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    Is your team fully rostered??

    I have been hearing a lot of teams still do not have the rosters they once were able to field.

    #2
    EDP using USYSA cards has wrecked havoc on a lot of clubs.

    I guess it's been a couple years since the clubs got wrecked with the age group changes, so why not throw everyone off kilter again.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
      I have been hearing a lot of teams still do not have the rosters they once were able to field.
      Yes, both of my daughters teams are, but I have heard of many teams still looking for players. Teams have imploded this year, lots of teams going full sided this year could not add the extra kids and had to drop a team, coaches taking teams to other clubs continues -- lots of drama....it never ends.

      Comment


        #4
        its mostly these so-called 'academy' type teams. They make big promises and inflate egos and when mom and dad who thought they had the next soccer phenom don't get what they want they either cause drama within the team or move to what they assume is greener pastures....again mostly because they are sold by these half-assed development academies.

        Comment


          #5
          From another thread

          This was just posted not long ago on another thread in CT.... VERY interesting read, and ha some thoughts that pertain to this discussion. Some of it is not related, but the gist of it is.

          I just copied and pasted it.

          ________________

          Hello everyone who has participated on this thread. I've read the thread from beginning to end twice, and I like the content (whether I agree or disagree) as its a very relevant topic and some of the ideas shared and discussed here are real, regardless how it unfolds from here.

          That said, I would like to interject and share my thoughts. They are as I said my thoughts, and that makes them neither right nor wrong, just my ideas after 15 years in youth soccer. I've coached at the REC level, town travel level, club level, and have been an administer at the REC level, and Club level. I now participate at the MLS level as an administrator. I've lived in southern CT for the past 17 years. I have children who currently play the game at the Club level for a DA club, one in the USSDA, and one soon to be of age for that to begin (and yet to be determined if they make that team when that time comes.

          I say all of this because the more I share about who I am, the easier it is for you all to digest my thoughts as a collection of being involved in the sport, a parent of players, and a shape crafter of the system we currently see today.

          What changed so quickly, somewhat recently, has been the PRIVATE CLUB involvement at the younger ages. Prior to their jump into the sub U-13 age group, town travel was the best game in town. Since the move to starting at U-8 at the private club level, there are YEARS of town travel being sacrificed because parents believe that the training at the Club level is better, that the talent at the club level is better, and that in order to give their perceived super star child the best chance at reaching their potential, they need to be at the Club level and will sacrifice their family vacation to pay that bill.

          ....and they are right!

          Whether it be by design or chance, the evolution of this landscape has the more talented athletes gravitating towards the private club arena. Of course that isn't an absolute result, its just a more often then not result. The ones being a little left behind are the talented minorities. That said, most club teams have at least 2 scholarships per team, and at the DA level there are nearly 1/2 of the roster available for that. So as the costs increase for the private club option, so to do the scholarship dollars appropriated to it. There is more ground to be made up, but there IS progress.

          When stronger players practice together, it allows the coaches to craft their sessions to a higher level. Its like a math class with smarter students, it allows for a quicker progression of material and complexity.

          Because of the $ involved, and there is money involved, the stronger coaches gravitate towards club as well. They can earn $12,000 to $17,000 per team they coach, and the town environment can't support that. That is the economic landscape, and that is not going to change. What IS going to change is the number of clubs that can survive in this environment, and so the number of teams where these positions are available will diminish in time. Those jobs will be coveted. But those stronger coaches are STRONGER. Its their career, not just a job. They work hard, they are evaluated on the quality of their sessions, and are held to a standard with that oversight.

          The 'elite' nature of town travel is diminished greatly, and the elite nature of the private clubs has diminished as well. As the expansion of teams/clubs has saturated the area in recent years, the quality of the players diminishes at the depth space of the roster. That will continue to evolve with some of the historically stronger clubs suffering as well. That may mean CFC looses some teams, that may mean Beachside looses some teams. Shoreline has already lost teams (and almost their entire Northern branch).

          It seems that the DA Club level is stronger though, there are always a lot of talent finding its way there. Whether you are a supporter of the boys DA, the GDA, or the ECNL, strength finds strength. This can be a positive for the development of the sport, but also displacing for players (and lets be honest, they are kids and players) as they get displaced in the 12-15 year age level when teams consolidate and core talent matriculates to fewer clubs/programs; that will NOT change.

          So the onus falls on you, the parents. Do you GIVE IT A GO, and send your 9 year old to private club, not knowing whether they emerge from that 4 year tunnel on the inside looking in, or do you wait until they mature and develop into the player they become and MANAGE that development process on your own knowing that the town travel environment/coaching is at a standard below that of the private club experience? That is the question that I believe should occupy the discussion at some level with parents.

          There ARE developments that will ease this issue in the coming years. First is that DA clubs will be doing away with their premier teams, freeing up entire rosters to either move back towards town teams, or to participate at the club level at non DA clubs. This will have a ripple effect as players who were previously on a Shoreline or CFC (boys), Chelsea Piers or any other private club, may get displaced by DA club players who just missed the DA team roster. That in turn releases other players to return to the town. Although this process will take a few years to materialize in full, it will begin this fall and should gain speed each year thereafter.

          In the end, our regional contribution to US soccer has and will continue to improve. Progress can sometimes be difficult to see, and can also be disruptive during that transition.

          I've said to much already, happy to continue this thread and respond to well thought out follow ups.

          Comment


            #6
            The message is received and I agree to a certain extent. However, I can only speak to the region in which my child plays - here on LI - there are TOO many clubs and TOO many of them market themselves as "elite" or "premiere". Unfortunately, more often than not, these club coaches are not equipped with the training skills to develop high level players.

            Comment


              #7
              The travel is really stupid. It waste time and wastes money and drives kids out of the sport for nothing. Families have to drive past 6 other very good "private" teams to a game because they are in a different league. It is nonsense. Coaching improvements are great but the overall set up now is getting ridiculous.

              My opionion. People keep signing up for it so I guess many like it but teams are struggling to get enough players.

              Comment


                #8
                We moved our kid to a "premier" club after one year of town travel. This was for the U11 year. For us, it was the right decision as the quality of players in trainings with was so much higher than the town team it was no comparison. This meant moving from dad coaches (who always put their kids into top positions despite them not being very good) into a club with professional coaches and an actual curriculum.

                I agree the league issue is stupid. We also will travel 2 hours to play teams when top teams are playing another league 30 minutes away from us. The whole EDP vs NPL thing at this age is annoying but we really make decisions more based on where training is than the games.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Agree 100%

                  Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                  We moved our kid to a "premier" club after one year of town travel. This was for the U11 year. For us, it was the right decision as the quality of players in trainings with was so much higher than the town team it was no comparison. This meant moving from dad coaches (who always put their kids into top positions despite them not being very good) into a club with professional coaches and an actual curriculum.

                  I agree the league issue is stupid. We also will travel 2 hours to play teams when top teams are playing another league 30 minutes away from us. The whole EDP vs NPL thing at this age is annoying but we really make decisions more based on where training is than the games.
                  The younger the player, the more important training. Anything under U-15 should be about training almost entirely. Games are the fewest touches per time allotment vs training.

                  Train close
                  Travel far for games

                  That model works. Also, PARENTS, you don't have to go to every game. CAR POOL and go to every other game. You might find your kid likes that also! But they've never experienced a game without mom or dad watching .... time to let go (every other game) and let the kids grow up, become a member of a team, and not look to you when they do something good or bad.

                  Train close
                  Play far, attend less games as parents.

                  That is the model.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    i thought the point of this thread was about how are teams getting roster with this dilution of high level players? Most these teams have what I assume to be a decent roster, but what happens after the season starts and with it - the injuries, etc.....there really isn't much depth on the benches (which already seems to be sparse in most cases). Most of these clubs have 2-5 good/great players and then the talent falls off dramatically.

                    If we as the consumer banned together and held these academies to a higher standard - for which we pay a good amount of money for - maybe we could get a solid club who is geared on actually developing players at the highest level in lieu of this fast money grab for all the families who think they birthed the greatest young athlete that ever lived...

                    too many options - not enough quality soccer....just my two cents...

                    Comment


                      #11
                      The greatest young athlete

                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      i thought the point of this thread was about how are teams getting roster with this dilution of high level players? Most these teams have what I assume to be a decent roster, but what happens after the season starts and with it - the injuries, etc.....there really isn't much depth on the benches (which already seems to be sparse in most cases). Most of these clubs have 2-5 good/great players and then the talent falls off dramatically.

                      If we as the consumer banned together and held these academies to a higher standard - for which we pay a good amount of money for - maybe we could get a solid club who is geared on actually developing players at the highest level in lieu of this fast money grab for all the families who think they birthed the greatest young athlete that ever lived...

                      too many options - not enough quality soccer....just my two cents...
                      The invisible hand will solve all of those issues. It just won't FEEL good to everyone.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                        The invisible hand will solve all of those issues. It just won't FEEL good to everyone.
                        Consolidation is coming; survival of the fittest.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                          The younger the player, the more important training. Anything under U-15 should be about training almost entirely. Games are the fewest touches per time allotment vs training.

                          Train close
                          Travel far for games

                          That model works. Also, PARENTS, you don't have to go to every game. CAR POOL and go to every other game. You might find your kid likes that also! But they've never experienced a game without mom or dad watching .... time to let go (every other game) and let the kids grow up, become a member of a team, and not look to you when they do something good or bad.

                          Train close
                          Play far, attend less games as parents.

                          That is the model.
                          That is a bad model.

                          Train close. Travel close.

                          That is a better moel.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                            That is a bad model.

                            Train close. Travel close.

                            That is a better moel.
                            Yes your is preferred. However, with all the leagues splitting teams and players into smaller and smaller groups I'm not sure we will ever get back to a more balanced approach. The only way it can is if enough families say enough is enough. But so far there always enough willing to write checks and that's really what it's all about

                            Besides, car pooling often times isn't possible - club players come from all over. Certainly parents don't have to go to every game. But they want to for all kinds of reasons (good and bad). Once your kids start leaving for college you cherish those times because it's over in a heart beat. I'm not going to admonish parents for wanting to be there.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                              Yes your is preferred. However, with all the leagues splitting teams and players into smaller and smaller groups I'm not sure we will ever get back to a more balanced approach. The only way it can is if enough families say enough is enough. But so far there always enough willing to write checks and that's really what it's all about

                              Besides, car pooling often times isn't possible - club players come from all over. Certainly parents don't have to go to every game. But they want to for all kinds of reasons (good and bad). Once your kids start leaving for college you cherish those times because it's over in a heart beat. I'm not going to admonish parents for wanting to be there.
                              Parents is the least of it. These kids have heavy academic loads and don't need to spending hours upon hours in cars and even planes for games that can be had within a drive of an hour or two. They would be better players if they used all that time practicing instead of traveling.

                              Comment

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