Hi my family is re-locating to RI in the spring (from NJ). Not very familiar with the youth soccer scene there... My 2011 boy plays on a competitive team in NJ. Looking at the rankings app (I know "rankings" are not accurate but it's a good first gauge) and I see Rhode Island Surf Blue as #1 and White as #5. They are in proximity to the area we are looking, is anyone familiar with them and can provide any opinions (style of play, development, roster sizes)?
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At that age, their top talent pool is split into Blue (slightly higher level) and White. Their "Central" team is the B team. I would bet that at U14 they do away with "Blue/White" and just have one "Elite" team, with everyone else pushed down to the B team (and maybe a C team if they have enough players).
Surf boys' A teams are usually pretty decent. The B teams get substandard coaching (witn one particularly dreadful coach handling a couple teams) and are the second class citizens of the club. That said, if you're new in the area and they offer you a spot on the B team, and your kid is a baller, they WILL move him up (probably at the beginning of the next season). Go into it with your eyes open, this club is in it to win games and collect fees. They chase the ranking points to lure people exactly like you. After a certain age, there's little attention paid to player development. If your kid isn't plug-and-play, they can be cast aside pretty quickly.
The other option to consider in RI is Bayside, if your kid is a top talent. They have MLS Next starting at U13 (I think). Their lower teams seem to have fallen off in quality though, and the club culture is notoriously abrasive (parents, coaches, and players).
There are a couple of smaller clubs in RI: Rams (out of URI, quality can vary wildly from one age group to the next), Scorpions (formerly "Bruno," small but may be growing now that they've been brought under the "Scorpions" umbrella), IFA (may or may not have a 2011 team in RI).
Depending on where you will be living, if Taunton, MA is not too far of a drive, there are several clubs that are based out of that area that are probably better options, or would at least give you more choices to consider. -
Thanks for your insight!Comment
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This was the most thoughtful, insightful, well worded and unbiased response ever on this site. I am blown away and so happy. Thank you, rational soccer person!Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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I'm sure I'm not the only one who probably knows who the "dreadful" boys' coach is. I've heard that other coaches even think he's a liability at the club. If he put half as much effort into coaching as he does into organizing World Cup gambling pools with coaches and parents, he might be a little more respected. The fact that he lies about his credentials, and that the club actually has a false credential on their website, it insulting to anyone who has the ability to search the database and see what his credentials REALLY are. (To save anyone the trouble, he does not have a D license; he only got his Grassroots certification this year.)Comment
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