Originally posted by Unregistered
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Agreed - if a kid is really interested in a team attend a few of their practices, they will get a better feel for your kid and your kid will get a better feel for the team. -
I would agree BUT, those aren't practice days. They practice Tuesday/Thursday.Comment
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Just beware of the Match Fit scammers. If you actually come for practice mid season, their DOC calls your club's DOC and rats your player out.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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And they take pictures of kids at ID sessions so they can post pictures on social media. Many clubs follow each other on social media. So while they are bragging about the huge turnout, your kid will be front and center in the picture for your current coach and others to see.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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Yes, absolutely poor behaviour exhibited if they indeed try to capture players this way. Hope not trueComment
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It happened to my daughter (call to DOC)Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
If you need proof, check the social media from last year.
It's not weird that the spelling of "behavior" is the "queens English" in your post, DB.Comment
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Most of these "top" NJ clubs are extremely similar.
Some observations...when it comes to player rating, it is mostly about opinions and luck.
Top half of many A teams are standouts and most of us understand why the club loves them....next 7-20 players are probably pretty similar in skill to one another. If you find yourself and daughter in top half of A team more than likely you are happy with your club choice.
Players 7-20 and in some cases 7-30 its a complete coin flip. If the club rates you high you are golden, if not GO somewhere else where they will put you in top of A team. Maybe even "gasp" EDP. It could be just as simple as the style of play they want vs your daughter's skill set. It could be that they still associate your daughter of four years ago to now. Could be they have a better striker or CM. It doesn't matter just GO! There is no loyalty from the club...and in many cases if your daughter is on the cusp of a top team, probably she is pretty good, go find her an environment where she will thrive. If she is the second best striker at PDA she might be the second best in the state. Most of us negotiate many things in life...start doing it for your kid.
There was an article last year that said roughly 400 girls from NJ were playing D1. Roughly 100/yr. Once again let me repeat that 100. For a reference point there are roughly 850 high schools in NJ. Some of those colleges where the 100 are playing are not exactly the D1 schools we want our kids to attend. True many come from a powerhouse like PDA. But they also come from other places. If unhappy and your daughter is good find someone that puts her near the top and have them develop, advocate and coach your daughter. Screw the letters on the jersey....No one outside this bubble cares if your daughter plays for PDA, MF, STA, CSA, PSA...if you are happy be happy. Just a note, are you just as nuts about whether your daughter is at the top of her class academically? Do you do standardized testing training? Extra course work during winters and summers? Just food for thought.
Face it most of our daughters aren't playing D1, most of them want to play high school and then they will see. If your hell bent on D1 give your daughter a field hockey or lacrosse stick, much better chance they will play D1 in those sports before soccer. Better yet have the hit the books just as hard as sports and those academics might just be what lands them on the bench at a fantastic D1 school.
All clubs have great stories.....all have horror stories as well...it's just about where your kid stands with the club.
Just some observations for thought...Comment
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Terrific post, the club you play for should not matter as long as you are one of the top players and get recognized as such. Medford, Real NJ, Haddonfield, Marlton all township teams produce great players! I love that some people in the youth soccer world still have common sense. You can always gain some add’l exposure via ODP.Comment
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Hot tickets now for D1 scholarships are crew and wrestling. Friends daughter played for a township D3 level EDP team until her senior year and did crew for 1 yr. Got a very nice scholarship to Brown.
Anyway.....Your kid needs to like the coach/trainer and respond to them or they will never get any better. Girl on our team had been here for years, was always a middle of the pack player, started having anxiety attacks before games due to the coach. She finally moved on to another Academy and is doing well. Never decide to go with a team because of their wins, never decide to go with a team because the coach is British, never go to a team because the coach promises everything you ever wanted. Watch a few games of that team and see how the coach responds to his players. Listen on the sideline to the parents comments. You can learn a lot doing that. I wish I had noticed how my daughters current coach treats his top 5 players vs the rest. Top 5 can do what they want on the field but the second any of the rest do the same thing they get pulled or yelled at from the sideline. I'll never forget 1 game....daughter had 2 goals and an assist in a 4-2 win over toughest team we had faced all year. She was pulled before the restart each time. The assist came from a combo from another player 1 touch to another for a score....none where is top 5 and he sub'd all 3 before the restart.Comment
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Agree...absolutely try to watch some games. How does the coach sub? Look at the player dynamic. Are the same girls just passing to each other and others on the field never seeing the ball? To PP's point, how does the coach react to mistakes---are kids pulled out for mistakes thus eventually creating that fear and anxiety in game situations PP mentions or do kids stay on the field and work through their mistakes with some direction.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
Lastly, are the parents on the sidelines the kind you want to spend every weekend with -- probably less important the older your kid is. But if your child is on the younger side, you have a long road ahead of you.Comment
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When does tryout season start, seems to be earlier and earlier each year...which impacts the Spring season in a negative way for so many players esp if you end up leaving a team....any thoughts on what could be done to make it better???Comment
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Best thing to do is identify teams that you're interested in for your daughter and ask the coach if you can train with the team. You get a better feel for fit in terms of team, coach and your player's ability. By the time the "tryouts" happen, you'll already know where things are headed. Also many clubs hold ID sessions, so check those out too. Most of all make sure your daughter is happy and enjoying the game.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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MF has a solution - they post the tryouts on social media so that they can blackmail your kid by saying she is "trying out" for a different team.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
If you go to a practice and avoid the tryout they just call the DOC of your kids team to pass on this information.Comment
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Was listening to a podcast by a youth coach in another state describing tryout season, and I was surprised when he said their state association doesn’t allow tryouts until after all state cup rounds are done, which is typically very late in the spring. When I emailed him about how clubs in NJ increasingly have tryouts in March (after confirming with the state association there are no restrictions on the date for tryouts) he was surprised and mystified about how a system like that could work. I have my suspicions about why we have no such rules in NJ, but maybe somebody can explain.Comment
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Tryouts are early for sure. Many teams won’t have played a single spring league game before tryouts. Plus many of the players are selected earlier than tryouts. One year daughter received her acceptance first week of march. I think PA doesnt allow tryouts until MayComment
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