Girls Academy League

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All everyone should care about is what their superstars are doing. If you worry about what club is in what league then you are very insecure where your kid is playing. If my kid is getting better season to season then she’s at the correct club. Where we spend our $$$ is our business not some Dad living life through his kid. One more tip, If your kid isn’t have fun take her somewhere she’ll enjoy herself.

Good advice. Getting better is the goal and how the club develops your child and others should be evident. If it is not their are so many options. One has to find the right fit and that has little to do with the badge.

[Unregistered]

All everyone should care about is what their superstars are doing. If you worry about what club is in what league then you are very insecure where your kid is playing. If my kid is getting better season to season then she’s at the correct club. Where we spend our $$$ is our business not some Dad living life through his kid. One more tip, If your kid isn’t have fun take her somewhere she’ll enjoy herself.

Where they play and which club does, in fact, matter. You aren't getting to UNC or Stanford playing for USYS no matter how good the team is. They aren't coming to NJ area to scout a single or handful of players when they can find just as good in their own backyards. If your kid dreams of playing for NJIT, St. Joes or Temple by all means play where you want. Sure most aren't going to do anything with soccer after college but some do. That is why it matters. Not to say if you don't play ECNL you suck it just means you want more.

[Unregistered]

[QUOTE=Unregistered;2849504]Good advice. Getting better is the goal and how the club develops your child and others should be evident. If it is not their are so many options. One has to find the right fit and that has little to do with the badge.[/QUOTE

^^
This

So many parents miss the boat on this one. The club you choose must provide the proper coaching and the child should be playing in that 60 to 90 percent zone. If a league is a step down but the teams are competitive with mid level teams of the best leagues then they are playing at a speed of play that is adequate to push development further. I have seen good technical, very good athletes, play slower than inferior athletes in better leagues because the better leagues demand less touches and faster play.

But If you take the the better athlete, who is technical, and drop them in the faster speed of play league, it would take that athlete about a season to change his rhythm of play. Which is no big deal.-meanwhile that athlete has had the benefit of constant attention and more playing time in the slower paced league. They will flourish.

Too many good, but not great players, get minimal attention at places like PDA as they are competing over the scraps of attention left over from what is given to their current stars at a particular age. They are worried about being rostered and worried about the amount of playing time they get if they do get to play for that weekend. They do not get the proper attention they deserve. Most rationale that the practices make them a better player, but PDA practices twice a week and most of the touches will belong to the "stars" who play the neutral position to maximize the amount of touches that they get.

Clubs like PDA are great for college recruitment, but not so great for maximizing player development of Good talent that are not the stars of a particular age group.

[Unregistered]

Good advice. Getting better is the goal and how the club develops your child and others should be evident. If it is not their are so many options. One has to find the right fit and that has little to do with the badge.

^^
This

So many parents miss the boat on this one. The club you choose must provide the proper coaching and the child should be playing in that 60 to 90 percent zone. If a league is a step down but the teams are competitive with mid level teams of the best leagues then they are playing at a speed of play that is adequate to push development further. I have seen good technical, very good athletes, play slower than inferior athletes in better leagues because the better leagues demand less touches and faster play.

But If you take the the better athlete, who is technical, and drop them in the faster speed of play league, it would take that athlete about a season to change his rhythm of play. Which is no big deal.-meanwhile that athlete has had the benefit of constant attention and more playing time in the slower paced league. They will flourish.

Too many good, but not great players, get minimal attention at places like PDA as they are competing over the scraps of attention left over from what is given to their current stars at a particular age. They are worried about being rostered and worried about the amount of playing time they get if they do get to play for that weekend. They do not get the proper attention they deserve. Most rationale that the practices make them a better player, but PDA practices twice a week and most of the touches will belong to the "stars" who play the neutral position to maximize the amount of touches that they get.

Clubs like PDA are great for college recruitment, but not so great for maximizing player development of Good talent that are not the stars of a particular age group.

If you're not top 4 on a team at PDA, you end up training elsewhere as well. Your assessment that "studs end up playing neutral for 80% of the scrimmage" is on point.

If you see that PDA is the place for "inner team competition" and not "development" you'll end up getting more mileage out of the system.

[Unregistered]

If you're not top 4 on a team at PDA, you end up training elsewhere as well. Your assessment that "studs end up playing neutral for 80% of the scrimmage" is on point.

If you see that PDA is the place for "inner team competition" and not "development" you'll end up getting more mileage out of the system.

The problem with inter team competition is that if you actually count the number of touches your child gets in a an hour and half practice it could be in 15 - to 20 range. Couple that with less playing time because your child is not 1 through 8 and you have a recipe for underdevelopment.

Further the percentage of PDA kids that go to top schools is really very few when you look at the data. Only the top players and understandably so. The rest are mid level D1 and D2 schools. There is a case to be made that perhaps your child would not be looked at for that Mid level D1 school if not for The PDA branding but I’m not sure if that’s enough to put your player through the PDA grind if she is a quality mid level player.

[Unregistered]

The problem with inter team competition is that if you actually count the number of touches your child gets in a an hour and half practice it could be in 15 - to 20 range. Couple that with less playing time because your child is not 1 through 8 and you have a recipe for underdevelopment.

Further the percentage of PDA kids that go to top schools is really very few when you look at the data. Only the top players and understandably so. The rest are mid level D1 and D2 schools. There is a case to be made that perhaps your child would not be looked at for that Mid level D1 school if not for The PDA branding but I’m not sure if that’s enough to put your player through the PDA grind if she is a quality mid level player.

Clubs like PDA are not for everybody especially parents who live vicariously through their daughters. Too many “helicopter parents” who think they know it all about soccer in general and what is good training. PDA Has drawn players from Delaware, PA, NJ, NY shows that players will come for the training and to play in matches. PDA draws college coaches because they like the program, the training, the competitive nature of their training and the competition they play. To some parents they see PDA as a grind, for most the players like the competitive nature that demands a lot but also has rewards for those that play well.

[Unregistered]

Clubs like PDA are not for everybody especially parents who live vicariously through their daughters. Too many “helicopter parents” who think they know it all about soccer in general and what is good training. PDA Has drawn players from Delaware, PA, NJ, NY shows that players will come for the training and to play in matches. PDA draws college coaches because they like the program, the training, the competitive nature of their training and the competition they play. To some parents they see PDA as a grind, for most the players like the competitive nature that demands a lot but also has rewards for those that play well.

I have put 2 kids through PDA. My youngest still there. They above post is not true. Most parents at PDA are helicopter parents, pushing their kid to improve. It’s why they come there to begin with. It’s still doesn’t answer the question about inadequate training for the good not great player.

[Unregistered]

I have put 2 kids through PDA. My youngest still there. They above post is not true. Most parents at PDA are helicopter parents, pushing their kid to improve. It’s why they come there to begin with. It’s still doesn’t answer the question about inadequate training for the good not great player.

Then that is your truth. As a parent you could push all you want and that never works. Your just increasing the chances that your daughter will burn out and quit. Regarding training, the vast majority of parents never vettte the trainers, coach’s and DOC’s at an club. Inadequate training happens at every club. College coaches prefer PDA players over any other club in NJ. Only Penn Fusion comes closest. Why is that I the training is so inadequate.

[Unregistered]

The problem with inter team competition is that if you actually count the number of touches your child gets in a an hour and half practice it could be in 15 - to 20 range. Couple that with less playing time because your child is not 1 through 8 and you have a recipe for underdevelopment.

Further the percentage of PDA kids that go to top schools is really very few when you look at the data. Only the top players and understandably so. The rest are mid level D1 and D2 schools. There is a case to be made that perhaps your child would not be looked at for that Mid level D1 school if not for The PDA branding but I’m not sure if that’s enough to put your player through the PDA grind if she is a quality mid level player.

If your kid is only getting 15 to 20 touches in an hour and a half something is seriously wrong with the coach, your kid and you. Touches are key to development but they have to be quality touches. I have seen kids at other clubs that get 2000+ touches a session with daddy coach but everything is sloppy and never corrected.

As for college commits, 11 went to what would be considered "top" schools with Rutgers, U of Florida, Duke and South Carolina. Then you have another 11 that have Columbia, Drexel, NYU, Cornell, Monmouth, Dartmouth, Vassar and Army. Not national contenders but still not easy schools to get into but all ones Im sure soccer played a part to get them in. The rest could have easily gotten in with just about any middle of the pack DA/GA or USYS level club. The point is you don't see ANY other club that has half the top commits that PDA has. Of the 51 from Norths 2020 class 29 went to what most clubs top players go. Places like Temple, St Joe, TCNJ, Sacred Heart and Seton Hall.

So before you crap on a club because of commits you may want to actually look at those commits. And as others have pointed out, just because a player commits to a certain school doesn't mean they weren't recruited for better ones.

I'll be honest though, if you've never really looked. Look at the coaching connections to certain schools and the number of commits they send. Every club has a few that go to the same 2-3 schools where a coach, assistant coach or DoC has either coached or played or has a friend who is the current coach. I've seen a few players talked into changing where they wanted to go in their junior years because of coaches.

[Unregistered]

If your kid is only getting 15 to 20 touches in an hour and a half something is seriously wrong with the coach, your kid and you. Touches are key to development but they have to be quality touches. I have seen kids at other clubs that get 2000+ touches a session with daddy coach but everything is sloppy and never corrected.

As for college commits, 11 went to what would be considered "top" schools with Rutgers, U of Florida, Duke and South Carolina. Then you have another 11 that have Columbia, Drexel, NYU, Cornell, Monmouth, Dartmouth, Vassar and Army. Not national contenders but still not easy schools to get into but all ones Im sure soccer played a part to get them in. The rest could have easily gotten in with just about any middle of the pack DA/GA or USYS level club. The point is you don't see ANY other club that has half the top commits that PDA has. Of the 51 from Norths 2020 class 29 went to what most clubs top players go. Places like Temple, St Joe, TCNJ, Sacred Heart and Seton Hall.

So before you crap on a club because of commits you may want to actually look at those commits. And as others have pointed out, just because a player commits to a certain school doesn't mean they weren't recruited for better ones.

I'll be honest though, if you've never really looked. Look at the coaching connections to certain schools and the number of commits they send. Every club has a few that go to the same 2-3 schools where a coach, assistant coach or DoC has either coached or played or has a friend who is the current coach. I've seen a few players talked into changing where they wanted to go in their junior years because of coaches.

My daughter is one of those kids. And I’ll crap all I want. I earned it

[Unregistered]

If your kid is only getting 15 to 20 touches in an hour and a half something is seriously wrong with the coach, your kid and you. Touches are key to development but they have to be quality touches. I have seen kids at other clubs that get 2000+ touches a session with daddy coach but everything is sloppy and never corrected.

As for college commits, 11 went to what would be considered "top" schools with Rutgers, U of Florida, Duke and South Carolina. Then you have another 11 that have Columbia, Drexel, NYU, Cornell, Monmouth, Dartmouth, Vassar and Army. Not national contenders but still not easy schools to get into but all ones Im sure soccer played a part to get them in. The rest could have easily gotten in with just about any middle of the pack DA/GA or USYS level club. The point is you don't see ANY other club that has half the top commits that PDA has. Of the 51 from Norths 2020 class 29 went to what most clubs top players go. Places like Temple, St Joe, TCNJ, Sacred Heart and Seton Hall.

So before you crap on a club because of commits you may want to actually look at those commits. And as others have pointed out, just because a player commits to a certain school doesn't mean they weren't recruited for better ones.

I'll be honest though, if you've never really looked. Look at the coaching connections to certain schools and the number of commits they send. Every club has a few that go to the same 2-3 schools where a coach, assistant coach or DoC has either coached or played or has a friend who is the current coach. I've seen a few players talked into changing where they wanted to go in their junior years because of coaches.

How does this list of commits compare to other top clubs in NJ like SJEB and CSA Monmouth?

[Unregistered]

If your kid is only getting 15 to 20 touches in an hour and a half something is seriously wrong with the coach, your kid and you. Touches are key to development but they have to be quality touches. I have seen kids at other clubs that get 2000+ touches a session with daddy coach but everything is sloppy and never corrected.

As for college commits, 11 went to what would be considered "top" schools with Rutgers, U of Florida, Duke and South Carolina. Then you have another 11 that have Columbia, Drexel, NYU, Cornell, Monmouth, Dartmouth, Vassar and Army. Not national contenders but still not easy schools to get into but all ones Im sure soccer played a part to get them in. The rest could have easily gotten in with just about any middle of the pack DA/GA or USYS level club. The point is you don't see ANY other club that has half the top commits that PDA has. Of the 51 from Norths 2020 class 29 went to what most clubs top players go. Places like Temple, St Joe, TCNJ, Sacred Heart and Seton Hall.

So before you crap on a club because of commits you may want to actually look at those commits. And as others have pointed out, just because a player commits to a certain school doesn't mean they weren't recruited for better ones.

I'll be honest though, if you've never really looked. Look at the coaching connections to certain schools and the number of commits they send. Every club has a few that go to the same 2-3 schools where a coach, assistant coach or DoC has either coached or played or has a friend who is the current coach. I've seen a few players talked into changing where they wanted to go in their junior years because of coaches.

And actually two to Duke. But I’m still crappin.

[Unregistered]

Where they play and which club does, in fact, matter. You aren't getting to UNC or Stanford playing for USYS no matter how good the team is. They aren't coming to NJ area to scout a single or handful of players when they can find just as good in their own backyards. If your kid dreams of playing for NJIT, St. Joes or Temple by all means play where you want. Sure most aren't going to do anything with soccer after college but some do. That is why it matters. Not to say if you don't play ECNL you suck it just means you want more.

Let’s be honest with ourselves. The chance our kids goes to UNC or Stanford or for that matter any Big time Division 1 school is very minimal. We all think our superstars are great but I’m a realist. My kid isn’t at that level, most likely she’ll never be. She loves to compete and I’ll pay my $$ so she can.

[Unregistered]

How does this list of commits compare to other top clubs in NJ like SJEB and CSA Monmouth?

CSA Monmouth 2019 (Last they have listed) https://www.cedarstars.com/monmouth-alumni

Penn State but she transferred to Florida Gulf Coast Atlantic after her 1st yr
UCLA

The rest are typical colleges for just about any club - West Chester, NJIT, Stockton, Keen, Fairleigh Dickinson

SJEB Rush https://www.sjebrush.org/cap

Nothing impressive, mostly the same list that any other club would have.

Here is STA https://www.stasoccer.org/college-collegealumni

And Match Fit http://www.matchfitacademy.net/girls-alumni

PSA https://www.princetonsoccer.org/collegecorner

FC Copa doesn't list much but can comb the news https://www.fccopa.com/news. They do have 2 former players in NWSL

So, their is the 3 GA an other ECNL and some USYS to go along with PDAs. I would add more but Real doesn't have a team older than 05 and most of the rest in USYS are township teams or don't show anything. Also I only looked in NJ teams.

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CSA Monmouth 2019 (Last they have listed) https://www.cedarstars.com/monmouth-alumni

Penn State but she transferred to Florida Gulf Coast Atlantic after her 1st yr
UCLA

The rest are typical colleges for just about any club - West Chester, NJIT, Stockton, Keen, Fairleigh Dickinson

SJEB Rush https://www.sjebrush.org/cap

Nothing impressive, mostly the same list that any other club would have.

Here is STA https://www.stasoccer.org/college-collegealumni

And Match Fit http://www.matchfitacademy.net/girls-alumni

PSA https://www.princetonsoccer.org/collegecorner

FC Copa doesn't list much but can comb the news https://www.fccopa.com/news. They do have 2 former players in NWSL

So, their is the 3 GA an other ECNL and some USYS to go along with PDAs. I would add more but Real doesn't have a team older than 05 and most of the rest in USYS are township teams or don't show anything. Also I only looked in NJ teams.

Impressive list for CSA Monmouth, to have 30+ college commits from one class (which basically means one team is quite an accomplishment).