Roster Sizes A vs B Team

[Unregistered]

Question: This is our first year playing club. When you say that some folks might leave the team in the spring, do you get any money back? I was under the impression that you pay and then are stuck for the year.

This is an ongoing debate that always crops up each year. Most clubs you have to pay a hefty portion by mid fall (around 2/3's of the total annual fee) then the rest usually mid winter. So you wouldn't get the fall portion back, but in theory wouldn't pay the remainder if you left. You have signed a contract but 1)it's very vague with plenty of loopholes 2)clubs don't want word to get out that they're taking families to small claims court - not good PR!

Beware of any club that insists on paying the full amount up front - but some will offer you a slight discount if you do. Personally I never do because I've seen too many things happen - teams implode, coaching sucks, kids drop out. It's always best to keep your options open because things can happen that you just don't expect. Whether or not you're moral compass is ok with that is an individual choice.

[Unregistered]

This is an ongoing debate that always crops up each year. Most clubs you have to pay a hefty portion by mid fall (around 2/3's of the total annual fee) then the rest usually mid winter. So you wouldn't get the fall portion back, but in theory wouldn't pay the remainder if you left. You have signed a contract but 1)it's very vague with plenty of loopholes 2)clubs don't want word to get out that they're taking families to small claims court - not good PR!

Beware of any club that insists on paying the full amount up front - but some will offer you a slight discount if you do. Personally I never do because I've seen too many things happen - teams implode, coaching sucks, kids drop out. It's always best to keep your options open because things can happen that you just don't expect. Whether or not you're moral compass is ok with that is an individual choice.

Parent's seldom realize that they are as much a part of the problem as the clubs or coaches. Keeping a club team together is a communal effort and when the parents don't treat it seriously the whole group suffers. The worst offenders never see it that way though.

[Unregistered]

Parent's seldom realize that they are as much a part of the problem as the clubs or coaches. Keeping a club team together is a communal effort and when the parents don't treat it seriously the whole group suffers. The worst offenders never see it that way though.

op here - yes I've seen plenty of that. I'm not of that vein and teach my kids they've made a commitment to something. We've had less-than-ideal seasons but stuck it out because they weren't intolerable and I wanted my kids to see it through until they could re-evaluate at tryout time.

That said, I have seen plenty of scenarios where families are completely justified in leaving and I don't begrudge them that - clubs pull a fast one and change coaches last minute, coach is inept or abusive, etc. Or, in your example a few start to pull out and the team starts to crumble then you need to do what is best for your kid. Leaving just because little Johnnie isn't getting the PT parents think he deserves is not a good reason to go - chances are Johnnie isn't as good as they think he is. But that is why I won't pay all my money up front - even at the current clubs where we are quite happy

[Unregistered]

"Question: This is our first year playing club. When you say that some folks might leave the team in the spring, do you get any money back? I was under the impression that you pay and then are stuck for the year"

This was my comment. Yes, I also told her she made a committment and has to stick with it. It would not be fair to leave mid year especially with a small roster. I just wasn't aware that it does happen and wondered if parents got money back. I had to pay most money by September so it wouldn't even be worth it to leave. Unless of course there is good reason like abuse or club pulls something that is intolerable.

[Unregistered]

"Question: This is our first year playing club. When you say that some folks might leave the team in the spring, do you get any money back? I was under the impression that you pay and then are stuck for the year"

This was my comment. Yes, I also told her she made a committment and has to stick with it. It would not be fair to leave mid year especially with a small roster. I just wasn't aware that it does happen and wondered if parents got money back. I had to pay most money by September so it wouldn't even be worth it to leave. Unless of course there is good reason like abuse or club pulls something that is intolerable.

Sensible approach. I hope it works out and she has a good experience

[Unregistered]

Have Seen

Fully rostered A team and under rostered B team at U11/U12 depending on league in anticipation of 11v11. Club pass used to move kids on A to play with the B team for both league and tournament play. Not uncommon with smaller clubs and/or the smaller regions of larger clubs.

[Unregistered]

"Question: This is our first year playing club. When you say that some folks might leave the team in the spring, do you get any money back? I was under the impression that you pay and then are stuck for the year"

This was my comment. Yes, I also told her she made a committment and has to stick with it. It would not be fair to leave mid year especially with a small roster. I just wasn't aware that it does happen and wondered if parents got money back. I had to pay most money by September so it wouldn't even be worth it to leave. Unless of course there is good reason like abuse or club pulls something that is intolerable.

Clubs will take a player mid year (especially a top player) and scholarship them for one season. happens all the time.

[Unregistered]

By A and B do you mean regional A team (Elite, United, etc) and Regional B (Select, Barcelona)? If so, previous comment is likely correct that club is taking money from parents who wouldn't sign contracts for anything other than "A" team




I think that original post was a phony. This post: "Yes...regional A/B. Not DAP/NPL/ECNL" is too non-specific as there is no club that has these levels on both girls and boys. The OP is not asking about any specific club but a general question.....cheap start of a thread.

That said...............

on the one side, you can argue that a club uses the lesser teams to make money to better support the higher teams. However, there are many families/parents who enter their kids willingly on the lesser teams where it should either be a 'buyer beware' or a recognition of the idea that they knowingly do so for recognizing that their kids are weak players and are only seeking training to accelerate their play at the town level.

I'm the OP and this is a true scenario at a big club.

I posted DAP/NPL/ECNL bc I never specified club or gender.

[Unregistered]

Question: This is our first year playing club. When you say that some folks might leave the team in the spring, do you get any money back? I was under the impression that you pay and then are stuck for the year.

I'm the OP. Last yr we made the mistake of paying in full for a discount. This year we are paying in installments via credit card.

Leaving is not ideal and I would prefer not to. But, if the club does not honor their end of our agreement and the experience is a bad one for my child, we will look at other clubs come Spring. We'll just cancel our credit card and stop paying.

[Unregistered]

Fully rostered A team and under rostered B team at U11/U12 depending on league in anticipation of 11v11. Club pass used to move kids on A to play with the B team for both league and tournament play. Not uncommon with smaller clubs and/or the smaller regions of larger clubs.

19 kids on one team and 8 on another. Why not just put some kids on the B team permanently?

These teams aren't practicing together so the A team guests won't have chemistry with the kids that have been practicing together all along.