Can anybody justify kids playing club soccer at u/10 and under. I think they would be far better off playing town, (Up a year if parents think their little treasures are too advanced for there proper age group.} Here is my advice for what it is worth,save your money! If you really feel the need, take that cash you were going to let the clubs have, and spend it on some well chosen clinics.Who knows you may even have some left for a night out for yourselves.Get some perspective people! 9&10 year olds are babys, let them gradualy get to love the game of soccer.Time enough to start them on the college scholarship holy grail so many of you seem to crave.The more I read this forum, the more I can see that is what it is all about for far too many people. Its not about love of the game In the rest of the world kids dream about becoming pros, here Its all about the prestige, and bragging rights of what college we are able to get our kids into. :cry:
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Re: U/10 SOCCER CLUB GREED OR DEVELOPMENT!!!!!!!!!
in terms of $$, my experience with teams in that age group is that they have greatly reduced fees and are on the whole money losers as clubs must still pay for fields, coaching, insurance, whatever. but at that age for clubs it is casting as wide a net as possible and getting players started thinking 'I am a XXX player'. more kids 'showing the flag' wearing xxx club stuff, telling their friends where they play, etc translates into more kids at tryouts for the competitive ages. I'd much rather have 30 kids at a try out than 10!!Originally posted by backofthenet
if you want development, I would absolutely advise AGAINST 'picking a few well chosen clinics'. Those are one shot wonders as are summer camps. An intensive period, but no follow-up. where as a u-10 team will get a specialized, graduated long term approach to skills development (or at least should get same).
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Re: U/10 SOCCER CLUB GREED OR DEVELOPMENT!!!!!!!!!
I actually see some value in having your child train with a club team at U10. There was such a dramatic difference in what my youngest son was learning in his town program and what he learned on the club level. This of course was prior to MAPLE opening up the league to U10 teams. He was able to learn much better touches on the ball and his footskills developed dramatically. If he had continued with his town program only I do not believe he would have enjoyed the game as much as he does. It was such a low pressure environment, and he had developed life long friendships with most of the boys he trained with. It was also only $125 for the season. That included a club t-shirt and coaching twice a week for 12 weeks. It really was a great bargain and we were fortunate to have been able to do this. On the flip side I do not feel the necessity of pushing players too much to early. I took the lead from my son. He wanted to do more than what was being offered to him on the town level. My older son was a bit different he played town until U12 and before he began to play club.Originally posted by backofthenetComment
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Re: U/10 SOCCER CLUB GREED OR DEVELOPMENT!!!!!!!!!
I have mixed feelings about u10 club and I suppose it all depends on how the club and parents handle it. The #1 priority is that it should be fun. The second priority is that it should not be competitive. Matches should be treated like friendlies. Keep score but no standings or relegation and everyone gets plenty of playing time at multiple positions. A player signing with a club at u10 should be guaranteed a slot on a U11 team. This keeps the club honest and out of the skimming mentality.Originally posted by backofthenetComment
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My youngest daughter played U10 for a club last year (as a U9) and it was good for her. She got to play at a level that was more competitive for her. She wasn't being challenged consistantly enough on her town team. There was no pressure with winning and losing, every game except for 1 was close and there were quite a few ties. She got to play every position and was able to try different moves she learned. There was always great attendance at practice and the kids were always excited to get together. It was a positive experience for her and I'm glad she wants to stay with it.I have mixed feelings about u10 club and I suppose it all depends on how the club and parents handle it. The #1 priority is that it should be fun. The second priority is that it should not be competitive. Matches should be treated like friendlies. Keep score but no standings or relegation and everyone gets plenty of playing time at multiple positions. A player signing with a club at u10 should be guaranteed a slot on a U11 team. This keeps the club honest and out of the skimming mentality.
As far as guaranteed spots on the U11 team, I can appreciate Cujo's reasoning for it, but I would only be in favor of it if the players (and parents) kept up their end of the commitment. If you have a player that only seemed to show up on game day and maybe every other practice, I wouldn't have a problem if a club decided not to invite that player back. Of course, I would also expect the club to make the parent aware of that prior to tryouts.Comment
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I didn't realize Maple had added a U10 group. Do clubs hold tryouts for U10 teams or do you just pay a fee to train/play?
I guess I'm hoping they don't have to tryout. If they do that means a U9 kid finishes his spring season in town, he is 8-9 years old (until Aug 1) and then he tries out for a U10 team for the following fall.Comment
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"Can anybody justify kids playing club soccer at u/10 and under."
I wouldnt think anyone would need to 'justify' it. Ten year olds like to play as much as anyone else. 10 year olds are right in the middle of the 'golden years', ripe for learning. They no doubt enjoy it, that is pretty easy to see...so what is the problem?
None of the Jrs. that I know are talking about college yet.
I would think that a player would do far better in a club system than spending time and money on unrelated 'clinics'. The clinics cost far more (per hour), dont play games (the highlight of the whole thing) and have no plan to develop players systematically. There are no lasting friendships. If the club takes a developmental and personal interest in a player then the player is much better off in a club.
Of all Cujos 'things' his philosophy in regard to the development of the young player exposes his lack of a real understanding of player development to me. Simply because a player signs up early they shouldnt be guaranteed a position. They may not be physically or mentally able to copete at the level the team plays at. If they arent, it isnt good for the team or the player.
Knowledgeable coaches will agree that players need to play at the highest level they can be successful at, not the first team they sign up for.Comment
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Fred Marks ^^Comment
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justathought
U10 seems to be the new benchmark for starting a club team. It allows the kids to play in a fun competitive environment with other players that love to play. I currently train a u10 club program and the girls absolutely love coming to practice and having fun, they barely even know that they are "learning."
It seems some feel that clubs are so greedy?? if you really believe your club is that way with 9 year olds then why are you even there at 11-18??
Clubs that develop players in a knowledgable, low key, fun but productive way generate future success for the club and their athletes. I do not beleive clubs added the U10s for financial reasons....Comment
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absolutely it should be a two way street but it should not be used as a defacto tryout for a u11 slot. Cherry picking talent happens soon enough and has its time and place. As long as the commitment is two way the club should continue their "look" at u11.Originally posted by Vman971Comment
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Then don't accept the player at u10 if they don't have the potential to be successful as u11. You are one amazing person Fred, you now have the ability to tell if a 9 year old will be successful. I gotta hand it to you though. You are not bashful about your abilities to detect finished players at an early age. This would be fine if it I were the only person who disagreed with this. But I am not.Originally posted by Fred Marks
Here is the fundamental problem with your philisophy. It is really easy to pick out the prodigy. In anything. The trick is to pick out the kid who is little slower to develop or that is just coming into the sport. One year is not enough. But then again if your philosophy is to take the easy way out and to cherry pick the youngest talent then go ahead and start u9 or u8 - you'll get a few whizz kids there too. I had a 7 year old some years back that had unbelievable skills for her age. She was head and shoulders above her peers. She is now a very fine U16.
The bottom line is be honest. Don't call it developmental if it isn't. Be square with the parents by telling them up front. We are a premiere and are looking for the top 10%. Your 9 year old gets one season to show us what he has. No guarantees. I don't know what you tell the parents of the young players. Perhaps you show them your magic crystal ball where you pick out which latent developers are going to blossom at u14 or u14. I tried to find one at the Gordon Reed flea market to no avail.
I do understand development Fred. Just not in the way that you do. It does not mean that either one of us is RIGHT. It just means that we have different views of development. Given our different missions I can afford to be patient while you cannot. A 2 year commitment on my part holds no risk because my goals are different.Comment
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Im sure many have seen this same 7 year old tear up the field only to become stangant and get passed by.Originally posted by Cujo
Slow and steady wins the race.Comment
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justathought
Cujo,
The U11 player who played U10 for the club DOES gets atleast one significant advantage, they have had an entire year to develop at the club. IF you are creating a true "development team" those player who ARE NOT the "whizz Kid" get a chance to show there stuff. Many kids do make teams because they show their worth over a long period of time that never would be able to "walk on " at U11. This does not mean you should gaurantee the player a spot at U11. Players must earn their keep year over year, period.
Fred is not implying that he can look into the 9 year olds future, he simply said that you dont promise them a U11 spot based on early sign up.Comment
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Re: justathought
I find this comment indicative of what is wrong with Massachusetts soccer. The whole idea of players earning their spot and constantly trying out is one that belies any sense of true development. Up until U14 there are so many variables that come into play that it really is futile to try to make guesses as to who the elite players will be. My older son was a stand out player for many of those early years. He had no problem being selected for a very strong premier club team and was repeatedly recruited by a number of competitive teams in those early years. When he reached the age of 15 he shot up 6 inches and was over 6 feet tall. Although he had decent size, it was all he could do to make those long legs and arms work together. He always had decent touches on the ball, but he found himself having difficulty keeping up with the faster game. That year was a tough year for him and certainly was a wake up call for all of us. He eventually developed into a decent player that could hold his own, but certainly not the elite player his earlier coaches had predicted. On the flip side, there were several players in those primary years that were dismissed early on. Many of them did not continue club because of the lack of support. After watching them play high school and really standing out as the players to beat, I wonder what could have been.Originally posted by Anonymous
We need to look long and hard at the players we are selecting at these early ages. A bigger faster player will have an easier time dominating play at an early age, but what happens when those with the better footskills catch up? Some players have decent athletic ability, but just need to learn the game. Other players may have great insight with s "smart" way of playing, but lack the physical skill to perform optimally. A good trainer will have the patience to help these players master their potential and develop into productive players as they get older. It's all about the big picture. Surely, that can't be decided at U10 can it???Comment
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Re: justathought
A player needs to learn and be taught what "their keep" is before they can earn it. Most college and professional coaches will tell you that in most sports development is too short and too focused on identifying the early bloomers. You obviously have a choice of listening to the Fred Marks of the world or the Jack Parkers who embody opposite ends of the spectrum. Obviously different venues but athletics have underlying common factors that transcend which sports are being played.Originally posted by MASoccerComment
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