Should town Maple teams stop after U12?

[Unregistered]

Maple should offer 8v8 leagues above U12 as well as long as they keep playing. Even adults play small side games from time to time.

Why let the kids play for the club? Much more money and same quality.

There are many competitive town based club teams at the younger ages in Maple. Filling out an 8v8 roster with enough talented kids is realistic for most towns. Several of these towns have qualified coaches, decent training and they operate at a much lower cost. It's a win/win for everyone involved. Then U13 happens.

The expansion to 11v11 puts a real strain on these teams and the coaches. The parents get used to being competitive and they go into the U13 season with high expectations. When they get exposed on the big field, and the weaker players get taken advantage of, the mood on the sideline begins to turn. The kids get frustrated and the parents get surly. By the end of the Fall season there is a lot of whispering going on. By April people have reached out to the larger clubs to test the waters.

There are very few town based clubs that succeed after U12. I can't think of any off the top of my head but I'm sure someone will chime in with one. Why can't the model be U-little to U12 in town and then release them onward and upward to a traditional club. Watching a town club team at U13 is like watching Brett Favre trying to play well past his prime.

Most people involved in town soccer do it for the very best reason. They want to help kids succeed. Holding on to them for too long runs completely counter to that.

[Unregistered]

I get paid so I am a professional coach - I coach NEP so we are the best. I have little experience and my team is terrible, but we get paid and the parents pay for us to go to tournaments - its great - not like smaller clubs who may beat us, but their coaches may not get paid - they are not professionals like us in our cool free jackets

Be a professional - coach IN nep

So true and one of the most funny in TS history

[Unregistered]

Just because you get paid does not make you a professional coach. There are a lot of town coaches with great back grounds that volunteer or get paid minimum compared to some club coaches. I would not joke on the young coaches because they all have to start somewhere but clubs should make them assistant coaches with experienced coaches before giving them a team of their own. When they do get a team it is the lower teams so the players will not be a skilled as the other teams above them but it does not mean that they are not trying or doing their best.

[Unregistered]

Just because you get paid does not make you a professional coach. There are a lot of town coaches with great back grounds that volunteer or get paid minimum compared to some club coaches. I would not joke on the young coaches because they all have to start somewhere but clubs should make them assistant coaches with experienced coaches before giving them a team of their own. When they do get a team it is the lower teams so the players will not be a skilled as the other teams above them but it does not mean that they are not trying or doing their best.

good point but much less money for the big club owners if they did that. They are made head coaches with no clue about coaching and managing kids for teams like GPS south north pole premier and its a mess

[Unregistered]

I get paid so I am a professional coach - I coach NEP so we are the best. I have little experience and my team is terrible, but we get paid and the parents pay for us to go to tournaments - its great - not like smaller clubs who may beat us, but their coaches may not get paid - they are not professionals like us in our cool free jackets

Be a professional - coach IN nep

I am a freshman high school coach . I get paid that means I am professional too!. I will learn to talk with a brogue and buy a track suit that way I am truly accepted.

[Unregistered]

All these recent quotes sound like a scorpion boys coach who knows how bad his teams are and knows how bad most NEP teams are and is very worried by town travel teams being much better - its funny

i'm guessing the Scorpions aren't real worried about the townies.

[Unregistered]

Scorps rule