Small Soccer Clubs

[Unregistered]

All true. Unless you are on one of those teams, you end up with a daddy coach whose #1 priority is making their kid the team superstar. They do that in a number of ways, one is to make sure that you actually don't play your best players like you should because then their kid won't look so bad if they are out on the field with other players that are at the same level of their kid's. If you play all the best players on the team at the same time and then throw your kid out their it is more obvious to those watching. Now if their kid is one of the better players they will just play them all the time and let them play striker or CM and take all the kicks. It is really crazy that it is allowed to happen but it does. MC doesn't really look out for the kids unless you are one of the founding members or you are someone who is important to him. Training is not great at all. 2 days a week with a dad or mom

Spot on!!!

[Unregistered]

funny, you can rattle off all the clubs in the bay area big or small and count the number of parent coaches regardless of size up until the transition years of 11-12-13. only quality coaches with good knowledge of the game and training background should be running senior teams at any club if that team is to contend at the state level. rather than judge on parent or not, judge the record of the team, the rankings and the quality of play displayed on the pitch. if you know the game and observe a teams organization regardless of result that teams is gaining quality instruction in training.

[Unregistered]

funny, you can rattle off all the clubs in the bay area big or small and count the number of parent coaches regardless of size up until the transition years of 11-12-13. only quality coaches with good knowledge of the game and training background should be running senior teams at any club if that team is to contend at the state level. rather than judge on parent or not, judge the record of the team, the rankings and the quality of play displayed on the pitch. if you know the game and observe a teams organization regardless of result that teams is gaining quality instruction in training.

Daddy coaches are fine for the younger age groups. Senior teams should not be coached by a parent period. Senior teams should have a trainer and a coach with no personal ties to the team. At the end of the day, the daddy coach is riding home with their kid. Family first always. Please don't try to tell me otherwise. And just because their kid is good does not make it ok. If their kid is that good then they would be good with another coach besides daddy.

[Unregistered]

Small clubs make big minds and create the best thought process to child's development. The small town family works.

[Unregistered]

Daddy coaches are fine for the younger age groups. Senior teams should not be coached by a parent period. Senior teams should have a trainer and a coach with no personal ties to the team. At the end of the day, the daddy coach is riding home with their kid. Family first always. Please don't try to tell me otherwise. And just because their kid is good does not make it ok. If their kid is that good then they would be good with another coach besides daddy.

As a general rule yes but many exceptions can be sited. All based on individuals involved. If a coach has had success, manintians players, develops them and club offers individual programs and players are committed then they develop. If they don't they don't. That has as much to do with club, coach and player. I have seen coaches at every club in tampa and seen every club team play for several years at various ages. Pound for pound, Rangers in 4 years have a very solid program that is working and growing.

[Unregistered]

As a general rule yes but many exceptions can be sited. All based on individuals involved. If a coach has had success, manintians players, develops them and club offers individual programs and players are committed then they develop. If they don't they don't. That has as much to do with club, coach and player. I have seen coaches at every club in tampa and seen every club team play for several years at various ages. Pound for pound, Rangers in 4 years have a very solid program that is working and growing.

Yea it works out great for all the parent coaches and their kids. It's just fantastic for them. And let's not forget all the founding members. How about all the families that have left because of the "free" parent coaches and the special treatment the lucky ones get regardless of talent. It's easy to have big numbers with the junior teams, every club does. How many senior team players stick around?

[Unregistered]

Small clubs make big minds and create the best thought process to child's development. The small town family works.

Wow your kidding right. What a joke. Yea keep the club small, that way the coaches kids don't have any competition. You guys love that. Keep it all in the family. That's what your own back yard is for. This is suppose to be competitive soccer. You people deserve each other .

[Unregistered]

Play on the beach the field is free natural skills can be free to grow be one with nature I love small clubs one or two teams keep the same group as one for as long as you can hide them from the industrial clubs trying to use your kids as there marketing promo for there clubs. Dominate and be one with a close family club love it home schooling type approach.

[Unregistered]

Play on the beach the field is free natural skills can be free to grow be one with nature I love small clubs one or two teams keep the same group as one for as long as you can hide them from the industrial clubs trying to use your kids as there marketing promo for there clubs. Dominate and be one with a close family club love it home schooling type approach.

Time to exhale!

[Unregistered]

Play on the beach the field is free natural skills can be free to grow be one with nature I love small clubs one or two teams keep the same group as one for as long as you can hide them from the industrial clubs trying to use your kids as there marketing promo for there clubs. Dominate and be one with a close family club love it home schooling type approach.

Florida hasn't legalized, "It," yet…..or based upon this post, have they?

[Unregistered]

Yea it works out great for all the parent coaches and their kids. It's just fantastic for them. And let's not forget all the founding members. How about all the families that have left because of the "free" parent coaches and the special treatment the lucky ones get regardless of talent. It's easy to have big numbers with the junior teams, every club does. How many senior team players stick around?

The fact would be in 4 years only 1 large group of players left 2 years ago which was encouraged by that coach who also left. A majority of those players were sent to the 2 and 3 teams at a bigger club with poor coaches and very few games played. Every club has a couple players come and go mainly because mom and dad don't understand or won't face the reality that son/daughter is weaker than his/her peers on the team playing time complaints drive them out of any club or they are the best player and want a better coach and team.

U18 boys was a newly formed team in its second season, two u17 boys teams still exist with the first team ranked top 5 in the state, u16's are d2, u15's usa premier, u14's fspl - ranked 25, u13's boys won region cup last year and very good, Girls have u15's usa d2 team, u13 usa premier. Explain what teams left?

Check the coaches bios and experience and professional staff on hand nightly.

[Unregistered]

In Pinellas County, most of the smaller clubs are terrible and a waste of money for competitive soccer, such as: Celtic, PCU, Dunedin, Oldsmar, are all terrible clubs. Your child will learn just as much playing recreational soccer than they will at these clubs, so save your money.

[Unregistered]

In Pinellas County, most of the smaller clubs are terrible and a waste of money for competitive soccer, such as: Celtic, PCU, Dunedin, Oldsmar, are all terrible clubs. Your child will learn just as much playing recreational soccer than they will at these clubs, so save your money.

If your kid is playing at Celtic, Dunedin, or PCU, you would be better off donating the cost, because these clubs are worthless.

[Unregistered]

smaller clubs make for an more nitch selection and they can take talent away for the money making cubs its a win win ..... breath deep and relax be happy now !

[Unregistered]

Is there a place for 'small' clubs in the USA?



By Charlie Slagle

There is not only a place for small soccer clubs in this country but small youth soccer clubs are essential to the continued development of the sport. However, these smaller clubs must be quality clubs.

Parents of younger children, typically, want to have a level of convenience in choosing their children’s activities. Proximity to the activity is a major factor in that decision. Thus, smaller clubs with a smaller geographic foot-print accommodate that desire.

Two other factors play heavily in this decision at the younger age brackets -- price and quality. At day care, play dates, etc., there is plenty of conversation going on among parents of these children. They are just beginning an activity and the proximity advantage can be negated by a high price, a lack of quality or a combination of both. It is important to have a great program for the younger players because families form an affinity with the club that makes leaving that club for another club problematic.

All clubs, regardless of size, need to provide a great product. At the younger age brackets, parent-coaches need to be trained and monitored not only in appropriate age-based soccer techniques but also the psychological make-up of the age bracket that they are coaching. Age-appropriate numbers of practices and competitions is, also, important. An emphasis on learning through competitions should be maintained. Overzealous, winning-is-everything coaches at the younger age brackets can hurt the club’s product.

A smaller club needs to realize that there comes a point where combining with another club(s) is important for the development of their players. The goal for teams is to keep the difference in level of the most accomplished player to the least accomplished to a minimum. Players develop from not only training but being tested in practices and games.

Strong working relationships with other local clubs make for great competitive leagues starting at the U-9 level. Trainings can be combined, combined resources of coaches can be utilized and the teams can be chosen with the development of the players as the continued goal.

After developing these players through the elementary and middle school years, a smaller club needs to have a good relationship with a club that has the ability to challenge the best players with similar ability and dedicated teammates and competition that will challenge the players. Smaller clubs need to be proud of the players they have developed and let them go when the time is right for the individual player.

Smaller clubs can and should have older age bracket competitive teams. In most areas of this country, there are like-ability teams to play at every level. A club, small or large, cannot produce all great players as athletic ability and desire limit that.

Clubs should, however, have given the chance for all players to reach their potential. Players will continue to want to play with their club that they have grown up with and the friends that they have made. Parents will want to continue to enjoy watching their children play and continue relationships with families with which they have stood on the sidelines with for years.

A place for small clubs? Definitely! Give your area a good product, develop great relationships with other clubs and the club can be a source of pride for the community. The players will be better and have a love for the game due to the efforts of the club.

(Charlie Slagle, who served as CEO of North Carolina’s Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) for more than 12 years, is the owner of Charlie Slagle Sport Consulting LLC, specializing in working with soccer clubs to help them reach their potential -- with emphasis on working with clubs' professional staff and board of directors. Slagle, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Vice President of Education, was Davidson College head men's coach in 1980-2000 and tournament organizer of 14 NCAA Division I College Cups.)

Agree small clubs that are convenient, offer quality, and have good price have a place. Small clubs can offer top programs and teams, but agree they need to be able to feed the few elite players into a higher competitive, bigger partner club.