|
Post by spectator on Jan 19, 2018 23:15:11 GMT -5
I'll weigh in for a small club - not denying the success of NTH, Concorde, UFA and the like - but we're talking Academy - this is when it's more important to learn the game, the tactics, the touch, than to be part of a winning team and at the bigger clubs, it tends to sometimes (not always) be more about putting a 'top' team out there at U10-U11-U12 and pushing these kids onto the big field playing 11v11 long before they have the skills to actually do it. So the bigger more athletic kids get those spots and often the smaller, more technical kids are overlooked and put on lower level teams.
Academy is the time to learn - not be part of set rostered teams that never vary. NASA for the most part does the best job of rotating kids around to multiple teams and positions - or they did back in our day. It's what other clubs will use a criticism ('you never know who you're playing with') but it worked for NASA - not sure if Top Hat kept that philosophy with the merger. I have heard good things about Ted, but people we know on other teams teams there were a little disgruntled complaining that if your kid wasn't on a top team, you were ignored. I'm sure many big clubs get this criticism.
To me the most important factor of Academy is finding a good coach and good fit so that your player learns the game effectively. Not kick and run but how to dribble, how to handle pressure, hot to make decisions on the field in the moment - even if it's the wrong one and the team loses, the kids need to learn the game not be over coached and told every move to make.
We did our Academy years at small clubs and it was a great experience. A good teaching ground that has benefited her tremendously.
There ARE options for Academy - lots of them but keep the short term goal about learning the game not finding the team that will take you to a State Cup title. That'll come in time. Good luck.
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Jan 1, 2018 22:01:30 GMT -5
If anyone's kid is still refereeing, we have two Ref shirts - size adult small (but they seem bigger). Yellow and Black. If the stripes match, PM me and they're yours for free. Anything to keep some youth referees in the game. Mine quit 4 years ago and refuses to even consider going back.
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Dec 31, 2017 22:24:55 GMT -5
Question - does he have his heart set on a specific school that he wants to attend and walk onto the team or is he being recruited?
Example -if he wants to attend a school like North Carolina (D1 Runner Up in 2017 College Cup) the likelihood of becoming a scholarship walk on is pretty slim unless he's been seen and/or recruited by that level of school already. Not to say it can't happen, it's just not as likely and play time would be hard to come my. On the plus side, most large schools like UGA and the like have club soccer so kids who have played during their primary school years can continue to play the game - for fun.
Walking on to a smaller D1 or D2 school is more likely but the main focus should be does he want to attend that school whether he plays soccer there or not.
Recruited walk ons have had contact with the coach and probably have attended ID camps or been seen by the coach before but there are no more $ scholarship slots available so the coach may invite the player to be a rostered athlete (walk on) with intentions of giving money sophomore year as spots/funds become available. The invited walk on may or may not live in the same dorms as the scholarship athletes and will be on the team but may not play much or travel at first. In a nutshell, the invited walk on is someone the coach likes and sees potential fit for the team later on.
At any school, students can express an interest in 'trying out' for a spot if available. Happens a lot in football at D1 schools and there's always the feel good story about the kid who walked on as a freshman then goes on to be the superstar by the time he's a junior or senior - but that's not the norm. But if the school has an open tryout, anything is possible. If that student makes the roster, they are part of the team and can earn scholarship money if they get to play. Operative word - IF - harder for a walk on to get play time over scholarship athletes but it's possible.
What year is your son now? The sooner you can start looking at schools the better chance he'll have. There are plenty of D2, D3 and NAIA schools with strong soccer programs and exceptional academic programs as well. NAIA has the most money since they're not paying into NCAA and D3 has no athletic money but can have some pretty lucrative offers based on academics. D1 and D2 have money for athletic and academic and can work with you on that.
Best of luck - it's a crazy fun journey navigating visits, recruiting and decisions but it's an exciting thing for your kid!!
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Dec 31, 2017 22:05:34 GMT -5
And stay warm!! It's FREEZING out there tonight!!!
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Dec 10, 2017 0:07:21 GMT -5
Oh dear Lord NO! 8 year olds? Seriously? Every parent of those 8 year olds is going to think they have sired the next Messi when in fact, they have a normal 8 year old kid who just wants to play with his friends.
Based on what we witnessed at Disney listening and watching parents of U12 players shrieking and acting like it was World Cup and their 11 year old was about to blow a full scholarship to a D1 school, I cannot imagine the parents of these 8 year olds being anything but nightmarish and obnoxious on the sidelines.
And what about that kid who looks great at U9 but has pretty much peaked by U11 - what's mama going to do when he's asked to leave the program after being hand plucked at 8 to be developed into the next MLS star. Think about the 'stars' on your former U9 team - are they still playing - are they still stars? In our case, no - one did peak at 11 and eventually quit. The rest were just early bloomers and once the growth spurts evened out, they were average players at best.
But hey - at this rate, I await the announcement of the pre-natal development program next - identify through genetic testing while still in the womb and make sure mom has the properly branded Atlanta United headphones on her belly so the embryo can listen to all the latest MLS games. #rollingeyes
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Nov 28, 2017 17:29:27 GMT -5
For us - good competition and tons of coaches present. Referees not as good as in past years - seemed inexperienced but there’s a shortage Pricey but for competition, exposure and facilities- worth the money - for U14 and up. Ridiculous to have U11 and U12 teams there - thats just a money grab. Hi spectator I am curious ... what age group did you all see college coaches? Also for girls or boys? Thanks in advance... Hey - sorry for the delay Coaches were mostly at U16 and above - we saw several at the older (seniors) age groups - mostly coaches coming to see their commits play but a few still looking to complete 2018 and 2019 recruits. I liked that it was changed to a Showcase format for older ages - that way Coaches were allowed to talk to those eligible (Juniors/Seniors). Depending on the level and game, the number of coaches I saw was between 6-8 (low end) to 15+ -that was when we were playing a very close game against an ECNL team - good competition.
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Nov 27, 2017 1:44:04 GMT -5
For us - good competition and tons of coaches present. Referees not as good as in past years - seemed inexperienced but there’s a shortage
Pricey but for competition, exposure and facilities- worth the money - for U14 and up. Ridiculous to have U11 and U12 teams there - thats just a money grab.
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Nov 14, 2017 0:04:45 GMT -5
Question of the year TECHNICALLY - only the top team will be promoted and only the bottom team will be relegated but in a world full of crazy new rules like calendar year birth dates and new ECNL/DA teams, continuity of rosters are a thing of the past. Depending on the age group - it is a toss up.
Examples: At U13 eons ago when my kid was a U13 - In the B/C East/West groupings - top team in both B's advanced to A -bottom two in the B's went all the way down to D - the rest were an even split - top half was B/bottom half was C
So yes, it depends on a lot of things. but the 'party line' is that only top team is guaranteed advancement and only bottom team is possibly facing relegation - it usually comes down to the politics of the club and how big an influence it has on GA Soccer.
Hope this helped (a little). Please continue to come here and ask - we have a great group of amazing resources on youth soccer are on this forum! Welcome!
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Nov 6, 2017 22:38:58 GMT -5
My two cents: 1 - My kid quit refereeing three years ago because of Top Hat fathers and NASA coaches. I'm sure both clubs have fine upstanding parents and coaches, she just got the bottom of the barrel of both in two tournaments and had enough - at 14 years old she got sick of the abuse and stupidity. I cannot blame her. The only good thing that came from that is that I'm a better sideline parent and will tell my own parents to zip it if they start screaming at referees - especially young ones. It's a shame - she was so excited to start working and was looking forward to advancing in certification to possibly make refereeing her side gig through college. Ain't going to happen now - pity - there's good money in Refereeing and it would have given Mom ATM a slight relief if she could earn that kind of coin while at school.
2 - Learn the game. Whether you get certified to referee or not - learn the damn game! Every goal isn't offside; every contact isn't a foul; every time kids collide it's not card worthy. Soccer is a physical game - more so as you advance levels and leagues. Every time your little cupcake gets brushed, it's not an intentional foul - shut up! IF you can't recite the laws of the game or at least know the basics, shut up and let the referee do his or her job. Or go take the test yourself because trust me, that referee you're screaming at will not want to continue and that's one less referee in the pool!
I've seen this level of stupidity from Rec league all the way up to SRPL. Even saw players exhibiting this level of referee abuse in an adult league. For the love of all things - it's a GAME - referees are human and trust me, they are not out there with the intent to make sure your team loses and your player gets hurt.
I'd be fine with silent sidelines all the time. Sick of the stupidity.
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Oct 14, 2017 21:45:13 GMT -5
Make that 6-21-0 and 0-6-0 this year. I will say UGA battled aTm but they lost to the better team. UGA did have chances and played as hard as they could I think. aTm were without their top goal scorer who I think was injured the day before they traveled to Athens, and this had been their 4th match in 10 days (brutal); UGA had played 3 over that span (still not easy). Regardless, clear once again who was more skilled, more fit, and had the higher soccer IQ. By the way, so far this year: UGA best win is against High Point (1-0) in Athens. High Point has RPI something like 150. High Point! Their worst loss was against Missouri (1-3) in Columbia. Missouri has RPI of something like 135. High Point is a beautiful campus. They make the kids steaks once a week. Do their laundry. Good academics. Looks like a country club. Have a kid interested in High Point. Don't blame her. But I don't care how many young players UGA are playing, the basis of comparison for UGA women's soccer should be a bit north of High Point. But that is where we are. I'd like to see a match between UGA and North Georgia - or Columbus State. Two strong D2 schools that pull local talent and have highly successful programs. As for High Point, yes, gorgeous campus and outstanding academics. Their president has done wonders for the school with endowments and student involvement. Definitely worth considering - for those two things alone if not the soccer program potential in years to come
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Oct 1, 2017 21:24:41 GMT -5
Even back in the day, I don't think offside was ever enforced until about U11. Question - how are they (officials) handling the no header rule - if a kid heads it does it become a free kick like a foul?
I can't follow the changes - we played 6v6 in Rec and U8-10 Academy then 8v8 in U11 and 12. Some - not all - clubs had 1-2 teams playing 11v11 at U12 but it wasn't the norm at that time. What exactly is the benefit of moving to 7v7 and 9v9 - at those ages the kids still clump up - they just increased the numbers of the clumpage.
Sorry - no help on your question but really curious as to how this works now.
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Sept 25, 2017 23:29:16 GMT -5
Can't tell you how happy I am that the numbers were good. We did ODP for years and it really is a great program. My kid thrived by having the additional trainings and coaches. I really do hope the program can continue and do well in conjunction with DA not fighting it!
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Sept 12, 2017 21:32:16 GMT -5
Unless there was rampant devastation like in Florida, honestly, by the weekend, Charleston may look like nothing ever happened. The fields we play on are not near the shore or in areas that would be affected by a storm surge. You probably have a better chance of playing in Charleston than you do in Henry County based on how the fields were built and drain. In the upstate of SC - the CESA fields were built to withstand a crap ton of rain and still be playable - you'd think other areas would follow suit.
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Sept 12, 2017 21:28:33 GMT -5
Unless there was rampant devastation like in Florida, honestly, by the weekend, Charleston may look like nothing ever happened. The fields we play on are not near the shore or in areas that would be affected by a storm surge. You probably have a better chance of playing in Charleston than you do in Henry County based on how the fields were built and drain. In the upstate of SC - the CESA fields were built to withstand a crap ton of rain and still be playable - you'd think other areas would follow suit.
Your big question would be if Florida teams will show up - are they ready to travel based on what they've just gone through. Boca was hit hard and there are tons of Boca teams in RPL - honestly if I lost my house over the weekend, the last thing on my mind would be getting my kid to Charleston for some stupid soccer game. IF you are an Atlanta team, travelling down there only to accept a forfeit would suck
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Sept 7, 2017 22:51:01 GMT -5
By that weekend, Irma may not be the issue - Jose might. There are two storms right behind Irma on pretty much the same projected path. September and October may be pretty much shot for fall soccer with this highly active hurricane season.
But even so, with the amount of pre-Irma panic setting in already, getting to the lowcountry of SC may be a nightmare. I'm hearing from friends there's already a gas shortage and stores are practically empty. Mass evacuations ahead of the mandatory ones called for by Saturday and all those folks will eventually be headed back - or re-re-evacuating due to Jose.
I hate hurricanes - too many family members in the path right now! Puts a lot more perspective on how much energy to put into youth soccer and scheduling of games for me!
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Sept 1, 2017 22:27:49 GMT -5
changingthegameproject.com/the-adultification-of-youth-sports/Labor Day weekend seems to be the universal kick off to the Fall soccer season. Whether your kid is DA, ECNL, SRPL, RPL, Classic/Athena or Rec - the truth remains - it's a game. A beautiful game played by our children who just love the game and want to play. If you are playing this weekend - good luck - have fun- be kind on the sidelines to your kids, opposing teams and the referees. If you aren't playing this weekend Happy Labor Day! Relax, grill out - the fun will start soon enough! LOL
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Aug 31, 2017 21:47:42 GMT -5
U19B. What the heck is that? Did the AGC pick the wrong week to stop sniffing glue or something? AGC is the Georgia Soccer President (don't know if he had the age group last year). 40 teams asked for CL-I, so I believe his logic was it is U19/give it to them. I'm unsure what he will do with State Cup seedings, which is part of the pushback on more than one CL-I/ATH-A division. I assume that by U19, at least half the teams won't even apply for State Cup since most if not all of the players will have graduated the week before. Unless it's a top team vying for a Regional/National title - it's why at least on the girls side, you rarely see the full deck of 16 teams playing State Cup. Or you just have a boat load of play in games? Time will tell.
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Aug 28, 2017 20:49:48 GMT -5
Is there anything you could affiliate with - local YMCA, Boys Club, a 'Junior' program in your local high school? That would be easier than starting from the ground up. Plus it may give you a place to practice - what was your plan for that - field wise? If you were to host a game or two, do you have enough referees in your area? My obvious question is who do you play rec with - could that league or organization start a small select program - they already offer rec. Other age teams may be interested in this as well so talk to the organization or other coaches
Affiliating with GA soccer as a new club is tough - what's the nearest true soccer club near you and could you possibly be an offshoot team of that club? Would that be a driveable distance to host games (still practice locally but on game day, are your parents willing to drive a bit)? Cities that come to mind immediately are Augusta, Macon, Savannah and Athens - further outside Metro Atlanta so if you were within 45 minutes of any of those clubs, it may be an option to approach them to be an additional team.
In Academy, it would be very hard to schedule games due to the fact you'd only have the one team and the larger clubs won't just schedule one team's game against a small club or team - the big clubs have to schedule enough so that all their teams can play and when you have metro Atlanta programs with 4-5-6 Academy teams, that gets almost impossible. We spent our Academy years in a small club and usually had to only play other small clubs with just 1-2 teams but we did tons of tournaments so that is an option for you as well
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Aug 24, 2017 20:46:06 GMT -5
I am so sorry to hear this. I hope she recovers quickly.
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Aug 21, 2017 14:41:38 GMT -5
Just curious, how can we say it is trully watered down without any games being played so far? ECNL starts league play this weekend and DA in September? IMO the state of GA can not fix what is broken at the highest levels of soccer. This issue will not be fixed (if you think its broken) until US Soccer and US Clob Soccer kiss and make up. Of course I believe this will never happen and thus we all have to wait and see what happens... Looking at the rosters of some teams and the fact that roster continuity wasn't enforced this year with the creation of Girls DA, yes, it's watered down. If you buy into the former hierarchy of levels ECNL -players who left for DA were replaced by SRPL players SRPL players who moved to ECNL were replaced by RPL or Athena A players RPL players who moved to SRPL were replaced by Athena Players Athena A teams are now filled with Athena B and below players. I know of one RPL team that lost 12 players but retained their spot and girls from Athena B and C teams made that team. Maybe they're good enough but speaking from experience, the speed of play gets faster and faster the higher up the food chain you go - or at least it used to - so if the players don't come up to the level, the level goes down to the players.
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Aug 20, 2017 20:41:24 GMT -5
ECNL teams should be called RPL2 or ATHENA A++ or someting. It seem most of the talent has moved to DA and Im curious if this watered down version will be able to hang on. It seems most of the clubs that have DA & ECNL are now the red headed step kids and all the the real reasons to desire to be on one of those teams and the resources have been taken by the DA teams. What can ECNL do to maintain quality programs? You wanna provide a little more color around that blanket statement to make this a viable discussion? My thoughts The issue from day one in Georgia regarding ECNL is that we have too many clubs. Four ECNL clubs and on the girls side, two are significantly stronger than in most (not all) age groups. NASA/Top Hat and Concorde . If ECNL had just stopped with those two clubs in this metro area, those teams and the ensuing SRPL teams at those and other clubs would be much stronger. Same thing happened with Girls DA - too many clubs - and two of them already having ECNL Concorde and NTH. At those clubs, ECNL is now #2 and SRPL is #3. 20/20 hindsight and what I would have done if I were in charge: ENCL Clubs - only TH and Concorde - sorry AFU and GSA - you're too geographically close and small to make it work across all age groups. The pool is diluted from day one with the fact both clubs are in Gwinnett County. DA Clubs - only UFA - MAYBE a club south of Atlanta to pull from that geo, but definitely no more than two in the state. DA is supposed to be the road to the national team/majors - it's not a God given right for any kid in metro Atlanta. Same with ECNL. Y'all want 'Elite' - that means limited - make it really elite! AND make it so any elite player could try out for both - DA first and if that didn't work out, move on to ECNL. It makes for stronger teams in both leagues, Also, remember this - Some girls didn't want to play DA because of the restrictions with High School. Some girls didn't want to play ECNL because of the travel, cost, or they just wanted to stay with their current RPL teams Some girls didn't want to play NL or SRPL for the same reasons above - cost and travel These are kids - 13-18 year old kids who also want to have a life. Parents pushing them to play soccer 24/7/365 is only going to burn them out of risk injury. I will concede that this year especially in the older age brackets, anything below SRPL isn't nearly what it used to be. Suddenly mid pack Athena A teams are playing first division RPL and teams that were in Athena C last year are playing Athena A because, frankly, there's no one left playing. Not sure what DA looks like at the U18 and up age group but friends we have with daughters on 'Composite' U19 ECNL teams are saying it's a total waste of money - limited teams = limited games and it's not like coaches are clamoring to look at high school seniors at the events. At the end of the day, the birth year mandate started this slow decline into mediocrity - the DA trickle down will accelerate it at least for a few years then hopefully it will work itself out. I would like to see ECNL evaluate each club and make decisions/changes if the clubs are under performing. They tried to grow too fast by saturating the market - they need to scale it back and make it truly elite - otherwise, yes, it will falter and eventually become what Super Y has become - completely obsolete.
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Aug 14, 2017 22:24:35 GMT -5
Hang on - OP said ACADEMY not Select - do the same rules apply? We had kids leave and come into Academy programs all the time from U9 through U12 and it wasn't a big deal because it's a pooled group of players not a set roster. Is Academy different or the same as what they enforce in Select? Yes. Academy players are select players. They go through the same tryout process and have to abide by the same rules as the other select players. Academy is a name like Athena and Classic, not like Select and Rec. OK but I don't think transferring from Academy to Academy is as strict as leaving a set roster. A DOC would have to be a complete jerk to force an 8-11 year old to stay with a club if they found a better option elsewhere - and this is coming from me - who has massive issues with those who try to transfer mid season from a set U13 and above roster because that negatively affects a group on that roster and can completely blow up a team. BTDT! Academy play is pooled - there should be enough players to make up teams if one or two decide to quit or move. To the OP - talk to the coach or DOC at the club you are with now and explain the situation - they will most likely work with you - and if not - then you know not to return there next year.
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Aug 13, 2017 21:17:34 GMT -5
Hang on - OP said ACADEMY not Select - do the same rules apply? We had kids leave and come into Academy programs all the time from U9 through U12 and it wasn't a big deal because it's a pooled group of players not a set roster.
Is Academy different or the same as what they enforce in Select?
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Aug 13, 2017 21:14:36 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Aug 13, 2017 21:12:10 GMT -5
"Worth' it is relative
For the ever popular ROI/College exposure route At U13 - unless your team is something really spectacular - I'm talking in the top division playing at the ESPN fields, then pass until U15-U16 and even then evaluate where you will be bracket wise and if you will get coaches to come watch your players. In recent years, fewer and fewer coaches are doing Disney because of the cost - CASL is a great option instead - only drawback there is you have to pull the kids out of school for Friday games.
Cost wise - there are ways to beat that - 'staying with relatives' works; get condos and cook in for breakfast and dinners - it's great team bonding time.
But for the experience Yeah - everyone wants that team photo in front of the ESPN world statue. The kids love it and it's an amazing facility. You can do a Disney park one or two days or downtown Disney at night.
I'd pass at U13 but start planing for it within the next couple of years. We don't regret going at all - it was fun and great competition. Several of our players got their first looks by college coaches there
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Aug 7, 2017 21:25:21 GMT -5
One other suggestion to help out - have her current club coach call the clubs and coaches mentioned here. You can look up the numbers or emails on the websites and ask your current club coach to make an introduction of your daughter to them. I think that would make the transition much smoother and have some professional courtesy behind it - coach to coach. I think it'd definitely be the difference between being told 'roster's full' to 'we have room for one more' and it would make for far less stress on your daughter - assuming 04 is 7th or 8th grade - middle school is a hard time to be the new kid - if you can make the soccer transition easier, that would be a great help - even better if she has classmates on the team so I wouldn't stray too far from where you buy a house and she goes to school. If you have a good relationship with your current coach, I'd ask for help there.
Good luck. Welcome to Georgia!
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Aug 6, 2017 22:05:10 GMT -5
For girls the most prominent north suburban clubs break down this way in level of competition: UFA Forsyth (Cumming): DA, RPL, Athena A UFA Norcross: RPL? Maybe Athena A only. Con Fire North (Alpharetta, Johns Creek): RPL (DA & ECNL play & practice out of Central location) Atlanta Fire United (Duluth): ECNL, RPL Alpharetta Ambush: RPL - some age groups Ga Rush (Milton): RPL Tophat: DA, ECNL, RPL - probably considered the top girls club in the SE but hard to break into a team at this point & they train out of Buckhead area in Atlanta. Hope this helps & good luck! One other option - UFA Milton. Not sure about the 04's but the 00's were State Cup Champs this year. Call and talk to Phil Broome -nice guy - he used to be at UFA Forsyth and is now running UFA Milton. That branch of the club is growing and is another option for you depending on where you end up buying. Alpharetta Ambush and Roswell Santos have residency requirements - 'x'% of every team must live in the city - that can restrict the player pool significantly. Good clubs but know what you're getting into with that - those are truly city parks and rec programs that happen to have some strong teams - they are not true soccer clubs One last thing - you do realize that in GA we start school RIDICULOUSLY early and by the end of August, all counties will have been in school at least a few weeks. I'd call the schools where you are looking at buying and ask to speak to the soccer coach there - he or she may have a suggestion about a club based on the players at the school. Most high school coaches here are also club coaches as well.
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Jul 13, 2017 16:07:56 GMT -5
The numbers in some age groups are ridiculous - 7 and 8 teams from GA in RPL and SRPL? Who's left to play Classic and Athena now?
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Jul 11, 2017 22:36:43 GMT -5
I agree. Deal with the parents who are the problem. It's not difficult for a center ref to stop the game go to the offending coaches bench to warn them to handle it or the parents will be removed. If that doesn't work kick them out. I will cheer on my player appropriately but will not choose to be silent. That's just not reasonable or enforceable. I'd love to see them start kicking parents out when they don't comply... I'm all for removing the badly behaving parents but why are we putting this on the referee? The clubs should have a Field Marshall for this and not put the refs in a bad position, how do you think a 15 year old will deal with an unruly parent and then add in the stoppage time incurred which won't get played as on a weekend there is no wiggle room for games, now everyone is cheesed off as the teams only got a 30 minute half instead of 40 because a parent refused to leave. Every team knows who that parent is, if peer pressure doesn't work the club should be the enforcer not the ref, who is there to ensure the game is played within the LOTG not act as a kindergarten teacher. ^^^^^YES YES YES^^^^^^ The policing of parents has to start with the club and coach first. IF it escalates to the point of a referee stopping a game to remove a parent, its' out of hand. Love the ides of a Field Marshall at regular season games - they have them at tournaments, why not at all games? In my fantasy world where I fix all that is wrong with youth soccer, every single select team would be mandated to have at least one parent/player certified referee to help combat the shortage. Obviously not to ref their own games but when you have skin in the game - being a referee or parent of one and seeing first hand the ridiculousness on the sidelines - you are more likely not to be that parent or to police your own team when you see parents crossing the line.
|
|
|
Post by spectator on Jul 11, 2017 21:40:45 GMT -5
GA ODP does this for subregionals and its my favorite time of the soccer year. The players love it because they can hear each other and the coaches. It's not silent as in "shhh - no talking in the library' silent but just no screaming about handballs, fouls, offside, etc. Even goal celebrations are muted - as the former state coordinator used to say 'act like you've been in the end zone before' - it was a refreshing change to typical youth games. I'm all for it
My own kid quit refereeing three years ago after being screamed at by Top Hat dads and a couple of crazy NASA coaches at an Academy tournament. She said it wasn't worth it and when I kept trying to get her to continue, her response was would I want to work at a place where I was constantly yelled at? Had to concede that point to her. Something has to give - if a couple of 'silent Saturdays' will start it off - I'm game!
|
|