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Post by jash on Feb 16, 2016 15:02:00 GMT -5
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Post by rifle on Feb 17, 2016 7:11:52 GMT -5
As a late bloomer who reached puberty at 16.. I'm torn. Partly because my oldest is on the same track, struggling against earlier developers who lift weights and stack on muscle. Physics can be painful.
On one hand I realize that many kids quit because (I'll avoid the "parents are maniacs" angle) they've been pigeon holed at a young age - unwilling to continue working and prove themselves - because clubs really don't care about low level teams.
OTOH (but maybe it is really the same hand) I think "pay soccer" is a really messed up entity. Built to exclude.
I love the game of soccer but I have a real hard time giving it my energy anymore, aside from watching on TV.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Feb 17, 2016 8:27:06 GMT -5
I think Rifle hit it on the head...PAY SOCCER... Out of that 75% who dropped out because they couldn't afford it? I think another question should be "how many kids would continue or get into soccer if free"
I think one of the big issues is for sure paid soccer. By paying for soccer it opens up so many doors for failure. Its the greed feeds the greed.
One, I think some of the parents feel some sort of entitlement because the are paying so much money. They are getting in the way of there own child's development. Even to the point putting way too much pressure early.
Two, the clubs enable this environment. Yes, they have to make revenue and I understand that. One way to raise money is have all the parents companies that they work for try and and be a sponsor. Also, I have seen other clubs use Kroger. Every-time a parent uses his/her plus card it goes into a parent account that is attached to the club. I think the max is $400 a qtr per plus member.Anyways, many other ways to lower if not get rid of pay soccer all together.
In the UK and Brasil, the club had it's own fields, its own club house (bar, restaurant etc..) where everyone came together. All the money was put back into the club.
I almost forgot. It's so bad that state ODP you have to pay for. This is a state program. I just got done talking to a parent whos son was offered to go play with the ODP team in Costa Rica or Puerto Rico (i cant remember which). He said he couldnt afford the $1500 for his son to go. Already paid for Regional and other ODP events on top of Club soccer. Another missed opportunity.
Anyways, I could go on and on about this.
Low Cost/ Free will always = More growth and less dropout. Its simple math.
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Post by Soccerhouse on Feb 17, 2016 9:55:55 GMT -5
Youth soccer is a business and we are paying into the pyramid.
I think all most parents want is a little bit of communication and feedback, nothing more, nothing less. In my opinion that's a big part of coaches responsibility, communicating and interacting with parents. We aren't at mls clubs, where the staff never talks, sees a parent etc. That's not reality for 99% of our clubs.
Our coaches are teachers, just like at school you have progress reports, parent/teacher conferences where expectations and deficiencies are being discussed. Imagine sending your kids to school, and never having any discussion with a teacher, principal or guidance counselor and never getting any mid term, quarter grades, and all the kid gets is a final grade in May, that says he/she failed etc. That's youth soccer. I don't want to paint a blanket, because there are many coaches that are very good with this aspect, reach out to parents, updated them on the progress of not only their children but the team and how the team is performing, Are the kids meeting the coaches expectations? Are they playing the style he wants to play? Explain to the parents, why his/her/the clubs philosophy is such and he likes to play etc.
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Post by justaparent on Feb 17, 2016 15:15:11 GMT -5
First, I don't think this issue is isolated to soccer. I believe that all sports are having the exact same conversation. The trend appears to be that kids leave sports in their middle school to high school years.
I also think the bulk of the numbers lost are seen at the recreational levels. Club levels are losing players also, but the big losses must be coming from rec. I think it has a lot to do with the stigma of playing "rec" ball or even playing on a lower division team at your club. I think most kids play sports with an end game goal of making their high school varsity some day. If it comes to a point where they don't think they can make varsity or they actually get cut from a JV tryout, then why keep playing rec ball? If they make the high school team, why keep playing? I think that the bottom line is high school level sports for most kids and I'm not sure why adults have a different perspective.
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