Large Rosters

[Unregistered]

The worst part is how easily it could be affordable and with very little drop in quality. Do we all need fly away showcases for u13-14? Multiple trips to MA, PA, etc for league games? Four tournaments per year with 2-3 night hotel stays? Even just a reduction, not eliminating all of it, would be thousands of dollars of fees saved. GA or Ecnl being separate and marketing showcases and national playoffs to middle school kids is just silly.

[Unregistered]

Harsh delivery but the statements accurate. It is what it is and parents cant havr it both ways. You cant gloat about how your kid plays for the best team at the biggest club in the highest league and then also complain about the dogfight for PT.

While I agree in part, families are paying a great deal of $ for their kids to learn the game and improve. A decent amount of PT is a part of that. Training will only get you so far; you need time in the field in games. Some parents are completely clueless is determining where their kid fits on a roster, but clubs are also guilty of taking more players that shouldn't be on rosters.

Anyway, most coaches can manage larger rosters to make sure everyone gets ok pt - if they want to. Too many coaches and clubs prefer to prioritize wins.

[Unregistered]

The worst part is how easily it could be affordable and with very little drop in quality. Do we all need fly away showcases for u13-14? Multiple trips to MA, PA, etc for league games? Four tournaments per year with 2-3 night hotel stays? Even just a reduction, not eliminating all of it, would be thousands of dollars of fees saved. GA or Ecnl being separate and marketing showcases and national playoffs to middle school kids is just silly.

Middle school events aren't "showcases" but tournaments. Kids that age are no longer being scouted by college coaches thanks to much needed recruitment rule changes (except some rare NT talent). But yes you are correct it's foolish for the most part. Shorter events, more regionalized so everyone could drive, would be better. At most one national regular event and one for playoffs for top teams

[Unregistered]

Large Rosters

These parents most certainly can and it is obvious why.These are some of the best teams in some but it is all funded by a small pool of affluent pay to play parents and that is by the design of the industry. IF you are going to market your product to pushy affluent parents then your customers are going to be pushy affluent parents.

If you want to run youth soccer based on merit and talent - you cant be charging sky high prices with stupid travel expenses. The industry is the one that can't have it both ways.

Wrong Wrong Wrong the parents need to change....Parents need to help and show the children that hard work pays off (soccer is just a vehicle for what life has to offer) if you lack talent, you must work harder for your spot. If you have talent, you must work harder or someone else will take your spot.

We can all relate this to our professional lives. being a helicopter parent, arguing with the coaches, ect. is not helping kids be better people in the long run...they will only turn out to be doushbags/@ssholes like their parents....yea, we are probably talking about you and your pathetic wetnursed kid.

[Unregistered]

Wrong Wrong Wrong the parents need to change....Parents need to help and show the children that hard work pays off (soccer is just a vehicle for what life has to offer) if you lack talent, you must work harder for your spot. If you have talent, you must work harder or someone else will take your spot.

We can all relate this to our professional lives. being a helicopter parent, arguing with the coaches, ect. is not helping kids be better people in the long run...they will only turn out to be doushbags/@ssholes like their parents....yea, we are probably talking about you and your pathetic wetnursed kid.

Terrible analogy unless you are paying to go to work instead of being paid. In that case, here is a tip...get a new job.

[Unregistered]

The worst part is how easily it could be affordable and with very little drop in quality. Do we all need fly away showcases for u13-14? Multiple trips to MA, PA, etc for league games? Four tournaments per year with 2-3 night hotel stays? Even just a reduction, not eliminating all of it, would be thousands of dollars of fees saved. GA or Ecnl being separate and marketing showcases and national playoffs to middle school kids is just silly.

When my older daughter (college Senior) played ECNL it started at U14, not U13, was more tempered and made a little more sense because recruiting was like the Wild West with most D1 commits in place by the end of U15 (10th grade), some as early as 8th grade. But with the new rules of no phone calls or OVs until Summer after 10th grade, it doesn't make any sense for middle schoolers to be showcasing to that extent.

[Unregistered]

The worst part is how easily it could be affordable and with very little drop in quality. Do we all need fly away showcases for u13-14? Multiple trips to MA, PA, etc for league games? Four tournaments per year with 2-3 night hotel stays? Even just a reduction, not eliminating all of it, would be thousands of dollars of fees saved. GA or Ecnl being separate and marketing showcases and national playoffs to middle school kids is just silly.

It makes sense if you look at it for what it is- a business. THey want to get down to the families that can afford this asap and then they have a great affluent customer base to suck out as many dollars as possible. Thede "high level travel teams are for families with the money to pay or else you are setting yourself up for too much stress.

this is for families with money..period.

[Unregistered]

The worst part is how easily it could be affordable and with very little drop in quality. Do we all need fly away showcases for u13-14? Multiple trips to MA, PA, etc for league games? Four tournaments per year with 2-3 night hotel stays? Even just a reduction, not eliminating all of it, would be thousands of dollars of fees saved. GA or Ecnl being separate and marketing showcases and national playoffs to middle school kids is just silly.

No one is forcing you to join a club that travels at that early age. Parents should know going in what the schedule will be for the following season including tournaments before you sign up. Then there are no surprises. Instead, they join either having no idea or not smart enough to ask then complain after the fact. It doesn’t work that way. Clubs will not change their schedules or tournaments for parents. If you do not agree then you should find a club that works for you.

[Unregistered]

Large Rosters

Terrible analogy unless you are paying to go to work instead of being paid. In that case, here is a tip...get a new job.

anology is accurate, if your not happy with your job, get a new one
If your not happy with your team, get a new one.

You are obviously a doushbag liberal, thinks the 99% of the people have to change for the 1%. you think you are entitle to sh-t, but you are not, you want something? stop your crying, your b-tching and your complaining, go EARN IT like a real man!!!

The harder the climb, the sweeter the fruit.

[Unregistered]

Large Rosters

It makes sense if you look at it for what it is- a business. THey want to get down to the families that can afford this asap and then they have a great affluent customer base to suck out as many dollars as possible. Thede "high level travel teams are for families with the money to pay or else you are setting yourself up for too much stress.

this is for families with money..period.

the families with money can help get the kid in the front door, but the kid still has to perform. If he does not, the family will fund the kid who takes the spot.

All you P-ssy parents (you know who you are) you signed up for competitive soccer so it is what it is, take your money, your crying, your b-tching, and your moaning and shove it up your @ss.

If your kid is on the A team, that is great, The kid has to work his @ss off because everyone of the B team kids is working hard to take his Spot.

The C team kids have nothing to lose and are really just there to scare the sh-t out of the B team kids.

This is just like life when you compare upper class, middle class and lower class in any society. Parents if you are smart you can use soccer as a metaphor for life, and not to be taken seriously especially for youth soccer.

[Unregistered]

No one is forcing you to join a club that travels at that early age. Parents should know going in what the schedule will be for the following season including tournaments before you sign up. Then there are no surprises. Instead, they join either having no idea or not smart enough to ask then complain after the fact. It doesn’t work that way. Clubs will not change their schedules or tournaments for parents. If you do not agree then you should find a club that works for you.

Having been around it does seem now like almost every club forces unnecessary travel on the kids, including NPL, EDP, etc. The GAs and ECNLs just do more of it and further. But that point does stand that from a strictly soccer pov, you could cut the travel down by half at least and have no discernable drop off in quality. Obviously, from the business side it makes sense as another pointed out because you are filtering people into the system earlier which makes them more committed and less likely to leave and normalizes the amount they are spending since everyone else is doing it, too.

[Unregistered]

the families with money can help get the kid in the front door, but the kid still has to perform. If he does not, the family will fund the kid who takes the spot.

All you P-ssy parents (you know who you are) you signed up for competitive soccer so it is what it is, take your money, your crying, your b-tching, and your moaning and shove it up your @ss.

If your kid is on the A team, that is great, The kid has to work his @ss off because everyone of the B team kids is working hard to take his Spot.

The C team kids have nothing to lose and are really just there to scare the sh-t out of the B team kids.

This is just like life when you compare upper class, middle class and lower class in any society. Parents if you are smart you can use soccer as a metaphor for life, and not to be taken seriously especially for youth soccer.

The metaphor is there but it is not the one you think. The only kids with access to top youth soccer are the ones that can pay. That is the american way and that is the metaphor. The low income kids are not even in the competition. Which is also the metaphor for the american way. But pure talent is not driving this bus. Sorry.

Only exception are funded teams for some boys that get mls money.

[Unregistered]

Having just accepted a place at SUSA we are told roster is 21 kids. Is this normal? Seems like a lot of players for one team.

Consider yourself lucky -- some of the SUSA ECNL teams have ~25 on the roster.

[Unregistered]

Having been around it does seem now like almost every club forces unnecessary travel on the kids, including NPL, EDP, etc. The GAs and ECNLs just do more of it and further. But that point does stand that from a strictly soccer pov, you could cut the travel down by half at least and have no discernable drop off in quality. Obviously, from the business side it makes sense as another pointed out because you are filtering people into the system earlier which makes them more committed and less likely to leave and normalizes the amount they are spending since everyone else is doing it, too.

We will continue to disagree. The schedule by the club is the model for the club regarding travel and tournaments. If your daughter is offered a spot on a roster it’s the parents responsibility to ask about the upcoming season and say yes or go to another club. Clubs deeming what’s heir soccer agenda not parents. No one from a club ever “forced” unnecessary travel to games. That is why my daughter joined an ECNL Cub which is to play other like mined competitive teams n the Region. The travel questions should e asked before you join. Complaining after the fact is on you.

[Unregistered]

We will continue to disagree. The schedule by the club is the model for the club regarding travel and tournaments. If your daughter is offered a spot on a roster it’s the parents responsibility to ask about the upcoming season and say yes or go to another club. Clubs deeming what’s heir soccer agenda not parents. No one from a club ever “forced” unnecessary travel to games. That is why my daughter joined an ECNL Cub which is to play other like mined competitive teams n the Region. The travel questions should e asked before you join. Complaining after the fact is on you.

It is unnecessary expense that has forced youth soccer and lots of other youth sports to become a country club for well off players. It is low hanging fruit and eliminating a lot of it at the so-called top levels, would help the sport and the players overall. It would not help the rich players however.

So commenting on it is entirely appropriate for a soccer forum and is a more interesting discussion than the usual "your player sucks your team sucks" Your club sucks"