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Post by fanatic21 on Apr 25, 2017 13:03:38 GMT -5
Anyone have any thoughts or recommendations for an 05 Girl for next year? Good chance to make 04 DA. Should that be an option or keep her in her own age group and play ECNL? Or on a strong Athena A team that may go RPL in the Spring? Too many choices these days.
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Post by Keeper on Apr 25, 2017 13:26:39 GMT -5
Go where the best coaching is AND where she has the most fun. Otherwise you're just pushing her to burnout and hate the sport before she gets to HS.
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Post by spectator on Apr 26, 2017 6:22:08 GMT -5
Go where the best coaching is AND where she has the most fun. Otherwise you're just pushing her to burnout and hate the sport before she gets to HS. ^^^that up there^^^. AMEN!!! Best advice ever typed on this or any forum.
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Post by fanatic21 on Apr 26, 2017 9:00:09 GMT -5
Yeah, that's definitely the goal. Just wanted to get an idea of where people think that might be - maybe some testimonials of positive and/or negative experiences. Of course I know all kids are different and what is fun and motivating for each one is different. I honestly don't care at 11/12 (or any age for that matter) if she plays on a DA or ECNL team or if she plays on a intermediate level team or even a rec team as long as she continues having fun.
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Post by spectator on Apr 26, 2017 13:33:24 GMT -5
At 11 or 12 they are really still learning the details of the game - stringing passes, seeing the field, foot skills, 1v1, 1v2 etc. I'm not now nor was I back when my kid was U12 a fan of putting 11 year olds on the full field. They aren't strong enough to accurately cross passes and really work the entire field. Even at U13, they're still only 12 years old and they're not all the same size, shape, skill level yet. Playing up a year would be hard - socially and physically - and most kids want to play with their peers.
All I can offer you is what my player experienced - we've been at small and large clubs and the only consistent thing in the equation is the fact that a good coach at a younger age trumps a higher level - meaning if you have an opportunity to play Athena A with a great coach versus RPL with a coach who is juggling 2-3 teams and would recruit a player rather than develop what he has, then go with the better coach. By the time your player hits U15 - let her make the real decision then based on her abilities and long term aspirations (national exposure, identification for national level teams, college scholarships, etc.) Hardest thing for us to remember is that it's their life - their sport - their decision. Don't push to the point of burnout.
Also, it depends on what club you are at now or where you aspire to be. Bigger clubs have more opportunities but the pool is bigger so therefore the competition for those coveted spots are too. Coaching can change on a dime and you never know what you'll end up with. Smaller clubs have more consistency with who may coach an age group for more than one year but the risk is also there for a team to disseminate as it gets older and the talent pool shallows out or kids just lose interest. Weigh it out.
Finally - what works for your family - not just the one player? RPL and ECNL have a lot more travel than Athena - if you have more than one kid or obligations elsewhere on weekends, it's hard on the family to commit to the time and expense of weekend travel almost every weekend..
But that's my experience and life - you make the decision on what yours is and what your kid wants. There are way more options now than there were with my kid was a U12 - which is a good opportunity for you now - but honestly, I'm glad to be almost aging out of this circus. Too many levels and leagues and options - add to that the pressures these kids are under at their schools for test scores and grades, it's just too much to digest. I enter the world of parent to a college athlete in 2018 - I hope that's not as crazy!!! LOL
Good luck to you and your daughter.
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Post by jash on Apr 26, 2017 17:08:19 GMT -5
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Post by Keeper on Apr 26, 2017 20:13:57 GMT -5
If there's quality coaching and her friends are at the local club stay there. No point of moving to a club an hour away just to make a DA/ECNL team when a quality Athena A/B team will be just as beneficial, especially at U13. The friendships at that age will mean more and as she grows up to U15, then you can make the jump up if wanting to.
If the local club has the options of DA or ECNL, what's more important? Spending $10,000 a year in travel and fees for her to play DA / ECNL or playing Athena A/B and winning State Cup for half the cost. Most of us would pick the latter and spend that extra money on vacations, fun soccer camps or tournaments, or other family adventures.
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Post by Keeperkeeper on Apr 27, 2017 6:01:37 GMT -5
Yeah, that's definitely the goal. Just wanted to get an idea of where people think that might be - maybe some testimonials of positive and/or negative experiences. Of course I know all kids are different and what is fun and motivating for each one is different. I honestly don't care at 11/12 (or any age for that matter) if she plays on a DA or ECNL team or if she plays on a intermediate level team or even a rec team as long as she continues having fun. My daughter played up at about the same age, but we eased her in to playing up by having her do Super Y with the older age group the summer before she went into her u12 year. She is very athletic, but she is a smaller player. She liked playing up because it was challenging. She also liked playing for another coach. Additionally, one of the girls on team became a good friend, and she was almost like a mentor to my daughter. However, she was initially intimidated by some of the other players, and 12 and 13 year old girls can be a little mean. So, we had some teary post-game conversations that always ended with a question about whether or not she wanted to continue doing the play up. She did not completely play up in the traditional sense of being on only one team. She did play across two teams for the three seasons she played up. I only think a child should play up if 1) they can contribute significantly to the team (we have seen play ups who barely play 5 minutes of a game), 2) if they are bored with their current level of play (the child is the best in their age group and need more of a challenge), and 3) the team they are moving to provides an opportunity for the child to learn. My daughter (in one summer and year of play up) fell in love with one of her coaches. She blossomed under his tutelage. She was able to play a variety of positions, and she felt like she could explore new options on the field more so with the play up coach than her age group coach. To this day, when they see each other, they still have a great relationship, and she considers him to be the coach that pushed her the most. I think that you have to look at your daughter's ability and the coaches at the different levels. She may learn more from the Athena/RPL coach than the DA coach. Playing up is not for everyone, and I have seen kids on my children's teams who should not play up, but often parents push their kids to play up when they do not need to play up. The DA side is a little different from the ECNL side as well. I think it's easier to play up at u12 DA because (at least on the boys side) the travel is not extensive. You may want to take the cost of DA v ECNL into consideration as well. At the end of the day, I think you need to ask yourself (and your daughter) if you think she would thrive on a team as a play up. Is it advantageous to her development? Will she get minutes to play, or will she be sitting on the bench because there are 12- 17 other players in front of her? Finally, I would talk to your current coach and the play up coach. Are they on the same page developmentally about your child? Does the play up coach have a good opinion about your child and their abilities? Does the coach show interest in the child?
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