What do you all think of the club? My kids have attended some clinics at their indoor facility, and have had a lot of fun. I don’t know much about the club and would love to hear any opinions or thoughts you all have on SFC. Thanks in advance.
-
-
You're not going to get an honest answer on this forum, I suggest asking any parents whom you might know that play for the club. Asking here is a waste of time -
1) Age? Girls, boys? Location? Makes a big difference. They have had some strong teams and some good coaches and some good kids.
The teams are much better than the clinics, because the players on the team are much better than the kids at the clinics. (It's the nature of clinics and camps that the kids that show up are the biggest determinant of whether it's a challenging and productive clinic or camp.)
2) At any club, you are never really joining a club, for the most part you are joining a team and a coach. Most everything really depends on that.
3) However - the exception to that overall idea: As of now, the DOC and the club management seem to have resigned themselves to the idea that the top girls who make soccer their primary sport will leave for Stars or Aztec or Surf or NEFC. Not sure about boys - Bolts, NEFC, Surf? (GA not so much because of the location of players and clubs.) Maybe they are right about that and it would be swimming against the tide to fight that.
Lots of kids do stay because it fits well with their multiple priorities, and there are U15 and older girls and boys on varsity HS teams around the area. For someone who wants a lower-commuting, lower-travel commitment that is more flexible than some of the others, it can be a good match. Games and tournaments are mostly day trips. They do some travel tournaments, but not a stupid amount like most of the other clubs mentioned above.
4) The facility is really nice, though with the recent expansion of teams it can be a little crowded in there.
5) Having at least 1 carpool family to share travel with is really helpful if you are not close to a club.
Comment
-
6) The core truth of club soccer - finding a club is the beginning of your player's development plan, not the end. No club can meet the individual needs of each player on each team. Coaches of course don't have time in the few practices. Most clubs don't have additional resources you can tap into for individualized feedback and training - even paying for them.Comment
-
Some smaller clubs can be a better place to start, and try out club soccer, than getting stuck on the 4th or 5th team at the big clubs.Comment
-
Their facility is far and away the best thing about them, even with TeamWorks renting it out all the time to outside organizationsComment
-
This. if it is convenient for you, it is a great club with a great facility. As your family goals for soccer evolve you can decide if it remains the best fit. Many don't want the All-In commitment of ECNL/GA and just want to stay sharp for HSOriginally posted by Guest View Post
SHE (i can't speak to boys) will have a better chance at making a Stars ECNL or NEFC GA team by switching over than coming up.
Of course, she has to actually be good. I acknowledge that playing with and against lower-level teammates/competition makes it harder to get good, but it happens and the best player lower-level Club X is more likely to get an offer (new $) than pulling up a pre-labelled C-TeamerComment
-
Nope, that's just TS trolling. It was already a good club before the fieldhouse was built.Originally posted by Guest View Post
Comment
-
WInchester Soccer owns SFC and the facility and hired Teamworks to manage it. So they control what happens.Originally posted by Guest View Post
Comment
-
How is the girls program? Mine is a 2013 and I believe Ralph Ferrigno coaches at least one of the two teams in that age group? Our priorities at this point are coach and convenience (travel distance to practices).Comment
-
Best to
Go to a practice, probably in April when they are outdoors.
Go to a game, once those start in April or so, check out the coach, players, parents
If you can ask a parent, that may help
Comment
-
Thank you all for the helpful advice.Comment
-
Originally posted by Guest View Post
Well said. Pretty much the reply for every TS post could be this.
But I'll add my two cents anyways: I will say that SFC is probably not trying to compete with the biggest clubs in the area. Sometimes the leadership loses it's focus on this but it's a local community club that offers decent coaching, great facilities, and great location. The younger age groups are a great place to develop and the older age groups sometimes fight above their weight because they get local kids from nearby towns who don't want to travel far and want a bit more balance in their life (Arlington, Lexington, Winchester, Belmont) or kids from communities that are not as well served (Charlestown, Revere, Medford).
Comment
-
For what it’s worth, we’ve heard positive things from players and parents. They field good teams and location is convenient for many. Not the most competitive club and probably not the club for kids with D1 aspirations, but it works for many familiesComment
-
It’s surrounded by towns where girls soccer is a popular sport, towns have huge town soccer programs for kids, and good athletes play soccer. That makes a big difference.
Also surprisingly accessible via 93 to towns from Boston to well north.Comment
Comment