When Does Recruiting Get Ugly?

[Unregistered]

One of the big problems in OR, especially the Portland Metro area, compared to Northern and Southern CA is that there is not a lot of quality coaches who offer additional training. Many coaches here have other full time jobs besides soccer coaching and simply do not have the extra time to devote to the game outside their teams. Either that or they simply do not want to do more coaching as they have other things to do with their time.

This makes it very hard to say to the few coaches who are willing to do additional coaching with kids that they cannot do it. Especially if those coaches are involved in club, high school and ODP. There is always going to be conflicts for these coaches who are heavily involved in soccer in OR.

[Unregistered]

Guess you cannot read what I wrote the first time around. Train anyone BUT if you coach, and yes this would include as an assistant (a coach is a coach) there should be a rule per OYSA in ODP that you cannot private train that age group. It just draws away from girls who private train with him, made ODP pool, made the rosters, and as far as play in the club...just draws attention to rumors and takes away from the girls who made the team. With such rumors it leads to recruitment issues.

The head coach is the final decision maker on who makes the grade but the assistants and goalie coaches also have a major impact on these choices as well.
Can care less about the guy, but OYSA has had some issues with the rumor mill on recruitment issues on not only him, but numerous other coaches in the past. In order to dissolve the rumors just simply put a rule in to place and you are good.

End of story.

I find this all very amusing about Gaff and ODP conflicts. Correct me if i am wrong but is he not the '96 Asst Coach?! Therefore Fraser had the final say on who was picked for the '96 ODP squad and also the tournament teams that they coached as he is the Head Coach.

I have had both my kids train with him in the past and they have never been at the same club he has coached at. I know for a fact that he trains kids from all over the Portland Metro area and even from across the river in WA. Our club coach was the one that recommended we use him as both my kids needed technical training to catch up with the best players on their teams.

Many boys and girls from ODP have trained or do train with him. Does this mean that they automatically make their ODP age group team?! No it most certainly doesn't in my opinion!

[Unregistered]

The point being made is the kids being private trained on the side. No one is talking or taking away from your kid who you stated does not private train with him. It is the kids being put in question that do. Gaff, just threw his name out there because he does do it and first name that came to mind.
Besides everyone questions on who made the team doesn't matter what age or sex it is or who the coach is. All I am saying is don't bring attention to the possibility of the rumor for it to occur is all.

Just argueing for a rule to be formed.

This is where simple guidelines could eliminate this conversation. To me it has nothing to do with Gaff. I certainly have no idea if Gaff has actually done private training with any girl for any team.

As for rosters we as parents can only speculate who picked who and for what. So, if it were in fact true that ANY coach were private training someone who was on their state team then there would not be a defensive argument against preferencial treatment.

Did I witness or have reason to believe that something like this actually occurred? No, I did not and my daughter is finishing up her third year of ODP. Having said that my daughter works hard for her position within ODP and I would hate to see it all erupt in corruptive allegations. That spoils it for everyone.

[Unregistered]

Not true at all. You need to do your homework better. There are a ton of private trainers. Parents ALWAYS lean on their club coach, ODP coaching staff, etc..
I would guarantee in your club team alone there are at least a minimum of 20 coaches who also private train. Take your pick.
Don't HS coaches have rules against training kids on the side anyhow?

One of the big problems in OR, especially the Portland Metro area, compared to Northern and Southern CA is that there is not a lot of quality coaches who offer additional training. Many coaches here have other full time jobs besides soccer coaching and simply do not have the extra time to devote to the game outside their teams. Either that or they simply do not want to do more coaching as they have other things to do with their time.

This makes it very hard to say to the few coaches who are willing to do additional coaching with kids that they cannot do it. Especially if those coaches are involved in club, high school and ODP. There is always going to be conflicts for these coaches who are heavily involved in soccer in OR.

[Unregistered]

THANK YOU for getting what I was trying to point out. I shouldn't of mentioned a name of a coach I suppose, but I can name a ton more and in past. I am just trying to prove a point. It doesn't matter if any of the coaches are OPL coaches. You want a coach at ODP that also coaches club or otherwise. I just think it needs to be adjusted some on a rule for the age group you are a coaching staff over.

Your words were much more better than mine.

Everyone is getting hung up on the specific names involved in these discussions. I personally have not had any exposure to them, from the loyalty they inspire they must be talented coaches.

What is being missed is the reality of the situation. In this situation you have club coaches who are coaching the same kids for ODP, as are on their club teams. Additionally they are providing private instruction to some of these same kids.

Taking the specific names out of the above, it becomes clear that a coach put in that situation might feel a conflict of interest, people looking from the outside might believe their judgement to not be objective. It could even appear that they are profiting from their relationship with ODP by working with those in the selection pool privately.

What I have understood people to be talking about is put some standard conditions in place. High school coaches are not allowed to coach club teams of the same sex as they coach in high school. This avoids potential conflict. Whether the variation is age, sex, whatever, there needs to be some distance, so you don't have the same individual coaching a club team, an ODP team, and providing private lessons to girls in the same age group.

[Unregistered]

ODP Rules Enforcement Ad-Hoc

ODP does have rules in place about a coach not being able to coach the same age group as he or she does their club. the problem is that there is no enforcement. I know of several instances where this was pointed out to OYSA but they basically ignored it. One of the biggest violator is a certain DOC, but he continued to be an ODP coach until this year because of a conflict of interest. ODP struggles to get good coaches because of the pay and conflicts with club calendars etc... The coaches that you end up with are either doing it for the good of the game of for some ulterior motives. The problem will continue to exist until the rules are changed and enforced.

[Unregistered]

Not true at all. You need to do your homework better. There are a ton of private trainers. Parents ALWAYS lean on their club coach, ODP coaching staff, etc..
I would guarantee in your club team alone there are at least a minimum of 20 coaches who also private train. Take your pick.
Don't HS coaches have rules against training kids on the side anyhow?

What i think that people don't understand is that there are very few good private coaches in the area. Sure there are coaches that claim to be private trainers but really they don't do a comprehensive job with the kids in comparison to the top 3-5 trainers. The trainers that have the best reputaions, and therefore a lot of the elite club, ODP, Regional and National kids, treat this as serious job not a way to make a fast buck.

The coach that is being mentioned a lot in these posts does have a very good reputation when it comes to individual and small group training and he doesn't charge vast sums to do it. I know of several club and ODP kids who train with him and have not only improved but really enjoy his style of coaching. That is the reason that they go back to him and more then want to see what the fuss is all about.

I agree that there can be a perception of bias with any coach and training kids from their own team but you have to hope that they are professional enough to explain to the parents and the kids that training with them has no bearing on roster spots and playing time.

[ESUFC Fan]

What i think that people don't understand is that there are very few good private coaches in the area. Sure there are coaches that claim to be private trainers but really they don't do a comprehensive job with the kids in comparison to the top 3-5 trainers. The trainers that have the best reputaions, and therefore a lot of the elite club, ODP, Regional and National kids, treat this as serious job not a way to make a fast buck.

The coach that is being mentioned a lot in these posts does have a very good reputation when it comes to individual and small group training and he doesn't charge vast sums to do it. I know of several club and ODP kids who train with him and have not only improved but really enjoy his style of coaching. That is the reason that they go back to him and more then want to see what the fuss is all about.

I agree that there can be a perception of bias with any coach and training kids from their own team but you have to hope that they are professional enough to explain to the parents and the kids that training with them has no bearing on roster spots and playing time.

I think there are alot more quality coaches in the area that do private training than some people must think. In my mind it is simply irresponsible not to draw a line. ODP coaching for some of the younger coaches is a great resume booster. It is a priveledge to coach just like it is a priveledge to play. So, it is important that these coaches do not cross a line. Working on the honor system is not good enough. As a parent of an ODP player I spend way too much time and money to think that is acceptable. It would not be acceptable in my workplace or many workplaces for that matter. ODP is no exception.

[Unregistered]

I think there are alot more quality coaches in the area that do private training than some people must think. In my mind it is simply irresponsible not to draw a line. ODP coaching for some of the younger coaches is a great resume booster. It is a priveledge to coach just like it is a priveledge to play. So, it is important that these coaches do not cross a line. Working on the honor system is not good enough. As a parent of an ODP player I spend way too much time and money to think that is acceptable. It would not be acceptable in my workplace or many workplaces for that matter. ODP is no exception.

The pay for the younger coaches for club and ODP, if they make that grade, means that they must do private training to make a living in soccer. Many of the best coaches already don't do ODP due to the poor pay so we must think ourselves fortunate we still have some quality coaches in the program.

[Unregistered]

That or they do by using a low mileage vehicle