Soccer at the club level

[SodiumFan[2]]

In regards to the poster who is looking for a club for him and his son to join; it looks like you are on the right track and asking all the right questions. I will defer to all the forum readers who have sons in club. Best of luck, the club experience is great and I wish you the best for the coming years.

Cheers! :D

[Unregistered]

The coach is a friend of mine. We have beers, play poker, talk on the phone and I have been asked to coach on occasion.
[/b]

Well that sums it up, THUSC has no problems with the blogs.

[Unregistered]

It would seem that since this blog has been active for 3 years that THUSC really doesn't care about it. Personally, I find it humorous and take it for what it is; one parents rants & raves about his daughters team. And I happen to agree with the blogger, if you don't like it, don't read it.

[SodiumMom]

I realize that some readers are going to immediately discount my response when they see my moniker and associate me with “that team”…but your question compelled me to make my second ever response on the forum. Unlike the post that called you an idiot, I admire the fact that these are the questions you are asking and I think you would be the type of person I would want to stand on the sidelines with.
I did not grow up playing competitive sports and do not consider myself to be of a “winning is everything mentality” so when we recognized at U9 that there was a good chance our DD would want to play beyond rec and into high school…I had to start asking the same questions to figure out if I could stomach being a soccer mom. As distasteful as some of the public opinion has been towards my DD’s team…I wouldn’t trade a minute of this ride for anything and it will be a sad day for me when she is no longer playing. I hope that some of my insight here will help you in your quest for your son.
When you look at clubs and philosophy, I believe there are 3 components that you should consider:

#1 – Chemistry. Regardless of club philosophy, there is going to be chemistry between player/coach, player/player, parent/coach, etc. In my DD’s U10 spring, I thought I had selected the correct club for her. We enrolled her in a new developmental program that a well respected club was offering. The Club President was passionate about player development and providing a unique learning opportunity for new parents/players in club soccer. I felt a chemistry with the Club and even more so with the team manager that we were assigned to. She was welcoming, informative and always willing to help answer all my naďve and innocent questions. Unfortunately, my DD hated every minute of her time with the girls on that team and the coach. So much so, it greatly influenced our decision not to let her try out that spring for U11 teams. She played rec for an additional fall and we stumbled into an opportunity with our current club for a walk-on spot on a B team. Again, the chemistry was not ideal for her with the coach, but this time she enjoyed the players and met other coaches that she was able to interact with at practice. By U12, she had a maturity that helped her tackle obstacles with coaching styles, disappointment and the competitive nature of her team. I won’t say that every minute of that first year was enjoyable, but she made the decision to return U13 and she is still flourishing and developing life skills that I would never have imagined a 14 year old could exhibit. Let’s face it…has anybody ever liked every boss they ever worked for?

#2 – Commitment. As you hear the club philosophy, ask the coaches and parents what the commitment expectations are. This is going to vary from not only club to club, but from team to team within a club. Face it, club soccer is a business. In order to be successful…that business has to attract new customers and those customers are very often drawn by the “win record”. If your child is blessed with talent that earns them a spot on a premier team, then not only your child, but your family is going to have to make sacrifices with their time in order for that team to continue to excel. If your child has ever complained about going to practice…club soccer is not for you. These players are attending team functions 3-5 days a week and every single one of them works out at home in between their practices. Several of our players have chosen to have personal trainers or attend outside development coaching. We have many ODP players that sacrifice their club breaks in order to continue playing at an even more competitive level. This is the most driven group of young ladies I have ever met and much of it is inner desire. It is not coming from the coach because they are high achievers in school, clubs, community outreach, and many places outside of soccer. Players on other teams within our own club may not dedicate the same amount of hours to their soccer team, but they are still given opportunities for development and they may have more freedom with their time to pursue additional activities like other sports, music lessons, etc. As a parent, what kind of time commitment are you willing to invest? These are non-profit groups and they need volunteers on the Board of Directors, volunteers to help with the Club Sponsored Tournaments that raise money to pay for programs, volunteers for team activities and more. I wouldn’t trade our team parents for anything. They are dependable and passionate about the success of this team. I know that I could trust and count on any one of them to encourage and support my DD as well as they support their own child and every single one of them is willing to perform a duty or task that betters the team as a whole.

#3 – Financial. Let’s face it…this isn’t going to be cheap for you. Really ask the questions about what does my fee cover? Don’t ask the club…ask the parents! Not all clubs have an all inclusive fee and you may not be comparing apples to apples. The club fee is a drop in the bucket compared to the other expenses like uniforms, team sweatshirts, team dinners, travel and tournament registrations. Look at the philosophy with regards to travel and tournaments. Some clubs start chaperoned team travel at the earliest ages. This will save your family some money, but if you want to attend out of state tournaments to watch your child play…those expenses add up quickly and may prevent you from the lifestyle you were accustomed to before club soccer. Participation in these events is probably required so if you are struggling in these economic times…you need to be willing to look at #2 above and commit to helping organize fund raisers, etc.

I do wish you all the best in your quest for your son and I hope some of this info is useful to you as you look at options. As I mentioned above…my DD has developed life skills that amaze me and I am so glad that I was able to provide her with the opportunity to participate in this activity because I would never have imagined that it could be so beneficial to her.

[Tieyourshoes]

Now, that is one of the best posts I have read on here!! No name calling, no defensive remarks, no blaming. Very informative and well written. Thank you for your mature, insightful remarks!

[Keizerchief]

I had to start asking the same questions to figure out if I could stomach being a soccer mom. As distasteful as some of the public opinion has been towards my DD’s team…I wouldn’t trade a minute of this ride for anything and it will be a sad day for me when she is no longer playing. I hope that some of my insight here will help you in your quest for your son.

I looked back at the postings on this soccer sitre and couldn't find any that were really anti-Sodium or THUSC but more they were against the guy that writes the blogs for your team and what he was saying or how he was saying it I admit it I was one of the ones who took ofense to the name calling when he called my daughters team cornfed cows last season. I still don't see how being allowed to say whatever you want on a blog makes comments like that about young women ok. I read in the site here that all your parents are ok with the blog . That is what I find distastful.

[Unregistered]

Well said Keizerchief


I find it odd that SF said to Fact Check

Keizerchief just covered this incorrect statement.
'I have never spoken negatively of players.'


Nobody is questioning NCAA blogs, we are talking about 14year olds and younger.
'....read what they post about OSU? I would say my blog is really, really tame in comparison.'

Suggest you call some clubs and let them give you some advice.
'No club would even give 2 cents to what a parent, player or fan writes.'

[SodiumFan[2]]

I looked back at the postings on this soccer sitre and couldn't find any that were really anti-Sodium or THUSC but more they were against the guy that writes the blogs for your team and what he was saying or how he was saying it I admit it I was one of the ones who took ofense to the name calling when he called my daughters team cornfed cows last season. I still don't see how being allowed to say whatever you want on a blog makes comments like that about young women ok. I read in the site here that all your parents are ok with the blog . That is what I find distastful.

Lets put this to rest once and for all Keizerchief. You keep referring to a comment I made on my blog in 2008. You claim that I called your girls "Cornfed Cows". You are wrong. Here is the link to the exact post. Please read the post from Tuesday November 11, 2008 titled 'Keizer Hotshot Notes' then read my response on Thursday November 13th titled 'Response to Comments' where I explain exactly 'What' I said and 'Why'. You will also notice that not once in the entire post do I call your girls "Cornfed Cows".

http://sodiumu13.************/2008_11_01_archive.html

This is exactly what I am talking about. Facts. These parents have been carrying a grudge against me for over a year for something I never said.

[SodiumFan[2]]

Well said Keizerchief


I find it odd that SF said to Fact Check

Keizerchief just covered this incorrect statement.
'I have never spoken negatively of players.'


Nobody is questioning NCAA blogs, we are talking about 14year olds and younger.
'....read what they post about OSU? I would say my blog is really, really tame in comparison.'

Suggest you call some clubs and let them give you some advice.
'No club would even give 2 cents to what a parent, player or fan writes.'

Lets cover this for you;
#1 - Please read the link I refer too above. You will see it was not meant to be negative, it was misinterpreted and then I even posted an explanation.
#2 - If no else in the sporting world cares, why should you?
#3 - No one can please everyone all the time. If every club cared as much as you seem too about every article, blog post or tidbit of info found on the internet that had a negative slant, it would be absurd to try to stifle them all. That's why they don't pay any attention to it. I would be happy to talk to any & all clubs about it.

Again, I ask that you maybe back some of this up with facts. I may sound like a broken record but here we go again, if you don't like it, don't read it. Period.

[Unregistered]

Corn-fed is a compliment to a 300+ midwestern person, not a 13y/o girl, thanks for clarifying.

[SodiumFan[2]]

I looked back at the postings on this soccer sitre and couldn't find any that were really anti-Sodium or THUSC but more they were against the guy that writes the blogs for your team and what he was saying or how he was saying it I admit it I was one of the ones who took ofense to the name calling when he called my daughters team cornfed cows last season. I still don't see how being allowed to say whatever you want on a blog makes comments like that about young women ok. I read in the site here that all your parents are ok with the blog . That is what I find distastful.

Hey KeizerChief, I just wanted to add here; you say you couldn't find any postings that were really anti-Sodium or THUSC?????

What about ALL those posts about Tom rigging it so Sodium could go to the US Club National tournament? Or ALL the posts about Sodium not DESERVING to be in Gold Bracket? Or how THUSC was somehow persuaded OYSA to let us out of PQT's?? And these are just a few.

You've got to be kidding me!? Unbelievable. We get bashed all the time on here. Very rarely are my posts anything but defending myself, Sodium or THUSC from some uninformed, fact lacking poster.

[Unregistered]

Corn-fed is a compliment to a 300+ midwestern person, not a 13y/o girl, thanks for clarifying.

Why should either be offended? If you click the link the guy provided it explains it. But wait, you would have to be able to read and comprehend for it to make sense.

[thebes20]

For the original poster. There are high school teams that are really good, but, not as good as superior club teams which practice year around and have players that are committed to soccer, and attend a lot of top notch tournaments. They are competitive and there is always going to be smack talk about the different teams. Expected.
There are club teams that are good but not in the top eschelon of club teams, They might have good coaching, but some great high schools teams might beat them. Again, it is competitive whether it is high school or club. I see just as much smack talk on the high school forum in Fl as the regular forum.
It is a mixed bag. Both are competitive. If you are looking for no negativity, then try a non competitive sport, is there one?
To tell the truth, I am not sure what the original poster was asking, when high school and club soccer are both competitve sports. Parents of both like to talk about the game and discuss and smack talk. Other than the level, in my mind there is no difference.