I took on new team this year. Girls 2005 (u14). Played in Flight 2. Team didn't win a game the prior year in Flight 2. Won a few more this year, but still finished near the bottom of the table. Results aside, every player on the team made VAST improvements in their game. We trained 2x per week. But I offered up lots of additional sessions. We did 1x per week (optional) fitness day. I introduced them to an amazing private trainer (former u23, 4 year starter at the d1 level, etc). I had many of them play up on to my 2004 team when possible. We played pick up soccer on Sundays in the summer. We are playing indoor soccer right now. For some reason, clubs in So Cal have their tryout in December. Even though we don't play State Cup until February. Players check out other clubs. They get offers with promises of "Flight 1" or "Play Flight 2, but we have a flight 1 option you can work towards", "You won't play in college unless you join our club." So now we have "Lame Duck Cup" coming up with a team that will be disbanding as soon as the last game is played. I'd rather focus on my 2004 team at this stage and let the 2005's go on their way. But I'm committed to finishing up what we said we'd be doing this season. I preach team continuity and the fact that these girls all have a new love for outside training that they didn't have before I took on the team. Our overall club had some screw ups this year (uniforms and some overall confusion on costs, payments, etc). Some parents got sick of the organizational issues and made a decision based on dealing with that for the past 3 years. 3 of the girls are going to a new team. It is being coached by a coach that left our club and is now actively recruiting my players. 3 are going to "Flight 1" teams. I guess I take it as a bit of a compliment that coaches want my players. But I'm a bit pissed that they didn't give me 1 more year to prove that we were on the right path. My 2004 team has rarely lost players. So I'm taking this one kinda hard. It's been eye opening how cut-throat youth soccer has become. I'm pretty sure that some players got offers just because 1 club doesn't like the other club and they are trying to reduce our player pool.
Cheer up. You did fine. Those players will take the memories and learning of this year with them. Unfortunately too many youth coaches and clubs are so busy building teams by recruitment that they don't care about player development because there will be tryouts again next year.
The other side to recruiting in youth soccer is the families-I feel there’s very little loyalty to the club nowadays, but I’m also no longer sure they should be loyal. Not blaming the victim here, but do we do a good enough job recruiting families to stay before that other coach even gets in their ear? Going through a bit of this now too. We’ve developed some studs over the years and they get the itch to move to the semipro team’s academy. Some situations are a great player in a weak age group. But others are in a strong age group but parents just want more tournaments and regional play-they think the exposure and far travel make the player better. Not really IMO, it’s the training that’s making them better.
Good points, elessar78. Travel certainly doesn't develop athletic ability, and neither do weekend tournaments because of the fatigue involved. But the typical soccer parents believe their child is that special 1 in a 1,000 player if only the "right" people noticed. I took a rec team to a local end-of-season tournament once, but it was going to happen with me or without me. Real waste of time. The other teams were "all star" teams. You know the drill. The irony was that this team had a travel coach (with no child on the team) helping out for the experience (preparing for the C). No special talent was being overlooked.
Many parents of "special" players are obsessed with "getting scouted" and "getting noticed"—they won't admit it, but they think their kid is close to the finished product. IMO, they need to be obsessed with the training. But to timbuck's point, it is/has been cutthroat. We are well aware other clubs talk shit about us. I'm sure that people in our club are no angels either. For me, I think I have to be zen about it. My players have been getting poached forever. It pisses me off and all I can do is to continually sell me, sell my program. It sucks when it's your leading goal scorer—I can't replace that. The worst part is that these goal scorer's always have a talisman effect on their teammates, so once the talisman leaves the rest of team suffers a psychological let down. It takes more than a season or two to start to get that back.
I’ve been thinking about it a little more. Now I’m in a better mood about it. If our club had a Flight 1 team, these players would have stayed. Either because they would have a chance to play with that team or because they’d realize they aren’t quite ready for that step. Looks like 4 of the girls are moving to a flight 1 team for next year. For these girls to have that opportunity- I now take it as a compliment. None of them could juggle more than 10 times. 3 of them are now well over 100. 1 of them was afraid to use her head on a ball. One of them was thinking about quitting soccer at the end of summer. I just hope that their next coach gives them the encouragement and confidence that these girls will need to perform at the “next” level. 3 of the 4 are probably the smallest girls in the age group. Size shouldn’t matter, but most of the top teams have the biggest players.
As someone who is on the outside looking in from the club perspective, but also someone who was profoundly affected by personal interest from a coach, might I suggest that you keep in contact with these girls that have gone up to flight 1? Just the fact that you show interest when you have nothing to gain can set an example that could affect them for a lifetime. If you're already intending to do this, wonderful - I'm certainly not intending to imply otherwise. If not, well, take it for whatever it's worth.
I’m 100% taking the high road. I’ve told everyone “the door will always be open. I hope to catch a few of your games”. State Cup will be interesting next month.
I was talking to a basketball coach the other day and its probably not what you want to hear but It is not your team or your kids. You are their coach. Slight difference in language but very different meanings. They are not there to serve you and your goals. You are there to serve theirs. You have helped these kids reach a potential that was so obvious that others saw it and wanted it for themselves. Congrats and I bet a few will come back in a year. I also bet the upcoming cup games will not be an issue as it sounds like you have competitors. They will play hard for whoever is on their current team.
I agree with this. We're a small exurban club whose best players get poached by 1 mega club in our area for their various teams. I get it and when I was playing soccer at a teen 25-30 years ago I may have done the same. We view the only way to keep our talent is to be open and honest with the parents. Our club finally started a newsletter that is monthly. Each coach being asked to get some certification (we are too small to have a DOC) and we actually had our first questionaire sent out to the parents over the winter. We are not radically overhauling stuff yet but we saw things in the responses that we need to dig deeper on. Our rec coaches (who are all volunteers) were rated higher that our competitive coaches (who get a small stipend) and the team pays corresponding higher fees. Our board is having a meeting on Monday to start the conversation with fees and maybe getting rid of the paid coaches and lowering fees but still having a competitive and rec level teams. As a coach as our team was struggling I send out emails after every other weekend with examples of what I am teaching at practice, what success of that looks like and what I am seeing in games. 30 years ago when I was playing the parents had no idea what good soccer was, today most still do not. So shiny things, (tournaments), foreign coaches, etc must mean better. Educate the parents on the what and why and I think we'll see success.
I like that perspective. Thanks for sharing. “I’m not your coach forever. It’s my job to make sure that your coach next year (who might be me) gets a competent player with the right skills and tactical awareness to help the team.”
My view is simpler. A youth coach should help the players become better than they were and should nuture a love for sports in the players.