Pay to Play Model in Girls DA - Thing of the past?

Pay to Play model - Is it a thing of the past?

  • Yes - Clubs that do not adapt this model will not be as successful in a few years.

  • No - It will always be here, and smaller clubs will still be successful.

Results are only viewable after voting.
I would agree that Galaxy could be the place to be in the future, but only IF they bolster their DA Coaching Staff. They have Sal and Diego to credit for their rise at the younger age groups. Beyond those 2 Coaches, who do they have on the Girls side that has any kind of track record?

I will say they continue to get stronger at the younger ages and kudos to them for that. Their ‘05 DA Team will be a force and their ‘04 Team is fun to watch.
 
MWN said:
@StyleOfPlay and @mbeach
Now ... back to the topic, which is ... "Pay to Play Model in Girls DA - Thing of the past?"
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Agree this is not a my club is better then you topic.

I just cannot see how LAFC (Slammers) LA Galaxy and Pats will not be strong in the future. Free is free. I truly believe all 3 will be FULLY Funded (Dues and Travel)

Yes Pat's and LA G are struggling now, but come on its the first year.

West Coast and Surf are working towards fully funded. I know RSC has the money too, they are a very cash rich club. Beach has the resources. Legends for sure does.

Yes smaller clubs will not go away, but will they trade places with the Fully funded.

Good players want to play with good players.......

Just a fun discussion, a break from ECNL vs DA and my club is better then yours.
 
I don't see Surf, Blues, Legends, or yes Beach, having too much problem
Soccer said:
Agree this is not a my club is better then you topic.

I just cannot see how LAFC (Slammers) LA Galaxy and Pats will not be strong in the future. Free is free. I truly believe all 3 will be FULLY Funded (Dues and Travel)

Yes Pat's and LA G are struggling now, but come on its the first year.

West Coast and Surf are working towards fully funded. I know RSC has the money too, they are a very cash rich club. Beach has the resources. Legends for sure does.

Yes smaller clubs will not go away, but will they trade places with the Fully funded.

Good players want to play with good players.......

Just a fun discussion, a break from ECNL vs DA and my club is better then yours.
Click to expand...

Keep an eye on college commits and which clubs are successfully placing their players. That's what matters. Those are the good clubs, free or not.

Free is free, but good is good too. And good is not always free.
 
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the small club team will survive as long as their reputation stays in tact. Blues will always have an interest from top players. If the players go and get what they need then the club stays above water. When a top player or two exit because of financial reasons to go to a LAG or Pats funded team and a few others start to follow then that could sink a ship. This will be first year DA at 05 age group. I think this will be the group that has the biggest swing next year in the OC area. If the coaches are good at the funded clubs like they are said to be then it will be inevitable. So if that does happen then the subsequent years to follow could be different than what we have always been accustomed to. So i'm not saying the smaller clubs that compete at DA/ECNL levels are going to sink but I would at least be testing the bilge pump
 
At some point there should be a sense of reality as respects to all of this, right? Driving 60+ minutes each way to a club for soccer, at least in SD, OC and LA is insane. Two hours a day/4 days a week is an awful lot of time that could be spent on other activities, for a teenage girl. And how many decent clubs are passed by on the trip? We all think are kid is special and has the “potential” to play at he next level, but at what cost? And who’s dream is it?

If someone wants to make that drive, that’s their decision. Personally, I think that is too high a cost. Whether free or not, these kids aren’t going to get these years back.
 
LA Galaxy has always had very good teams at the younger ages going all the way back to the Princess Leia (SBF) days. Thus far, it has never translated into good teams at the older ages. I think that most, by the time they reach the olders, have had enough kool aid hangovers to know better. I also believe that if one lived halfway between LAG (free) and Beach FC (P2P), most would pay for their daughters to play at Beach. Nothing is truly free. You just pay in other ways, like lack of development, etc. This could only be a debate between parents of youngers who don't know better.
 
El Clasico said:
LA Galaxy has always had very good teams at the younger ages going all the way back to the Princess Leia (SBF) days. Thus far, it has never translated into good teams at the older ages. I think that most, by the time they reach the olders, have had enough kool aid hangovers to know better. I also believe that if one lived halfway between LAG (free) and Beach FC (P2P), most would pay for their daughters to play at Beach. Nothing is truly free. You just pay in other ways, like lack of development, etc. This could only be a debate between parents of youngers who don't know better.
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Your half right about LAG/SBF. There is more to it. Feel free to PM me.
 
Yes good isn’t always free. But free isn’t always bad, which seems to be the presumption in some of these posts. It’s way too early to assume it’s a choice between fully funded on the one hand and player development and quality coaching on the other. To be fair, the inaugural Galaxy DA teams are far from bad, more like middle of the pack overall. Going forward, starting with the 2005 group entering DA next season, players from the very successful LAGSB younger teams developed by SD and DS will form the core of Galaxy DA teams, and will continue to be coached by the same key staff that developed them this far, so any knocks on Galaxy DA coaching staff compared to other clubs are premature to say the least.

Much of the past challenges for the older LAGSB teams seem to have been a result of losing their best players to ECNL powerhouses to the south. Now that the playing field has been changed with DA and a fully funded status for Galaxy, it will be interesting to see if Galaxy can hold onto the talent they developed at the younger ages. And much of that will depend not so much on cost, but on whether Galaxy DA can build a reputation for quality coaching and college placement. Time will tell!

On a personal note, we drive to Stub Hub from mid-city LA and it’s usually about 30-50 minutes, which seems only a little bit insane. :eek: We pass no decent clubs on our way. It was 100% my daughter’s decision to play DA and stay with Galaxy. She chose to do DA because she wants to continue to play soccer at the highest level, and be challenged by quality teammates and quality opponents, right now, today. If it helps her get into college, great, if she gets attention from USWNT scouts, cool, but the future is less of a concern for her. She chose Galaxy because she loves her teammates and the way they play the game. Free is definitely nice, but cost was secondary in our family’s decision making process.
 
MWN said:
@StyleOfPlay and @mbeach,

I sincerely hope you two won't let this discussion delve into a pissing contest regarding which pre-pubescent girls team won some meaningless game in order for two anonymous adults on an internet forum to see who can make the other more butt-hurt. Let me remind you two that:
  1. The average age for a girl to start puberty is age 12 (U13 / current 2005).
  2. All 08’s, 07’s, 06’s, and 05’s teams will encounter significant roster changes by the time they hit U15.
  3. College Coaches (especially on the girls side) typically ignore the girls below U14/15 because they know that girls are especially affected by puberty changes (e.g. that super-fast elite 9 year old becomes that petite teenager that can't outrun a single 5'7" striker and gets knocked off the ball everytime."
  4. https://www.socceramerica.com/publi...pains-girls-face-challenge-of-the-commot.html
Now ... back to the topic, which is ... "Pay to Play Model in Girls DA - Thing of the past?"
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This has to be a huge factor in the improvement for girls(and boys as well I'd imagine). Using the team we are on as example, I've notice that certain growth spurts result in a loss of coordination at times, as well as seeing it all come together once they go 4-5 months with a slow down in growth. Last year we faced a team that beat us 2-0 due to one girl. We played that team again in state cup. This time we won 2-0 because 4-5 of our girls were now faster and stronger than that player. In just one year this occurred. In just the last 6 months my 05 daughter is now getting some high balls that she couldn't before at keeper due to being an inch and a half taller plus jumping another couple inches higher as well.

I get frustrated at times with our team as we just can't finish, resulting in a lot of games where it seems we are as good or better than many that we play but we fail. Patience, continued improvement on the ball, and keeping the the girls interested in playing needs to be more important to myself, the parents, and the coaches then wins at our age.

So how do they choose the right girls for DA for 2004/2005 girls? Look for biggest fastest, or go with a smaller kid with better footwork?
 
Aren't there enough DA teams in SoCal now that driving any distance is crazy? I can't imagine driving an hour to soccer practice, already have to do that for my job. :(
 
Soccer said:
Not a bad deal at all, cause they have a lot of travel to So Cal. Plus showcases.
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I agree. And to put that cost in perspective. The year that is just finishing up they charged 2800 for ECNL and then travel was let's say another 3k.

The other DA club in AZ? Del Sol. They just told parents $4800 for fees and that does not include travel.
 
Desert Hound said:
RSL-AZ just posted fees for their GDA.

They want 2k for the year which includes travel for the GDA.

https://www.royalsda.com/program-fees
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If the coaching and training structure is a good fit for your kid, then I would say that is a great deal.

Here in So Cal, even with fewer road trips, I would guess that most are paying triple that amount when accounting for travel.

It raises another point about some of the DA clubs. The list of clubs that are fully funding teams is small. However, I believe there are a few additional clubs that are including all travel costs in their fees. While not “fully funding”, this definitely helps the overall cost burden for those families.
 
OFF TOPIC...but does anyone else get annoyed that despite sitting on 5 acres of grass younger siblings of the players has to try to juggle right behind you? Or is it me?
 
Soccer said:
Agree this is not a my club is better then you topic.

I just cannot see how LAFC (Slammers) LA Galaxy and Pats will not be strong in the future. Free is free. I truly believe all 3 will be FULLY Funded (Dues and Travel)

Yes Pat's and LA G are struggling now, but come on its the first year.

West Coast and Surf are working towards fully funded. I know RSC has the money too, they are a very cash rich club. Beach has the resources. Legends for sure does.

Yes smaller clubs will not go away, but will they trade places with the Fully funded.

Good players want to play with good players.......

Just a fun discussion, a break from ECNL vs DA and my club is better then yours.
Click to expand...


Question. I know Slammers Academy (girls) practices in Irvine this year. Will this change next year or the year after? Especially with them building that facility near the 110??
 
socalkdg said:
Aren't there enough DA teams in SoCal now that driving any distance is crazy? I can't imagine driving an hour to soccer practice, already have to do that for my job. :(
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depends on what your DD needs and how the DA/coach meets that need. Not all DA teams are created equal as you all know.
 
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