What do I do with my u8 kid

L

Lou789

SILVER ELITE
My u8 son has played club 2 years. He stared early because he has 2 older brothers that played and it just naturally progressed in him playing early.

Next year his current team of 2 years will be u9. He would be the only u8 on that team. The coach has said he can do one of two things:

1. Stay on the current team but the coach doesn’t know how much playing time he would get, if he would start like he is now, or if he would be able to play different positions like now. They played f1 in SoCal for last two years.

2. Go to the u8 team which would be kids that have mostly just started playing club with this tryout. He would play the entire game but it wouldn’t be very challenging.

He himself doesn’t want to do #2 because he knows most of the kids and their level is way below his. I would agree with that. He wouldn’t be challenged at all. He wants to stay on this team where right now he is middle of the pack as far as ability. He is very tall for his age. Bigger than 3/4 of his current team.

I don’t know what’s the best choice. Stay on a competitive team with kids that at least half are better than him but maybe not play as much in the games. Or go to a team where he will play an entire game but it would be very very easy.
 
Can you gauge his level compared to the older kids moving down? If he is middle of the pack on his current team, he might get pushed further back in the pecking order. To me playing time and position trumps friendship, you can always make new friends.
 
I would try to play up (if they let him) unless he is the very bottom of that team. If he has friends on the team, he will have fun. I would switch age groups next year. Repeating the first year of club sucks. I have no problem dominating at that age. But first year of club is basically kids learning how to play positions, pass, and not steal the ball from their own teammates.
 
Bells said:
I would try to play up (if they let him) unless he is the very bottom of that team. If he has friends on the team, he will have fun. I would switch age groups next year. Repeating the first year of club sucks. I have no problem dominating at that age. But first year of club is basically kids learning how to play positions, pass, and not steal the ball from their own teammates.
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This is good advice thank you. It’s kind of what I was thinking. Let that first year U8 team have a year, and next year when more kids come out it will be a stronger team and then move him.

But if he is at the bottom move him to u8?
 
Jamisfoes said:
Can you gauge his level compared to the older kids moving down? If he is middle of the pack on his current team, he might get pushed further back in the pecking order. To me playing time and position trumps friendship, you can always make new friends.
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I agree, playing time and position trumps friendship. But on the u8 team, he will be the best player on the team by a lot. He is also a big tall kid. He wears a size 6 cleat and he is very tall. tallest on his current team with another mid. And they are all almost a year older. The u8 kids are so much smaller than him. At school his classmates are all to his chest.

It will be his third year playing club and 90% of the u8 team will be their first year.

But on the u9 team you have kids that are 2 grades above him. ability wise he would be I think not at the top anymore but also not the very bottom.

There is a Club that’s staying birth here. I could take him there, even though it would be much farther from my house. Even though they’re staying birth here, they will still play u9.

I really don’t know what to do.
 
Lou789 said:
I really don’t know what to do.
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From what you describe, he is not (currently) on a path to an academy, so I would suggest you just let him play with the team he wants to play with. Too many kids burn out on the game because they aren't having fun. It sounds like he's athletically ahead for the moment, but that won't last, so he needs to make sure he's getting enough touches to develop technically, which comes with wanting to be on the ball.
 
Erasmus said:
From what you describe, he is not (currently) on a path to an academy, so I would suggest you just let him play with the team he wants to play with. Too many kids burn out on the game because they aren't having fun. It sounds like he's athletically ahead for the moment, but that won't last, so he needs to make sure he's getting enough touches to develop technically, which comes with wanting to be on the ball.
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The team he wants to be on would be the team he would be playing less minutes with in the game. U9. And the tea. He wants to be on. I think we will just keep him here. Thank you for the feedback.
 
If I were you, I would withhold me club payment until the last minute possible. See what the U8 and U9 teams look like. There is no fun and a big confidence destroyer if he remains on the U9 team but has to come off the bench. Take him to tryouts.
 
Many of us have pondered this question of better team vs more playing time. You really won't know the right answer until after a few tournaments, especially those with semifinals and finals where playing time could be quite uneven.

So let me offer some useful information instead. IIRC, for SoCal league you can leave your club before July 1 and the club must release you even if you have not paid in full. After July 1st, you must have paid in full and it's still at your current club's discretiion to release your or not.

Alternatively, you can always go from one league to a different league without any restriction if there is such option.

Best of luck.
 
Jamisfoes said:
If I were you, I would withhold me club payment until the last minute possible. See what the U8 and U9 teams look like. There is no fun and a big confidence destroyer if he remains on the U9 team but has to come off the bench. Take him to tryouts.
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This so great advice about payment. Thank you.
 
Being the biggest kid works for awhile but you will see all of that changes when everyone catches up and that happens fast ....
Your goal is longevity, don't worry about size cause size is out the door when your older.
play on a team where you play all minutes so that your touch gets better , your IQ get betters, etc....
Also ALWAYS tell your club your broke and do monthly payments.
 
Lou789 said:
My u8 son has played club 2 years. He stared early because he has 2 older brothers that played and it just naturally progressed in him playing early.

Next year his current team of 2 years will be u9. He would be the only u8 on that team. The coach has said he can do one of two things:

1. Stay on the current team but the coach doesn’t know how much playing time he would get, if he would start like he is now, or if he would be able to play different positions like now. They played f1 in SoCal for last two years.

2. Go to the u8 team which would be kids that have mostly just started playing club with this tryout. He would play the entire game but it wouldn’t be very challenging.

He himself doesn’t want to do #2 because he knows most of the kids and their level is way below his. I would agree with that. He wouldn’t be challenged at all. He wants to stay on this team where right now he is middle of the pack as far as ability. He is very tall for his age. Bigger than 3/4 of his current team.

I don’t know what’s the best choice. Stay on a competitive team with kids that at least half are better than him but maybe not play as much in the games. Or go to a team where he will play an entire game but it would be very very easy.
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Always choose for playing time until you are choosing college or signing for a professional contract or maybe a "free academy".
Some pro players even choose for smaller club in order to play (look up US national team goalie Matt Turner leaving ManCity).
Kids cannot improve without playing time.
Also remember that we pay to play.
 
We see this same story in slightly different flavors where the parent has the kid playing up but the kid is borderline good enough to play up. And that story always ends the same way where the kid falls off to oblivion.

If the kid is not a starter and baller while playing up then go back down and focus on development.
 
NewUser27 said:
Being the biggest kid works for awhile but you will see all of that changes when everyone catches up and that happens fast ....
Your goal is longevity, don't worry about size cause size is out the door when your older.
play on a team where you play all minutes so that your touch gets better , your IQ get betters, etc....
Also ALWAYS tell your club you’re broke and do monthly payments.
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I agree about playing time etc. but when it’s u8 and it’s first year club does that still hold true who is in his 3rd year of club?
 
Lou789 said:
2. Go to the u8 team which would be kids that have mostly just started playing club with this tryout. He would play the entire game but it wouldn’t be very challenging.
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He wants to stay on the current team so I would just let him do that at 7 years old.

However, there's gotta be u8 teams that are competitive for him.

If you're in LA, then TFA or LAFC SoCal.
If you're in OC, then Laguna United or Strikers.
If you're in SD, then SD Surf or City SC.

There are others sprinkled in there at the youngers like Legends, Rebels etc.

I think playing the whole game at 7 yo is invaluable. I think you can develop a keen game sense by being in the game through the up's and down's of a game that you can't learn by playing a few mins here and there. But I get that having fun and playing with friends is super important as well.

The best case scenario is to play every min on a top team with friends he loves. :) But I know they don't always overlap like that. :p
 
If playtime is 50/50 just play up. At this age playing time is pretty equal if club is development first. If possible guest play with his true age group for extra touches.
 
KingMI said:
If playtime is 50/50 just play up. At this age playing time is pretty equal if club is development first. If possible guest play with his true age group for extra touches.
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50/50 meaning he will play half the game?

Good point about his real age group
 
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