What is going on with the BOLTS?!?!?!?!

[Unregistered]

You played for a club that ripped the rug out from under you, was raided by federal agencies and then completely and publicly collapsed nationwide. Now you’re unhappy with any other soccer club? You need psychological help.

What age group are we talking about?

Are you truly surprised that a massive McClub failed so now their untalented players are clogging fields of other clubs?

Have you given thought to the fact that your child might no be that good?

Could it be that your club is loyal to the players that have been there a while and new players need to prove themselves and break through?

If you aren’t on a club’s top team you can expect issues, some big, some small.

You sound like a club hopping parent anyway. You’ll always be unhappy. Find some help.

You are a miserable ******* who hides behind their keyboard. The concerns raised by the OP are being experienced across much of club soccer this Fall. There will be fall out next spring in terms of increased player and coach movement, some parents pulling their kids out of the club soccer environment and new parents choosing not to have their kids play club soccer. Why pay thousands of dollars for an experience that is close to town travel soccer which costs about 1/5 of the price?

[Unregistered]

What do they do if the coach they had at GPS is no longer coaching their age group, Einstein??

Don’t go to be coached by them. It’s a simple answer, Einstein

[Unregistered]

You played for a club that ripped the rug out from under you, was raided by federal agencies and then completely and publicly collapsed nationwide. Now you’re unhappy with any other soccer club? You need psychological help.

What age group are we talking about?

Are you truly surprised that a massive McClub failed so now their untalented players are clogging fields of other clubs?

Have you given thought to the fact that your child might no be that good?

Could it be that your club is loyal to the players that have been there a while and new players need to prove themselves and break through?

If you aren’t on a club’s top team you can expect issues, some big, some small.

You sound like a club hopping parent anyway. You’ll always be unhappy. Find some help.

I have considered all those things. I expected this type of reply from someone in response to my initial comment. I know my child is young, is a solid player among the top 10 kids on his team but would pale in comparison to talent we have never come in contact with. It is a common discussion in our house that no spot is every guaranteed, that you must work for it and that even hard work may not make you the most skilled or most played player. Facts of life!
Although hard to hear, it never hurts to have comments like yours keep me and other parents in check. I try to be real with my child's ability.

The other responses on this feed are great reminders that this is not a situation necessarily unique to the BOLTS. All clubs are doing their best under the circumstances. Thank you for the input.

[Unregistered]

let me guess...SU?

Same. Maybe the worst part is having to watch their social media accounts were every other state is still going full force. Tournaments, practices, classroom learning etc. and we are doing nothing.

[Unregistered]

Don’t waste your time and money there people u are not getting what u paid for. U need to move and move fast

[Unregistered]

Bolts rosters are all huge. Your son is a number, and the bolts have fallen into the greed trap. If you had the best coaching, go back to it.

On the one hand I think Bolts were right to take on some of the kids that got screwed by GPS and it is reasonable to expect that rosters would be larger this year.

On the other I don't think parents fully realized that RDL rosters get cut in half next year (if there is even a league at all) and ECNL boys is less than ideal. If your son is one of the 10-20 best kids in the state and is a true one sport, no high school soccer player, great. If not there are very likely better options out there.

[Unregistered]

My son played for GPS last year. Despite their struggles, we had some of the best coaching to date at this club. We are now part of the BOLTS RDL team and I am an incredibly dissatisfied parent right now. Tonight at practice there were over 50 boys playing under the guidance of only 3 caoches. The skill level was huge. How are kids supposed to develop when they are playing kids well below their level and in masses? We came to this club under the impression that our son would be under the guidance of experienced coaches. We turned down other invitation because we were making a move for the coaching quality we were told would be provided and for the similarity of player skills on a team. Well, two of the more seniour coaches have slowly vanished since week 3 of practice and we are now under coaches that are just barely out of college themselves. I have friends in most major clubs around Boston and when we compare notes, the BOLTS are not doing right by these young RDL players. My spouse is ready to pull our son even if it means not playing club at all this season/year. Other parents are also very unhappy. It's such an impersonal environment at BOLTS. Advice on what we should do? Tried talking to DC about this in a PC way but I feel like his motivation is elsewhere not in individual player development or parent communication/customer service.

Having been at a club where it was common/standard to have 30 kids in a session, and now being at one where sessions are strictly limited to teams, I'd never do it the first way again.

[Unregistered]

Having been at a club where it was common/standard to have 30 kids in a session, and now being at one where sessions are strictly limited to teams, I'd never do it the first way again.

Lot's of complaining on this thread. The difficulty for clubs is that there has been massive upheaval this year (Covid cancellations, Development Academy shut down, GPS debacle, etc). I have two boys and have done

1. RDL, or equivalent level of play, is not uncommon. If you are unhappy then switch to another club in the general vicinity until you find the coaching that allows your kid to develop. Bolts practice in Newton, West Roxbury, etc. Valeo, NEFC, FC Stars, etc are in the same basic geographic area.

2. My kids have played at, or tried out for, many clubs. We've seen the inexperienced coaches, the international coaches, the yelling coaches, etc. My advice is that if you aren't happy with the current coach and your kid isn't developing then move on. You will regret it in a year if you don't.

3. Don't get hung up on RDL. Your kid is young...who knows what's going to happen between U12 and U16...there's a lot of time in there...focus on you and your kid enjoying the time and growing as a player. For the last 10 years we've done all levels of clubs (DA, ECNL, NEP/Maple, national cup, Jefferson cup, etc)...you will want to look back on these times as it being enjoyable for you and your kid.

4. My kid is on a different club now but we were on the Bolts for a while. My opinion is that they are a good club (I can compare them to many other programs). We left because the coach we had didn't communicate well and that was stopping development. I've attended hundreds of practices with the Bolts and have never seen 30 kids with one coach...not saying it didn't happen but I've never seen it.

[Unregistered]

Lot's of complaining on this thread. The difficulty for clubs is that there has been massive upheaval this year (Covid cancellations, Development Academy shut down, GPS debacle, etc). I have two boys and have done

1. RDL, or equivalent level of play, is not uncommon. If you are unhappy then switch to another club in the general vicinity until you find the coaching that allows your kid to develop. Bolts practice in Newton, West Roxbury, etc. Valeo, NEFC, FC Stars, etc are in the same basic geographic area.

2. My kids have played at, or tried out for, many clubs. We've seen the inexperienced coaches, the international coaches, the yelling coaches, etc. My advice is that if you aren't happy with the current coach and your kid isn't developing then move on. You will regret it in a year if you don't.

3. Don't get hung up on RDL. Your kid is young...who knows what's going to happen between U12 and U16...there's a lot of time in there...focus on you and your kid enjoying the time and growing as a player. For the last 10 years we've done all levels of clubs (DA, ECNL, NEP/Maple, national cup, Jefferson cup, etc)...you will want to look back on these times as it being enjoyable for you and your kid.

4. My kid is on a different club now but we were on the Bolts for a while. My opinion is that they are a good club (I can compare them to many other programs). We left because the coach we had didn't communicate well and that was stopping development. I've attended hundreds of practices with the Bolts and have never seen 30 kids with one coach...not saying it didn't happen but I've never seen it.

Thank you for the thoughtful response.

[Unregistered]

Lot's of complaining on this thread. The difficulty for clubs is that there has been massive upheaval this year (Covid cancellations, Development Academy shut down, GPS debacle, etc). I have two boys and have done

1. RDL, or equivalent level of play, is not uncommon. If you are unhappy then switch to another club in the general vicinity until you find the coaching that allows your kid to develop. Bolts practice in Newton, West Roxbury, etc. Valeo, NEFC, FC Stars, etc are in the same basic geographic area.

2. My kids have played at, or tried out for, many clubs. We've seen the inexperienced coaches, the international coaches, the yelling coaches, etc. My advice is that if you aren't happy with the current coach and your kid isn't developing then move on. You will regret it in a year if you don't.

3. Don't get hung up on RDL. Your kid is young...who knows what's going to happen between U12 and U16...there's a lot of time in there...focus on you and your kid enjoying the time and growing as a player. For the last 10 years we've done all levels of clubs (DA, ECNL, NEP/Maple, national cup, Jefferson cup, etc)...you will want to look back on these times as it being enjoyable for you and your kid.

4. My kid is on a different club now but we were on the Bolts for a while. My opinion is that they are a good club (I can compare them to many other programs). We left because the coach we had didn't communicate well and that was stopping development. I've attended hundreds of practices with the Bolts and have never seen 30 kids with one coach...not saying it didn't happen but I've never seen it.

While I don’t disagree with most of what you said, I think you missed the point.

Clubs charge for a service like any other business. Regardless of Covid, leagues and clubs falling apart or any other number of excuses, they still need to provide this service the same way we are expected to fulfill our end of the bargain financially.

To over book rosters, understaff or provide inadequate coaches, skip tournaments and shorten length/number of training sessions in order to save money and increase profit is just plain wrong. Last year it was thrown in our faces that clubs were going to keep our dues and give little to nothing in return while having drastically cut their costs. They didn’t suffer, the kids did.

That said, of course it sounds like “lots of complaining” because it is. People have a right to be upset. I’m sure the OP came here in hopes to find a better option and blow off a little steam at the same time. I don’t see a problem with that.

On a positive note, yourself and the OP we’re very tasteful in your post which usually isn’t the case on TS.

[Unregistered]

While I don’t disagree with most of what you said, I think you missed the point.

Clubs charge for a service like any other business. Regardless of Covid, leagues and clubs falling apart or any other number of excuses, they still need to provide this service the same way we are expected to fulfill our end of the bargain financially.

To over book rosters, understaff or provide inadequate coaches, skip tournaments and shorten length/number of training sessions in order to save money and increase profit is just plain wrong. Last year it was thrown in our faces that clubs were going to keep our dues and give little to nothing in return while having drastically cut their costs. They didn’t suffer, the kids did.

That said, of course it sounds like “lots of complaining” because it is. People have a right to be upset. I’m sure the OP came here in hopes to find a better option and blow off a little steam at the same time. I don’t see a problem with that.

On a positive note, yourself and the OP we’re very tasteful in your post which usually isn’t the case on TS.

For all the clowns that out there, they had 3 coaches last night Running that practice and it was technical night. kids were rotating thru the exercises. Hope the concept is not too hard to understand.

[Unregistered]

For all the clowns that out there, they had 3 coaches last night Running that practice and it was technical night. kids were rotating thru the exercises. Hope the concept is not too hard to understand.

Just stop. The tone of this thread has been refreshingly non jerky and I'll try to maintain it, but I know you don't think Bolts cares about the bottom 2/3 of the RDL group. They are run for the 10 best kids in the club in each birth year, make no bones about that fact, and that is totally fine. If your kid is one of that subset, and Mt. Ida is convenient for you, great.

[Unregistered]

While I don’t disagree with most of what you said, I think you missed the point.

Clubs charge for a service like any other business. Regardless of Covid, leagues and clubs falling apart or any other number of excuses, they still need to provide this service the same way we are expected to fulfill our end of the bargain financially.

To over book rosters, understaff or provide inadequate coaches, skip tournaments and shorten length/number of training sessions in order to save money and increase profit is just plain wrong. Last year it was thrown in our faces that clubs were going to keep our dues and give little to nothing in return while having drastically cut their costs. They didn’t suffer, the kids did.

That said, of course it sounds like “lots of complaining” because it is. People have a right to be upset. I’m sure the OP came here in hopes to find a better option and blow off a little steam at the same time. I don’t see a problem with that.

On a positive note, yourself and the OP we’re very tasteful in your post which usually isn’t the case on TS.

I agree. I wasn't trying to comment on the state of club soccer or the quality of the product that is being delivered. I am at the tail end of my TS experience (youngest is graduating) and I was just trying to provide some advice based on my experience in club soccer.

I had an overall good experience with the Bolts as a club. We might've stayed a year too long because we were with the same coach for a long time. But my opinion is that the Bolts a good product and my son developed while he practiced/played there.

I agree that club soccer needs to deliver a better product. I was only pointing out that the past year has been devastating to many businesses and club soccer is no exception. My experience with club soccer in 2019 was very good. 2020...not so much. But I will say our current club did everything they could during this unprecedented pandemic. They had online training, phone calls with coaches, extra trainings while in Phase 2, college recruiting assistance, etc. It still isn't what I paid for...but I didn't go back at the club for money because I didn't get my 16 games...they are a small business and I want them to survive. I do the same for local restaurants and shops in my town.

All i was really trying to say was that very few kids get scholarships. Don't do club soccer for scholarships. Do club soccer because your child enjoys it and is growing as a player. The time spent while driving to practice or games while they are 10-16 years old is probably the last time you will get quality time...savor it. That time has passed for me...my son drives himself to practice.

[Unregistered]

BA will get found out within a year. He’s a complete scumbag, insecure and about one thing... $$$

[Unregistered]

RG when will u give up?