What follows was a text from the head academy coach at a US Soccer Development Academy club who we’ve known for … I don’t know … around six years.
I won’t say who it is or when this happened, but it gives you insight as to the types of things that go on.
Dear Brian,
Little Johny’s father came to practice today and told me his son is leaving to your team. So I have to let you know that I believe either that this came from you or one of your staff.
At this point I have to inform you that I will not be able to have a friendship with you since this has happened too many times in the past.
I would have expected you to tell them to stay with me since I can help that kid, but it seems that he made up his mind to come to you.
Good luck with your Academy.
Regards
[Coach signature]
Some things of note:
* The player was perhaps his best.
* The player in question came to us. We did not recruit. And even if we did actively pursue a player we liked, what’s the problem? You can’t compete?
I guess we should tell players that come to us to stick with a shit product? 🙂
It is called entitlement at the expense of the game and player. Dare to question their right to own the game!
Keeping teaching and having the player buy into the culture and passion for the game.
I’m quite sure the coach in question is Vishtap Farhadi, V for short. Word of caution. Do not get your kid playing for V unless Marissa Pena is paying for him. Although V might recruit your kid, so you might think he’ll help develop your kid to play college or pro, since he told you your kid is a great player and he wants him to play for him. V will only favor the players Marissa pays for.
V’s practices are a waste of time and his coaching is lamentable. We thought that the Academy was going to be like the pros…it was worse than AYSO.
Out of curiosity, what are the recruitment rules in California? In my state it’s pretty well defined, although hardly enforceable. Not that you recruited the player in question.
Players aren’t possessions.
Rules?
Communicating or courting a player/parent happens 24/7, 365.
But players can only transfer during seasonal windows.
please sir my brother that his 12 years old wants to become a footballer please can you help him
Lost a couple of friendships because of similar stuff. It’s not my fault (our Brian’s) that people are trying to coach and not doing a good enough job, right?
The big question would be do you think that coach sat down and tried to figure out what he did wrong? What specifically caused him to lose his best player? Did he evaluate his own program to see what he wasn’t providing? Did he evaluate his coaching techniques and the information he relays? Probably not.
Players leaving my team happened a couple times the last few years. I think as a former college and ex pro player, you have an ego and are hurt and mad that someone would question your understanding of the game and ability to teach it. After 8 years of coaching, it is now that I’m really understanding how little I understood about soccer IQ and possession-based soccer. I’m embarrassed to admit that, but I feel I’ve grown 3-4 coaching years in the last year. Lots of thanks to this blog and my introduction to Horst Wein!
In response to Rob A:
I had a run in with a former national team coach who is now a club D.O.C. here in SoCal. One of his players wanted to leave the club and they refused to let her go. They were claiming she owed money for some flights she never took when they competed in ECNL nationals. So, they held her player card…
After two weeks of them not even responding to us, I decided to get Cal South involved. I was on the phone for all of 5 minutes before the situation was handled. Players are NOT possessions. No players card can be held for any reason if the player requests a transfer. If money is owed… tough shit… get a lawyer and figure it out. Don’t hold the kids back because of mistakes the parents and clubs are making.
They still didn’t want to release the card so we got the go ahead to create a new card for her and she’s been with us ever since. That was my version of showing that former USMNT coach the finger. Loved it.
“One of his players wanted to leave the club and they refused to let her go… So, they held her player card”
Happens all the time in our community. Greedy clubs want to monopolize players and money.
Recently found out that one of my players was also playing for a rival club. Parents and clubs are so dishonest and deceitful. This parent felt the rules did not apply to him and his kid so they left our quality team for a more “winning” team full of athletic players. Now we are down to only 9 players.
Here is the truth about US Club player passes which I never knew. Players can play for multiple clubs without being released. All you have to do is change or modify the last name. US Club will issue a new player card.
Change or modify the last name??? Don’t you need to provide a birth certificate when registering players??? How else do you confirm a player is of the correct age unless they have a state ID card or a driver’s license??
Here in British Columbia there is a rule you may only register with 1 team at a time – and of course must show a birth certificate (original not photo copy). This doesn’t apply for HS soccer of course, and there are a few “unsanctioned” teams but those unsanctioned teams are not part of any leagues or anything so there isn’t much of an issue there.
US Club does not thoroughly check the birth certificate that is uploaded. If you misspell the last name or shorten it from like Little Johnny Sucks to just Little Johnny you will get the player pass. Based on the birth certificate both names are valid.
Haven’t seen that problem much with “the white kids from suburbia”.
Hi Brian, how old was this young player? USSDA is basically u15+, but your teams seem to be u11-ish. Just wondering. I am sure some USSDA clubs have u-littles up to u18 USSDA and beyond.
Up here in BC recruiting is a HUGE no-no and it has in the past resulted in suspension for lengthy lengthy periods of time. Although there is a window when players are not registered that they can be approached by any club.
To be honest, I never understood recruiting. Get the team you get at tryouts and anyone else who contacts you to play and that’s that. Recruiting, to me, is just a way of filling the $5 trophy cabinet.
What I also never understood is how do coaches know how to contact parents of players on other teams?? Unless you speak to them at the field I guess.
The question should not be and is not “recruiting”. The goal should be player development. Maybe if we were less concerned about our best players being recruited to superior club, we may begin to develop a National Team that can qualify for the Olympics or make it to the final of a mundial. These sub-par coaches need to develop a culture where they like seeing a kid move to a higher standard and be proud that they got him there. I guess under that thinking , Messi should have stayed in Rosario and C Ronaldo should have never left for Sporting and stayed on the island. This thinking is precisely why we don’t develop that caliber of player.
A former MLS player refused to hold a camp in New Orleans for fear of stepping on the toes of the ChicagoFire Juniors teams. I realized then the problem with our culture. It was about adult egos and not about player development. Sad when I look a my son, so full of talent at 6 but knowing it could result in wasted talent under the current US system. I may bring him to europe to develop. And the same defenders of this USA system will be the first ones to cry foul when he suits up for his mother’s country and not for the US one day.
If your bringing him to europe avoid the british isles at all costs… its even worse here … too competitive too soon
If he is constantly losing players to Brian and this isn’t the first time shouldn’t that be a wake up call to the oblivious dumbass? Maybe he needs to provide a better product. If the kid was happy with the training he was getting he would stay. It’s not the end of the world for this guy and to ruin a friendship over it is ridiculous. He is still going to have a team, he is still going to make his money, he should just take it as a wake up call and figure out what he can do to provide a better experience to his players, as mike says it is a problem of entitlement here, the player is not his slave, if he chooses to go to a new team at the end of the year that is his choice, accept it, learn from it, and move on.
Ah but maybe he will no longer have a winning team because he lost his best player and that is the bullshit we deal with. Now his team doesn’t win, kids leave his team, coach is out of job – like the Direct TV ad. Uneducated soccer parents believing that winning justifies development. Or because there are the “chosen” DA and ECNL clubs that rest on the fact that they have a cornered market. “Only we can get your kid to the highest levels cause we are the anointed ones”. Some guys/gals just roll it out on the field and win because of superior athletes at the young ages which attracts players because of the winning ways yet at the older ages parents wonder why Johnny and Suzie aren’t the best anymore when tiny Jack or Jill at U9 couldn’t get a look but after coaches invested in them with quality development are now kicking Johnny and Suzie’s ass. Don’t get me wrong , you can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit . Jack and Jill must be a quality canvas to start with but maybe not the “ideal” specimens but under the guidance of a quality coach the sky is the limit.
Pulguita,
What you wrote above is correct. Parents take their kids to teams that win more all the time, then they cry, “That it’s not about winning it’s about development!” Parents say they don’t care about winning- if that is fhe case then why do 5 dads walk up to me after games and tell me what we should have done instead? Players leave Clubs all the time to go to Clubs that have a few teams that win because somehow it will give their kid some kind of perceived status over other kids. I work hard on developing any player I coach- but unfortunately here in the US winning is important if you want to keep kids at your club and on your team. Sure there are some very smart parents that see that their kid may be developing alot under a certain coach; but most are about winning! Even the worst players on teams try to leave and join the top team team if they get the chance. As if putting on a different Jersey of a Club that has USSDA teams suddenly makes them a top player- eventhough they aren’t even on that team. It is also true that many US Soccer kids and their parents are followers. If they hear that one kid, or their son’s or daughter’s friend is going to another club they often fear- “Oh no, he or she is going to get something my son is not, or my kids is going to get left behind- so they leave too. Happens all the time!
The recruiting that goes on behind the scenes is rediculous.
Unfortunately the more your team, or the teams at your club wins, the better chance that your team, and others at your club will retain it’s players. These are not, “My facts!” I have been coaching Youth Soccer for 20 years. This is what I have observed in that 20 years of Club Soccer coaching at every age group at every level. Perhaps another coach has a different experience; but this is what I have seen.
This has happened to me, without the friendship issue, and i only coach rec!
i did NOT try to transfer players. they asked. i cannot help it if my team is better at coaching. rather, we try very hard to improve at our low grassroots level. so it should be. and we are not even the #1 team, so the requests arent based on our w/l afaik.
keep up the good work.
After destroying every team from this coaches USSDA Club’s own tournament this past weekend in the U9 – U13 age groups (http://www.t7sports.com:8080/2005/b105106.htm), no doubt there will be more defections as well as messages from their inadequate staff to Brian that they can no longer come out and play with him. So here’s a big QMLSC shout out to all at ISC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@Brian – wow, why did you enter this tournament?? Surely you knew the competition level was totally insufficient? 10-0 wins help no one. You know this….(I do see some of the older games were much more competitive on the score sheet at least)
“why did you enter this tournament?”
I would do it to recruit players and rescue them from bad teams.
Hahahaha. I know this coach and I can say, first hand, that he deserved what he got. If a player wants to leave your team, why would you want to keep him? They would be miserable and you would be miserable trying to handle him. The only reason this coach would want to keep him is to punish him for what he thinks was a terrible decision to leave his team.
As a player’s parent, I would want to make sure I make available the best schools, teachers, and coaches my son can possibly have. Why would I not want my 11 year old go to a better coached team? We leave jobs all the time because of bad work situations and horrible bosses. This is no different.
Like I said, I know this coach, and I also know that he has done the same thing to other coaches (recruiting) as he is claiming it to be done to him. Suck it up, shut the f#@%& up, and take it like a man rather than a bitch!!! Kids, and their parents, are free to do what they need to do to put themselves in the best atmosphere possible. And that’s the name of that tune.
You can’t choose your parents, but you can certainly choose a club.
I guess you’ll be labeled all kinds of bad things now (and previously, I’m sure) for providing a superior service.
Did he make your team? It’s always interesting when players state their interest about going elsewhere before it’s actually a done deal.
I do go look for players but most parents prefer to pay the high prices for a bad product. A fool and his money are easily parted.
Young players have no concept of quality coaching. That is all they know. It’s like a child born into slavery. They have no concept of freedom.
Brian,
Right answer! Many coaches forget that parents and their kids are the “customers” and if they aren’t happy with the product, they all have the right to seek a better one and they ought to. Sad thing though, some parents don’t realize they have that right and continue to stay out of loyalty despite being unhappy with the product (especially after the coach gives them the sales pitch) and possibly out of fear that they won’t find what they’re looking for in another academy.
Coaches should take pride in their product. They need to continue upgrading their own product to compete rather than expecting friendship to keep them in business. The coach that wrote you that letter needs coaching on how to compete in the real business world. He should have asked your advice rather than break your friendship.
Good for the parent that moved to your academy. He was going to spend the money and time anyway so he chose a better product – “yours”. Judging from your accomplishments and blog, you are always bringing your academy to the next level. Keep it up!!!! We wish your continued success.
My U12 son has been heavily recruited every off season the last couple years by our area’s big name clubs. We have had him at a very good but small local club since he was 6. He’s getting to the age where exposure and opportunities are becoming a little more important so we decided to move him to the largest and most technically advanced club in the area(the team coach is a 3four3 “disciple”) We took the time to let the DOC and Coaches know what we were doing and thanked them for all their work with our son. I’ve been shocked and disappointed at the childish behavior of the DOC and former coaches since that day. I assumed that their feelings might be a little hurt but I thought that a professional relationship could be continued as the youth soccer world is a small one. I’m learning a little more every day that it’s not “all about the kids” at most clubs. My theory is that you should be as loyal as you can to your club but in the end you’ve got to do what’s best for your kid. End.Of.Story
your boy will always be a good player. depends if he want to lead or be a support player.Have you ever asked teh question? How do american football players get to the top? They seem to succeed without looking to be part of a “successful team”
Believe in your boy and he will believe in himself
Haha, how many kids has this guy taken/ recruited from other clubs?
Agree with others, he should look at why this is happening, not shoot you nasty-grams. You should expect more of this, as you continue to be successful and create teams that play beautiful soccer.
Congrats on your successes.
If the soccer authorites of the US or the UK truly believed that youth soccer was about the children and not about the revenue and the adults that generate it, then they would overhaul the system in an instance.
When the system facilitates a response that the team at the top of the league must have the best coach, we are failing our children and we will continue to get coaches like the one who produced this letter, trying to prove they are the best rather than putting the interests of the player first.
Michael – you aren’t the only one with this experience. For a number of years I coached at a small club and over those years players moved on to the neighbouring club which is larger and is able to provide levels of play at the highest possible youth (local feeder league for provincial, national training, and Whitecaps) and amateur level (PDL). And most of their coaches are pretty good, as well as the Technical Director (equivalent to DoC) isn’t afraid to fire someone not good enough. When at the smaller club I always encouraged my players to seek the opportunity to move to this neighbour club and take it or go get it when the chance comes along. Give them a high five, stay friends with them on facebook, and go watch them with their new team from time to time. Stay friends with their parents b/c in the end it’s about the kids.
I then moved on to this bigger club myself as a coach.
Well one team I became very close with was taken over by a parent-coach when I left. One of the players who improved leaps and bounds over the 2.5 years I had him, remained with the team for another 2 years after I left. He committed to the smaller clubs’ spring program but was then invited to play at this bigger club as well if his trial was successful. He accepted the trial and made the team. Well the parent-coach was irate. Said things like “you have to have loyalty to your community” and even refused to move the team banquet/party they were having at the end of the year so this boy could attend (he had an important practice/tryout for the bigger club). The boy and his dad approached him with plenty of notice and asked if it could be moved. 1 other boy also moved on to the said bigger team, and some other players were quitting (you can assume why) – interestingly joining 2-3 other players that were on this team when I was the coach 2 years earlier. So it’s something of a reunion for these guys. These players also then of course were withdrawing from the spring program. The banquet did not require any rental, it was at someone’s home or maybe a few tables reserved at a restaurant (no prob changing that with a few weeks notice). So now the bridge is burned b/c the parent-coach wanted to keep his players in this little world. This player is now exposed to the Whitecaps, university coaches, and able to enter much bigger and more competitive tournaments. His teammates are also of a much much higher standard/committment.
It’s very very unfortunate this happens.
For me, I am thrilled the player moved on to a bigger club. I lose players every year and I am thrilled for them. I am not saying I am some great and wonderful coach, What I am saying is that I know it is in their best interest to move on if they state their goals are to play university, or even go pro. They must move to bigger clubs. Fortunately, the Technical Director (DoC equivalent) is a very good guy and also pats the players on the backs and encourages them to move on to higher levels. But these grassroots coaches can often get their noses out of joint despite the clubs’ best intentions. And it is a great little club that I hope to coach for again one day.
ThiKu,
I feel the same way as I own a business and I don’t begrudge clients for leaving me now and then. I know why the club is disappointed as my son is their top prospect and they have aspirations of being “a big club” someday soon.
Bigger isn’t always better but in this case it is.
I’m hoping that in time we can foster a good relationship with them as their training has been very good and they are attempting to do it the right way. What the smaller club lacks is raw talent and dedication from it’s players. It’s a small town so their player pool is limited. We simply felt that he would benefit from being in a more competitive environment that requires significant dedication from it’s players So far, we have been more than satisfied.
The new club also plays a number of the same tourneys as the Barca USA boys so he’s really looking forward to measuring himself at that level. He may be shocked at how far he has to go but at least he’ll know where he stands.
What irks me is shit head coaches at supposed “larger” clubs with no more coaching credentials than our small club and with much less aptitude for player development who con our players to leave because they can play in a more competitive league and go to more elite tournaments sooner than our teams generally can. The people who benefit are our remaining players because the kids who leave are just the ones who are bigger and faster at U10/11 but we know how that generally works out. When the “bigger” club trolls again at U13/14 for our now more developed players, most of the parents are wide awake by then and happily tell the interlopers to fuck off.
Brian and Gary are pissing off the hating British now, made UK main newspaper with their teams:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2174962/Barcelona-gospel-spreads-America–Neil-Ashton-column.html
Check out the user comments, full of hatrid from people on a hating Island towards a group of under 12 kids.
Awesome!!! Brian and Gary you guys are changing the world. It must feel great.
Is the UK more worried than the US? When will our country take notice? Where are the articles, newspapers, ESPN?
From Singapore. Perhaps 3four3 has to go around the world before it makes waves in the USA.
http://sg.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/fit-to-post-sports/tiny-tots-terrific-tiki-taka-080236484.html
Looooooong way to go man. This is just the beginning, and there’s lots of people creating obstacles for us.
It must make them nutso that the team a) exists in the USA and b) is using Barca’s methods.
I hope you take these kids to the UK one day and OWN a tournament there.
I think he posted or emailed this same article last week.
From reading the 3four3, I’ve learned that Barca USA has a lot of things that players and parents would want in a club:
Charismatic Coaches, that are successful and win.
Funded teams, not pay to play. Even if it is through fundraising.
Challenging practices with combined different age groups.
Exposure to elite competition, year round.
Technology savvy.
Whether you are recruiting or not- It would not take much recruiting to sell the Barca USA model to parents and competitive players. I would also say that if you wanted to build a serious club as discussed in an earlier post, those would be the requirements I would look for. In that order.
My son was on a very good SoCal team and the coach there recruited (big, strong players was his ideal player). But the coach got dozens of phone calls by parents wanting to join a winning team. This is what kicks off what many call “recruiting”.
Regarding coach / parent / player friendships: avoid that like the plague! Avoid coaches who coach their own son or brother or nephew, going to family BBQs with a select parent niche, attending Holiday bashes with circle of team parents. Completely unprofessional stuff, but it happens. As in any professional organization, coaches should keep arm’s length and not cross the personal friendship line. But youth soccer can get chummy very quickly. Especially with “superstar” players.
We’ve all seen the special treatment. Like “special” players not coming to practice, showing up to games late, going half ass at practice – then they start and play entire game and tournaments.
This combination of parents marketing their children to the best team, special treatment of players, and unprofessional off-field relationships often leads to problem like the letter Gary posted.
The really sad thing is that there are hundreds of these types of letters and conversations occurring every day here in the USA. And remember here in the USA the player is paying to be coached. If I am going to spend several thousand dollars or more each year on a product or service I expect freedom in choosing where I spend that money.
The worst for me is when Rec coaches and clubs get offended because Classic clubs are “stealing” their players.
Must not have been a very close friend or a respected colleague of yours, otherwise I’m sure you would have contacted him to tell him personally.
I love the scenario that Gary describes and how violated coaches interpret the “voting with your fee” by families as an incrimination of the receiving coach. They too quickly blame other coaches or programs as the issue instead of looking in the mirror and saying, “hey, what can I do to improve my team or club”. Instead they vent and make false accusations that make our club system look like a three-ring-circus. I think the situation Gary describes is fairly accurate and departing to another team is appropriate for these reasons; better coach, better program and better player education. What is not acceptable for parents to leave to another team or club; the club has the most State Championships, they have ECNL, they are the largest club in the area, blah, blah, blah. We as customers have the right to vote with our feet and go to the program that is the best for our child and our situation. We have the right to make mistakes and not have our kid pay for those mistakes. As coaches, stop blaming everyone else and learn to compete. Soccer is a business and yet it can be a successful venture if you do some simple things; provide a quality product or service, be courteous and kind to your customers, respect your employees and challenge them to keep learning, constantly gain feedback from your customers and never settle on “good” strive for “great”. You guys give me hope that people are recognizing that change is needed and the status quo is NOT acceptable!
My favorite argument not to leave a team is “you don’t want to be labeled a Club Hopper”. What a load of crap. I’ve heard this one every time we’ve changed teams with any of my kids.
The smart customer should always be looking for the best deal on the best coaching they can find.
Not really Guitarjeff. From my experience coaching, players whose parents “Club Hop” are nothing but problems. Or i should say, the players would not be problems but their parents are huge problems. They put too much pressure on their children, they interfere with coaching and are generally such a pain in the ass that I would never take the player no matter what kind of skills they have because they usually end up being a cancer on the team. And this is just watching other teams since we do almost never take a player from outside our club. We prefer to develop our own, giving a kid priority from the second team to keep them motivated, and its been very successful so far.
In some cases the kid learns all he/she is going to from a particular coach and it’s time to move on. Why do you think kids get different teachers in school each year? If your child remains motivated, is constantly improving and likes the program, you stay. If not you leave. No point in wasting your kids time because you are worried about what your current club may say about you. And hey, if you can get equal or better training for less $, why wouldn’t you? Club soccer is expensive.
I agree. As an educator, I think this is something that a lot of clubs have yet to embraced. I think there is validity in having coaches specialize at certain age groups and really develop a deep understanding about how to communicate age group appropriate material and concepts to players.
And why can’t you stay in the same club and do that? Do you change schools every grade?
My thinking was that a player could stay in the same club and benefit from a systematic, progressive approach with coaches who not only understand their own content thoroughly, but also what the age group previous and after cover. My club in NoVA is moving towards this which I’m happy about. I definitely don’t think players need to change clubs if they club itself is having meaningful discussions and taking steps towards player development. Parents will be parents; we have to do what we know is right for the players and I really do think the results and the product will show that.
Agree with all your points, Rich. I think having a very clear philosophy and expectation explained at the beginning to all parents is vital. Explaining how soccer development differs from all other traditional American played sports as what is appropriate for each developmental stage is crucial since so many parents are ignorant and misinformed. You get a lot of buy in when parents understand what and why you’re doing it (and see the results).
regarding “buy-in”..It’s a shame that clubs often fail to communicate their philosophy. Assuming players and families “get it” is quite tricky. For established clubs (meaning larger ones with a tradition of winning) it is easier to get “buy-in”. These clubs have participants who understand that anyone can be replaced. Competition is rampant.
For a smaller club to climb this mountain is very difficult. They feel spurned when players leave despite a really good philosophy. They constantly start over, year after year.
To me, bottom line is that If a club cannot communicate their philosophy, through published age specific curriculum/performance and training expectations (I’m thinking website, handouts, intro meetings, season wrap up meetings, “soup to nuts” on the Message – and demonstrating it on the field) the small ones will always lose players to “destination” clubs.
I didn’t intend to THREADJACK. But this is a topic that I think merits some further exploration.
I’m not talking about making one move from one club to another. I’m talking about parents who move their kids every year to a new club (usually whichever club happens to win State Cup). They have no idea who is or isn’t a good coach, but just want their kid on the team that they think is the best. Or what happens a lot is they join a team that basically does not develop their own players but survives on poaching everyone elses and then the next year they are beat out by some other player.
These teams often promise the “best” players from other teams little or no fees to come to their club, And these teams that poach everyone’s players (and don’t develop their own) have a high turnover rate every year because they don’t care about the long term development of their players. They just want to win at all costs. That way they can charge all those sucker parents even more to be part of a “winning” club so they can afford to poach the best players. Sure they win in the short term because they have talented kids who they didn’t develop in the first place, but those kids are treated as expendable pawns that can and probably will be replaced. Instead of winning being a biproduct of good player development, as is our philosophy, they sacrifice good player development for winning.
Love this! Duh they want to play with Brian, no academy in the U.S. is sending players to Barcelona.
I could care less if my kids club wins, It is not our goal. Winning is great but we are in this to develop for another level. I have been witness to many who thing winning is the most important thing. I tell my son and train him to be technical over winning at his age. When this bigger stronger kids can’t push him around physically anymore he wil still be playing and they will be at home watching. So to parents who chase state cups winning teams, good for you. You are developing an MLS player at best.
Guitarjeff — I happen to agree wit you on club movement. I’ve been in a situation where we did try to move teams but they were filled. So we moved on.
I also know of parents who wanted to move for numerous reasons (e.g., club politics, distance, better coaching, lower fees, more play time, more team cohesion, better managers, favortism, and so on)..
Agree that moving just to be on a good team is silly. But not sure why some of us feel kids need to be locked into a club? Most clubs rank in terms of importance: club, team, and player in that order. We as parents rank player #1. I don’t see a problem either way as goals are different.
In the end, you pay the bills Guitarjeff . . . and you have the right to vote with your feet and checkbook. And as long as your son is happier, he’s learning and getting opportunities — I don’t see a problem.
Around here most of the clubs are non-profits. They are run mainly by a volunteer force. Of course there are fees to play. Who do you want to pay for your child to play? The fees here go paying the city for access to fields, to the state for league fees. The fees don’t cover all the costs to run and organize a club if you take into account all the volunteer hours that are needed. And most coaches even if they are getting paid are making well under the minimum wage if you work out all the hours they spend (a lot like me do it on a volunteer basis-pass it forward). So how about trying to make your club stronger by volunteering? A large problem with soccer in America is that parents do just what you do, they think that by writing a check and bitching that’s their only responsibility for their kids soccer education.
And about all this bitching about that the system is PAY TO PLAY here in the U.S.: Hello people, its PAY TO PLAY everywhere in the world, except if you are one of the 1 percent that are part of a professional club system (like here in the U.S.). In Europe and South America everyone joins a sports club or a private academy and you PAY- no different than the U.S. So be part of the solution. Realize that your club fees cover only a portion of the real cost of your child’s soccer education and get involved in your club- fund raising, get on the board, coach, team manager.
If parents are club hopping (changing clubs every year) its because either they didn’t do their homework BEFORE they ever signed up their kid, or they are moving for all the wrong reasons.
The club jumpers are generally the parents who place winning over everything else. Most of these parents know nothing of the game and foolishly believe that moving to the team with the best winning percentage equals quality training and development. It always amazes me that parents will shell out thousands of dollars in club fees and never take the time to understand what constitutes quality training.
Always the same argument development vs winning… It is possible to do both barcelona usa being a prime example…
Its about winning the right way, anybody can win with big fast robots who know one direction and one speed. These are the club jumpers i speak off, Barca USA is the huge exception and hopefully Gary and Brian will create a wave of change that is needed within US soccer.
Development and Winning vs. Losing – I have been on both sides. I have had teams where I focused on “development” and we lost. I have also had teams where I focused on “development” and we won. Factors that influence winning/losing in my experience has been the age of the players. If I got a team young enough I could get them over the “hump” and we played the right way, plus we won.
When I got teams that were less technical at older ages I still tried to teach them the right way to play, but we lost more then we would have, had I used I used different style of soccer (not tiki-taka). They got better, but since they were behind we would lose games. We progressed faster then other teams and eventually won, but it’s soooo much harder when you start behind.
A big problem I see it that big clubs focus a lot on winning. Then you have these smaller clubs that are seeing the problem with the big focus on winning, so they try to teach good soccer, but it’s hard to get over the hump. My experience is you got to start young. If you can’t do it by starting young you don’t know what the heck you are doing. Look at Brian – he figured it out and started young. Now his teams dominate. I’m sure he has had good teams in the past, but nothing compared to the type of teams he is developing now. Correct me if I’m wrong. Tiki-taka is a life long developmental system. There is a reason no other team in the world can play tiki-taka but Spain and Barcelona. (yes, they could, but to do it really well they have to start young – it’s such a complicated system).
What’s up Alec!
You are partially correct.
Brian has been winning and playing “tiki-taka” since 2004. With teams, boys and girls, above U14.
That’s why 3four3 got started (before this U11 team). It had gotten to the point where I said “this is ridiculous, we’ve got to start telling the world. It’s a crime that our U17 team has a 40-touch sequence resulting in a goal against the Utah state champion at Surf Cup, and nobody knows!”
I’ll follow up with all the things you touch on here in later posts.
Anyways, long time no talk man. I’ve got things cooking to help your club out any way I can. Always feel free to shoot me an email.
Gary,
Yeah, I was trying to make it out this summer, but things got crazy/ I got poor cause I don’t get paid as much during the summer. 🙂 Maybe I can come out during the winter months, when it’s cold in Kansas.
I’m sure Brian’s teams played good possession soccer, even if he got them at older ages.
I was making the point – that for those of us who are not “tiki-taka wizards” yet, we probably have a much better chance of teaching kids the right way to play if we start young. I’m sure you can still do it when they get older, but it’s way harder. You have to really really know what you are doing.
If a youth club wants to change it’s system and go to the tiki-taka style of play – I would suggest starting with the young kids. Put your best coaches at the young ages and try to rebuild from the bottom up. Most club but their best coaches with the older teams. The problem with this is that you got some guy who is more of a babysitter doing the U8-U10 and that is huge time period for development. You will never get over the “hump” and develop elite level teams – that play the barcelona system.
Kara- good thoughts. Good point about it being like different styles of martial arts. However, I personally feel that tiki-taka is more then a fad or another style of play. I think it’s going to revolutionize soccer. I believe everyone will go to a possession system and under that possession system there may be some different styles that develop. It might take several years, but I think it will happen. And if it doesn’t my club teams will just kill everyone. 🙂
I also believe starting young is very important. We recently played a younger U8 boys team from a Mexican recreational league. It was a friendly game for only $20. We are a competitive U10 team and almost lost to these little kids. One of their star players was a girl. Their coach told me they have been playing together since 5 years old.
It’s unbelievable how much hidden talent exists in low-income community soccer leagues.
Tonnes of talent on these low-income teams. They have lots of passion and nothing to lose as well. I recently played a tournament in which was included a Spanish “academy.” They played in white t-shirts with no numbers, and mix-match shorts-socks. They had a girl on their team. They were 12 years old. They lost the final 1-0 to a big strong older team that was able to kick far and high and not much else. This little latino team easily lead the tournament in scoring and had a great attitude.
My boys were talking to them during one of the games as they were being played side-by-side with us and we shared the sideline with them. We cheered them on and had good talks with the players. They were having a lot of fun, and saw we were too.
Meanwhile the teams they played all had track suits, shirt sponsors, and probably paid coaches (including myself).
They were a wonderful team. Fortunately for us they were watching our game and were shocked that we lost to this same big strong team because we played fairly similar to this latino team…..which I state rather proudly.
Free-to-play has to become more available. But even still….even if teams become free-to-play the issue will still be that the kids can’t literally get to practice due to commute-issues.
Totally agree about low-income teams. I see it all over California. Some of the best raw talent I see in dirt poor communities where the weather is awful hot. Too bad most of these kids will not get quality coaching to reach the top-levels. I recently offered free coaching to a distant community but no parents were interested. Something about the mom and dad working so they couldn’t commit. I was willing to drive 45min every week.
Regarding nice expensive uniforms, my daughter was on a new “rich” team and was not allowed to play because she did not have the team socks. It was ridiculous I could not believe it! We only stayed with the team for about 3months. It was way too expensive for “bad” coaching and only “athletic” players wanted.
Alec,
You can’t be more right. Just like being double footed or even something non-related like learning a new language — the earlier you start the more advanced you become. Barcelona have players who grew up from as young as 11 (Iniesta) and late as 15 (Fabregas). The teams who dominate at my son’s age group are the ones who have same core of players and same coach teaching same philosophy since they were 8 or 9. Crappy teams and crappy coaches have constant revolving door. Great teams are made up of talented kids who have great coaches and follow a common philosophy.
While I think having a philosophy is important, I think the more important piece is consistency. Consistency builds that soccer DNA we talk about. Different systems can be successful playing different styles, but it’s the players who play that system and how well they fit and how long they have to master it is what counts.
From about 1983 – 1999, I took Tae Kwon Do (stopped when my son was born). Got to 2nd degree black belt. I dabbled with other martial arts and different styles off on on. Irrespective of which martial art or style I studied, my sensei would always tell me that it didin’t really matter which you studied. What mattered more was how well you understood it and how to use it. Soccer is no different. Tiki-taka is popular now because of Barca’s success in last few years.
Dr Loco – you hit the nail right on the head! Big clubs, way too expensive for bad coaching and only athletic players wanted. I saw an interview on the surf tournament website with a DOC for one of the top clubs in the US from Washington. When asked about a curriculum or style of play, he says, I have good coaches and I just let coach how they like. He should of just send, athletic players only need apply and bring a blank check!
On an unrelated note, I see FCB Escola is running a few summer camps. I was thinking about sending my 11 yr old boy. Just wondering if anybody has any thoughts on their camps??
Their coaching course was very good and I got a lot of it. I went one day to the kids camp, it was good however the issue I had was that it’s local volunteer coaches doing the majority of the coaching. What happens is the Escola coaches give them the session and the local coaches run it, and then an Escola coach will look over about 3-4 groups at a time each. The only coaching your kids will get from the true FCB coaches is little 2 minute demos of the upcoming session and then the coach in charge of your sons group passing on points the FCB coach told them while supervising, at least thats how it worked when I went. I might also suggest doing the night camp rather than the day camp, the day camp was like 6 hours long and a lot of it was eating lunch or taking breaks, a 2 hour night session for a whole week where you have a higher intensity level throughought might be more beneficial and if there are fewer players you might even get the true FCB coaches directly working with groups. For the day camp I thought it was pretty good, you are still using all the FCB activities and the coaches are being watched over, but to be honest I think it left a lot to be desired since you can get local coaching anytime you want, but they need to make their money so it’s hard to blame them.
The DOC interview Scotty talks of is here: http://surfcup.com/site/2011/crossfire-premier/ (sorry I dont know how to link it). I’m early in this game with my kid but that club has always given me a bad vibe-now I know why. While I am sure that the Kleibans don’t need any scouting help, lets just say that their U11 team (big strong fast, dominated every team they played) is very vulnerable to good possession-based soccer. As our club got better and better at possession/tika-taka, they lost to them by less and less. I’ll follow the scores with interest
We are going to try the Escola camp with the knowledge that we may not get much of the “real” coaches. I am mostly interested in hearing from my kid how the drills compare to the possession-based training he is getting from his club.
Bernie is the DOC at Crossfire Premier. Big club with lots of different styles and a win-at-all-cost mentality. More recruiting than development. Kids get lost in the system at the club if they don’t keep up; they get replaced by other players from other clubs who developed elsewhere. You guys know the story and heard it before. They do have some quality coaches there but far-and-few-in-between. The U11 team is coached by Ralph Black. Although this team is big and strong, they do have some quality players and actually do try to play some possession. They shouldn’t be a problem for Kevin or Brian’s teams at Surf.
The first and only thing that scares me here is that this person is illiterate.
how
Thanks for the information on the Barcelona summer camps. Their camps are also a little expensive at $375 for 5 days of 3.5 hour sessions. I think we will take a pass this year.
Interesting feedback on the Crossfire DOC. I hear they are a very big club with 5 to 6 teams per age group at the younger ages for both boys and girls. I thought it was interesting to hear that they lack a curriculum. I have to wonder about parents sending their kids to a club where the focus is winning at all costs and there is no real development philosophy.
My apologies for the typos on the earlier post, I posted from my mobile phone.
This is a great site with so many knowledgeable contributors. Thanks all.
Training and Coaching Development Center would be world-class infrastructure, education and youth development.
I think the coach is having a problem with the cooperation with the player.Because sometimes it is hard to take over with the children.And maybe the coach needed the support came from there parents.