There was a thread a few weeks ago about Club teams in BAYS. What does anyone know about town teams attempting to form a Club (or maybe not) and play in Maple. This is the big talk in my town and it sounds very fishy. So the question is if anyone has experience with this? And, what would be the benefit for a kid to play for a "club" team when they could go play for an established club? P.S. These are 10 year old boys...if that makes a difference given the landscape of club teams.
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Its happened quite a bit actually. If the water is just right and a town team is consistently beating their competition, the coach may see about taking the next step.
Nothing wrong with it. A few teams have been pretty successful making D1. -
Then what?
So if they are 10 years old, playing Maple...assume success. Now what? When the roster size grows, where are they going to pull players from to stay competitive? Who would have their child go play for this town "club" team when they could go to another real club? This can only last for so long. Is it just a band-aid to allow for the kids to grow through better competition before they are sent off to the real world of club?Comment
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Is the town team wanting to play in Maple, or is the town team wanting to form their own club? Or both? And, is your question whether you should have your son involved with all of this? Tell us more.Comment
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Sometimes this happens because the players/parents want better competition but do not want the driving time or cost associated with joining a "real" club. It has happened in our town on the girls side. Not sure how long it will last.Comment
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It is being sold like it will be a club team simply because they will be playing in Maple like all of the other club teams. For parents that are new to soccer or who have had sad experiences with their child and club in the past, this is exciting to them. And the coaches are actually speaking directly to the kids telling them that they will be just like all of their friends who play club if they stay with this team next year. As far as fees, coaching, etc., I haven't been paying enough attention yet... I think the same parent coaches, basically the same team (which is very talented) and I'm guessing higher fees to play in the different league.Comment
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Did it actually stay just like your town team, but playing in Maple instead of Bays (or equivalent)? Were the kids told that it was going to be just like club so they should stay with your team rather than looking elsewhere? Were you traveling to tournaments?Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
It sounds good if it gives them more competition, but like you are saying, I can't see how long it can last. At some point, a handful of the players are going to want to take it to the next step.Comment
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Run away. Imagine town soccer politics on steroids. If the team is that strong in their current league, what will happen if they start struggling in Maple. If they are selling it as a club, then they need to run it like a club. Unless they change their message and sell it as it is ... new league = better compettion ... then it sounds like trouble to me.Comment
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Sounds fine. There is nothing wrong with a town team looking for better competition. If in a year or two the team isn't as competitive anymore - oh well - nothing lost. Or who knows, if all the kids progress and stay together they could be a force. All the Naysayers are people locked onto the Club thing and can't imagine a town team beating their club team or even being on the same field. What will probably happen as the kids mature is that your team will not be as competitive as they can be at ten. But for now - go for it.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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It shouldn't be about the competition, it should be about the training. That is why a parent should spend the extra money and extra family time with a club.
If the parent town coaches are as strong as club coaches, there is no problem with this. But if the kids aren't getting the training, the future is moot because the kids won't be good enough to play for a good club and the team will struggle to remain with the league.Comment
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This sounds like good advice. If your town team has lucked into both talent and good coaching, then why not try some better competition?Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
Keep in mind, however, that BAYS is huge, and the very top divisions of BAYS are quite competitive. Most towns can't rally enough talent in one age bracket to actually need better competition than BAYS offers. So this push for Maple thing may just be your coach using a decent team to launch a club. Nothing wrong with that, per se, but it is a business venture. Should the team do well, you may find your player out in the cold next year after tryouts.
Another thing to remember is that the best club teams are all star teams of the best town players from many towns. Again, if your town has lucked into a super star team at one age level, great. But you may find that this wonderful team of yours crashes and burns when put up against the best club teams. From all wins to all losses can be deal breaker, and this team might not be in Maple after one year.
But for now, why not? Give it a try!Comment
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So when a team first starts in Maple, how does that work? Do they start in the lowest division and have to work their way up? The whole top 2 move up and bottom 2 move down thing? I think the last time I looked at the Maple divisions for U10 boys, there were 7 divisions. That's a lot of teams. Working up from the 7th division would take an awfully long time.Comment
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Good point. Are the group of parents that are pushing this move and selling it as a club team actually qualified to provide the training to keep the team competitive? How long can you give this test? If you hang around with this team for too long while other boys (in other towns or your town) are in clubs, the competition is going to be that much tougher when your child is ready to take it to the next level.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
If it is still about having fun and learning to play on a team, then there is no problem with it at all. Just don't kid yourself (or let those pushing this change kid you) into thinking that this is anything more than what it is...your town team playing in a different league.Comment
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One other thought. We are always talking about kids getting burned out and focusing on one sport too early. I think for boys especially (sorry to be sexist) there are so many sports for them to play. Sticking with town soccer is good because it allows boys to still try other sports. Once you go to club, it gets a bit tougher, although not impossible.
BAYS games are on Saturday. Maple games are on Sunday. How will this change conflict with other sports that your son might be playing? Football? Lacrosse? Both typically Sunday sports.
It's sad to see a 10 year old boy have to make choices about sports so early, especially if the upside isn't really worth it. If I were going to make a choice to go to "club" and possibly miss out on playing other sports, I'd go to a real club.
If you son is only playing soccer anyways, then I guess it's fine. But there again, if their focus/passion is soccer, give him the chance to go to a club team. At least look around and see what is out there before making a choice.Comment
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With all the clubs that are out there now, you can honestly think this. Maybe true for the top club teams, but from what I see in our town, anyone who wants to spend the money can find a club that will take their kid - no special talent necessary.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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