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    Newbie Looking for Club Soccer Advice

    I'm the mom of a 9 year old son, who plays 2nd year U10 rec, asking to play club soccer.

    His reasons in his own words:

    1. He wants to play with players who want to be there.
    2. He wants to learn more.
    3. He wants to be challenged more than he is.
    4. He loves the game.

    This is a kid who plays outside of practice constantly. When he is not playing he's watching soccer on TV. And when he's not watching it on TV or playing it outside, he's playing FIFA on the Xbox.

    If he could quit all the other sports he plays (basketball, baseball and lacrosse) just to play soccer, he would. We have discouraged that thus far because 1. he's 9 and 2. because we think multiple sports makes for a well rounded athlete.

    I've been reading these boards, have looked up information on the NEFC, MPS and Stars sites and have talked to friends who have kids in the various above clubs.

    My dilemma.....

    He's been playing for years and was not a stand out athlete at the U6/U8 level.

    His interest and development has just started to explode in the last 2 years of U10.

    Because of the above, he is not on our best rec team in town. However, he is the best player on his own team.

    My questions.....

    What club has a good program for a kid like him? He's clearly not an elite player, but he's definitely far from being a weak player.

    Do the above 3 clubs have entry level development programs at U11 and if so are there ever any games?

    Are there clubs outside of the 3 I listed above that I should be looking into?

    While I do coach and have a MA Youth Soccer G and F license, is there anything I should be doing to help him in this situation?

    He can work on his foot skills/individual player skills on his own and with me. He's just not getting the game skills he needs with the team he is on. And I'm not the head coach, so I'm limited in what I can implement.

    We are in the Central MA area and would likely join a Central MA club/team.

    Thanks in advance for your responses and time!

    #2
    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
    I'm the mom of a 9 year old son, who plays 2nd year U10 rec, asking to play club soccer.

    His reasons in his own words:

    1. He wants to play with players who want to be there.
    2. He wants to learn more.
    3. He wants to be challenged more than he is.
    4. He loves the game.

    This is a kid who plays outside of practice constantly. When he is not playing he's watching soccer on TV. And when he's not watching it on TV or playing it outside, he's playing FIFA on the Xbox.

    If he could quit all the other sports he plays (basketball, baseball and lacrosse) just to play soccer, he would. We have discouraged that thus far because 1. he's 9 and 2. because we think multiple sports makes for a well rounded athlete.

    I've been reading these boards, have looked up information on the NEFC, MPS and Stars sites and have talked to friends who have kids in the various above clubs.

    My dilemma.....

    He's been playing for years and was not a stand out athlete at the U6/U8 level.

    His interest and development has just started to explode in the last 2 years of U10.

    Because of the above, he is not on our best rec team in town. However, he is the best player on his own team.

    My questions.....

    What club has a good program for a kid like him? He's clearly not an elite player, but he's definitely far from being a weak player.

    Do the above 3 clubs have entry level development programs at U11 and if so are there ever any games?

    Are there clubs outside of the 3 I listed above that I should be looking into?

    While I do coach and have a MA Youth Soccer G and F license, is there anything I should be doing to help him in this situation?

    He can work on his foot skills/individual player skills on his own and with me. He's just not getting the game skills he needs with the team he is on. And I'm not the head coach, so I'm limited in what I can implement.

    We are in the Central MA area and would likely join a Central MA club/team.

    Thanks in advance for your responses and time!
    avoid Stars - mainly for girls and as such they don't put their best resources into the boys programs. WU and Bolts are good programs in your area.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
      I'm the mom of a 9 year old son, who plays 2nd year U10 rec, asking to play club soccer.

      His reasons in his own words:

      1. He wants to play with players who want to be there.
      2. He wants to learn more.
      3. He wants to be challenged more than he is.
      4. He loves the game.

      This is a kid who plays outside of practice constantly. When he is not playing he's watching soccer on TV. And when he's not watching it on TV or playing it outside, he's playing FIFA on the Xbox.

      If he could quit all the other sports he plays (basketball, baseball and lacrosse) just to play soccer, he would. We have discouraged that thus far because 1. he's 9 and 2. because we think multiple sports makes for a well rounded athlete.

      I've been reading these boards, have looked up information on the NEFC, MPS and Stars sites and have talked to friends who have kids in the various above clubs.

      My dilemma.....

      He's been playing for years and was not a stand out athlete at the U6/U8 level.

      His interest and development has just started to explode in the last 2 years of U10.

      Because of the above, he is not on our best rec team in town. However, he is the best player on his own team.

      My questions.....

      What club has a good program for a kid like him? He's clearly not an elite player, but he's definitely far from being a weak player.

      Do the above 3 clubs have entry level development programs at U11 and if so are there ever any games?

      Are there clubs outside of the 3 I listed above that I should be looking into?

      While I do coach and have a MA Youth Soccer G and F license, is there anything I should be doing to help him in this situation?

      He can work on his foot skills/individual player skills on his own and with me. He's just not getting the game skills he needs with the team he is on. And I'm not the head coach, so I'm limited in what I can implement.

      We are in the Central MA area and would likely join a Central MA club/team.

      Thanks in advance for your responses and time!
      Most teams have academy programs for the younger kids, which is practice several nights (mainly footskills) a week and then informal games on Sunday. This is how my daughter started out at 10, then the following year tried out for a team. This will provide your son with the skills and confidence before he joins an actual team. My daughter plays for NEFC and has been there for four years, I highly recommend it, good coaches and great facilities. Stars is also a great program, very similiar to NEFC, good coaching and strong focus on development.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
        I'm the mom of a 9 year old son, who plays 2nd year U10 rec, asking to play club soccer.

        His reasons in his own words:

        1. He wants to play with players who want to be there.
        2. He wants to learn more.
        3. He wants to be challenged more than he is.
        4. He loves the game.

        This is a kid who plays outside of practice constantly. When he is not playing he's watching soccer on TV. And when he's not watching it on TV or playing it outside, he's playing FIFA on the Xbox.

        If he could quit all the other sports he plays (basketball, baseball and lacrosse) just to play soccer, he would. We have discouraged that thus far because 1. he's 9 and 2. because we think multiple sports makes for a well rounded athlete.

        I've been reading these boards, have looked up information on the NEFC, MPS and Stars sites and have talked to friends who have kids in the various above clubs.

        My dilemma.....

        He's been playing for years and was not a stand out athlete at the U6/U8 level.

        His interest and development has just started to explode in the last 2 years of U10.

        Because of the above, he is not on our best rec team in town. However, he is the best player on his own team.

        My questions.....

        What club has a good program for a kid like him? He's clearly not an elite player, but he's definitely far from being a weak player.

        Do the above 3 clubs have entry level development programs at U11 and if so are there ever any games?

        Are there clubs outside of the 3 I listed above that I should be looking into?

        While I do coach and have a MA Youth Soccer G and F license, is there anything I should be doing to help him in this situation?

        He can work on his foot skills/individual player skills on his own and with me. He's just not getting the game skills he needs with the team he is on. And I'm not the head coach, so I'm limited in what I can implement.

        We are in the Central MA area and would likely join a Central MA club/team.

        Thanks in advance for your responses and time!


        Before entering the club world you must accept the following:
        1. You will travel and pay more than it will ultimately be worth with respect to hard dollars.
        2. Do not expect a D1 (or II) scholarship, nor an invite to a national team.
        3. Do not expect your child to go pro.
        4. Do not expect other parents to be normal or sane
        5. Do not expect anyone (with the exception of you and your husband) to start each day wondering what they can do to make your son/daughter better.
        6. Do not expect anything to be fair.
        7. You must understand the details of your contract.
        8. Do not judge whether the experience was worth it or not based on national team invites, or college coach calls.
        9. Do not judge whether or not the expericence was worth it based on if your child continues to play the sport beyond 8th or 12th grade.

        This is simply something that you want to do because your child (and you I suspect) are curious to see how good they can get.

        That being said, you have to decide whether or not you want a big club or a smaller one. The former would be NEFC (perhaps Stars). NEFC will have many teams and be more than happy to take your money. I have little idea about the coaching quality but they do offer many opportunities to train. Their first teams are very strong.

        The Bolts have a central mass program run by a former NEFC director and they are a decent program, but smaller in scale.

        MPS is extremely large and spread out. I don't think they offer the same quality product as NEFC and probably do not offer the same amount of training.

        Whatever you decide, try to keep the commute to practices/training under 30 minutes. There will be enough frustration such that you don't want to get killed on the driving.

        That being said.....my kids play club sports in different sports and I have no regret whatsoever.

        Comment


          #5
          I think the observations in post 4 above are well taken. Good luck! Enjoy it as far as you and your son go. I am just curious, you said he watches soccer on tv - what teams does he favor, and US or Euro? Again, good luck, my son is in college now but I will always be thankful he decided he wanted to take up club soccer (age 12, BTW).

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
            Before entering the club world you must accept the following:
            1. You will travel and pay more than it will ultimately be worth with respect to hard dollars.
            2. Do not expect a D1 (or II) scholarship, nor an invite to a national team.
            3. Do not expect your child to go pro.
            4. Do not expect other parents to be normal or sane
            5. Do not expect anyone (with the exception of you and your husband) to start each day wondering what they can do to make your son/daughter better.
            6. Do not expect anything to be fair.
            7. You must understand the details of your contract.
            8. Do not judge whether the experience was worth it or not based on national team invites, or college coach calls.
            9. Do not judge whether or not the expericence was worth it based on if your child continues to play the sport beyond 8th or 12th grade.

            This is simply something that you want to do because your child (and you I suspect) are curious to see how good they can get.

            That being said, you have to decide whether or not you want a big club or a smaller one. The former would be NEFC (perhaps Stars). NEFC will have many teams and be more than happy to take your money. I have little idea about the coaching quality but they do offer many opportunities to train. Their first teams are very strong.

            The Bolts have a central mass program run by a former NEFC director and they are a decent program, but smaller in scale.

            MPS is extremely large and spread out. I don't think they offer the same quality product as NEFC and probably do not offer the same amount of training.

            Whatever you decide, try to keep the commute to practices/training under 30 minutes. There will be enough frustration such that you don't want to get killed on the driving.

            That being said.....my kids play club sports in different sports and I have no regret whatsoever.
            I should have prefaced my post to say that we are definitely not "those" parents.

            We have no grand ideas of him going pro or getting a scholarship. Honestly, I thought this was just a phase and that he'd burn out. But was pleasantly surprised that his interest in soccer is as strong as ever.

            My goals are mainly 1. to help him improve 2. to give him the opportunity to play at a higher level.

            The rest is all up to him. :-)

            Thank you so much for the detailed response and suggestions.

            And thank you to the other posters above as well.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
              I think the observations in post 4 above are well taken. Good luck! Enjoy it as far as you and your son go. I am just curious, you said he watches soccer on tv - what teams does he favor, and US or Euro? Again, good luck, my son is in college now but I will always be thankful he decided he wanted to take up club soccer (age 12, BTW).
              Too funny you should ask.

              A year ago he was all into the Revs and Diego Fagundez. (Because both are local and we've been to games.)

              Now he's all Euro.

              He'll watch whatever is on but prefers to play Barcelona and or Real Madrid on fifa.

              As he grows, and if the interest is still there, I'm sure he'll develop favorite teams and players outside of the Messi's and Ronaldo's of the game.

              I'm glad to hear you've been happy with your club experience.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                I'm the mom of a 9 year old son, who plays 2nd year U10 rec, asking to play club soccer.

                His reasons in his own words:

                1. He wants to play with players who want to be there.
                2. He wants to learn more.
                3. He wants to be challenged more than he is.
                4. He loves the game.

                This is a kid who plays outside of practice constantly. When he is not playing he's watching soccer on TV. And when he's not watching it on TV or playing it outside, he's playing FIFA on the Xbox.

                If he could quit all the other sports he plays (basketball, baseball and lacrosse) just to play soccer, he would. We have discouraged that thus far because 1. he's 9 and 2. because we think multiple sports makes for a well rounded athlete.

                I've been reading these boards, have looked up information on the NEFC, MPS and Stars sites and have talked to friends who have kids in the various above clubs.

                My dilemma.....

                He's been playing for years and was not a stand out athlete at the U6/U8 level.

                His interest and development has just started to explode in the last 2 years of U10.

                Because of the above, he is not on our best rec team in town. However, he is the best player on his own team.

                My questions.....

                What club has a good program for a kid like him? He's clearly not an elite player, but he's definitely far from being a weak player.

                Do the above 3 clubs have entry level development programs at U11 and if so are there ever any games?

                Are there clubs outside of the 3 I listed above that I should be looking into?

                While I do coach and have a MA Youth Soccer G and F license, is there anything I should be doing to help him in this situation?

                He can work on his foot skills/individual player skills on his own and with me. He's just not getting the game skills he needs with the team he is on. And I'm not the head coach, so I'm limited in what I can implement.

                We are in the Central MA area and would likely join a Central MA club/team.

                Thanks in advance for your responses and time!

                I have had several kids (son and daughter) play soccer for different clubs. When friend ask me what I think about Club A vs Club B my resopnse is always the same.

                Pay close attention to the instructors and coaches at your son's age group/level. There are some great clubs that are well run, great facilities, strong results but the coach assigned to your son's team is average at best. On the other hand, there are avg clubs (not the top ones you hear about) that may have a very talented, energetic and committed coach that has a great track record for building players technical skills and their love for the game.

                Find a team that feels right and is appropriate for your son's skill, committment etc. It's not always the best club/team in the state, your region etc.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Maple League has a page to find clubs by zipcode. Find some nearby clubs and go watch a game there are 3 or 4 left in the season
                  http://games.maplesoccer.com/index.cfm/clubsByZip/

                  Here are the NEP team schedules
                  http://events.gotsport.com/events/De...?EventID=36609

                  Check out the coach and players. Lots of people focus on just the clubs but finding the right coach and team is more important I think.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                    I have had several kids (son and daughter) play soccer for different clubs. When friend ask me what I think about Club A vs Club B my resopnse is always the same.

                    Pay close attention to the instructors and coaches at your son's age group/level. There are some great clubs that are well run, great facilities, strong results but the coach assigned to your son's team is average at best. On the other hand, there are avg clubs (not the top ones you hear about) that may have a very talented, energetic and committed coach that has a great track record for building players technical skills and their love for the game.

                    Find a team that feels right and is appropriate for your son's skill, committment etc. It's not always the best club/team in the state, your region etc.
                    Thank you for that!

                    I completely recognize the importance of a strong coach.

                    I believe my son's coach last year played a huge role in where he is at today and his desire to continue and move on/up.

                    My questions is, if I'm looking at teams now and plan to attend try outs in June, will I know who the coaches will be for fall?

                    Do coaches come and go regularly or do they remain consistent give or take?

                    Thanks Again!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      I have had several kids (son and daughter) play soccer for different clubs. When friend ask me what I think about Club A vs Club B my resopnse is always the same.

                      Pay close attention to the instructors and coaches at your son's age group/level. There are some great clubs that are well run, great facilities, strong results but the coach assigned to your son's team is average at best. On the other hand, there are avg clubs (not the top ones you hear about) that may have a very talented, energetic and committed coach that has a great track record for building players technical skills and their love for the game.

                      Find a team that feels right and is appropriate for your son's skill, committment etc. It's not always the best club/team in the state, your region etc.
                      Excellent advice that I was about to post something similar myself, but now don't have to. The coach is the most important factor to consider, especially at this age because this is where your son's technical foundation is set. His future excess in the game will be based on that, especially if he's not a super stud athlete.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                        Thank you for that!

                        I completely recognize the importance of a strong coach.

                        I believe my son's coach last year played a huge role in where he is at today and his desire to continue and move on/up.

                        My questions is, if I'm looking at teams now and plan to attend try outs in June, will I know who the coaches will be for fall?

                        Do coaches come and go regularly or do they remain consistent give or take?

                        Thanks Again!
                        Yes coaches do come and go which is why it is important that a club have a stable of good coaches, not just a few. A club may or may not tell you who will be coaching next year. It's helpful if they will at least tell you it will either be x, y or z. On their side it's tough at tryout time - they have to see how many teams there are, what coaches are returning, etc. Shuffling around is tough to avoid. Turnover is an issue everywhere (they are paid very little and usually are stringing together multiple coaching and other jobs) but a well run club won't churn through them year in and year out.

                        Try to talk with the director of coaching at a few clubs you think might fit. Do it now before they get really crazed before tryouts. Ask if your son can attend a few practices or if you can at least go watch a few. Tryouts are often a chaotic mess so it's best to scope them out ahead of time. Clubs like this as well because they can better assess a player individually instead of a mass tryout.

                        Given he is still young and you're not sure how long the love will last, a developmental program along with his current program may be a good fit for him. His skills will improve but you won't have to make the big time and financial commitment of playing on a full team. It also is a lower risk way to assess the club. They all have varying degrees of politics and it's tough to assess that from the outside. We had one that had a great developmental program but was a train wreck with unreal politics after U11 so we knew long term we wouldn't stay.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                          I'm the mom of a 9 year old son, who plays 2nd year U10 rec, asking to play club soccer.

                          His reasons in his own words:

                          1. He wants to play with players who want to be there.
                          2. He wants to learn more.
                          3. He wants to be challenged more than he is.
                          4. He loves the game.

                          This is a kid who plays outside of practice constantly. When he is not playing he's watching soccer on TV. And when he's not watching it on TV or playing it outside, he's playing FIFA on the Xbox.

                          If he could quit all the other sports he plays (basketball, baseball and lacrosse) just to play soccer, he would. We have discouraged that thus far because 1. he's 9 and 2. because we think multiple sports makes for a well rounded athlete.

                          I've been reading these boards, have looked up information on the NEFC, MPS and Stars sites and have talked to friends who have kids in the various above clubs.

                          My dilemma.....

                          He's been playing for years and was not a stand out athlete at the U6/U8 level.

                          His interest and development has just started to explode in the last 2 years of U10.

                          Because of the above, he is not on our best rec team in town. However, he is the best player on his own team.

                          My questions.....

                          What club has a good program for a kid like him? He's clearly not an elite player, but he's definitely far from being a weak player.

                          Do the above 3 clubs have entry level development programs at U11 and if so are there ever any games?

                          Are there clubs outside of the 3 I listed above that I should be looking into?

                          While I do coach and have a MA Youth Soccer G and F license, is there anything I should be doing to help him in this situation?

                          He can work on his foot skills/individual player skills on his own and with me. He's just not getting the game skills he needs with the team he is on. And I'm not the head coach, so I'm limited in what I can implement.

                          We are in the Central MA area and would likely join a Central MA club/team.

                          Thanks in advance for your responses and time!
                          Seems to me that you don't need anybody's advise. you know answers to all your questions. Sorry If I'm wrong, but you sound a little fake.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                            I'm the mom of a 9 year old son, who plays 2nd year U10 rec, asking to play club soccer.

                            His reasons in his own words:

                            1. He wants to play with players who want to be there.
                            2. He wants to learn more.
                            3. He wants to be challenged more than he is.
                            4. He loves the game.

                            This is a kid who plays outside of practice constantly. When he is not playing he's watching soccer on TV. And when he's not watching it on TV or playing it outside, he's playing FIFA on the Xbox.

                            If he could quit all the other sports he plays (basketball, baseball and lacrosse) just to play soccer, he would. We have discouraged that thus far because 1. he's 9 and 2. because we think multiple sports makes for a well rounded athlete.

                            I've been reading these boards, have looked up information on the NEFC, MPS and Stars sites and have talked to friends who have kids in the various above clubs.

                            My dilemma.....

                            He's been playing for years and was not a stand out athlete at the U6/U8 level.

                            His interest and development has just started to explode in the last 2 years of U10.

                            Because of the above, he is not on our best rec team in town. However, he is the best player on his own team.

                            My questions.....

                            What club has a good program for a kid like him? He's clearly not an elite player, but he's definitely far from being a weak player.

                            Do the above 3 clubs have entry level development programs at U11 and if so are there ever any games?

                            Are there clubs outside of the 3 I listed above that I should be looking into?

                            While I do coach and have a MA Youth Soccer G and F license, is there anything I should be doing to help him in this situation?

                            He can work on his foot skills/individual player skills on his own and with me. He's just not getting the game skills he needs with the team he is on. And I'm not the head coach, so I'm limited in what I can implement.

                            We are in the Central MA area and would likely join a Central MA club/team.

                            Thanks in advance for your responses and time!
                            He's playing rec now? Why don't you see if he makes a travel team before you jump to club. Just my 2 cents but the general order of progression is rec to travel and if he makes travel then to club at U12. Seems like you are committing to a $2000 plus price tag before you even have a realistic assessment of if he's any good. If he's mediocre, Travel will improve him and he will be with kids who are committed to being there.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                              He's playing rec now? Why don't you see if he makes a travel team before you jump to club. Just my 2 cents but the general order of progression is rec to travel and if he makes travel then to club at U12. Seems like you are committing to a $2000 plus price tag before you even have a realistic assessment of if he's any good. If he's mediocre, Travel will improve him and he will be with kids who are committed to being there.
                              Our rec teams travel starting at U10. So he's on a travel team but it's still called rec here.

                              Our town is part of the NVYSL.

                              Comment

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