Big Club to Smaller Club?

[pointersix]

Disclaimer: I'm not in SoCal, but this seems to be one of the most active forums for youth club talk.

My son is 8 and has been playing with a larger club that just got DA status for the older ages. He has been with them for 3 years and plays on their top team and was offered a spot on their top "academy" team for next fall. I paid the deposit.

But he has been offered a spot on a smaller club team, but one year up. He is on the smaller side so my gut was just to say "no" to that. What's causing me pause is that this smaller club and head coach really do play possession and they have taken a bunch of extremely average players and transformed them into some very competitive teams. He has been practicing with them and seems to really thrive, plays harder, better, and attempts more advanced things.

The issue is he is used to his current team and is unsure about leaving his friends. But part of me feels that he plays a role with this team and sort of hangs back and lets the couple "stars" take over. He understands spacing and movement off the ball, so he can call "square" "drop" etc until he's blue in the face, but they will keep the ball and try to dribble through 4 people every time. Of course they are young and still figuring this stuff out, but it ends up that in game situations he doesn't get in on the action much.

That said, his current team is getting a new high licensed coach next fall and maybe I need to just wait it out and see how that goes. It's a difficult call because I really do like this other club and the coach and it's clear that he sees something in my son and my son really responded to his style. But I don't want to burn the big club bridge by jumping ship for next fall only to try to return in a year or two if things don't pan out or if he really needs to get on an age pure team and not play up. Sorry this is so long. I realize he's only 8, but he loves soccer and these clubs are big commitments time/money-wise.

 

[chargerfan]

Disclaimer: I'm not in SoCal, but this seems to be one of the most active forums for youth club talk.

My son is 8 and has been playing with a larger club that just got DA status for the older ages. He has been with them for 3 years and plays on their top team and was offered a spot on their top "academy" team for next fall. I paid the deposit.

But he has been offered a spot on a smaller club team, but one year up. He is on the smaller side so my gut was just to say "no" to that. What's causing me pause is that this smaller club and head coach really do play possession and they have taken a bunch of extremely average players and transformed them into some very competitive teams. He has been practicing with them and seems to really thrive, plays harder, better, and attempts more advanced things.

The issue is he is used to his current team and is unsure about leaving his friends. But part of me feels that he plays a role with this team and sort of hangs back and lets the couple "stars" take over. He understands spacing and movement off the ball, so he can call "square" "drop" etc until he's blue in the face, but they will keep the ball and try to dribble through 4 people every time. Of course they are young and still figuring this stuff out, but it ends up that in game situations he doesn't get in on the action much.

That said, his current team is getting a new high licensed coach next fall and maybe I need to just wait it out and see how that goes. It's a difficult call because I really do like this other club and the coach and it's clear that he sees something in my son and my son really responded to his style. But I don't want to burn the big club bridge by jumping ship for next fall only to try to return in a year or two if things don't pan out or if he really needs to get on an age pure team and not play up. Sorry this is so long. I realize he's only 8, but he loves soccer and these clubs are big commitments time/money-wise.

Since he is only 8, I would go where the best coaching is, and where he is going to have fun while developing. Does he get along with the older boys? Do they treat him differently because he is younger? If those answers are yes to the first and no to the second, I see no reason why you shouldn't go to the club with better coaching and where it seems he is really improving. I wouldn't worry about trying to return in the next couple of years. If he's good, they will take him back. I think a small club with a good coach is a perfect fit for an 8 year old. Actually, I think it's a good fit no matter the age.

 

[watfly]

Two things struck me in your post. The first is the comment that he "really thrives" with the other coach. To me that's huge and is the epitome of development. If a coach can encourage passion in a kid that's priceless. Second, being just a "role player" and getting wide open but not getting the pass can get very discouraging for a kid...I speak from experience on this one. There is plenty of time for him to be a roll player when he is older and has developed his skill set.

 

[chargerfan]

"watfly, post: 62541, member: 1191"]Two things struck me in your post. The first is the comment that he "really thrives" with the other coach. To me that's huge and is the epitome of development. If a coach can encourage passion in a kid that's priceless. Second, being just a "role player" and getting wide open but not getting the pass can get very discouraging for a kid...I speak from experience on this one. There is plenty of time for him to be a roll player when he is older and has developed his skill set.[/QUOTE]

An 8 year old should not be a "role player". They should be #1 having fun, #2 learning how to be an all-around soccer player. I also think an "academy" designation is silly at that age. Don't worry about names and acronyms, just on the things I stated above. Good luck!

 

[Mystery Train]

I'll second everything said above, and add: 1. Let him choose. Even though he's only 8, you don't want him resenting you if you make the call and he ends up having an unhappy season. If he makes the choice and it ends up being a poor experience, at least he can learn from it. 2. If he can't decide, or wants you to make the decision, don't be worried about burning bridges at a "big" club. If you handle it with open communication and class, they'll be happy to take your money some other day in the future. 3. Figure out what the goal is for soccer in his life right now and for the next 3-4 years, and decide which option fits that goal best. At this point, nobody knows if your son could one day be competing for a spot on a national team pool or if he is simply a really good 8-year old soccer player who ends up quitting the sport because too many people in his life took the fun out of it at an early age. Err on the side of what makes the sport most enjoyable for him. He'll go as far as his passion takes him, so do whatever nurtures that.

 

[pointersix]

Thank you everyone for your responses. It is really helpful to get others perspectives. I played growing up and in college and only switched club teams once, so the amount of clubs out there now and the frequency of switches is new to me and am probably being clouded with my own experience and tendency to want to be loyal to the club.

I definitely agree that I want my son to make the final decision. The last thing I want to do is make soccer a chore or take a big part of the fun out of it for him. But I have been checking in on how he thinks practices went with each group, did he have fun, was it challenging, etc. Mainly to help him process things and come to a conclusion based on his own observations.

Guess the thing that makes it tough to make the final call is that I don't know who will really be the coach at his current club in the fall. Maybe he/she will be awesome and I will regret taking him from his familiar setting. They are promised an A or B level, which I don't doubt they will provide since it's the top team. But the name they gave one month ago has already changed - apparently that coach never agreed to coach them in the first place. Again, nothing I can control and nothing is stopping any coach from making a move just before seasons get started. I just don't feel like the current club is very forthright.

 

[watfly]

Thank you everyone for your responses. It is really helpful to get others perspectives. I played growing up and in college and only switched club teams once, so the amount of clubs out there now and the frequency of switches is new to me and am probably being clouded with my own experience and tendency to want to be loyal to the club.

I definitely agree that I want my son to make the final decision. The last thing I want to do is make soccer a chore or take a big part of the fun out of it for him. But I have been checking in on how he thinks practices went with each group, did he have fun, was it challenging, etc. Mainly to help him process things and come to a conclusion based on his own observations.

Guess the thing that makes it tough to make the final call is that I don't know who will really be the coach at his current club in the fall. Maybe he/she will be awesome and I will regret taking him from his familiar setting. They are promised an A or B level, which I don't doubt they will provide since it's the top team. But the name they gave one month ago has already changed - apparently that coach never agreed to coach them in the first place. Again, nothing I can control and nothing is stopping any coach from making a move just before seasons get started. I just don't feel like the current club is very forthright.

I can appreciate an A or B certified coach. It means they take pride in their job to achieve the highest certification and are trained at a very high level . However, just because they're an A/B coach doesn't necessarily mean they can coach kids. I would never commit to a coach that my son hadn't trained with, or at least at a minimum, have seen in action at a few games and verified my observations with some of the coach's player's parents.

I'm not saying this is the case here, but it isn't uncommon for "big clubs" to lure parents with promises of highly certified coaches, better exposure, winning etc. It's often form over substance. If a Club consistently talks about its brand above all else and provides very little tangible insight into how they develop passion in the kids for soccer, I would run fast with my hand over my wallet. Basically buyer beware. Good luck.