What in your opinion is the most effective way to release under 12s from a club. My old mentor, Dirty Joe, always said that phasing a boy out from a squad was always a lot easier, on the boy and the club, rather than telling the child to their face (crying kids always make some people feel uncomfortable ;-) ). My problem with this is that some kids can be ignored at training for weeks on end before they start to get the message. Much like ripping off a band-aid, I think there is something to be said for getting it done quickly and just being honest. Once a kid knows he's not good enough, the team can move on and hopefully results will improve. Binning a player is never nice, but it's a tough old world out there
Whatever is easiest for the coach, as long as the parents have already paid the final installment for the year. I say have the Team Manager do it so the coach's reputation doesn't get stained (that would be bad for business).
We basically have coaches set new rosters between each session Spring, Fall, Winter 1, Winter 2. Makes it easy for the Coach to place a kid on the B team if they have fallen off.
Regular written player evals would help. Considering U12, open communication with parents about what player needs to improve on. Should be no surprises then when player is cut.
Screw it, I'll bite...are you really asking the best way to dump a U-little mid-season because you think they are harming your precious win-loss record?
What happened to the player from the time they were accepted on the team to the time they could no longer cut it? I'd say from what I know, this one is likely to fall at the feet of the coach or club for maybe taking all players (at the time of tryouts) or not paying attention during tryouts. Maybe some up-front honesty would have precluded the mess to beging with. Hell we had one player who was a solid C playing A and would cry nearly everytime they were challenged on the ball. Why the hell did we take that player? Because we were not bringing in new players for years and had to take everyone we could get. In this case - bad club. But in many cases it comes down to the coach.
Simple money grab at big clubs. Absolute joke. The B teams are full of kids who shouldn't be there but whose parents think they are better off playing there than rec. most of these kids really just goof off during practice and the coach has to play them or coach them up. Kids on the elite teams should be their for a reason, because they earned it through hard work, or are skilled and need more coaching. To drop someone because they aren't cutting it is an early mistake in the recruitment of the kid to the top team, especially if they work hard or have some skill. That falls on the club and the coach. The club should understand who is an "A" talent vs a "B"
This is the same guy who recently inquired about the best ways to teach/train kids to play dirty and cheap…barring more details, among other things, I am going to chalk this up to a bad coach scapegoating a kid because his team ain’t winning like he thinks it should… He doesn’t have problem ignoring this kid a training, only that it might take too long for the kid to get the message….what a jack ass….
I think one could assume that but it's not necessariy true. Regardless of the OP personal approach - it's a good conversation.
Maybe, I am not sure… Nothing in the OP indicts this is a) a big club, b) an elite team, or c) even an “A” team…this is just a amateur youth coach apparently asking how best to cut or force out an 11 year old mid-season… I am sure we have all seen kids whom are perhaps misplaced, or a bit in over their heads, and someone is always going to be the “worst” kid on any team…but I’ve never seen that “worst” kid have a such a direct and powerful impact the success of the team that there would be need to cut them or force them out mid-season…
I thought I had been, but just of the record, cutting or forcing out a kid, regardless of level or reason, mid-season, is a pretty crappy thing to do…any coach with his mind-set, shouldn’t be coaching…
Have a honest conversation with the kid and family. not cutting it, work harder but your playing time is going down. At the end of the season, reassess their options for the B team.
Firstly, thank you all for your responses Just an update on the situation. Told the kid straight that he was not playing at the required performance level for an Elite Academy and it was probably the best for all concerned. The squad have started working on some advanced third-man run drills and the "problem child" was breaking down play, not only because of a lack of talent, but distracting other players with stories about his troubles at home. My team has went from strength to strength since he was binned, so I'm over the moon with my progress. My only real concern is that there wasn't a parent / guardian present when we binned him, which is against club policy. His parents are going through a messy break-up and they don't seem that interested in the kid, so never showed to pick him up after training. Anyway glad the father wasn't in attendance as he's apparently got a bit of an anger problem and likes a drink Every cloud Anyway hope my problem helps other coaches, and maybe even some parents, who might be going through the process of getting rid of a dud
I am not sure how such an untalented kid gets placed on such an “elite” squad in the first place, but be that has it may, all parties involved have made a commitment…the player to the team/club; the team/club to the player…in my opinion, it shows a real lack of character, by either party, to renege on that commitment mid-season, whether it’s a kid quitting or a coach cutting a kid. Most youth coaches have probably had to deal with a kid or two that struggles to keep up, for whatever reason...I like to think the better one “deal with it” more constructively and positively, then simply just cutting the kid…. I don’t care how elite this team or you think it is, we are still talking about 11 years olds…
Did the kid have a balance due or did the last installment check clear? Hoping it is the latter. If so, well played.
If we are talking about a small club with only one group at this age - I can see the reasoning. But IMO I would have refunded the money and set the player up with a contact at another - more suitable, club/team. In otherwords I would have already reached out to the coach of that other team before nixing the player. Of course I am assuming you were a bit less harsh then what you have portrayed here with the parent(s) of said player. But I am on board with Wolf's comment re: how the kid got there in the first place?
Sometimes a dud slips through the net. Sign of a good coach is he identifies the fish swimming against the shoal early and removes it before it does any damage to your net haul.
As a father of a U12 who recently went through the wrong end of something like this I can offer you my perspective. He was marginalized over the course of two seasons by both his team coach and the DOC of the club. It started with the coach's constant berating from the sidelines, then proceeded to reduced playing time, and then finally to outright benching for 80%-90% of games. The last two seasons the DOC had as many as three non-paying guest players who were playing 100% during tournaments and league games while my son was left watching and only entered during garbage time. My son is not terrible, he is competent for his level. Good enough to be their starting center back for more than 3 seasons. I guess somebody in the club really wanted to win everything! Considering he attended ALL trainings, playing his hardest despite his Sever's Disease issues, my son felt terrible, and considered quitting soccer altogether until I convinced him to try a different club. At first I tried to tell him he needed to show the coach he was trying his hardest. Then after several months I gave up because I could no longer honestly tell my son he was even partially responsible for what was happening. In the end we got the message and left. Even the other parents were wondering why he was suddenly persona-non-grata on the team. It's reassuring that this wasn't just in my head and other people recognized what was happening. At least he's much happier now. He gets along with his new teammates, is improving, and is not suffering from the torment of a joystick coach and a DOC who has lost perspective on why kids play soccer. As far as the OP goes, he can use our experience as a guide to formulate his own plan of how to cut a 11 year old kid from his club.
My son went through a similar situation, although he was a year or two older. Moving to another club, and getting his confidence back from a change of scene and playing well for his school team, did wonders.