Most IMportant factor in choosing a club.

[Unregistered]

Its been an interesting year or shake ups, new leagues, coaches changing clubs etc. So when looking for a club for your child to play, what are the most important factors you consider?

1. coach
2. fields
3. club "name" or reputation
4. win loss record
5. league they play in.
6. cost

[Unregistered]

Its been an interesting year or shake ups, new leagues, coaches changing clubs etc. So when looking for a club for your child to play, what are the most important factors you consider?

1. coach
2. fields
3. club "name" or reputation
4. win loss record
5. league they play in.
6. cost

Teammates.

Who they train with every week and play alongside each weekend is HUGE. A great coach with a great pool of committed kids can overcome any of the challenges on the list.

[Unregistered]

Location, location, location. At some point, you have to draw the line at how far you are going to drive your kid to practices. 1/2 hr each way? 1 hr each way? 1.5hrs way? Everyone's number is different, but everyone has a limit. Clubs outside of that limit are not in the running.

[Unregistered]

quality of mom

[Unregistered]

quality of mom

NR you are in the wrong Thread, you should be over in least favorite coach attempting to save your ass.

[Unregistered]

Location, location, location. At some point, you have to draw the line at how far you are going to drive your kid to practices. 1/2 hr each way? 1 hr each way? 1.5hrs way? Everyone's number is different, but everyone has a limit. Clubs outside of that limit are not in the running.

Agree. Coach, players and car time. Each one is a show-stopper. Hard to say which is 1st, 2nd, 3rd but easy to say others are far back from those.

[Unregistered]

Agree. Coach, players and car time. Each one is a show-stopper. Hard to say which is 1st, 2nd, 3rd but easy to say others are far back from those.

The quality of players is a result of all the other things. Mostly it is the quality fields and the location. Parents want a safe fields thats available most of the year and isnt going to get rained out or called for mud. Everything gravitates to the homebase if it's in driving distance.

[Unregistered]

The quality of players is a result of all the other things. Mostly it is the quality fields and the location. Parents want a safe fields thats available most of the year and isnt going to get rained out or called for mud. Everything gravitates to the homebase if it's in driving distance.

Who ever heard of picking a club due to fields (other than the fear of not having one)? I think you might be reading FSA marketing brochures. That's irrelevant and I've never heard anyone ever take fields into consideration unless there was a risk of a club being unable to secure them.

I think having a beautiful facility like Oakwood or FSA does end up helping in recruitment but more because U9 parents get the feeling they are in the big time when they walk in. It's a good vibe and it's marketed well. It's not until the kids are older that parents realize how irrelevant fields are (assuming a minimum level of confidence is achieved).

[Unregistered]

Its been an interesting year or shake ups, new leagues, coaches changing clubs etc. So when looking for a club for your child to play, what are the most important factors you consider?

1. coach
2. fields
3. club "name" or reputation
4. win loss record
5. league they play in.
6. cost

For me, the most important aspect is the coach- he/she sets the tone, is he/she knowledgeable about the game, will the coach teach technical foot skills,passing, possession vs kick/run, and mold a group of kids into a cohesive team. I have seen coaches who play favorites, who allow bad behavior, who allow backstabbing and play one against the other. How passionate is the coach, will the coach DEVELOP the girls into improved players. Problem in CT,there are to many mediocre coaches who are going through the motions, and not committed.Each club has one or more of these mediocre coaches. and many lead by BAD example, lacking respect for referees and other teams.

I wish there were more female coaches involved with our girls in CT

[Unregistered]

Who ever heard of picking a club due to fields (other than the fear of not having one)? I think you might be reading FSA marketing brochures. That's irrelevant and I've never heard anyone ever take fields into consideration unless there was a risk of a club being unable to secure them.

I think having a beautiful facility like Oakwood or FSA does end up helping in recruitment but more because U9 parents get the feeling they are in the big time when they walk in. It's a good vibe and it's marketed well. It's not until the kids are older that parents realize how irrelevant fields are (assuming a minimum level of confidence is achieved).

I can't see anyone really believing this and guessing the club near them has less than top playing conditions. Muddy fields can mean torn ACLs (especially for girls) and canceled time and less or no winter practice time. I wouldnt let my son play on some of the fields decent teams base their practices. Plus you cant play the way you practice if the field is not proper.

[Unregistered]

I can't see anyone really believing this and guessing the club near them has less than top playing conditions. Muddy fields can mean torn ACLs (especially for girls) and canceled time and less or no winter practice time. I wouldnt let my son play on some of the fields decent teams base their practices. Plus you cant play the way you practice if the field is not proper.

That is a fully brainwashed FSA parent. Little Rooney won't play in the rain? Needs things to be "proper" or his finely tuned game falls apart? Don't let him play against my daughter - getting slide tackled hard would likely throw him into a spiral of depression.

LOL. This explains some things...

[Unregistered]

I can't see anyone really believing this and guessing the club near them has less than top playing conditions. Muddy fields can mean torn ACLs (especially for girls) and canceled time and less or no winter practice time. I wouldnt let my son play on some of the fields decent teams base their practices. Plus you cant play the way you practice if the field is not proper.

must be a parent from Fairfield County.

pele perfected his skills playing barefoot (couldn't quite afford the best shoes the world had to offer at the time) under less than ideal conditions- kicking a can or a rolled up sock.

ronaldinho perfected his skill set not on a perfect practice field, but by playing beach soccer- barefoot!

if anything, practicing on the perfect playing surface will inhibit one's ability to adapt while playing on an unfamiliar field with an imperfect surface (i.e. away matches). "we lost because they have bad fields"; whatever makes you sleep at night.

playing on muddy fields does not "mean" torn ACLs. where did you read this or who told you this? if this were true no soccer would be played in England in the divisions lower than the premiership because too many people would at risk of tearing their ACL's cause it rains all the time over there and the fields are absolute bollocks below to premiership level.

for those that care to know, from what I've read (strength and conditioning journals) and have been told by doctors ACL injuries occur for number of "reasons". i put that word in quotes because no one knows for sure why (continues to be researched) but here are a few indicators that have a high correlation with ACL problems: poor biomechanics (valgus movement- inward collapsing of the knee during flexion "knock kneed"), muscle activation rates, muscle strength imbalances, and hyper flexibility.

relating to all of the above mentioned indicators, during peak height velocity (growth spurt) our bodies are most susceptible for an ACL injury to occur because we are extremely fragile and weak relative to the added force our body is enduring on a daily basis during this period. our skeletal structure is changing at too fast a rate for our muscle's to keep up with.

if you deem the quality of the playing surface a more important factor than the quality of coaching or developmental paradigm when considering a potential club for your child, well, that's on you.

if the coaching and developmental model agree with your tastes, it won't matter where your club calls home.

[Unregistered]

must be a parent from Fairfield County.

pele perfected his skills playing barefoot (couldn't quite afford the best shoes the world had to offer at the time) under less than ideal conditions- kicking a can or a rolled up sock.

ronaldinho perfected his skill set not on a perfect practice field, but by playing beach soccer- barefoot!

if anything, practicing on the perfect playing surface will inhibit one's ability to adapt while playing on an unfamiliar field with an imperfect surface (i.e. away matches). "we lost because they have bad fields"; whatever makes you sleep at night.

playing on muddy fields does not "mean" torn ACLs. where did you read this or who told you this? if this were true no soccer would be played in England in the divisions lower than the premiership because too many people would at risk of tearing their ACL's cause it rains all the time over there and the fields are absolute bollocks below to premiership level.

for those that care to know, from what I've read (strength and conditioning journals) and have been told by doctors ACL injuries occur for number of "reasons". i put that word in quotes because no one knows for sure why (continues to be researched) but here are a few indicators that have a high correlation with ACL problems: poor biomechanics (valgus movement- inward collapsing of the knee during flexion "knock kneed"), muscle activation rates, muscle strength imbalances, and hyper flexibility.

relating to all of the above mentioned indicators, during peak height velocity (growth spurt) our bodies are most susceptible for an ACL injury to occur because we are extremely fragile and weak relative to the added force our body is enduring on a daily basis during this period. our skeletal structure is changing at too fast a rate for our muscle's to keep up with.

if you deem the quality of the playing surface a more important factor than the quality of coaching or developmental paradigm when considering a potential club for your child, well, that's on you.

if the coaching and developmental model agree with your tastes, it won't matter where your club calls home.

I've said it before... I'll take a half acre of pavement with the right coach and group of kids. Without those, however, I don't care what field is on offer.

[Unregistered]

One also has to consider their child's goals to play beyond HS and premier. It does matter what league a team is playing for. No sense having a great coach if you are only playing Div 2 CJSA and not going to showcase tournaments. Yes I know if you are on the ECNL or Academy teams this is not an issue. I agree development is first and foremost but success also brings people to watch. There is no real answer it all comes down to your child's needs. Just enjoy it because it goes by real fast..Good luck to all in this up coming season.

[Unregistered]

I've said it before... I'll take a half acre of pavement with the right coach and group of kids. Without those, however, I don't care what field is on offer.

Must be Wolves or simmons parent