Anyone have any info on the latest exodus taking place in the U14 girls age group at Sockers? I have heard that there are a lot of parents/players unhappy with the outcome of the "merger" with CFJ. Apparently it must be correct as we showed up to our daughter's practice last night and 4 players/parents from U14G Sockers were there "observing"...and one of the GKs has already left and joined into the first practice with the new team last night.
Which players are leaving - Sockers or CFJ? If Sockers it would not surprise me. CFJ came with a TON of great teams and thusly players. Perhaps some of the Sockers girls are being bumped by CFJ players for game time and are not happy about it? Also - which team(s) - White, ECNL, Blue, Elite?
I think they've kept the West teams separate from Schaumburg except at the highest level, so it must be girls who got bumped from ECNL.
Mergers with existing clubs don't usually work well. Everyone is used to doing things in their own way. Merging with a bigger club the power usually goes with bigger club. Coaching staff has to be on the same page as well. Most merged clubs don't last. Do not let a coach who has kids on his team coach that team. Let him coach a team where he doest have his kids on. I coached on a club that merged it lasted for 2 seasons. It is the same in business some times. The partners make a lot og money going with a bigger company or a law firm. But the workers on the workers of the smaller company or law firm suffer cut backs layoffs lost bonus money.
This will last - I have no doubts on that. Chi Fire Jr from Naperville which Sockers absorbed has some serious talent. My guess is at the highest level (ECNL) you may have some long time Sockers players who have developed friends and relationships with coaches over the years now being challenged by Naperville players. At the league level this would not be a problem but at DA and ECNL you have to be the best and my guess is some of the Sockers girls from Schaumburg are not competing well and perhaps they and their parents are taking it personal. I know of 4 players from the McHenry Sockers who are on ECNL and very happy still - not heard a peep from them.
This is how I have seen it not work. Both clubs have a few teams. They both might be good. But they think if they merge they can win a champion ship. Plus they can save money on their expensives. Then one team becomes their A team. All the talent goes to that team. The other team becomes the B team what ever is left hoes to that team. That coach was not with the bigger club before the merger. Hard for it to work in that kind of situation.
That sounds typical at 90 % of clubs - not at Sockers though. No one is looking to save money - they all have enough of that to go around. This was no merger - like the Sockers north, this was a life raft and Sockers own it. It's there own players who are probably being displaced by new players from the new club. And rightfully so. Again at the ECNL and DA level this will happen. If the players don't like it - work harder. If the parents don't like it they can go elsewhere. The best girls from south and north have left the teams they grew up with - possibly for years because now they are with a club that can put them into ECNL. This ticks off the original teams from the North and South but helps to build stronger teams at the ECNL and DA level - probably the largest reason for clubs expanding.
It has been a couple of weeks now and it appears that it is the CFJ girls that are leaving and not the existing Sockers girls. There are various reasons being given as to why it it happening---it appears that the most consistent complaint is that the CFJ girls feel that they were not getting the same training opportunities and ECNL opportunities as the existing Sockers girls so they are picking up their "marbles" and going some place else in an attempt to get what they want. I completely agree with Volk above "If the players don't like it - work harder. If the parents don't like it they can go elsewhere." The question is, should this be about the players working harder at Sockers and fighting their way to ECNL (and yes, that may mean that some players aren't going to make it to ECNL and it might mean that some of the teammates they have grown up playing with are split apart as some won't make it) or should this be about the parents not liking it and picking up the phone six weeks into the new season and moving their kids into a new Club in an attempt to get what they want. Everyone had a choice to make back in June with tryouts...and those girls/parents chose to stay with Sockers and not tryout at the Club they are trying to move to like every other girl playing at that Club.
Yes I did hear some rumblings as thought the CFJ girls came in with a sense of entitlement. Never a good way to start off for sure.
Clearly they are girls who couldn't start at Sockers and are hoping that they can find starting positions on the Eclipse U14 ECNL team. I'm sure Nesci and Dames will be happy to add another $2500 per player to their bank, tryouts and ethics be damned.
I told this story on a coaching site. Years ago our under 16 team was one of the best in the country. We had three strikers. We play 2 at a time. All three of our strikers got the same amount of minutes on average. One of our strikers father was a very wealthy attorney. He owned the long island rough riders and the lady rough riders. He saved the met oval in queens. His parents were great people. They would pay for whole torments for our team. We did not charge players to pay. Some of those parents started to complain that their son was not as good as the other two strikers and should get less playing time. They got so loud that the parents could not help hear them complain. So they took their son to another club. After they left the same parents would complain that their kids all of a sudden were playing in less tournaments
There are parents who even at the u7-u10 groups are making statements about the Eclipse - such as they would like to try that. I find it funny that people are willing to say such things with really no idea of the club other then the wins. There are pitfalls to all clubs period. Frankly I think Sockers have a stable platform. They meet 2-3 hours a day to go over coaching (staff) issues, programs, training and so on. They have retained a staff like no other in the nation (that I know of). Are they behind Eclipse in terms of girls? Perhaps but they do have a proven leadership, $$$ and plenty of resources to build that end of the program. This season they brought in more girls at the youngest ages then they have in the past so it is growing. And as far as I am concerned that age is your bread and butter period. If parents want to leave because they think the grass is greener that's fine with me. But I have not seen many clubs that are as stable and predictable in terms of parents knowing what they are getting for their $$$ then the Sockers. IMO - most other clubs are just a gamble - that your kid is good enough to end up with a decent coach.
Whats going on with the Sockers NPL on the girls side? Seems like all the girls games get cancelled at the last moment and the NPL girls aren't even getting games?
Sadly this is exactly what is wrong with youth soccer today. Eclipse tries to grab every player they can, just to mess with Sockers and to line their pockets. Look at how many players are on Eclipse ECNL teams that are from out of state, and not just Wisconsin or Indiana. Yet this club is DEVELOPING talent? More like they are just trying to take every player they can. How can you DEVELOP someone who is not practicing with you? AND, is it about DEVELOPING or WINNING? The Eclipse games I have seen appear to be about playing the starters 90% of the time and then filling in the subs here and there, and they always have a bench full of players. How are those girls DEVELOPING? Wasn't ECNL supposed to be about DEVELOPING the next level of players? This is a giant joke. Let the girls leave Sockers, they will enjoy their time listening to Eclipse coaches berate people from the bench. Until the parents wise up and quit saying, let's go to that club because they win titles, we will never advance anywhere. The USMNT is not making progress at all, and the USWNT is sliding backwards quickly.
Nailed it! I hear u6-u9 parents talking about the Eclipse every weekend at Olympic. Some have indicated that they have even been approaced by Rory & Co. One parent said he was informed his daughter would play on Pre-ECNL u12??? Did they add an age group to ECNL? More then likely a fancy measure to get more players in the door. We used to be all Magic to the bone but I have found that the Sockers are by far the most well-rounded club with the best resources from age 5-high school. Sure they may not steal players like Fire or Eclipse or buy players from around the country like Magic - but they can develop and that's all I am looking for.
Additionally, have you watched them coach? If it is about winning, you would think they would be better at managing a game. Nesci in particular seems to have a poor grasp of the ebb and flow of the game, several games I have seen, including in the state cup last year, he seems to just stick to his guns no matter how the game is going. I know that if I played at that club, I would be extremely dissatisfied with what I was paying for. But, I suspect that most people whose kids play there are there for the name, after all, they can tell people all over the country that their daughter plays for Eclipse and know that that means something!!
"Players from out of state" ?????????? I'm not aware of more than one with the exception of the NorthWest Indiana Player. Who has been with the Club for Several years. Now, don't get me wrong I don't agree with the other ONE but lets be honest. It's one PLAYER.
I don't think anyone would count NorthWest Indiana players as out of state, they are more Chicago area then Indiana. You may need to check again though, there is an out of state player on the ECNL rosters for Eclipse at other ages as well, and not just slightly out of state either, the rosters are out there for public consumption on the ECNL site. There may only be one or two on each team, but that is still one or two that the club has NOTHING to do with developing! And as I am sure those parents aren't sending their kids halfway across the country to sit on the bench, that means other players aren't being given time during games to develop.
I can't disagree with you. I thought you were referring to multiple out of state players on this particular team. Yes, I see other teams have players from out of state as well. Like it or not, this is what the Club chooses to do and Parents/Players choose to stay or leave. I don't believe any clubs are focusing on Development at this age and older. They are there to win games and make the best name they can. At least for the "big" clubs. The funny thing is that most of the girls that made the "exodus" are from CFJ. Or at least that is what it appears. So I'd say the true Sockers players as a majority are happy. I agree with Volk that the CFJ players felt they were "entitled" at least from past experiences with them and the Club they came from. Maybe a BIG wake- up call!?!?!?