OK SO HOW TO GET THE SCOOP ON TEAMS

Hi everyone,
You may have seen a previous post where I mentioned my 02 daughter is looking for a new team, and I have to confess it feels overwhelming. Everytime I zero in on a team I then hear something that completely turns me off. During the 4 years we spent at our current club, I didnt even bother checking out other teams. I didnt even know about this website till a fellow parent showed me a couple of less than complimentary threads about our club director. Talk about eye opening!

I guess my issue is how to find out info on different teams that appears to be common knowledge to many on this forum, but not to me. I know some will say "just go to the practices and talk to the coach" but we all know that the coach and even other parents on the team will tell you typically whatever suits their best interest. They may mask issues if they are eager to have your kid, etc. So for example, I'm looking at the following teams:

FC Premier (I read on another thread that they lost a bunch of players to another club. It didnt say what year/team though, but the 02 team is "looking for players" so I dont know if it's them or another team within the club.

Sting: Just read on another thread that a coach there got a 2 year suspension, placing his team in jeopardy.

I just stumbled upon this info here, purely by accident. I would rather be prepared beforehand than have to go through the "marketing presentation" and find out after the fact the hard way. Any ideas?

Thanks.

Thanks

Honestly, the best way is to go to multiple practices and observe and talk to the coach and parents.  How do the girls respond to your dd and each other?  Do they look like they are enjoying practice?   How long have the girls been playing together? Another thing you can do is look at tournament schedules and show up for the games of the prospective teams you are looking at.  You don't have to let anyone know who you are, that way you can observe objectively.  How do the coach, players and sidelines handle a game situation?  I would also maybe contact teams that aren't necessarily advertising for players.  Most of those teams probably have their core players intact but may be looking for 1-2 additions. Usually, these teams are pretty stable.  Good luck and hope you find a great fit for your daughter.

Thanks for the advice. It's interesting. At our present club, I can think of at least 5 to 6 people who are potentially leaving the team, yet the club is on this very website advertising for kids to come try out. I'm pretty sure they are not going to mention the fact that half the team is potentially gone. I doubt its any different anywhere else.

That is when you ask questions of parents and coaches. If you have them tell you "we still have our core group of girls;" or "we are really excited about adding to our team and building on our roster," that would be a definite sign that the team has slipped in numbers. Even when a coach advertises on this site saying they are looking for one or two quality players, they might mean that or they may mean "I don't want the world to know that we just lost six players."

These are things you find out about by talking to people and sometimes reading between the lines.

I personally have gone the route that Zeko described. We checked out some of the games. Got to see the coach in action (screamer, teacher). Also good to see how the teams communicate on the field. Narrowed the field down from there and now it's figuring out which team by DD feels more comfortable with. One thing I had to keep in mind is that the coaches are also salesman right now   

It's definitely a challenging task, and you need to use a lot of intuition when gathering intelligence. Our team has blown up and 9 starters have left with 1 more likely leaving + 1 role player leaving. That's 10-11 gone, but the manager is posting looking for players. "all positions welcome" ya think??? read between the lines.

A team that is considering all positions is usually a red flag.  Probably means that more then half the team is bailing.   Every team will lose players, but the ones losing 5 or less tend to be the most stable, have more team unity and I find that those teams will have the majority of players and parents who are happy with the coach.  It's a crazy time of year and a big money commitment, which makes the decisions more stressful. Good luck to everyone in finding a good home.

If you have been in club soccer for 4 years, then you should know

know where your daughters ability can be used, D1, D2 or lower

Then go to games, practices, futsal any where the girls and teams are playing and watch with your own eyes

Zeko2 wrote:A team that is considering all positions is usually a red flag.  Probably means that more then half the team is bailing.   Every team will lose players, but the ones losing 5 or less tend to be the most stable, have more team unity and I find that those teams will have the majority of players and parents who are happy with the coach.  It's a crazy time of year and a big money commitment, which makes the decisions more stressful. Good luck to everyone in finding a good home.

On the other hand, "considering all positions" could indicate that the coach is confident in identifying and developimg talent, and/or has players who are comfortable playing many different positions and can be moved around as needed.

intrinsic wrote:

Zeko2 wrote:A team that is considering all positions is usually a red flag.  Probably means that more then half the team is bailing.   Every team will lose players, but the ones losing 5 or less tend to be the most stable, have more team unity and I find that those teams will have the majority of players and parents who are happy with the coach.  It's a crazy time of year and a big money commitment, which makes the decisions more stressful. Good luck to everyone in finding a good home.

On the other hand, "considering all positions" could indicate that the coach is confident in identifying and developimg talent, and/or has players who are comfortable playing many different positions and can be moved around as needed.

It is also a coach's way of reminding his or her current roster that they are on a competitive soccer team and that they need to work to keep their spot.

Has your '02 ever thought of playing up? What role does your daughter feel comfortable playing on her team, leader, mid, wing, defender, destroyer, builder? Can she see the field? A lot of good tips on this thread! Much more positive than most. Good job!

Watching at tournaments and attending multiple practices are sound ideas. This time of year, however, presents certain time constraints.
What part of town do you reside?