Bring a big check book and you are in like FLYNN!

O'Flynn or McFlynn?

troll and if not, he is U9, stay with a town a team and kit are not needed and a waste of money

Unless of course you wind up with a coach who knows nothing about soccer and it just their because nobody else volunteered.

Yes, this was our town soccer experience. I've seen a few comments in the past from parents wishing they had started club soccer earlier in retrospect. Curious if there are any parents of club players who wished they had stayed in town later (or not joined club at all).

I was at my kid's club practice the other day, and there was a town team around the same age practicing on the next field over. The difference in how these two practices were run was quite remarkable. The club team had the every boy moving constantly, whether with or without the ball, and with quick thinking required to carry out the complicated drills, and lots of small breaks to gather and discuss points for improvement. On the other field, most of the kids on the town team were standing still, unless they happened to have the ball during their drills, with no intensity displayed. They were given plenty of time to make decisions during passing drills, which were very simple (one passing option). The only instruction given was when to switch to the next drill, or to keep the ball close while dribbling. The lack of movement carried over to their end of practice scrimmage, during which at most three boys were moving at any given point in time. I'm sure the coaches are just dads who were kind enough to step up and volunteer their time, doing the best they can with what they know. But my main thought was that no matter how much potential some of the boys on that town team may have, they won't ever have a chance to develop it when they are receiving this type of coaching year after year.

Club soccer obviously isn't an option for a lot of kids, but the town programs need to figure out a better way to help those volunteer coaches run practices more effectively (even just have them observe a few good club practices) so those kids can have some hope of developing.

Don't you think your general advertisement for club soccer would reach more people if you and MYSA/GPS had spent a few dollars and ran a full page ad in the Globe?? You seem to be so 'insightful' and I am so impressed that the club coach had, per your observation, U9 players doing complex drills and runs.

If, however, you are sincere (which you might be), then with regard to town soccer, why didn't you volunteer?? It is always quite a bit easier to criticize from the bleachers, but much harder to get into the game and play.

I will admit that town soccer is almost a crap shoot, unless you are in a town that has critieria i.e. licenses, or run coaching training and licensing for at least the lower licences.

Club soccer will run the same cost of approximately ine year of a college tuition by the time you are done. Do not expect that the return will be equal so don't go into worrying about how much you are paying. You will always be disappointed.

My conclusion.....at U9.....you would get more for your time and 'money' by fooling around with your child in the backyard as long as he/she has the ball at their feet while constantly running all over the place.....perhaps with you chasing.

You can do both

If your child loves soccer and you have the $ and time many players do town and club. Town is about competing with friends (fun), club is about maximizing potential (development and exposure). There is no guarantee that your son will become great by playing club, but if you expect him to be competitive in high school, club is necessary.

GPS is a respectable program. The mega clubs have multiple regions and tiers offering a place for everyone. They will take your money next year too, so at U9 do what works best for your family.

I would agree but what if you have a child that wants to learn how to play the game right? They watch it on TV and they know the town coach telling them to boot the ball down the field is wrong. Or that they get yelled out for dribbling on defense?

Some towns (like ours) actually have very highly licensed paid coaches, but I've still seen major differences in the practices they run compared to my kid's club practices (they play both). The town coach is very good, but the difference is a few things ...

1. In town, the coach often has to coach to the lowest skill leveled player on the team, which in town can be pretty low. This gets a bit boring and unchallenging for the higher skilled players on team.

2. In town, you have less committed players, so often the practices are not as well attended and making the coach's ability to work on team oriented drills much harder.

3. In general, I see a lot less foot skill development in the town program then at our club. When my children did start playing club, they were behind the eight ball in terms of footskills and have had to catch up to others.

Lastly, the town practice is just more relaxed, structured and not as intense. Its great for my kids to have that ******, but they do get bored now there, and the do get upset when the other kids goof off and mess about during the drills. The coach will yell and try to reign in the behavior, but you are dealing with many kids who see soccer as just a fun activity to do and don't really care. If that is what soccer is to your kid, then great, don't move past town travel, but if your kid wants a more intense and serious soccer atmosphere to develop, and you can find a club nearby that you can afford, I would suggest checking it out as soon as he/she is ready to speed up their development.

Not sure why I got "bleeped" for saying "******" but apparently TS thinks that's a naughty word. Haha!

Ok, seriously TS... o.u.t.l.e.t is a bad word?

I agree with this. You just need to assess what your kid wants and what dedication level is and what their potential COULD be.

I'd say if your kid is very soccer oriented and dedicated, but their ability puts them at bottom of your town B team, I'd say stick it out in town until you see them make their way to at least the top of the B team before even thinking about moving on to Club. However, likewise, if your kid is a good quality A player but is not committed to soccer or really interested in getting any better, I wouldn't bother with Club either. On the converse if you have a dedicated, committed soccer player at the top your town A team, I'd be looking to push them to club much earlier.

I think this is good advice. However, I would add that if your kid is showing an enthusiasm for soccer (wanting to play outside of weekly practice, wanting to watch good soccer), but is still not a top player in town, I would suggest enrolling him in some skill building programs offered by the clubs over the winter. My son did this for a few winters when he was younger and it really jump started his development, and his interest in soccer grew even further. In many town programs, relying on the town volunteer coaches from year to year to get him to club level will probably not be enough. Although, I agree with other posters that it is of utmost importance just to have him out in the yard with the ball at his feet as much as possible at this age.

I actually am sincere, and am a parent, not a club coach or employee. And I have volunteered as a coach in the past, but unfortunately it was before I even knew what a well run practice looked like, as my kids weren't involved in club at that time. I would have been happy to sit in on a few club practices to get a better understanding back then if the town had recommended it.

I agree with you, that at the really young ages (5-8), a lot of time with the ball in the backyard is the best training you can do to gain technical skills. But once you get to U9 or U10, you really need to be learning how to play on the field with a team, how to move with the ball and look for passing options and runs by other players, how to move off the ball and get yourself into a position to receive a pass and check to the ball. Soccer IQ won't come from playing by yourself in the backyard and the younger you are when you start to lift your head and gain awareness of what is going on around you, the better. The club coaches can help you with this, many town coaches can't. My kids play both club and town. When on defense, the town coach yells at them to stay back on defense and pass the ball to the forwards. Their club coach tells them to feel free to be more fluid, taking the space if given to move up and attack with the ball, and instructs another player to move and cover the defense. If you have a kid that shows a strong interest in the game and wants to develop into a decent player, they need this type of instruction, and the earlier the better IMO (yes, even at U9).