I am interested in knowing how Shoreline FC is doing after this tryout season, specifically the branch that is run out of North Branford. we have several kids from our town who joined them this past year. They were rather weak players on the town team I coached and I was surprised that they made a Premier team. I have seen some of the bashing that goes on here and I am not looking to instigate. I really am curious if a Premier club like Shoreline is growing or contracting. Are they competitive in their leagues. I have worked with two of their coaches in town and I really think both guys are terrific. Wonderful coaches but I can't see how they will grow as a club with poor players being brought in.
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fishing with hand grenades is not considered being a good sport.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post -
They are in trouble. Poor tryout numbers coupled with lots of players leaving. Most of their problems have been self inflicted. They had some good players in several age groups but they just took on too many players that really should have continued at the town level.Comment
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That shoreline area of the state is over saturated with similar level clubs and not enough talent. Rush shoreline, SCP, Southeast and Shoreline should be consolidated into 1 or 2 clubs to help with the quality of players. It's amazing that they have lasted this long.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
The area also has players going to Ginga, FSA, Oakwood and CFC. It's a very competitive market for these clubs trying to attract playersComment
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I heard back a while ago the Greenwich teams were also facing some headwinds.. not sure if its a reflection of the entire club though.Comment
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Is "facing some headwinds" a good or bad thing? I've never heard that expression.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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I think people in those areas would disagree with you that Southeast in the same area. Kind of like SCP and BS and YU ..... all along the shoreline in CT for sure, but hardly the same area.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
head·wind.[ˈhedˌwind] NOUN: wind blowing from directly in front, opposing forward motion.
But a good sailor knows how to tack and maneuver to keep moving forward. All new clubs hit a wall at a some point. Their long term survival depends on what moves they make. In general many of these guys aren't businessmen but coaches/ex-players. I think the North branch has too much competition for not enough talent, not great leadership. The south branch seems to be doing betterComment
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But you are bleeding. 'No i'm not'. But i've cut your arm off. 'You have not'Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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Only real quality team they have had is there current graduating class in Greenwich. Big drop off from that.Comment
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Agree, Southeast not in direct competition with these guys. Southeast is primarily New London and surrounding areas. They go South along I95 to about East Lyme/Old Saybrook. Their only direct competition is a new club, Mendoca. That club is pretty weak but may make some headway because the directors are tied to the community, however, it will take several years.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
In New Haven Shoreline is competing directly with SCP and Rush Shoreline. SCP continues to struggle. Their good 2004 team blew apart and they have nothing below that on girls side. Boys in same boat. Rush is probably the best of this trio but that is not saying too much. SUFC, which was based out of Deep River is shutting down operations. That will be good for this region but they still need at least one more club to cease operations. CFC Sound and Ginga do pull a few players from the Shoreline but very few.
Based on my view of this competitive market I will predict that Shoreline is next to collapse. They have some good coaches and a couple of decent boys teams at the older ages but that's it. Very poor leadership and woeful organizational structure. They took on too many poor players and maxed out rosters. As a result their good players have left and their reputation in the local communities has been damaged irreparably. SCP and Rush will get stronger and will be the remaining two clubs.Comment
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Pretty thorough and accurate summary. I agree that Shoreline is on life support and probably will be done in next year. SCP will hang on because of name recognition but they have very little going on at the younger age groups. Rush have the brightest future. They have nothing going on at the older age groups but their younger teams are all solid on boys and girls side. I was at their tryouts in Madison and was quite impressed at their numbers. Let's see if they make same mistakes as their predecessors or if they have learned anything.Comment
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Comment from a Shoreline FC parent (now, "graduating" parent)
I was searching for an old Shoreline article and found this thread. At first I was not sure whether to even comment about what seems either some paid Trolls or just plain (in my opinion) poor approach to developmental soccer. I do know some folks in this business that would stoop this low to have someone else write these types of baseless and useless comments.
My name is Guillermo MacLean, I am the father of a player (and his about 18 friends) who have been at Shoreline for seven years and most of them have now been recruited to go into college soccer (some of them were approached by professional teams but none wanted to pursue that avenue at this point, they also happened to have become during those seven years quite outstanding students academically in their respective schools). I will make the following comment for any parent who is searching for advice for their own kid(s). Most comments I have read don't even qualify as advice :-) Here I go:
1. Don't chase fool's gold: If you believe that all players in a developmental team need to be super stars for your kid to actually develop and you cannot afford to "lose" a year or two, the problem will not be the club, it will be you and your approach. Until you don't resolve this it does not really matter where your kid goes. He will most likely end up being a reflection of that poor approach. No matter how naturally talented.
2. Don't be fooled by mirages of wins and rankings: The true value of developmental soccer is whether YOUR kid is growing. They can win all the games you want and win titles etc.. but if your kid is not developing, those wins will just be stroking your parental ego temporarily. Some clubs/academies all they care about is their image, your kid, his/her future (be it soccerwise or healthwise) come a distant second. If your kid gets injured, they'll replace him/her with another "great kid" after all, they just go and find another parent who is focused on the wrong goal and keep going.
3. So how to balance your decision making? In my humble opinion and experience, what you need to do is choose a coach and club (and yes, I did have as a parent an AMAZING experience with Shoreline FC, Danny Simpson and ALL his staff for SEVEN YEARS after having researched so many other clubs) that works for your kid. Ask them how committed are they to developing your kid. And over time, if you think the is an area where they are lacking during one season, it is important that you address it with them one-on-one (there is nothing worse that holding a grudge). Nothing is always perfect but that this is also part of the developmental process. Most amazing players don't come all from ONE team. Just because academies such as Barcelona's La Masia etc. appear on TV in a world of 7 billion people, does not mean that all the amazing players make a good/bad decision in ONE year at a club or academy. I know so many extraordinary and successful professional players in Europe that came out of failing clubs in their respective countries.
4. If what you want is the "best" team where "all the best players are" and who "will win all their games and championships" and you are the type that gets really upset during games if one kid is "not playing well" etc.. Yes, you are not the right parent, in my opinion, to belong to a developmental club such as Shoreline FC. They are better off without you, you will be better off going to a club that is at "your level", whatever you think it is.
5. Training, Training, Training, Training, then Game: Thanks to Shoreline FC, my son earned a scholarship to attend WestHam United Academy (and visited several others in England, aside from having a nephew that plays for Crystal Palace) and their amazing approach was to train all week and only play once a week (at most). Shoreline FC is a lot more than their rankings or their game results etc.. Their coaches are truly good and care for each one of the kids. Yes, they do try to win, they encourage high competitiveness, they have the hardcore experience in some of the best clubs in the best soccer countries, but not at the expense of your kids' health, safety or any other factor. For me it is very simple, every single player I know became a much much better player thanks to Shoreline FC coaches.
Hope this helps. Best wishes, gComment
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