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The word "Elite" has jumped the shark.

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    The word "Elite" has jumped the shark.

    Every $ club and clueless parent throws the word around.
    Most clubs have truly one or two truly talented
    players worthy of this classification.
    Reality check people!

    #2
    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
    Every $ club and clueless parent throws the word around.
    Most clubs have truly one or two truly talented
    players worthy of this classification.
    Reality check people!
    Who cares?

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
      Every $ club and clueless parent throws the word around.
      Most clubs have truly one or two truly talented
      players worthy of this classification.
      Reality check people!
      Sounds like you are bitter because your kid didn't make the cut for the "Elite" team. Get a life...

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
        Sounds like you are bitter because your kid didn't make the cut for the "Elite" team. Get a life...
        I wouldn't say that necessarily. Is it stating the obvious? Sure, but it says nothing about the OP's own kids or agenda. None of my kids are elite or will be, they're just average players. Great kids, smart kids with average athleticism and skill who enjoy playing soccer. But I've been around it long enough that I've tired of all of the cliches and stereotypes brought to life by so many adults that detract rather than add to the experience.

        Comment


          #5
          Wonder if all of these debates we seem to have about who is the greatest U12 team or whether Maple is better than NEP are really between parents of outstanding players or merely parents who wish they had outstanding players?

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
            Every $ club and clueless parent throws the word around.
            Most clubs have truly one or two truly talented
            players worthy of this classification.
            Reality check people!
            "Elite" is the current term the clubs use to drive up demand.

            Used to be "Premier".

            Then I think it was "Select".

            When the marketing genius' at the clubs think Elite has run its course, they will come up with another name.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
              "Elite" is the current term the clubs use to drive up demand.

              Used to be "Premier".

              Then I think it was "Select".

              When the marketing genius' at the clubs think Elite has run its course, they will come up with another name.

              MPS does a great job with the wording. When they run out of different descriptors they then label them after great soccer players like 'messi'. Just to confuse things more, they have the teams from different regions; Knights, Crusaders, Bulldog etc etc. Finally, they are jumping up from the Premier, Select, and Elite teams to the GPS teams. All in all, I suspect they have successfully taken money from well more than 2000 families each year. From a business perspective kudos to the Bradley boys.

              Comment


                #8
                To the earlier post asking who is engaging in all of these debates, I tend to believe it's driven by an overdose of ego and zealousness by the parent to some degree overestimating their own kid, whether that's some combination of skill or even love for the game. I've seen many kids who regardless of ability aren't having much fun and that seems to relate to their own parent's "enthusiasm" - sometimes supporting more mean being less visible and vocal.

                The last two posts are dead on - in a word, "elite" is about marketing, not truth in advertising.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                  MPS does a great job with the wording. When they run out of different descriptors they then label them after great soccer players like 'messi'. Just to confuse things more, they have the teams from different regions; Knights, Crusaders, Bulldog etc etc. Finally, they are jumping up from the Premier, Select, and Elite teams to the GPS teams. All in all, I suspect they have successfully taken money from well more than 2000 families each year. From a business perspective kudos to the Bradley boys.
                  very funny. and so true.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Big Time

                    My daughter plays for the Super Premier Elite National Team (SPENT) of her very prestigious club. Next year, with some hard work, private sessions and summer camp her coach says she has a shot at making the "A" team.

                    Fingers crossed,
                    Daddy Warbucks

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      To the earlier post asking who is engaging in all of these debates, I tend to believe it's driven by an overdose of ego and zealousness by the parent to some degree overestimating their own kid, whether that's some combination of skill or even love for the game. I've seen many kids who regardless of ability aren't having much fun and that seems to relate to their own parent's "enthusiasm" - sometimes supporting more mean being less visible and vocal.

                      The last two posts are dead on - in a word, "elite" is about marketing, not truth in advertising.
                      Absolutely true. My theory is that the " marketing" of youth soccer, either by design or consequence, is directed towards a specific group of people with discretionary income and who have children.

                      Previous to the run up in particiaption by Premier and Elite teams, the children that were interested in soccer were different. It was a fringe, and then near fringe sport. Enter the marketing, and it sucked in a large group of customers , many of whom are into it not for the same reasons as the previous generations participants. Now it is less about the sport itself, but more about the leagues, placements, " getting seen " , all of the adult introduced parts of the fabric etc.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                        My daughter plays for the Super Premier Elite National Team (SPENT) of her very prestigious club. Next year, with some hard work, private sessions and summer camp her coach says she has a shot at making the "A" team.

                        Fingers crossed,
                        Daddy Warbucks

                        My kids play soccer. We are also working on the school thing. At least there, an 'A' is an 'A' whether it is call elite, select, or super.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                          My daughter plays for the Super Premier Elite National Team (SPENT) of her very prestigious club. Next year, with some hard work, private sessions and summer camp her coach says she has a shot at making the "A" team.

                          Fingers crossed,
                          Daddy Warbucks
                          I could see the soccer clubs going the way of hockey and having "AAA" teams, "AA" teams and an "A" team. That way parents of kids on the "A" team can still brag about their kids to friends and co workers

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                            Absolutely true. My theory is that the " marketing" of youth soccer, either by design or consequence, is directed towards a specific group of people with discretionary income and who have children.

                            Previous to the run up in particiaption by Premier and Elite teams, the children that were interested in soccer were different. It was a fringe, and then near fringe sport. Enter the marketing, and it sucked in a large group of customers , many of whom are into it not for the same reasons as the previous generations participants. Now it is less about the sport itself, but more about the leagues, placements, " getting seen " , all of the adult introduced parts of the fabric etc.
                            Other people just give it an all encompassing label - scam

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                              I could see the soccer clubs going the way of hockey and having "AAA" teams, "AA" teams and an "A" team. That way parents of kids on the "A" team can still brag about their kids to friends and co workers
                              That doesn't quite work because of the AA. Whenever you have a AA its implied that AAA exists. So when the washed up jock shows up at the car wash for work he can't really say his kid is on the "AA" team. At least the scrub playing on the "A" team can tell people he's on the A team and no one realizes its the C team.

                              Keep working it thought because I think you are on to something.

                              Comment

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