So DA players are skipping the Development Academy Winter showcase and risking being removed from their DA teams to Play Super Y? I just do not see that happening.
my daughter's club has participated in super y for many years and regularly competes u13, u14, and at times u15. it is a good intro to 11 v 11 for the u13s and provides solid summer training at a cost comparable to a high quality camp for the rest. it does cut into summer vacations considering the spring season can extend into mid/late june depending on regional/national advancement. but we only had two weekends of games and basically it was 4 weeks of training with 2 weekends of games. my daughter did super y this past summer and although the competition wasn't intense at the regional level, it was a good experience and all the players got solid minutes and got to play in a variety of positions against teams they don't normally see.. the competition is more even in Florida (at IMG, no where near Disney but on the gulf) and although it is a long week of soccer with just one game each day it was a good experience and I am glad we did it. at the u13 and u14 level there weren't any DA kids or teams but a handful of ECNL teams. Super Y nationals was the same time (overlapped) as the DA showcase for girls and directly after the boys showcase so i doubt there were any DA kids at any age group
We just got our training schedule. Two sessions a week with one scrimmage game vs our u16 team. There will be additional strength and conditioning added weekly as well. Not bad for just over $500 for an entire summer. WAY better then any camps - that's for sure!
My son's club joined Super Y for this summer in several age groups. They certainly seem to be making a push in my area. Given the info we have, it seems like it'll be an improvement over the previous summers of playing in 2-3 tournaments where you commit to the entire day or weekend and the level of competition fluctuates wildly. We're looking at 6-8 games, all within a reasonable drive. Florida isn't on the radar. Most of our parents would prefer not to add that to the calendar.
Reporting back.. Super Y is a dud... 1.everyone in our group started 2 weeks late because of end of Spring Tourneys. 2. Next week, 2 practices cancelled because weather moved in.. we were already there(sigh)...Coaches call it, thats it, no waiting for it to clear. 3. the other day that week coach had to leave, kids scrimmaged on their own. 4. St. Louis team bailed, so 2 less games on schedule, had to re schedule two weekends.... total cluster. 5. Turnout for practices is typically only 50 percent of our squad. 6. between coaches and players, energy level is super low. laid back lets say? 7. Games are a bit lobsided, win by 4, lose by 3... Could have kept my kid busy with daily touch drills, and some speed//agility and weight room... Could have used the money for like 7 sessions with private coach. Not blaming anyone. A lot of factors make summer play difficult... Another hard and expensive lesson. How old before I gain worldly wisdom?!
I see some teams are light on the training side. Our squad is typically there for 100% of the sessions but weather has killed our Wednesday practices so far. We played the NPL Regional winners in our first game - very competitive and we played well - lost off two shots that hit the post. Second game was vs a local club - very easy win. I suppose Super Y needs numbers so they allow a club - such as we payed in. None the less our players were moved into new positions and there was a decent take away - good team building. We are playing two very strong Michigan teams this weekend - they will be a big challenge for us. As far as killing games a few weeks past, I was told that Elgin Sports Plex did not want their fields trashed so they went back and forth with Super Y and eventually the coaches were notified but it was not quickly. That was a pretty bad storm - I get it. I think after a horrid Spring (weather-wise), we all wanted to re-boot and get Super Y going but unfortunately the weather still hampers competitions. I am more happy with what I have spent based on what I'm getting in return. I know some parents look at this as serious competition (not you necessarily), but I see this as a way to work out a few wrinkles and prepare for the season - as most of our team is what we are looking at for Fall. I know others see this as a money grab/way for clubs to promote. Frankly I would like too see more good teams join in to make this essentially a local summer league. I don't care about a Super Y National Championship - I'd love to see good matches local for players and teams that want to continue to play.
We've had a pretty good experience so far. Son's team is carrying a roster of 17 for 9v9 to work around vacations and other conflicts. Most games they get 12-14 to show up so it works out. Only lopsided game was on a night when a bunch of our better players had a previous commitment, so my guess is the game would've been closer if at full strength. Travel hasn't been bad at all, which is probably more a function of luck than anything else. The club absorbed another club so this has given everyone a few games to get acquainted with each other and a chance for some 10Us to play up. My only real complaint is that the first game overlapped with the end of the Spring season and the last game is 2 weeks before their pre-season tournament, which gives them virtually no time off. That's not really a Super Y issue, though.