<rant on> What is with 8am games?? They bite. It's not good for anyone, especially when you have to get up two days in a row between 5am and 6am when young kids should be getting rest. Then it only gets worse you have a late afternoon game on the same day! How can you expect young players to do this? My U12 son is in an upcoming tournament that is only about 1hr:15min away from home, but we're going to have to stay in a hotel because it's downright ridiculous to have to leave home at 6am two days in a row. Are these tournaments too big for their own good? Is there anything tournament organizers realistically can do to avoid these super-early game times? No games should begin earlier than 9am IMHO. </rant off>
Where do you come from that your leagues don't also have 8am games? 8 am games are regular for all levels of soccer throughout the country, it's a way of life, and it has never really affected any team any of my kids have played with. One son now in college, a daughter entering high school, and another son on a Pre Academy team presently.
On the other hand, why enter tournaments in the first place if they have all the inconveniences? I enter one a year and I hate it. Hate the timing of matches, hate the spotty officiating, hate the postage stamp-sized fields that prevent actual play from taking place. Tournaments by and large are this way, I don't know why I or anyone would subject themselves to this. I'm thinking about not doing it next year. In the big picture, youth teams enter too many tournaments and most do it for questionable reasons.
Yeah, my son's team have their first coming up, and I'm already sorta dreading it. Not the 8 AM start on Saturday--although of course I'm hardly thrilled--but the three or four games in two days, the coach will probably bring in guest players, everybody's too tired by the end of day two to play good soccer anymore, etc. Been there, done that. But as they say, nobody forced our family to do this.
1. Its done to make money for the host club. No other reason. 2. 8 am because, see 1, we want as many teams as possible. For those of you who have traveled, please enjoy the concession stand during your many breaks. 3. Some teams are happy, some are not. It happens. Some teams you can NEVER make happy. As to Elessear, we don't decrease the size of our fields on tourney day, so you can come to us. That is my mini-rant as an administrator. As a coach, I'd rather start early (then again, I regularly get up at 4:30 to go the gym or bike rides). Weather is usually cooler. Fields are fresher, refs are a little sharper. Proactive coaches wanting to do 'tournaments' can arrange their own 3 or 4 team friendly and avoid the hassles and costs and still get in 1-2 matches.
My son's coach at that age was dead set against guest players unless due to injuries or player schedules he didn't have enough players I remember one tourney in VA Beach the coach specifically said no late night hanging out, no playing on the beach because there was an 8:00 am game the next morning. No one except myself and 1 other parent listened. Guess how many players were on their toes and could perform the next morning? 2. It was a bad loss.
I'm just really "over" the American youth soccer mentality. Tired of showing up to praise kids who really "want it" and "fight hard" and so forth. Tired of tournament championship games between two sides too tired, sore, and banged up to play good soccer, decided by whichever squad has the deepest bench. I'd really like to see some quiet, patient, development.
Problem is the best development coaches don't seem to be adept at soccer politics and are usually forced out and replaced by the coaches that like to collect trophies for the clubs. And clubs love trophies because trophies bring in check writing parents
Thanks for the invite. Maybe one day when I have an older group, I'll take you up on it. I know U12s nowadays travel god-awful distances but I keep things sane for my players. There's just no benefit, IMO. Great point about the 3-4 team friendly. I think that's a good way to go about it, never thought of it before.
It's a pretty true statement. Because development coaches probably just want to coach. They love the game and don't give a rat's ass about all the non-soccer stuff?
I don't blame the coaches completely. They're at the mercy of parents who want their kids on "elite" teams, facing "good competition" week in-week out. It's tough to keep a core of good, serious players over the long term no matter how much the coach genuinely wants to think long-term and focus on development when Sports Dad just wants to see Jr. gutting out "tough wins" any which way it takes.
I don't like tournaments because the emphasis, rightfully so, is about winning. Since it's voluntary why go if you're not there to win? But when that happens the priorities change. Players play their primary positions, some kids get little playing time, play becomes risk averse, etc. I also think tournament games are more aggressive than league games. IMO, most of the learning until U14 takes place during training. I'm really not convinced of the educational value of tournaments. Last tournament I gave my kids a suggested schedule to keep. For early morning games and peak performance, your body has to wake up and you can't really do that if you roll out of bed, climb in a car, and warm-up for 30 minutes. You gotta wake up, eat breakfast, have time to digest, get rolling physically, then warm-up. As pointed out before, you can get preseason games in other ways.
Unfortunately, its difficult to fit a whole tournament in a day where you wait to start the games until 11 in order to allow the quasi hung-over soccer moms to rouse themselves from bed.
Here, I will contradict you. Most tourneys we do are 4 -30 minute games. It is actually a good time to point out mistakes and allowing the kids to get right back on the field and correcting them in game conditions. I can't speak of other teams, but I am usually not there to 'win.' Its nice if we do, but as you said, with younger ages it is learning, etc. I'd rather see good ball and a loss than playing to win.
Plus it's hard for those young, sketchy coaches to explain why they are driving to the 8 am game with the divorced, single mom. .
Tournaments are waste of time in general. I hate them too. They are only good for making money for the host club. I especially don't understand the point of attending tournaments in the middle of league season. In addition, plenty of tournaments in my area are around holiday weekends. What do kids learn from tournament games that they can't learn from regular league games or practices?
9:00 PM and 10:00 PM away fixtures that arent quite far enough (less then three hours) to warrant a hotel that can also be trying.
we have a club around here and their coaches(males) have these bright orange tees that say "I heart soccer moms" It's worth a smirk whenever I see it.
I've always said this when my parents ask why we're not doing 2-3 tournaments a season like our competition. And I offer the alternative of just having a saturday and sunday practice instead (in addition to our normal practices). Never any takers. But I do like cleansheet's idea of "weekend o' friendlies". I think I'll invite the friends I've made in other clubs to bring their teams and we'll do a round robin or something. 30 minute games.