I completely get it. The Kitchen is The Kitchen for a reason. I reported both posts yesterday.Ask Dom to remove your BS from this thread bro. Of course, youth soccer has nothing to do with politics and pay for play. Coach Unicorn is not happy
I love you bro. You have a good heart, and it was an honest mistake. You triggered coach and that can happen. I pissed these guys off back in the day and that's why Dom created "The Kitchen."
If they're too embarrassed to play D2 or D3, that says a lot about why they were playing to begin with. I'd say "not all... but most".
Sorry, but the majority of these kids should have “lowered” their expectations and gone to D2/D3 or NAIA schools in the first place. Parents and coaches need to have a realistic talk with D1 or bust dreamers who don’t have the ability. Plenty of great non-D1 schools and programs exist.
Many D3 programs actually play a better style of soccer than most D1 programs. We have a a lot of friends who DD's play both D1 and D3 and I watch many of their games. This has given me the opportunity to watch schools like Emory, Wesleyan (CT) and John's Hopkins play and they do it with style, unlike some Big 10 schools I have seen.
A major D1 coach told a camp full of kids the same thing. And said some of the best coaches are at the level as well.
Per my observations from years of watching D1 soccer and now D3, yes the play is much quicker and athletic ability is different between the two divisions. However, IQ is IQ at any level and skill (footwork) remains that no matter where it is showcased. From the eye test I see less apt decision making at D1. So, the players at D1 may be athletic and can manage with the pace but not the execution. Which leads me to conclude that player selection/recruitment at D1 is still poor.
I think "D1" is a big selling point to the parents ego and to some kids (not your kid, I know she's a top player). We need to teach a healthy lifestyle for the girls. I know two families whose dd played D2 and NAIA and both graduating on time and made lifetime friends. The parents would post a few games once or twice a year and the next thing we know, here comes grad night. Very happy kids in healthy enviorments. D1 is not that great and all the horror stories come from D1. I'm sure there are some smaller school horror but it's very small %. I have heard some success stories, but most are crazy transfer portal stories, bad coach, liar coach, yeller coach, no coach, then a new coach who brings his favorites and then reality sets in. It's like working for a company for 6 months and then a new manager comes in. The new manager comes in and tells your kid, "get lost, you won't play, ever." This kid has 35% of $$$ and new coach made some promises and well, you guys all know how the game is played. I think it's an abuse of power and flat out wrong. I think a coach should be banned from bringing another player from his old team for at least one year but maybe two. Thanks for sharing bro.
While I understand why some players and parents shoot for "D1" college teams. It's odd to me that if you're able play at that level why you wouldn't be shooting for playing professionally as opposed to D1. It's like having a chance at gold but targeting silver.
That was the path surely, D1 > Draft > Pro. Of course, there were only 250 or so players in the draft, so around 2% of D1 players make the draft.
With how expensive college is, with college debt at 1.77 Trillion, getting money to play college soccer is still a huge deal. This can be any level.
Yes, it can be expensive. Depending on your choices, it can be very expensive, but also very reasonably priced. As with everything, it depends.
I love how parents think that if they want something they can just will it into existence without any thought of the reality of the situation.
What? Way better life long decision to get that college degree. NWSL players last less than 5 years at $52k per year and don’t get a college degree. Then they coach 3 clubs soccer teams a year for the rest of their life.
I always thought D1 was about social media. I mean, how much "athletic" money are you getting at a good D1... because there are a lot of D1 schools nobody has ever heard of and maybe that pays better. So if you play at UCLA, how much athletic money are you getting when nearly the entire roster is considered elite?
I can only speak for my DD but she is getting $40K academic and $10K athletic for the 25/26 year. The rest is on us.
Well, $10k is certainly nothing to sneeze at but I wonder if that's the norm or exception. The academic is great but, as we negotiate for my younger right now, I'm learning what "need based" really means. If you make a good living, you apparently don't "need" help and get to pay full price.
