7yr old (2012) playing Girls 10U Bronze Vs. AYSO 8u , 9u or 10U. Honest Opinion please.

I didn't read all the comments but we didn't move my daughter to a club team until U13. No regrets staying at AYSO in fact although we didn't love the coaches style of play in AYSO he has probably been one of the best she's had. she also played on a 5/5 boys team did futsal with her brothers team, bunch of dads, and older brothers. She had fun and developed. now she's u17 and I miss the times when the sport was supposed to be fun.
 
Extra was a good fit for my daughter but she only payed one season of it. I noticed a huge difference the very first practice with he club team.
 
Thanks for the feedback from everyone. Im carefully reading all the post and It really helps. Ill clear up a few thoughts. In my area there are not alot of clubs,,,and even fewer clubs with girls teams. only 1 with 2011. So options are very limited. I am a BIG fan of AYSO as i am a REFEREE, former Coach, and a short stint at commissioner. Ill go on record to say yes, some Bronze teams are not as good as the upper echelon of skilled player teams, but some of those silver teams are (strong core , Weak bench) . This year she had exposure in two tournaments with upper level teams
Her exuberance showed with speed ,tenacity, and it was a GREAT experience. i thought she was in way over her head, until i saw the bench players play on the silver teams. I wouldnt let this kid try to compete against silver+ teams at this time, because she's not "mean" enough --> yet., and lacks the mental understanding of the game. But she's COACHABLE got a great feel for spacing, connecting passes with correct pace. L-drags & rotates. And knows how to attack ball and force players to the weak side. Holds a stiff forearm & shoulder and has some defensive discipline. "Hell i cant get that out my 11 year old son." one thing is, DOES NOT MISS PRACTICE and comes early to work on her game,, those extra minutes over 3 years have added up.


What advice i could use is, for this upcoming off-season, (holidays and beyond) how to hold her interest?

Thanks again for the feedback.
 
Thank You,, Thank you all, Just an update. My daughter had a great year"learning" althou the team she played on wasnt so strong. She developed into a solid player over the last 6 weeks.
fighting for balls,,, showing emotion after goals scored on here team.. even got a yellow card,,,,!! a good one at that!!
learned how to maintain formation
learned how to attack the dominant foot on defense
made consistant solid contact on passes
learned to use those arms / forearms
learned to be more physical
showed exuberance (skipping, dancing, laughing) just enjoying herself..
most of all some work ethic, 30min before practice,, (wall work , dribble and extras)

althou the team got trounced,, thanks to the input from this forum i was able to reach out to coaches and receive guest invitations for games, practices, and tournaments.
She will be playing winter /state cup/ spring with 2011's possibly some 2012's
she still having fun,, and eager to play. Im not pushing,,, letting her make some choices.
 
I would play up a year max, that way if she is a true unicorn she will have friends for the course of her beautiful trip we call soccer, if you think playing up three year is good let me tell you something--Its just water cooler talk for you --no need to do that.

Play her up a year so that she can continue to make friends and have friends, build relationships , both my kids played and they know every kid from their age group and (1) higher and its their community not mine ....The absolute best thing you can do to create a little beast and let them have fun is playing time at her age, period. At her age (7) you want as much time on the ball to develop touch, finding a mentor (coach) and , Futsal YES! Between playing 80-100% of game and playing futsal, thats all you need. But three years up is doing her a disservice , she will not be playing 3 yrs up every year guaranteed especially in club. Trust me she is not developing just because she is playing up with older, its all about the coach right now......
My oldest has been playing with the same group of kids for the last 10 years different teams but same age bracket and when they see each other now they kill each other on the field but after the game they laugh and congratulate each other on a hard effort given thats what this game is about , creating relationship, building talent and belonging to a community . At Seven you should enjoy soccer and AYSO, no need to pay thousands a year, ha! thats funny, wait til 9-10 then get to a club thats close and build from there

Heres a little secret , parents that joystick their kids, club hop, play their kids up three years, do more damage than good, let the coach make the decision for you . This ia a marathon not a race , you goal is to get her to the finish line safe and sound you have 13 years of this ahead of you....just some advice not bashing but we all see this happen to very talented kids, slow down and enjoy the ride......
 
I would play up a year max, that way if she is a true unicorn she will have friends for the course of her beautiful trip we call soccer, if you think playing up three year is good let me tell you something--Its just water cooler talk for you --no need to do that.

Play her up a year so that she can continue to make friends and have friends, build relationships , both my kids played and they know every kid from their age group and (1) higher and its their community not mine ....The absolute best thing you can do to create a little beast and let them have fun is playing time at her age, period. At her age (7) you want as much time on the ball to develop touch, finding a mentor (coach) and , Futsal YES! Between playing 80-100% of game and playing futsal, thats all you need. But three years up is doing her a disservice , she will not be playing 3 yrs up every year guaranteed especially in club. Trust me she is not developing just because she is playing up with older, its all about the coach right now......
My oldest has been playing with the same group of kids for the last 10 years different teams but same age bracket and when they see each other now they kill each other on the field but after the game they laugh and congratulate each other on a hard effort given thats what this game is about , creating relationship, building talent and belonging to a community . At Seven you should enjoy soccer and AYSO, no need to pay thousands a year, ha! thats funny, wait til 9-10 then get to a club thats close and build from there

Heres a little secret , parents that joystick their kids, club hop, play their kids up three years, do more damage than good, let the coach make the decision for you . This ia a marathon not a race , you goal is to get her to the finish line safe and sound you have 13 years of this ahead of you....just some advice not bashing but we all see this happen to very talented kids, slow down and enjoy the ride......
Thank you so much,, In Real life, i dont tell anyone her age, because i feel judged. But in our area theres not many teams that have 2011,s 2012,s. and hell yes she can possibly can play 3 years up in AYSO here in my home region,,, not club,, i know,,because i ref the league. Club up ,,but 1 year up,, seems to be right for her. As for the coach,, she had a great coach,,but unfortunately the coach got poached. The new coach that took over is ok, but as you say FUN. i can see my kid being competitive, BUT she needs a MENTOR / player or Mentor / Coach.
Definitely coming down in AGE group for 2020, but also looking to practice / scrimmage with good teams so she can see & experience whats it like in the environment of a well coached FOCUSED team with players that desire and strive to get better.
I was advised to guest play,, and practice play with other teams bye a very successful womans coach. (exceptionally good coach) She told me specifically to expose the kids to other coaches & players. Not as a hopper, but to familiarize the kids to the soccer Culture and family. Having friends on many different teams, is just as much a goal as scoring them.
Futsal is our next venture,,,im hoping to get her around more girls,,for more fun.

And here's a secret,,, when i joystick ,, i just tell the kid to attack the opposing players right foot,,, now she's AWESOME on defense,,,,,,, and most of the time now,, i watch from a FAR distance,,,, ha ha...keeps me outta trouble.
 
@RuffRef Good morning is your unicorn a 2012, if she is I would love to to bring her out to guest in a tournament. My cell phone is 714-727-0000 I would love to hear all about her.
Oh here comes Mr Blues top kool aid drinker and the age 4 recruit - as seen on all the FB soccer pages as well. I hope you get recruiting commission.
 
Thank you for the feedback. I should've mentioned she's got an older brother who plays club, so she is in the atmosphere more than average.
Well i was the Commissioner at AYSO, a ref, and a coach. for the region close to me. I would have my kid play up, and probably want to assist in coaching.
From what i understand she wont qualify for extras if she hasnt played in the season. there are tryouts, but at this stage extras dont begin until late next year.
I like club, but at 7 she needs to be influenced or mini mentored bye a GOOD 10 year old. I see this kids enthusiasm growing for the game, she watched the LAFCvsGalaxy game with me with excitement. I just want to keep this ball rolling. possibly jump on a upper level team for state Cup, I(bench ride ) just so she can get the experience.

your thoughts?
Looks like you are looking for people to tell you want you want to hear...at least in part. You mention all you did at at AYSO and like to assist in coaching. Did you play college? Play pro? Assist or coach with someone with a ton of experience? I say this because I know how the AYSO curriculum was created, the theory behind it and what is taught. The system breads a ton of parents who find success due to the level of play (no technical soccer, all about punt and run) and having a “unicorn”. The unicorn in AYSO tend not to be unicorns when comparing them to top club kids - but tend to be the elite athlete who can outrun all the kids their age. We see your story a lot on here and more in the club environment- which is how parents are easily sold by clubs. Easy to sell someone who is eager to buy. The kid is young, find a solid technical trainer who trains kids in a small group (can search on here for recommendations), get them in an extra/signature group. Let them dominate that group, Bronze/tier 3 isn’t bad if the coach is solid and club offers some type of Coerver style training. Always get these posts where parents want to speed up the process, but that usually burns kids out or gets them into an environment where it’s all about $$$$. Add futsal in the winter or spring - plenty of good Leagues with strong Latin influence. Extra/futsal/good trainer will probably run the same as club but be much better for development at this age
 
@Not_that_Serious the baby blues program just had there 2014 and 2015s tryouts with over 50 girls. they have had this program since Ashley Sanchez played for it at 5 or Olivia M
 
@Not_that_Serious the baby blues program just had there 2014 and 2015s tryouts with over 50 girls. they have had this program since Ashley Sanchez played for it at 5 or Olivia M
Tryouts for tots. Super Awesome. Just because you see a large group, doesn’t mean something positive is occurring. Sometimes crazy attracts crazy. Cults or Ultra Fanatic Groups wouldn’t exist if everyone was sane.
 
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