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Post by atv on Apr 18, 2018 10:11:17 GMT -5
I personally love it. IMO, the USSF had no business starting the GDA, as ECNL was a well run machine and proven platform. The federation has lost its way.
“Among the issues that have made the DA less appealing for some clubs is U.S. Soccer’s strong stance against high school soccer participation, its prohibition on players participating in competitions outside of DA-sanctioned events, substitution rules (eg: no re-entry), strict guidelines on how to coach, and stringent coaching license requirements.” -Soccer America
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Post by SoccerMom on Apr 18, 2018 10:19:03 GMT -5
A story about this issue. Michigan Hawks, PDA, and FC Stars supposedly going ECNL. Quite a few YNT players from these three clubs. Still not sure what to make of this. There are also rumblings that this is not the end of the shuffling. Can you imagine another Federation anywhere getting this kind of challenge? Goes to show a fractured youth landscape and probably the arrogance and ego of lots of participants.
Clubs leaving GDABut then 4 more just joined GDA. Clubs had left/kicked out of ECNL in the past but we just never really heard about it, only reason all this makes news is because ECNL wants it to make news and show USSF that some clubs prefer them. At the end of the day, the only people suffering here will be the kids, this is not helping anyone but themselves. I feel like we are in the middle of the Judgement of Solomon.... we are the baby and ECNL and GDA are the moms......
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Post by SoccerMom on Apr 18, 2018 10:37:53 GMT -5
I personally love it. IMO, the USSF had no business starting the GDA, as ECNL was a well run machine and proven platform. The federation has lost its way. “Among the issues that have made the DA less appealing for some clubs is U.S. Soccer’s strong stance against high school soccer participation, its prohibition on players participating in competitions outside of DA-sanctioned events, substitution rules (eg: no re-entry), strict guidelines on how to coach, and stringent coaching license requirements.” -Soccer America The only issue I agree with is the substitution rule, they should allow them re-entry. High School Play --- ECNL doesnt really have a spring season so its easier to play HS, but there was a lot of ECNL players that still choose not to play. Even if GDA allowed HS, there is simply no time to do it, the season is ongoing and they train 4x week. I only know of 2 kids that have said they miss HS soccer. Competitions outside of DA events -- DA has 2-3 showcases, what more do you want? Disney? CASL? thats just more unnecessary $$ Guidelines on how to coach and stringent coaching license requirements -- no issue there, some coaches don't have a plan, let alone the right license. We should want these coaches to be more educated, the only people fighting this are the coaches who don't have the licences. We expect other professions to do prepare themselves (doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc) so why not them?
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Post by soccerlegacy on Apr 18, 2018 10:55:55 GMT -5
"It is the arrogance, thinking they know best, that they do not need any help, no input." I think you summed it up best with this sentence right here... It's just like the age mandate change.... and yes... that still bugs the sh*t out of me!
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Post by Soccerhouse on Apr 18, 2018 11:02:20 GMT -5
The exclusivity issues with ECNL clearly was a problem in the past, seems they have changed their ways recently and needed GDA to force that change potentially. However, GDA is obviously exclusive as well, exclusive by design you can say.
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Post by 04gparent on Apr 18, 2018 11:26:21 GMT -5
The exclusivity issues with ECNL clearly was a problem in the past, seems they have changed their ways recently and needed GDA to force that change potentially. However, GDA is obviously exclusive as well, exclusive by design you can say. Think about this... Lets say a club like Tophat drops GDA. That actually hurt girls who are on the current ECNL teams. Presently the ECNL team are the 2nd teams. Presently both the GDA and ECNL teams recv exposure via those two leagues. If TH drops GDA where do you think those players will go? More than likely that go back to the ECNL team and thus push some girls out of those teams... It will be very interesting to see if any of this has an impact on the Georgia clubs...
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Post by nightmare on Apr 18, 2018 11:33:49 GMT -5
The mistake US Soccer is making regarding the girls DA stems from the fact that the girls DA was never needed because of the player path. Digging deeper, appreciate that the girls DA is a response to litigation threats from the women regarding inequality between the men's and woman's national team (i.e. fields and pay). Their position was that the Federation systemically treats women unequally and used the boys DA as evidence of that. Their argument was, we are paid less, we have to play in inferior stadiums and on artifical turf and the Federation doesn't even have a girls DA after 8 years. The response by the federation was to increase pay for the women, avoid artificial turf fields, funnel more subsidies into the WPSL, and start the girls DA (knowing that the clubs via the parents would be paying the lion share of the cost).
At the time, everybody was happy with the ECNL, but truth be told, the women shot themselves in the foot with the girls DA by trying to play under the same rules as the boys. Whether this works out in the end will ultimately depend on the U.S. public finding an appetite for women's team sports and soccer ... so maybe sometime in the year 2093.
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Post by Soccerhouse on Apr 18, 2018 11:42:32 GMT -5
The "system" was a ticking time bomb waiting to blow, even at the local level--
ECNL exclusivity - I mean come on, it took how many years for tophat to be accepted RPL slots going to teams that didn't earn there spots GDA creation with little to no feedback from ECNL after original conversations summarized it wasn't necessary and clubs having both GDA and ECNL
Throw age mandates in the mix and your talking about lots of anxiety and unnecessary stress --- and as others mentioned, the kids are the ones suffering
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Post by Keeper on Apr 18, 2018 11:56:18 GMT -5
The exclusivity issues with ECNL clearly was a problem in the past, seems they have changed their ways recently and needed GDA to force that change potentially. However, GDA is obviously exclusive as well, exclusive by design you can say. Think about this... Lets say a club like Tophat drops GDA. That actually hurt girls who are on the current ECNL teams. Presently the ECNL team are the 2nd teams. Presently both the GDA and ECNL teams recv exposure via those two leagues. If TH drops GDA where do you think those players will go? More than likely that go back to the ECNL team and thus push some girls out of those teams... It will be very interesting to see if any of this has an impact on the Georgia clubs... The idea is say Concorde drops DA, then they would gain an additional ENCL team, not a Composite one either, so that DA team now slides right into ECNL play as a whole and both teams compete in league play. What’s great is that say that DA team has 10 kids from Fulton & 10 from Cobb and the same for the ECNL team so now they can make a Cobb team and a Fulton team to help alleviate the commutes.
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Post by soccerdaddy on Apr 18, 2018 13:45:22 GMT -5
GDA posted article on DA site to advertise Showcase and the league: www.ussoccerda.com/20180417-feature-spring-showcase-provides-elite-scouting-opportunityLast 3 paragraphs sound like their "selling points" "We have now, 80 percent of our Youth National Team players play in the Girls' Academy," Heinrichs said. "We're calibrating the scouting eye by educating our scouts and technical advisors. There's this constant dialogue and teamwork amongst the National Team coaches, Technical Advisors and scouts. "It means we're finding better players. If we get the selection process better and better every year in our game, it means we've got better players arriving at the National Team level. It's going to make the players and our National Teams better." The Development Academy is focused on improving environments to better develop every player. The Academy event is just one aspect of a program designed to create a pathway for players to reach their full potential in college, the professional ranks and for some a chance to represent U.S. Soccer on the international stage.
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Post by neymarscleats on Apr 18, 2018 14:25:42 GMT -5
Not much news here and it is barely moving the ball forward and I am totally betraying trust but this forum has maintained anonymity of its members and I hate all clubs for their primary role in the toxicity of our environment (while recognizing our role in it as well), here is an email from the CF coach today:
"Soooooo.. it’s begun at this time of year. ECNL just sent an email out with 79 “All-in” clubs. That simply means those are the clubs that ONLY have ECNL. We (and TopHat who is also not on that list) still have ECNL and DA currently but there have been major clubs that have pulled out of DA recently (PDA, Michigan Hawks, Seattle Reign) so the landscape is changing a bit. ECNL and DA are currently jockeying for supremacy at the moment.
I’ve been in talks with Gregg and the directors and they are going to do what they feel is best for the girls exposure wise (college recruiting) and competition wise. The club currently has options, which is very good. I’m sure that some official notice will come out with what the plan is (or there won’t be a notice at all and the club will have both DA and ECNL next year) and once or if there’s an update to give on the matter, I’ll be sure to keep you all posted.
Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have. Hope everyone is doing well!"
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Post by Keeper on Apr 18, 2018 14:35:55 GMT -5
Not much news here and it is barely moving the ball forward and I am totally betraying trust but this forum has maintained anonymity of its members and I hate all clubs for their primary role in the toxicity of our environment (while recognizing our role in it as well), here is an email from the CF coach today: "Soooooo.. it’s begun at this time of year. ECNL just sent an email out with 79 “All-in” clubs. That simply means those are the clubs that ONLY have ECNL. We (and TopHat who is also not on that list) still have ECNL and DA currently but there have been major clubs that have pulled out of DA recently (PDA, Michigan Hawks, Seattle Reign) so the landscape is changing a bit. ECNL and DA are currently jockeying for supremacy at the moment. I’ve been in talks with Gregg and the directors and they are going to do what they feel is best for the girls exposure wise (college recruiting) and competition wise. The club currently has options, which is very good. I’m sure that some official notice will come out with what the plan is (or there won’t be a notice at all and the club will have both DA and ECNL next year) and once or if there’s an update to give on the matter, I’ll be sure to keep you all posted. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have. Hope everyone is doing well!" Thanks for the info. What level of coach is this? Are they a current DA or ECNL coach?
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Post by neymarscleats on Apr 18, 2018 14:39:49 GMT -5
Not much news here and it is barely moving the ball forward and I am totally betraying trust but this forum has maintained anonymity of its members and I hate all clubs for their primary role in the toxicity of our environment (while recognizing our role in it as well), here is an email from the CF coach today: "Soooooo.. it’s begun at this time of year. ECNL just sent an email out with 79 “All-in” clubs. That simply means those are the clubs that ONLY have ECNL. We (and TopHat who is also not on that list) still have ECNL and DA currently but there have been major clubs that have pulled out of DA recently (PDA, Michigan Hawks, Seattle Reign) so the landscape is changing a bit. ECNL and DA are currently jockeying for supremacy at the moment. I’ve been in talks with Gregg and the directors and they are going to do what they feel is best for the girls exposure wise (college recruiting) and competition wise. The club currently has options, which is very good. I’m sure that some official notice will come out with what the plan is (or there won’t be a notice at all and the club will have both DA and ECNL next year) and once or if there’s an update to give on the matter, I’ll be sure to keep you all posted. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have. Hope everyone is doing well!" Thanks for the info. What level of coach is this? Are they a current DA or ECNL coach? ECNL
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Post by zizou on Apr 18, 2018 15:21:43 GMT -5
"...but there have been major clubs that have pulled out of DA recently (PDA, Michigan Hawks, Seattle Reign) so the landscape is changing a bit...." Two things I find interesting. First, there has been no announcement about Seattle Reign leaving GDA. Maybe that was a mistake and the coach meant some other club, maybe meant Seattle United (who never had GDA but were in partnership with the Reign but dropped that partnership at the beginning of 2018), or maybe the coach knows something. I am going with one of the first two options rather than assuming this is a scoop. Second, the coach did not say simply "we are staying in both leagues next year, just like this year." That would have been the simplest statement.
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Post by neymarscleats on Apr 18, 2018 15:44:38 GMT -5
"...but there have been major clubs that have pulled out of DA recently (PDA, Michigan Hawks, Seattle Reign) so the landscape is changing a bit...." Two things I find interesting. First, there has been no announcement about Seattle Reign leaving GDA. Maybe that was a mistake and the coach meant some other club, maybe meant Seattle United (who never had GDA but were in partnership with the Reign but dropped that partnership at the beginning of 2018), or maybe the coach knows something. I am going with one of the first two options rather than assuming this is a scoop. Second, the coach did not say simply "we are staying in both leagues next year, just like this year." That would have been the simplest statement. We need to always be careful not to give too much credit for these coaches to:
A. Have the political expertise to navigate a complex communication situation like this when they often can't communicate expectations to a teenage soccer player
OR
B. Be smart enough to understand what is happening around them
My guess is he is most likely not 'in the know' and GB is telling him just enough to throw some crumbs to the customers and this is his interpretation.
Yes. I am the most cynical soccer parent you will ever know.
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Post by SoccerMom on Apr 18, 2018 16:07:41 GMT -5
Think about this... Lets say a club like Tophat drops GDA. That actually hurt girls who are on the current ECNL teams. Presently the ECNL team are the 2nd teams. Presently both the GDA and ECNL teams recv exposure via those two leagues. If TH drops GDA where do you think those players will go? More than likely that go back to the ECNL team and thus push some girls out of those teams... It will be very interesting to see if any of this has an impact on the Georgia clubs... The idea is say Concorde drops DA, then they would gain an additional ENCL team, not a Composite one either, so that DA team now slides right into ECNL play as a whole and both teams compete in league play. What’s great is that say that DA team has 10 kids from Fulton & 10 from Cobb and the same for the ECNL team so now they can make a Cobb team and a Fulton team to help alleviate the commutes. Thats assuming that none of those players leave CF and go to TH or UFA to play GDA
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Post by atv on Apr 18, 2018 18:56:43 GMT -5
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Post by oraclesfriend on Apr 18, 2018 19:52:48 GMT -5
Great interview and all of the points people have discussed here. I don't think the high school thing is a big deal for some people, but the substitution rules are bad for a lot of kids IMHO. I agree the double age group is an issue too. We have a friend on an 03 team that may not make the 02/03. She doesn't care about high school but she cares that the team that she has been with for 3 years is going to get split up and she is potentially getting left behind and losing the college exposure. She is worried about getting cut. Something that has never happened to her.
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Post by Keeper on Apr 18, 2018 20:58:09 GMT -5
The idea is say Concorde drops DA, then they would gain an additional ENCL team, not a Composite one either, so that DA team now slides right into ECNL play as a whole and both teams compete in league play. What’s great is that say that DA team has 10 kids from Fulton & 10 from Cobb and the same for the ECNL team so now they can make a Cobb team and a Fulton team to help alleviate the commutes. Thats assuming that none of those players leave CF and go to TH or UFA to play GDA Very true but you would hope players at that level have some loyalty to their team, coach, and club.
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Post by SoccerMom on Apr 18, 2018 21:08:19 GMT -5
Thats assuming that none of those players leave CF and go to TH or UFA to play GDA Very true but you would hope players at that level have some loyalty to their team, coach, and club. It depends on the parent/kid, some may not want to play ECNL if DA is considered the top league in GA. Theres a few clubhoppers on those CF teams and I already heard of some calling around. I think CF is just waiting on ECNL to play their hand
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Post by oraclesfriend on Apr 18, 2018 21:13:09 GMT -5
Thats assuming that none of those players leave CF and go to TH or UFA to play GDA Very true but you would hope players at that level have some loyalty to their team, coach, and club. I don't mean to be cynical, but do coaches have loyalty to their players? If someone has been coaching a player for 3 years and has watched that player grow into a much better player and has watched them work hard to maintain/earn their place on the team, etc and a player comes in from another club that looks good (maybe better) do they turn the new player away or drop their player for 3 years to the next lower team? Most drop their player for the new one. At least that is what I have seen coaches do to friends, acquaintances etc. I have seen little loyalty to clubs, coaches or teams because little is given back. Most players club hop to find the "best team" they can be on. The only case of team and coach loyalty that I have witnessed is a 11 year boy who is my friend's son. He turned down a spring promotion to the next highest team because he did not want to leave his teammates. Even after the director called his mom and told her that this may be a one time opportunity to move up, he still said no. This kid LOVES soccer. He is strong. He was invited to AU U 12 tryouts though he did not make it...
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Post by Soccerhouse on Apr 18, 2018 21:35:16 GMT -5
Good interview and all the issues we have all discussed. Just rarely do you get to hear it from a club and leadership. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision to make. Sounds like the federation isn’t interestes in changing their ways. Good to hear they had these conversations with them though and listened.
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Post by oraclesfriend on Apr 18, 2018 21:45:39 GMT -5
Good interview and all the issues we have all discussed. Just rarely do you get to hear it from a club and leadership. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision to make. Sounds like the federation isn’t interesting in changing their ways. Good to hear they had these conversations with them though and listened. Well people often don't want to change until their hand is forced. Initially GDA was supposed to have dual age groups for U14/U15 and they changed that due to concerns. It wouldn't surprise me if they eventually decide to make some other changes. It just may take several clubs to balk at it first.
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Post by aliensource on Apr 19, 2018 13:13:26 GMT -5
"...but there have been major clubs that have pulled out of DA recently (PDA, Michigan Hawks, Seattle Reign) so the landscape is changing a bit...." Two things I find interesting. First, there has been no announcement about Seattle Reign leaving GDA. Maybe that was a mistake and the coach meant some other club, maybe meant Seattle United (who never had GDA but were in partnership with the Reign but dropped that partnership at the beginning of 2018), or maybe the coach knows something. I am going with one of the first two options rather than assuming this is a scoop. Second, the coach did not say simply "we are staying in both leagues next year, just like this year." That would have been the simplest statement. That was a really lazy ass, no class, thing to post, neymarscleats. You finally get a good coach. He steps up and puts in extra for YOUR KID. Then since he actually cares, has a heart as big as his mouth, he reaches out to the team with a lil' heads-up. Then you out him in a public forum. Well done. All you had to do was be a little more grateful, care 1/5 as much as the coach did, and paraphrase ( bfy.tw/233x ) the email. When you find a good coach you should give back a little. Especially in delicate situations like this. See you at practice.
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Post by footy on Apr 19, 2018 13:17:55 GMT -5
I agree the double age group is an issue too. We have a friend on an 03 team that may not make the 02/03. She doesn't care about high school but she cares that the team that she has been with for 3 years is going to get split up and she is potentially getting left behind and losing the college exposure. She is worried about getting cut. Something that has never happened to her. I would also love to see single age groups for everything, but didn't this split already happen to a lot of kids though when the age mandate came into effect?
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Post by SoccerMom on Apr 19, 2018 13:54:14 GMT -5
Two things I find interesting. First, there has been no announcement about Seattle Reign leaving GDA. Maybe that was a mistake and the coach meant some other club, maybe meant Seattle United (who never had GDA but were in partnership with the Reign but dropped that partnership at the beginning of 2018), or maybe the coach knows something. I am going with one of the first two options rather than assuming this is a scoop. Second, the coach did not say simply "we are staying in both leagues next year, just like this year." That would have been the simplest statement. That was a really lazy ass, no class, thing to post, neymarscleats . You finally get a good coach. He steps up and puts in extra for YOUR KID. Then since he actually cares, has a heart as big as his mouth, he reaches out to the team with a lil' heads-up. Then you out him in a public forum. Well done. All you had to do was be a little more grateful, care 1/5 as much as the coach did, and paraphrase ( bfy.tw/233x ) the email. When you find a good coach you should give back a little. Especially in delicate situations like this. See you at practice. I cant tell if you're being a smart ass or not......
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Post by soccerdaddy on Apr 19, 2018 14:00:00 GMT -5
Two things I find interesting. First, there has been no announcement about Seattle Reign leaving GDA. Maybe that was a mistake and the coach meant some other club, maybe meant Seattle United (who never had GDA but were in partnership with the Reign but dropped that partnership at the beginning of 2018), or maybe the coach knows something. I am going with one of the first two options rather than assuming this is a scoop. Second, the coach did not say simply "we are staying in both leagues next year, just like this year." That would have been the simplest statement. That was a really lazy ass, no class, thing to post, neymarscleats . You finally get a good coach. He steps up and puts in extra for YOUR KID. Then since he actually cares, has a heart as big as his mouth, he reaches out to the team with a lil' heads-up. Then you out him in a public forum. Well done. All you had to do was be a little more grateful, care 1/5 as much as the coach did, and paraphrase ( bfy.tw/233x ) the email. When you find a good coach you should give back a little. Especially in delicate situations like this. See you at practice. aliensource, please go easy. We are all waiting on things to happen and be announced. We are here for our children. Coaches are here for us and to help us understand. I'm sure you and many others like my self have put Clubs/Teams/Coaches under the bus or bad mouthed them. What about naming names? I'm pretty sure you have stressed your opinion and put names or initials to it. I'm not going to be upset at your opinion but seems odd to lash out to @neymarcleats . I take it as he did this in good faith to inform others of what's going on. I did not take it offensive or no class. Can't we have 1 league in GA so we can all just get along!
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Post by footy on Apr 19, 2018 14:15:45 GMT -5
There's a Top Drawer Soccer podcast on this topic today bit.ly/2Hd4txP
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Post by neymarscleats on Apr 19, 2018 14:18:30 GMT -5
Two things I find interesting. First, there has been no announcement about Seattle Reign leaving GDA. Maybe that was a mistake and the coach meant some other club, maybe meant Seattle United (who never had GDA but were in partnership with the Reign but dropped that partnership at the beginning of 2018), or maybe the coach knows something. I am going with one of the first two options rather than assuming this is a scoop. Second, the coach did not say simply "we are staying in both leagues next year, just like this year." That would have been the simplest statement. That was a really lazy ass, no class, thing to post, neymarscleats . You finally get a good coach. He steps up and puts in extra for YOUR KID. Then since he actually cares, has a heart as big as his mouth, he reaches out to the team with a lil' heads-up. Then you out him in a public forum. Well done. All you had to do was be a little more grateful, care 1/5 as much as the coach did, and paraphrase ( bfy.tw/233x ) the email. When you find a good coach you should give back a little. Especially in delicate situations like this. See you at practice. Not that this needs a response but I'll bite. I care about my kid, that's it. And this is my second child going through Georgia Soccer so I know of what I speak. These coaches and clubs do not care. You can cherry pick some coaches that fly above others but their allegiance is to their job and their club. And they are mercenaries. They go where the money is. So I really don't give a s*it about a coach or club who is looking out for themselves first which is always the case in Georgia Soccer. I am not at their mercy, our household takes control of the situation as much as we can given her preference and level of play in which she qualifies.
As for this specific post. Nobody was outed. You can state what a caring email it was if you like but my posting it here doesn't change that. Given the subject of this specific forum, we are wanting to know any information we can. The clubs have it and they are not releasing it. We are paying them. If you are the coach mentioned in this post, so be it, otherwise pipe down with the personal attack as no harm was done at all nor would I ever do to anyone.
As for the personal attack...lazy ass, really? no class... really? As mentioned above, I am out for my kid. We should be thinking selfishly and that's it. I don't trust any coach, DOC or club as generally speaking they do not have my kids development as primary, I do. And what makes you think this coach "steps up", that he "actually cares" or has a "heart as big as his mouth"? He can be a jackass for all you know spinning what Blasingame asked him to communicate since parents are hounding him. They know at this minute and they are not telling us by design. I am sharing with allies (the parents on this forum) what info is out there to help. Take it or leave it.
If that doesn't make sense, kiss my ass and keep your allegiances with the clubs and see where that takes you.
See you at practice
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wyona
Jr. Academy
Posts: 44
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Post by wyona on Apr 19, 2018 14:22:58 GMT -5
Love it......can we organize a charity boxing match for neymarscleats and aliensource?? Maybe we could raise money to start yet another soccer league in Georgia.
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