By Joe Cannon
Listening to my twin brother tell me about the local soccer club scene in the San Francisco Bay Area, I realized this was a problem not restricted to his family. WithAYSO, Cal North, NorCal, ECNL and the U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy, parents are overwhelmed with where to place or what to do with their aspiring little Messis, Ronaldos or Donovans.
In my brother’s case, it’s his oldest son, Jace. Jace is 5 years old and is looking for a soccer club to help him get started in the sport. Not only are there so many programs, but there are so manyparents with so many different opinions. Which one is right? Where will my son or daughter want to play? Will they be happy? Coaches, parents, and everyone in it seem to have an opinion on everything.
Being the son of a former pro baseball player, and a nephew of pro soccer player, Jace has some pretty heavy shoes to fill. As my little nephew, you think his path would bestraightforward: AYSO, Mountain View Los Altos Soccer Club, then on to Santa Clara University and end up with the San Jose Earthquakes, just like his uncle right? Well not so fast … times havechanged.
With the popularity of the sport, the competition for a parents’ dollar is fierce. Camps, academies, club teams, programs, and individual training sessions are readilyavailable for parents to choose from. Which one? How much? What is a parent to do?
Below are a few steps parents should take before they decide. Also, feel free to leave a comment belowif you have any further questions. As someone who has been involved with youth soccer for over 30 years (playing, coaching, organizing, etc), I look forward to helping parents and friends looking forthe right program to start or re-start their interest in the beautiful game.
1. Start your little one in a semi-public program. The program won’t matter as much as thepeople running it. Introducing your child to the sport is the small first step we need to take. I played soccer for four to five years before I really started to love the game. There are many programsthat cater to children who are young, and whose parents just need a little rest.
2. If your little angel still loves playing, I would suggest looking at recreationalsoccer. My first three years of the sport, I played in the American Youth Soccer Organization. Without the efforts of AYSO, and other soccer recreational programs, the seeds of MLS would have neverbeen planted. These programs give your child their first real team soccer experience.
3. If little junior is ripping it up in the recreation leagues, it’s time to movethem to a more competitive environment. “Select soccer” is what we called it back in my day, but now there are so many more options. Asking other parents helps, but lots of them will be biased towardtheir own coaches and clubs.
The best is to try and reach out to prominent people in your soccer area. College and high school soccer coaches, prominent area soccer figures, and evenresearch done on Internet forums can all equip a parent to be in a better position regarding club choice.
You can google NSCAA or U.S. Soccer and contact a representative. It might takeawhile, but both organizations can eventually lead you to the right select team, league, or club.
4. So you’ve made it to club and your teen is thriving. Elite clubs,such as those in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and ECNL, are scattered all across the United States. You may have to drive your child hours away if you live in a small town.
To helpprepare your child for tryouts, have someone from these academies, a coach or trainer, see your child individually and work with them. There is nothing a coach wants to see more than some kid theywork with get better. If you reach out to academy coaches, trainers or someone tied to the club who does individual training sessions, that’s a great place to start.
5.So let’s say we’ve gotten this far and your son or daughter is doing well with the elite team. There are many types of children but let’s place them into three categories. First, the superstar. Inthis case, colleges will already be contacting you or your team’s coaches and asking about their intentions. It’s easy for the parents because the schools come to them. Second, the burned-out player.They like soccer but don’t love it, and they really just want to go to school and work on their education or whatever passion other than soccer that drives them. Finally, there are the kids inbetween.
This kid was me. I was good at soccer, but not the all-star. I blossomed late so the only colleges that sent letters were ones from far off distant lands or small schools whojust got my name out of a database.
Here’s the thing, colleges have no clue which kids want to attend their schools. Sit down with Tommy or Tina and figure out where they want to go toschool, what type of school, what type of soccer program (Division I to NAIA) and start contacting coaches.
Don’t wait on this part. Don’t be like me and wait around for the coaches tocall and want you! This is your dream and your goal right? Ask yourself how bad you want to take this next step. If you have the talent and the belief, you can go far.
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Great advice. I think all the additional league options these days confuse what I consider one of the principle issues, which should be 2.5: What do you want your little player to learn? Opinions offered by coaches or clubs should be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism because that is usually wrt their own interests. If you as a parent are happy with your kid playing kick-and-run there are tons of coaches/clubs/teams out there and they can provide plenty of enjoyment–but that’s not how the modern game is played. If there is any chance your kid is considering playing the sport in high school, kick-and-run will only serve the strikers & keepers. If your kid plays anywhere else s/he will never get the touches, training and skills required for a high school player in 2020 and beyond.
Just finished with 3 boys, two played soccer one became a distance runner. Both soccer players got scholarships. Both played Academy. Both matured physically in college. A few tips from my experience:1)the kids have to want to play if they are going to be successful;2) both kids playing soccer were VERY lucky. Started in AYSO, ended up on team with a Hispanic coach, former pro player in Central America. First week said one kid was natural goalie, other was midfielder. Worked relentlessly with both boys for 8 years (of course I paid) but he knew what he was doing. THEY LEARNED BASIC FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS FROM SOMEONE WHO KNEW HOW TO TRAIN KIDS AND KNEW WHAT WAS IMPORTANT. For instance, the midfielder was right footed; coach made him play on the left side of the field for 4 years. He learned how to dribble/kick/shoot as a lefty. Now he plays a central field position in college but covers the left side because he is comfortable there, can defend/attack to either side. Taught him to do free/corner/penalty kicks with exceptional skill; coach told him you need to have as many high level skills as possible because you don’t know what small thing may push you onto field ahead of anyone else. He ended up being the penalty shooter for his collegiate team as a defender. He also made him start out as left defender, then left mid, then left forward, then right mid, then center mid; he is now a four year started in college at centerback because he really grew. He feels he can play three different positions with skill which gives him enormous flexibility.3) we continued with same coach through club, and both boys ended up, at the end (ie. senior year high school) on Academy teams. Many kids went from team to team chasing the highest level team; we kept with the same coach, chasing the highest level of COACHING. They could have played on better teams but ended up in the Academy system because they knew how to play. 4) I knew our boys would mature late; the field player grew 4 inches between senior year high school and second year college. It was very tough to watch them get run over by kids who were men at 16 and everyone was going crazy over these stars “future”; at 18 is when a lot of boys catch up. If their skill level is great, when the size and muscle kick in everyone is astounded: where did he come from????In brief: get good fundamental coaching from an adult who knows what he is doing. I was lucky, I don’t know how I could find someone like I did.
Joe knows whereof he speaks. The only thing I would add is that if a child is going to grow up love the beautiful game, their feet must learn to love the ball at a young age. And the only way for that to happen, is many hours just “playing”, the ball on their feet, dribbling, juggling, dribbling, juggling etc. Very hard to find those hours in a home packed with TVs, video games, etc. Maybe best thing a parent can do is as soon as they get home, grab the kid(s) and a ball and head for the back yard, park, living room, whatever. Play as if it’s the most enjoyable, most important thing in the world, just for fun. Trust me, when you are old you will look back and see those were the most important, most enjoyable, moments of your life.
Great post California dreamin. Great post. The only thing I’ll add to the discussion is take time to attend practices before you commit. Don’t choose the club, choose the coach. The coach is the club.
Smart advice. Gotta agree with Joe. Start in Rec/AYSO to get a taste for the game. Then see if they like the sport and if they can cut it in a more competitive environment! Plus the cost factors in. $100 per season in AYSO or $3,500 in club? Lots of kids in Club not getting playing time or developing because parents think they are Ronaldo Jr. and club has greater status but a kid getting 5 minutes per game isn’t getting much for the bucks. Get them in Futsal leagues too. Great for development. Bottom line-they don’t play, they don’t develop!