Showcase or Theater

[Unregistered]

Interesting on so many levels. First point, who is the consumer? If you have a kid who is capable of playing up and they won't do it, why in the name of god are you still with that club? Second point, maybe you should take a big step back and take an objective look at where you think you are heading because if your kid can't actually play up then how do you expect them to play in college where they will have teammates who are 3-4 years older? More important though they have little to no shot at all at standing out in a showcase environment so you are just wasting money.

Yet thousands of freshman are successful at the college level that never played up. It just isn't that easy to make it happen - it turns into a political football for clubs so they reserve it for only the most uber talented if ever. Nor does the inability to make it happen at your club mean you are incapable of doing it.

[Unregistered]

Why all the showcase hate bro?

Because in the process of players getting to where they want to go, the value of the showcase is vastly overstated by those with a conflict of interest to perpetuate the myth. You already know that though, like everyone else.

[Unregistered]

I’ve done this with 2 daughters at different ends of the spectrum. Boys are different. The bottom line is if your kid has demonstrated that they can play there will be a “buzz” about them out there amongst the club and college coaches. It’s s matter of understanding that buzz and knowing who is really intrigued by what they’re hearing. Your club coach should be helping you with all of that and actually making the initial connection. I think you will find that once the connection is made setting up the evaluation is more a scheduling issue than anything else. If you with a club coach who won’t help you, you need to figure out why. I can’t tell you how many parents I’ve watched reject what their club coach was saying and then claim they got no help. On the other hand there a more than enough supposedly “great” club coaches around here who won’t lift a finger for their players. You have to deal with the root issue and if it really is your kid isn’t good enough to play where you see them the nothing is going to work. If on the other hand you have a lazy club coach go find someone different.

This is an excellent post.

[Unregistered]

Because in the process of players getting to where they want to go, the value of the showcase is vastly overstated by those with a conflict of interest to perpetuate the myth. You already know that though, like everyone else.

Someone is very anti-showcase today. What gives dude? Were you expecting more for your kid and now have buyer's remorse?

Or is this just a variation of the ongoing theme "club soccer is a waste of time and money"?

[Unregistered]

Someone is very anti-showcase today. What gives dude? Were you expecting more for your kid and now have buyer's remorse?

Or is this just a variation of the ongoing theme "club soccer is a waste of time and money"?

But it really is for 99.9% of the kids and threads like this confirm it all of the time. Its the folks with a vested interest in promoting the need for showcases (like you no doubt) that especially need to be put under the microscope and their agenda exposed.

[Unregistered]

But it really is for 99.9% of the kids and threads like this confirm it all of the time. Its the folks with a vested interest in promoting the need for showcases (like you no doubt) that especially need to be put under the microscope and their agenda exposed.

OP was right - the same old garbage that rises up out of your swamp every few weeks. Please prove to us that players can get recruited without showcases. Oh yeah, you can't. Bet you started the ECNL cost thread also.

[Unregistered]

OP was right - the same old garbage that rises up out of your swamp every few weeks. Please prove to us that players can get recruited without showcases. Oh yeah, you can't. Bet you started the ECNL cost thread also.

Did not start the ECNL thread. Nice to see how many others are catching on though. Just because you drank the kool-aide don't assume that everyone does. My last kid only needed to go to one showcase in order to get the offer they accepted. That's the benefit of experience and why threads like this are necessary. The only real reason we had to go to any showcases at all was it an out of state school and that just ended up to be the most convenient venue. She was on that coaches radar because of her resume (ODP etc) and drew the coaches attention during their summer camp. We did go to other showcases but the reason was related to the wants of the other families on the team and not recruiting.

[Unregistered]

Did not start the ECNL thread. Nice to see how many others are catching on though. Just because you drank the kool-aide don't assume that everyone does. My last kid only needed to go to one showcase in order to get the offer they accepted. That's the benefit of experience and why threads like this are necessary. The only real reason we had to go to any showcases at all was it an out of state school and that just ended up to be the most convenient venue. She was on that coaches radar because of her resume (ODP etc) and drew the coaches attention during their summer camp. We did go to other showcases but the reason was related to the wants of the other families on the team and not recruiting.

ODP????? what is this 1996?

[Unregistered]

If you email a coach about an upcoming showcase that you know they will be attending will they reply back to let you know they will be there to watch? Do coaches let interested players know so you can tell the club coach ?

[Unregistered]

If you email a coach about an upcoming showcase that you know they will be attending will they reply back to let you know they will be there to watch? Do coaches let interested players know so you can tell the club coach ?

Most times yes, but sometimes it's just a polite "we'll try and come watch you play." The best way to tell if they're interested is see if they actually show up.

[Unregistered]

Did not start the ECNL thread. Nice to see how many others are catching on though. Just because you drank the kool-aide don't assume that everyone does. My last kid only needed to go to one showcase in order to get the offer they accepted. That's the benefit of experience and why threads like this are necessary. The only real reason we had to go to any showcases at all was it an out of state school and that just ended up to be the most convenient venue. She was on that coaches radar because of her resume (ODP etc) and drew the coaches attention during their summer camp. We did go to other showcases but the reason was related to the wants of the other families on the team and not recruiting.

So what if that one showcase hadn't gotten her the deal? She'd be doing the same thing everyone else does; going to other showcases. And you didn't save any money because you still went to the showcases.

[Unregistered]

Yet thousands of freshman are successful at the college level that never played up. It just isn't that easy to make it happen - it turns into a political football for clubs so they reserve it for only the most uber talented if ever. Nor does the inability to make it happen at your club mean you are incapable of doing it.

I know all about the politcs but some of it has nothing to do with club politics. Some of it is actually accomplished by starting for the varsity as a freshman. There’s more than one way to solve a problem.

[Unregistered]

So what if that one showcase hadn't gotten her the deal? She'd be doing the same thing everyone else does; going to other showcases. And you didn't save any money because you still went to the showcases.

Don’t you understand, the deal was basically decided before the showcase while she was at the camp. The game at the showcase was just a checkin and the offer was shared the next day.

[Unregistered]

If you email a coach about an upcoming showcase that you know they will be attending will they reply back to let you know they will be there to watch? Do coaches let interested players know so you can tell the club coach ?

Respectfully, you’re basically on a fishing expedition and not even on the right planet if you don’t know who is interested before going to a showcase.

[Unregistered]

Don’t you understand, the deal was basically decided before the showcase while she was at the camp. The game at the showcase was just a checkin and the offer was shared the next day.

How many ID events did she do? What would she have done if she hadn't had that almost-done-deal?