The FC Delco thread

[Guest]

Go to one of the daddy coached teams at Ukies

Or one could pay over $3k at Delco for coaches to stand around as kids scrimmage 5v5 all practice and then come game day just play kick and run.

[Guest]

Consider yourself lucky!!! You dodged a bullet there. Ukies is a mess.

Seems like a lot of teams and clubs are either a mess or filled with under-developed players.

[Guest]

Seems like a lot of teams and clubs are either a mess or filled with under-developed players.

Really depends on the age group.

[Guest]

Really depends on the age group.

It does and that often has a lot to do with who the coach is. I just look at the kids from U12 and up playing in division 2 to 5 of leagues like the ICSL and think many of them might have developed more with better coaching. Our lack of soccer culture doesn’t help and of course, some of those kids will never be good because they either lack the athletic ability, can’t mentally grasp the game or both. To see a 14yo try to use his shin to settle a ball just drives me crazy.

[Guest]

It does and that often has a lot to do with who the coach is. I just look at the kids from U12 and up playing in division 2 to 5 of leagues like the ICSL and think many of them might have developed more with better coaching. Our lack of soccer culture doesn’t help and of course, some of those kids will never be good because they either lack the athletic ability, can’t mentally grasp the game or both. To see a 14yo try to use his shin to settle a ball just drives me crazy.

ages 2-8 kids develop more when they have soccer parents (that's were our lack of culture hurts most, but it's getting better) . when they learn how to use all parts of their feet, not just the toe. 8yo and older teammates help development more than coaches. i think coaches are always 2nd most important. You need to develop skill early on and then play at a high level to push/refine the skills, IQ and speed of play.
If you go watch ICSL or Central League there are really good athletes but they don't have the touch or constantly booting the ball (while parents yell' boot it') so they don't develop the problem solving, iq, or 1v1 skills

[Guest]

ages 2-8 kids develop more when they have soccer parents (that's were our lack of culture hurts most, but it's getting better) . when they learn how to use all parts of their feet, not just the toe. 8yo and older teammates help development more than coaches. i think coaches are always 2nd most important. You need to develop skill early on and then play at a high level to push/refine the skills, IQ and speed of play.
If you go watch ICSL or Central League there are really good athletes but they don't have the touch or constantly booting the ball (while parents yell' boot it') so they don't develop the problem solving, iq, or 1v1 skills

I agree but what you said about the ICSL and Central league is what I am talking about. Good athletes who never really developed. Their parents couldn't help them and don't know any better. The coaches are between a rock and a hard place. With only three hours of practice a week its hard to work on everything. I feel ball control should be the priority but my own kid was on a team that never worked on it in practice. They only played small sided games and you knew none of the other kids worked on anything at home. I had to ask the coach to work on it and got the DOC to send out drills that every kid in the club should be doing. Giving the kids drills to do at home is something the club should already been doing already. Granted, all of that stuff is easily found youtube and the kids could/should be proactive and look it up on their own but this is an example of club not doing what it could to develop players or at least point them in the right direction.

[Guest]

I agree but what you said about the ICSL and Central league is what I am talking about. Good athletes who never really developed. Their parents couldn't help them and don't know any better. The coaches are between a rock and a hard place. With only three hours of practice a week its hard to work on everything. I feel ball control should be the priority but my own kid was on a team that never worked on it in practice. They only played small sided games and you knew none of the other kids worked on anything at home. I had to ask the coach to work on it and got the DOC to send out drills that every kid in the club should be doing. Giving the kids drills to do at home is something the club should already been doing already. Granted, all of that stuff is easily found youtube and the kids could/should be proactive and look it up on their own but this is an example of club not doing what it could to develop players or at least point them in the right direction.

You think SSG’s don’t help to improve ball control? What kind of games have you been watching?

[Guest]

You think SSG’s don’t help to improve ball control? What kind of games have you been watching?

I didn't say they can't improve ball control. With that team I watched a lot of badly played small sided games especially since most of it wasn't 3v3 but more like 7v7. I'm not opposed to small sided games. I watched my kid go five minutes without getting a touch in multiple practices because his teammates couldn't control the ball and make accurate passes. Playing baseball will improve catching but having a catch will help a kid who can't catch well faster than playing games. For me, it's the same with soccer. Most of those kids needed to just stand 10 yards apart and make 50 passes to each other with each foot. Meanwhile, I watched one of the older teams who were ranked in the top 15 do exactly that and some other very basic first touch, dribbling and passing drills before moving to small sided games. Doesn't that just make more sense for a team with low skills than to have them just do a small side games? As I said earlier, I believe ball control should be the priority. Get the first touch, dribbling and simple passing down and then move on to small sided play and scrimmaging.

[Guest]

I didn't say they can't improve ball control. With that team I watched a lot of badly played small sided games especially since most of it wasn't 3v3 but more like 7v7. I'm not opposed to small sided games. I watched my kid go five minutes without getting a touch in multiple practices because his teammates couldn't control the ball and make accurate passes. Playing baseball will improve catching but having a catch will help a kid who can't catch well faster than playing games. For me, it's the same with soccer. Most of those kids needed to just stand 10 yards apart and make 50 passes to each other with each foot. Meanwhile, I watched one of the older teams who were ranked in the top 15 do exactly that and some other very basic first touch, dribbling and passing drills before moving to small sided games. Doesn't that just make more sense for a team with low skills than to have them just do a small side games? As I said earlier, I believe ball control should be the priority. Get the first touch, dribbling and simple passing down and then move on to small sided play and scrimmaging.

agreed, but the coach has to find some fun ways of getting those skills learned. Standing still doing them is not going to hold any kids attention, young or old. SSG's are one example of how you work on those skills but in activities that are more fun

[Guest]

agreed, but the coach has to find some fun ways of getting those skills learned. Standing still doing them is not going to hold any kids attention, young or old. SSG's are one example of how you work on those skills but in activities that are more fun

I suggested nothing that would have kids standing still.

[Guest]

After having 2 kids at FCDELCO/Continental FC for 6+ years plus, I've seen the quality of the training and coaching staff diminish so much(!!) from where it was in 2017 and prior... . The level of coaching, especially in the U8-u13 USYS and the pre-ecnl/MLSN teams is a joke. ECNL and MLS Next is just as bad. No or waaay too few A level coaches at the club at all. (they left) and the few they have are with the ECNL A and MLS Next teams as well as coaching college and other teams.

Practices have a lot of issues as it's typically one drill with 6(!) teams on the same field, so the U17-19 boys are on 1/6the of a field along with 5(!) other teams. There USED to be 3 teams on a field in 2013-2017, but now they combine all these teams (6) to reduce their field rental cost, while registration costs have gone up to $3300 (not including uniforms). WTH? And when the teams can't spread the field out or play on a larger field efficiently, it's a direct result of minute training environments. As it's been commented earlier, they rent fields at Proving Grounds along with every other club in the area. FC Delco does not own fields in the area, just USTC in downingtown and that's only field #10, the USTC turfs are the same as Proving Grounds,in that they rent them.. Lower Merion, FCEuropa and others all rent at Proving grounds and have 'dedicated' fields that they rent. FC Delco has 2 dedicated fields there as well they primarily rent but that's it. for 30 teams. ... and $3300 for reg fee. sucks.

The roster turnover is crazy. Each year 50% of the roster turns over as kids/parents leave for the reasons mentioned here and finding a better place for them to play. The issue there is the level of play year to year is crazy variable and the ties that bond the kids in youth soccer/sports is broken each year. FCDelco is a business 100%. I want them to make money and be profitable but the overfocus here is OFF THE CHARTS. the club has lost more than 1000 players(!) from 2018/18 to 2019/2020 (that's pre-pandemic) and that's $3,000,000 in revenue. It got worse after pandemic. BELIEVE ME, there's nothing they won't do to make a buck at your/your kid's expense.

The leadership is focused on the MLS Next program ONLY, which is barely ok afa MLS Next is concerned as our area has the Phila Union MLS Next teams less than 5 miles away. Everyone knows that the Phila Union MLSN is the A team in the area and FCDelco's is the B team. ECNL Is better as it allows high school play and high level training, but there are warts there too. If your son is able to play at MLSN level, go to Phila Union only. IF not, go to the ECNL National level at FCDelco or Penn Fusion as playing in high school, no matter how poor the level of play, gives them a lifetime experience. ECNL Regional is a joke. Steer clear - poor coaching, $3300 and no benefits. really bad.

Bottom line, if your child's goal is to play in college (which is one pathway), get in a good local or regional club that has a track record for 10+ years of attending college showcases and go there. Lower Merion, FC Europa, Penn Fusion, Unity FC, and so many more do this for $1000 or more cheaper and all with professional coaches who coach in college now. FCDelco does not have that and charges a crazy high price for less than their competition.

If your child just wants to play and play in high school, any club other than FCDelco is great. FCDelco underserves the club/high school player even worse as it's $2500-3300 for literally nothing. Who cares what tourneys you do if this is your child's goal. It's a great goal too. just don't waste time at FCDelco if this is your son/daughter's plan. Play for a local or regional club that shows 10+ years of having teams make it to u18 age group. If clubs don't do that, then going to a club like FCDelco makes sense but you can also play for a club like Lower Merion or Unity, etc that does this for a lot less. Go to these clubs' tryouts when your kid is a freshman to see what it's all about. There will be room there as kids quit soccer and rosters contract.

The other issue FCDelco has is they SUCK at communicating about team stuff. So sure they send clubwide emails when there are tryouts or pay to play camps but good luck on any help with stuff that helps players and parents for games and FORGET travel tournament help. That's survival of the fittest there. If your son plays for ECNL it's even worse, like Dante's 7 levels of hell. Information comes out at the last minute with ridiculous demands and costs. They cover it and say it 'prepares the player for travel in college.' Yeah. right. My kids play in college now and they NEVER sleep 4 kids to one room and deal with coaches they don't know randomly showing up and coaching them at tournaments as their team's coach is busy or didn't make the trip. Oh yeah they don't tell anyone until you're warming up and the kids are like where's the coach... Seriously and frequently. Also the kids are made to go to meals and other games that other FCDelco teams at these tournarments are at. Now that sounds good right? The issue is that these games may be 4-6 hours before your kid's game so the kids have to sit on a hot or cold or wet field for HOURS to watch another team's game when in reality it's because the club has one vehicle or not enough coaches to help and they refuse to let parents be involved. Believe me I want pro coaching but to tell parents they CANNOT come and CANNOT stay at the same hotel as their kid is ridiculous. There's so much to this I'll stop here but horrible communications, poor planning, lack of any decent and normal replies to frequent normal questions from the club on these topics makes FCDELCO horrible as a choice for someone to play at.

FCDelco was a great club nationally in the 90s and early 2000's. It lost it's way, it ceased to exist and became Continental FC (beginning of the end) when it combined with Spirit and then it became the worse epitome of pay to play (read above). If you're at FCDelco and it's working for you - great. I hope and wish you well. But every single player I have met that went there has experience the above and dealt with it. Now that the level of soccer is so high in this area with Penn Fusion, Lower Merion, Unity, FCEuropa, LVU, Ukes, etc., please shop around.

[Guest]

You forgot to add you might get rundown in the parking lot!

[Guest]

After having 2 kids at FCDELCO/Continental FC for 6+ years plus, I've seen the quality of the training and coaching staff diminish so much(!!) from where it was in 2017 and prior... . The level of coaching, especially in the U8-u13 USYS and the pre-ecnl/MLSN teams is a joke. ECNL and MLS Next is just as bad. No or waaay too few A level coaches at the club at all. (they left) and the few they have are with the ECNL A and MLS Next teams as well as coaching college and other teams.

Practices have a lot of issues as it's typically one drill with 6(!) teams on the same field, so the U17-19 boys are on 1/6the of a field along with 5(!) other teams. There USED to be 3 teams on a field in 2013-2017, but now they combine all these teams (6) to reduce their field rental cost, while registration costs have gone up to $3300 (not including uniforms). WTH? And when the teams can't spread the field out or play on a larger field efficiently, it's a direct result of minute training environments. As it's been commented earlier, they rent fields at Proving Grounds along with every other club in the area. FC Delco does not own fields in the area, just USTC in downingtown and that's only field #10, the USTC turfs are the same as Proving Grounds,in that they rent them.. Lower Merion, FCEuropa and others all rent at Proving grounds and have 'dedicated' fields that they rent. FC Delco has 2 dedicated fields there as well they primarily rent but that's it. for 30 teams. ... and $3300 for reg fee. sucks.

The roster turnover is crazy. Each year 50% of the roster turns over as kids/parents leave for the reasons mentioned here and finding a better place for them to play. The issue there is the level of play year to year is crazy variable and the ties that bond the kids in youth soccer/sports is broken each year. FCDelco is a business 100%. I want them to make money and be profitable but the overfocus here is OFF THE CHARTS. the club has lost more than 1000 players(!) from 2018/18 to 2019/2020 (that's pre-pandemic) and that's $3,000,000 in revenue. It got worse after pandemic. BELIEVE ME, there's nothing they won't do to make a buck at your/your kid's expense.

The leadership is focused on the MLS Next program ONLY, which is barely ok afa MLS Next is concerned as our area has the Phila Union MLS Next teams less than 5 miles away. Everyone knows that the Phila Union MLSN is the A team in the area and FCDelco's is the B team. ECNL Is better as it allows high school play and high level training, but there are warts there too. If your son is able to play at MLSN level, go to Phila Union only. IF not, go to the ECNL National level at FCDelco or Penn Fusion as playing in high school, no matter how poor the level of play, gives them a lifetime experience. ECNL Regional is a joke. Steer clear - poor coaching, $3300 and no benefits. really bad.

Bottom line, if your child's goal is to play in college (which is one pathway), get in a good local or regional club that has a track record for 10+ years of attending college showcases and go there. Lower Merion, FC Europa, Penn Fusion, Unity FC, and so many more do this for $1000 or more cheaper and all with professional coaches who coach in college now. FCDelco does not have that and charges a crazy high price for less than their competition.

If your child just wants to play and play in high school, any club other than FCDelco is great. FCDelco underserves the club/high school player even worse as it's $2500-3300 for literally nothing. Who cares what tourneys you do if this is your child's goal. It's a great goal too. just don't waste time at FCDelco if this is your son/daughter's plan. Play for a local or regional club that shows 10+ years of having teams make it to u18 age group. If clubs don't do that, then going to a club like FCDelco makes sense but you can also play for a club like Lower Merion or Unity, etc that does this for a lot less. Go to these clubs' tryouts when your kid is a freshman to see what it's all about. There will be room there as kids quit soccer and rosters contract.

The other issue FCDelco has is they SUCK at communicating about team stuff. So sure they send clubwide emails when there are tryouts or pay to play camps but good luck on any help with stuff that helps players and parents for games and FORGET travel tournament help. That's survival of the fittest there. If your son plays for ECNL it's even worse, like Dante's 7 levels of hell. Information comes out at the last minute with ridiculous demands and costs. They cover it and say it 'prepares the player for travel in college.' Yeah. right. My kids play in college now and they NEVER sleep 4 kids to one room and deal with coaches they don't know randomly showing up and coaching them at tournaments as their team's coach is busy or didn't make the trip. Oh yeah they don't tell anyone until you're warming up and the kids are like where's the coach... Seriously and frequently. Also the kids are made to go to meals and other games that other FCDelco teams at these tournarments are at. Now that sounds good right? The issue is that these games may be 4-6 hours before your kid's game so the kids have to sit on a hot or cold or wet field for HOURS to watch another team's game when in reality it's because the club has one vehicle or not enough coaches to help and they refuse to let parents be involved. Believe me I want pro coaching but to tell parents they CANNOT come and CANNOT stay at the same hotel as their kid is ridiculous. There's so much to this I'll stop here but horrible communications, poor planning, lack of any decent and normal replies to frequent normal questions from the club on these topics makes FCDELCO horrible as a choice for someone to play at.

FCDelco was a great club nationally in the 90s and early 2000's. It lost it's way, it ceased to exist and became Continental FC (beginning of the end) when it combined with Spirit and then it became the worse epitome of pay to play (read above). If you're at FCDelco and it's working for you - great. I hope and wish you well. But every single player I have met that went there has experience the above and dealt with it. Now that the level of soccer is so high in this area with Penn Fusion, Lower Merion, Unity, FCEuropa, LVU, Ukes, etc., please shop around.

Nothing but a positive experience at FC Delco. I will admit that the travel mandates are ridiculous.I wouldn't let that stop me from having my kid play there.

[Guest]

Some of that I agree with. Communication from the club isn’t great though some coaches are very good communicators. I’ve never seen six teams to a field. It’s usually four and sometimes less. Consistently only practicing on a quarter of the field is definitely effecting play on a full size field for some players. Some have no touch for passes over 8 yards and some can’t handle hard passes or balls in the air. Some lack the leg strength to kick a ball far, corner, goal and free kicks are very bad sometimes. Fitness is also an issue for a few players since they don’t even run the length of the quarter of the field they practice on. I can’t believe these kids don’t get to even scrimmage full 11v11 at some point or at least on half a field. How are you supposed to be a proper left back or a right wing if don’t get to do on a full size field? MLSNXT and ECNL seems to be all that matters. Multiple Black teams folding kind of tells you what people think of what they feel they were getting out of Delco compared to the cost.

[Guest]

After having 2 kids at FCDELCO/Continental FC for 6+ years plus, I've seen the quality of the training and coaching staff diminish so much(!!) from where it was in 2017 and prior... . The level of coaching, especially in the U8-u13 USYS and the pre-ecnl/MLSN teams is a joke. ECNL and MLS Next is just as bad. No or waaay too few A level coaches at the club at all. (they left) and the few they have are with the ECNL A and MLS Next teams as well as coaching college and other teams.

Practices have a lot of issues as it's typically one drill with 6(!) teams on the same field, so the U17-19 boys are on 1/6the of a field along with 5(!) other teams. There USED to be 3 teams on a field in 2013-2017, but now they combine all these teams (6) to reduce their field rental cost, while registration costs have gone up to $3300 (not including uniforms). WTH? And when the teams can't spread the field out or play on a larger field efficiently, it's a direct result of minute training environments. As it's been commented earlier, they rent fields at Proving Grounds along with every other club in the area. FC Delco does not own fields in the area, just USTC in downingtown and that's only field #10, the USTC turfs are the same as Proving Grounds,in that they rent them.. Lower Merion, FCEuropa and others all rent at Proving grounds and have 'dedicated' fields that they rent. FC Delco has 2 dedicated fields there as well they primarily rent but that's it. for 30 teams. ... and $3300 for reg fee. sucks.

The roster turnover is crazy. Each year 50% of the roster turns over as kids/parents leave for the reasons mentioned here and finding a better place for them to play. The issue there is the level of play year to year is crazy variable and the ties that bond the kids in youth soccer/sports is broken each year. FCDelco is a business 100%. I want them to make money and be profitable but the overfocus here is OFF THE CHARTS. the club has lost more than 1000 players(!) from 2018/18 to 2019/2020 (that's pre-pandemic) and that's $3,000,000 in revenue. It got worse after pandemic. BELIEVE ME, there's nothing they won't do to make a buck at your/your kid's expense.

The leadership is focused on the MLS Next program ONLY, which is barely ok afa MLS Next is concerned as our area has the Phila Union MLS Next teams less than 5 miles away. Everyone knows that the Phila Union MLSN is the A team in the area and FCDelco's is the B team. ECNL Is better as it allows high school play and high level training, but there are warts there too. If your son is able to play at MLSN level, go to Phila Union only. IF not, go to the ECNL National level at FCDelco or Penn Fusion as playing in high school, no matter how poor the level of play, gives them a lifetime experience. ECNL Regional is a joke. Steer clear - poor coaching, $3300 and no benefits. really bad.

Bottom line, if your child's goal is to play in college (which is one pathway), get in a good local or regional club that has a track record for 10+ years of attending college showcases and go there. Lower Merion, FC Europa, Penn Fusion, Unity FC, and so many more do this for $1000 or more cheaper and all with professional coaches who coach in college now. FCDelco does not have that and charges a crazy high price for less than their competition.

If your child just wants to play and play in high school, any club other than FCDelco is great. FCDelco underserves the club/high school player even worse as it's $2500-3300 for literally nothing. Who cares what tourneys you do if this is your child's goal. It's a great goal too. just don't waste time at FCDelco if this is your son/daughter's plan. Play for a local or regional club that shows 10+ years of having teams make it to u18 age group. If clubs don't do that, then going to a club like FCDelco makes sense but you can also play for a club like Lower Merion or Unity, etc that does this for a lot less. Go to these clubs' tryouts when your kid is a freshman to see what it's all about. There will be room there as kids quit soccer and rosters contract.

The other issue FCDelco has is they SUCK at communicating about team stuff. So sure they send clubwide emails when there are tryouts or pay to play camps but good luck on any help with stuff that helps players and parents for games and FORGET travel tournament help. That's survival of the fittest there. If your son plays for ECNL it's even worse, like Dante's 7 levels of hell. Information comes out at the last minute with ridiculous demands and costs. They cover it and say it 'prepares the player for travel in college.' Yeah. right. My kids play in college now and they NEVER sleep 4 kids to one room and deal with coaches they don't know randomly showing up and coaching them at tournaments as their team's coach is busy or didn't make the trip. Oh yeah they don't tell anyone until you're warming up and the kids are like where's the coach... Seriously and frequently. Also the kids are made to go to meals and other games that other FCDelco teams at these tournarments are at. Now that sounds good right? The issue is that these games may be 4-6 hours before your kid's game so the kids have to sit on a hot or cold or wet field for HOURS to watch another team's game when in reality it's because the club has one vehicle or not enough coaches to help and they refuse to let parents be involved. Believe me I want pro coaching but to tell parents they CANNOT come and CANNOT stay at the same hotel as their kid is ridiculous. There's so much to this I'll stop here but horrible communications, poor planning, lack of any decent and normal replies to frequent normal questions from the club on these topics makes FCDELCO horrible as a choice for someone to play at.

FCDelco was a great club nationally in the 90s and early 2000's. It lost it's way, it ceased to exist and became Continental FC (beginning of the end) when it combined with Spirit and then it became the worse epitome of pay to play (read above). If you're at FCDelco and it's working for you - great. I hope and wish you well. But every single player I have met that went there has experience the above and dealt with it. Now that the level of soccer is so high in this area with Penn Fusion, Lower Merion, Unity, FCEuropa, LVU, Ukes, etc., please shop around.

POTY. Pretty much my experience at Delco. One more con I would add is over rostering. Nothing like paying $3300 and being told night before in an email or even day of that your kid can’t play. Dagger!!