@Grace T. that all makes sense. I guess I worry a little less about this stuff because like I said, this club only fields 1 team at this level currently and from what I understand they may struggle to keep a very big roster going. I'm sure that changes at the higher age levels, but I still only see 2 teams for each age level all the way up and there are no letter league teams at all. If I got irritated at the whole thing and just said screw it, I'm out, that may suck for the club and the kids, but I don't know that its that big of deal in the grand scheme of things. As I said, I guess Ill see how it goes with this all star group and the tournaments we will play in ... and how my Son likes the experience.
I'll give you some general guardrail type advice for you that can be applied easily without getting too hung up on specifics. For reference, I have three kids. The eldest dabbled in a few rec leagues but was not fond of organized sports in general, the middle child went "all in" on soccer at age 8 and never looked back (still playing in college now), and my youngest who loves all sports, got briefly into soccer, basketball, and football, but now is focusing on lacrosse.
1. Play the long game, not the short game. Keep focused on your "why," your initial purpose for having your kids in organized sports, which you said was to learn how to develop character, work ethic, ability to communicate, teamwork, etc. (which is the absolute BEST reason to do it, IMHO). That can be done in lots of different leagues, regardless of competitive level. There will be times when you're tempted to jump teams or jump leagues for various reasons. Just keep reminding yourself of your "why." Make your decisions on which sport, which league, which club, which team based on which ones fulfill your "why" in the best way.
2. From ages 5-13, it should all be about enjoying the dang thing. Yes, they should be learning and developing skill, but the whole point is to find joy in that process. Don't ever make a kid in that age range continue to do something they aren't enjoying. You and the child will both regret it. Even in ages 14-adult, it really should be all about enjoying the dang thing, too! But as your child ages up and the physical and mental demands increase, the way they find that joy and the price they (and you) have to pay for that joy goes up and up. In high-level club ball, the fitness and training demands can suck the joy away from many. In college, there is no getting away from the grind. It's a full time job. Joy can be had within the grind, but it takes a different kind of mentality. And there's nothing wrong with a kid deciding that the investment/reward proposition isn't working for them anymore. * *Your kid is so young, you don't even want to start thinking about this part of the journey yet.
3. It's worth finding good coaches. I wouldn't recommend continuing to coach your own child. At age 6-8, okay... but honestly, beyond that it's better for both your sanity and his if he has you for a dad, and a coach for a coach. The parent hat and the coach hat are hard to wear simultaneously. This is a tough lesson, but I swear I've never seen it really work out any other way. As for finding "good" coaches, that's a lot tougher than it sounds. There's no one-size fits all. The simple way to know this is if your child enjoys playing for said coach or not. It's not about "liking" the coach, but it's about how much they enjoy playing and learning from them. Kids often won't be able to articulate why they do or don't, but you can see it in their eagerness to play and practice. My personal advice is to stay far away from soccer coaches who talk endlessly about "grit" and "will to win" and get mad/yell at players for poor execution or skill. Demanding more "grit" just means the coach is clueless about soccer strategy/tactics. I've seen a lot of great coaches, and they will yell at you for poor effort, or lack of committment, but they respond to mistakes or skill gaps by coaching and teaching.
4. I asked my kids before re-signing up for every season, "Do you want to do this next year?" Even though I really wanted each of them to say "Yes!", my wife and I promised them that if they said "No," we would honor their right to make that committment or not. BUT, once they'd committed, we would not let them quit on their team in mid season. My college soccer daughter once tried to quit in the middle of her first club GK training because the coach was intimidating. But we'd already paid for the season, and she'd agreed to do the training. So we made her finish the training that night. And told her to give it 2 more GK trainings and then tell us how she feels. After that 3rd session, we asked, "Do you want to keep training?" She said yes, and that GK trainer has now worked with her for 10 years, including now when she comes home from college. She learned the importance of committment and her word, but she also knew that if she wanted to stop the sport after the season, that was always within her control as well.
Good luck! It can be fun... if you decide to let it be fun.
The only local futsal club/program I know about is the one out at Edenpark, I have some friends whose kids have played there and my son did a few sessions there and totally loved it. Its a bit of a drive to do all the time, but not that bad and its only a few days a week anyway. Do you know of others? Do you know where any Latino leagues play around here (specifically on the coast).
