Good correction Luis. I love Grace and she is right. Fun has to be at the top, but winning helps it be more fun. Some girls want to win the 1 v1 competitions early on in their youth careers. Let's just face it, if you're losing all the time, that sucks. So, some leagues should only be about fun, halftime snacks, bday parties and just fun. Keep no score or league standings. I will say the stupidest thing that dumb GDA league did was make our 2004 age group first year without playoffs or standings. It was billed as, "it's about development only and selling pay for play 25% goateed starts to rich parents and not about winning." WFT???? My kid was coming off a National Championship and was looking for the repeat and then was told to "Stand Down" in 8th grade. You can't mentally do that to winners, MOO!
Wow
The growth and development of a player, especially in their formative years, is of paramount importance. While your goat has indeed been through a myriad of experiences, both winning and losing, it's the long-term development that truly matters. As she grows older, it's clear that personal growth and skills development should be prioritized over mere winning.
For my DD the Blues have indeed played a significant role in shaping her into a resilient and hardworking individual player, instilling in her values of determination and mental strength to playing with proper workrate. While it's commendable, the role of all pay to play clubs shouldn't end there. From the age of 8 to 13, she honed her technical abilities primarily through my guidance, and this serves as a testament to the fact that under the pay-to-play system prevalent in the USA, the onus largely falls on parents and private trainers to mold a player technically.
However, as she navigates the ages of 13 to 16, it's imperative to focus on mental agility, strategy, and soccer IQ. This is where the system in the USA, particularly the pay-to-play model, seems to falter. It's disheartening to note after observing the ECNL playoffs in Virginia this past u13 season, that there's a stunted growth in the IQ development of players. At 16, they should be showcasing advanced tactical understanding and decision-making abilities, comparable to their European counterparts. Instead, they seem to be at par with 13-year-olds, with the only difference being their physical prowess.
In essence, while physicality is an essential facet of the game, it should not overshadow the critical aspect of game intelligence development. It's high time we re-evaluate our development model and focus on creating not just physically adept players, but intellectually agile ones too.