Lakeland FC is the best club in Central Florida

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Trophies won????????? What trophies has LFC EVER won?????????

Mulitiple Bazooka Showcase tournaments.

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Mulitiple Bazooka Showcase tournaments.

Bazooka = joke. Rec tournament.

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Says Daragh himself

DC would never say that about rec

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You could state the problem brashly like that if you wanted, but that is the problem.

Local families who have been with LFC are dumped and picked up depending on who the club can attract and who the club loses. My kid started in LFC rec at age 5, and was developed up. We as a family have been loyal to LFC, but there is no loyalty in soccer anymore. There is no home-town club in soccer anymore. One post above says that we should not even think of soccer as "local" anymore.

So, what are we left with? A club that is feeding all this parents from neighboring towns BS about how their kid can be the next Mia Hamm, and the local families get trampled. When they can import a prospect for a season, sorry you get moved to another team, or you have to play Rec. Oh, the hot prospect left LFC for another club, we need you back on this team now. Kids who have been loyal to LFC have their heads messed with.

If LFC is so great, then why do they keep bringing in kids from the other small clubs around us. Lakeland's population is almost half of the county. LFC should be able to train the kids in house. But that is NOT what happens.

LFC is not teaching teamwork or life lessons. It is turning all kids into mercenaries, willing to ditch any team, any friends, to win an extra trophy.

There was a time when LFC was community driven. When life lessons of sports and soccer were important. Now LFC is pretending to a development academy, and doing a poor job at it. And now there is absolutely no community. LFC could not careless about the kids from Lakeland. LFC cares ONLY about the kids who will win.

LFC is measure of everything wrong in youth sports across the country. Heaping pressure on kids to fulfill adult expectations about trophies. Sports are no longer about healthy exercise and teamwork, they are coaching careers, money, and trophies.

LFC once cared about the kids in the program. Daragh cares only about trophies and money.
That is a fact.

Go ahead, TS community, ridicule me for wanting a community sports program in my team. Attack me because I don't care how many f***ing trophies my kid wins. You are all twisted.

LFC plays on public fields, which it rents at a discount rate from the city because LFC is "serving the community". BS. LFC only serves Daragh's ego.

Despite the harsh comments about Daragh, I think LFC will be better off going back to a community-based/loyalty-rewarding club. Not meaning shutting doors for outside players, but foster the local core first and foremost. Players will always leave due to personal issues or wanting something that is perceived to be better, but LFC needs to better protect the core.

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Despite the harsh comments about Daragh, I think LFC will be better off going back to a community-based/loyalty-rewarding club. Not meaning shutting doors for outside players, but foster the local core first and foremost. Players will always leave due to personal issues or wanting something that is perceived to be better, but LFC needs to better protect the core.

Core of what exactly?

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Despite the harsh comments about Daragh, I think LFC will be better off going back to a community-based/loyalty-rewarding club. Not meaning shutting doors for outside players, but foster the local core first and foremost. Players will always leave due to personal issues or wanting something that is perceived to be better, but LFC needs to better protect the core.

I have players who have played for LFC/ me for several years , some have left for other clubs because they want to play in other leagues besides CDL. When try out came this year I had the core group which returned and others from other clubs , some of those were better than some returning LFC players , every coach is looking for the best . These decisions are hard and believe me the coaches have a hard time with this no matter what club . Think what parents who have been at WFF /TBU/Rush must think when a player from LFC takes their child's spot on a team they have been on for years. This year I have girls from WFF, WH, and one from TBU.So this happens with ever team in every club.

EC shows up to our sessions and talks to us regarding them how they could be better , never has that happened before in past . He is hard but he wants us coaches to be better . I know he is involved with the college and bringing in players to work with the pre academy. These are positive steps for any club.

I know DC , and the things that are being said about him on here are not true, yes he has an ego all coaches do .

- LFC/coach

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Lakeland is trashy

Lakeland is the trashiest soccer club the face of earth has ever seen. Their pitch is garbage and the teams are horrid. Their U12 team got burried by the chargers 9-1.

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Core of what exactly?

Loyal LFC players such as those that start in academy and go through the ages.

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I have players who have played for LFC/ me for several years , some have left for other clubs because they want to play in other leagues besides CDL. When try out came this year I had the core group which returned and others from other clubs , some of those were better than some returning LFC players , every coach is looking for the best . These decisions are hard and believe me the coaches have a hard time with this no matter what club . Think what parents who have been at WFF /TBU/Rush must think when a player from LFC takes their child's spot on a team they have been on for years. This year I have girls from WFF, WH, and one from TBU.So this happens with ever team in every club.

EC shows up to our sessions and talks to us regarding them how they could be better , never has that happened before in past . He is hard but he wants us coaches to be better . I know he is involved with the college and bringing in players to work with the pre academy. These are positive steps for any club.

I know DC , and the things that are being said about him on here are not true, yes he has an ego all coaches do .

- LFC/coach

There has been a culture change at LFC over the last few years. That is undeniable. To me, it is more about AA than DC, but DC is continuing it. LFC is trying to become more like a development academy, and less like a community program. That is obvious.

There are many in the LFC community that view this change as primarily being about money and adult egos. Many who believe it is being done for children, but rather for adults. Personally, I believe that the culture change has been made in good faith. I believe that those pushing this culture change honestly believe that this is the best thing for the children. But I also believe it has been a terrible mistake and the program is flawed.

Lakeland will never be able to compete at the level of a true development academy. Pure population theory and the neighboring cities of Tampa and Orlando should make that fact obvious. But is more than population, it is economics. The neighboring cities demographically have much more money to spend on development. I am sorry, Polk County is talent pool for Tampa and Orlando, not the other way around. The best Lakeland will ever be is a funnel to collect Polk County kids from which those larger clubs can draw.

In the meantime, what's the difference at home? What is lost in the culture change? Now, when you sign up for U10 Rec soccer, it is not about your kid having fun. There is an obvious undertone of recruitment. Every parent implicit understands the new academy-like culture: your 9yr old kid (who you brought out to rec soccer to just have some fun) is quietly being judged, because we are looking to develop this age group. Other parents on the team brought junior here all the way from Lake Wales because Junior is the next Pele, and OMG! junior is stuck on a team with your space cadet kid. How will junior ever be recruited if the only one he has to pass to is your space cadet.

The truth is exactly what was posted by the parent above: Lakeland will never be "the best club in Central Florida", and now it is not even a good community program either. The culture change has been for the worse.

- former LFC coach

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At the end of the day, we are the adults making the decisions and paying the fees. If your kid is happy playing CDL, USA, or on one of the 3 FSPL teams, then stay. If your kid wants to play for a club that most age groups are playing in NPL, FSPL, R3PL, DA, or ECNL, then there are options less than an hour away. If your kid is not developing as they are getting older, you can only blame yourself and the player. Yourself for keeping them in the same situation year after year. Your player for not training extra outside of the club training days. Talent attracts talent. Many of these kids have friends at other clubs and see what each other are experiencing via social media. At some point, those that feel that they are missing out will leave.

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At the end of the day, we are the adults making the decisions and paying the fees. If your kid is happy playing CDL, USA, or on one of the 3 FSPL teams, then stay. If your kid wants to play for a club that most age groups are playing in NPL, FSPL, R3PL, DA, or ECNL, then there are options less than an hour away. If your kid is not developing as they are getting older, you can only blame yourself and the player. Yourself for keeping them in the same situation year after year. Your player for not training extra outside of the club training days. Talent attracts talent. Many of these kids have friends at other clubs and see what each other are experiencing via social media. At some point, those that feel that they are missing out will leave.

Exactly

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I have players who have played for LFC/ me for several years , some have left for other clubs because they want to play in other leagues besides CDL. When try out came this year I had the core group which returned and others from other clubs , some of those were better than some returning LFC players , every coach is looking for the best . These decisions are hard and believe me the coaches have a hard time with this no matter what club . Think what parents who have been at WFF /TBU/Rush must think when a player from LFC takes their child's spot on a team they have been on for years. This year I have girls from WFF, WH, and one from TBU.So this happens with ever team in every club.

EC shows up to our sessions and talks to us regarding them how they could be better , never has that happened before in past . He is hard but he wants us coaches to be better . I know he is involved with the college and bringing in players to work with the pre academy. These are positive steps for any club.

I know DC , and the things that are being said about him on here are not true, yes he has an ego all coaches do .

- LFC/coach

What team do you coach?

[Unregistered]

At the end of the day, we are the adults making the decisions and paying the fees. If your kid is happy playing CDL, USA, or on one of the 3 FSPL teams, then stay. If your kid wants to play for a club that most age groups are playing in NPL, FSPL, R3PL, DA, or ECNL, then there are options less than an hour away. If your kid is not developing as they are getting older, you can only blame yourself and the player. Yourself for keeping them in the same situation year after year. Your player for not training extra outside of the club training days. Talent attracts talent. Many of these kids have friends at other clubs and see what each other are experiencing via social media. At some point, those that feel that they are missing out will leave.

Typical academy thinking crazy parent. This is becoming the prevailing attitude at LFC.
"If you kid can't cut, then lay blame." Is there no place left for a community sports program? It is all about who's kid is the best, and which team plays in the strongest league.

My guess is that none of the parents on this board trained like we ask these kids to train today. How far did you go as a youth athlete? But, if you kid can't make the FSPL team, then blame your kid for not working hard enough. This is not a healthy attitude.

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"Typical academy thinking crazy parent. This is becoming the prevailing attitude at LFC.
"If you kid can't cut, then lay blame." Is there no place left for a community sports program? It is all about who's kid is the best, and which team plays in the strongest league.

My guess is that none of the parents on this board trained like we ask these kids to train today. How far did you go as a youth athlete? But, if you kid can't make the FSPL team, then blame your kid for not working hard enough. This is not a healthy attitude."

Oh my god....its this type of thinking that gives LKLD a bad name! Do you really think this new regime wants to only be a community club? Hell no! the new DOC wants to make lkld a better club by producing a better product and I can tell you its people like you that keep this club down.

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Oh my god....its this type of thinking that gives LKLD a bad name! Do you really think this new regime wants to only be a community club? Hell no! the new DOC wants to make lkld a better club by producing a better product and I can tell you its people like you that keep this club down.

Cut me a break. This is about money and the ego's of the various adults.
Better for who? Your ego. No doubt you are the type of parent that chews out there kids after a loss, because they didn't play hard enough.

Read some psychology and educational studies. The "blame your kid if they can't make it attitude" is not healthy.

But I am sure it gives Daddy's ego a boost.