better to get different coaching styles every couple of years? Do all clubs keeps the same coach with the same kids forever? And if this is not good, is it better to leave for another club (with an EA or ECNL team) just to experience different coaching? How do you know you will even get a good coach?
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Not sure how its even possible to coach 6 teams. Conflicts and overlapping are unavoidable and does good for no one. Ultimately, it's your decision.
 
As with most things, the most important thing to consider is your child. Some kids thrive with consistency - staying with the same coach, players, system. Others may need to be challenged with new coaches, new styles, new players. Change is hard though when you are young and moving to the unknown will always present challenges....however, you may regret it down the road and it may be harder to find a good fit later once you get comfortable on one team. Overall if you are happy with the coach and your son is learning and enjoying the process I'm sure he's fine. With that said, 6 teams seems like an awful lot...The most we've had with one of our coaches was 3 or 3.5 (co-coaching one team) and it just never felt you could have that personal relationship with the coach because they were so stretched thin.
 
lulu9155 said:
It’s pretty bad with the conflicts. Yes it’s at least 6 teams. Maybe 7 tbh.
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Are the practices mixed ages or does he rely on assistants? If mixed the younger team is generally getting the benefit of the bargain unless they are a higher level than the older. For the older it’s like practicing with a flight 1 team. If assistants? How good are they

The problem is that clubs are like a box of chocolate: despite your research until you live with them month over month you don’t know what you are going to get.
 
lulu9155 said:
It’s pretty bad with the conflicts. Yes it’s at least 6 teams. Maybe 7 tbh.
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Wow, that is a lot. So are you really getting him or mostly his assistants?

There are some who want to stay with a program long term. They are very committed to the club no matter the circumstance. Take it year by year and see what they have to offer.

I myself have always been open to moving my kid into a better situation if the one we had was no longer valuable. In the long term development playing with different coaches, styles, & positions will create an all around better soccer player. With your child being so young I don’t think it’s as important as your child playing, having fun & getting appropriate development.

I would be more concerned with all the teams the coach has. How can he properly development all those kids?
 
lulu9155 said:
It’s pretty bad with the conflicts. Yes it’s at least 6 teams. Maybe 7 tbh.
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Grace T. said:
Are the practices mixed ages or does he rely on assistants? If mixed the younger team is generally getting the benefit of the bargain unless they are a higher level than the older. For the older it’s like practicing with a flight 1 team. If assistants? How good are they

The problem is that clubs are like a box of chocolate: despite your research until you live with them month over month you don’t know what you are going to get.
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It’s just our team alone with him 11 kids no assistant. All his teams practices separate times.
 
soccermax2 said:
Wow, that is a lot. So are you really getting him or mostly his assistants?

There are some who want to stay with a program long term. They are very committed to the club no matter the circumstance. Take it year by year and see what they have to offer.

I myself have always been open to moving my kid into a better situation if the one we had was no longer valuable. In the long term development playing with different coaches, styles, & positions will create an all around better soccer player. With your child being so young I don’t think it’s as important as your child playing, having fun & getting appropriate development.

I would be more concerned with all the teams the coach has. How can he properly development all those kids?
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The teams all have their own dedicated practice times twice a week 1.5 hours each. No assistant. Just him. But yes it’s a lot of teams. And I do feel like he can’t really truly develop the kids well.
 
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