Players Union? It shouldn't be all about the clubs

What would it take to form a player's union?

What is wrong with us?  When did we get to a point where we are willing to pay thousands of dollars for a youth sport to control our kids with a ton of "team" or "club" expectations and to receive none of the same courtesies?  Our daughters sign a contract guaranteeing we will fork out thousands with nothing holding the other party accountable for anything.

All these clubs care about are the $$$ that they suck out of us.  What protects the players from scandalous coaches and clubs?  Nothing!

How many players have been signed onto a team with promises to play only to ride the bench?

What if the players were able to hold the coaches to expectations?  How many times has your player gone to a mandatory practice and the coach is at a "game" with one of his/her other teams?  What would happen if your daughter missed that practice?  Loss of playing time?

How many times has your player's practice ran late when they have a ton of homework?  What would happen if your player showed up late to that practice?  Consequences for sure.

99.5% of our daughters will not go pro...  Why do we put up with the North Texas Soccer rat race?  Coaches and clubs are making millions off of us and act like they are the best thing that ever happened to them.

I feel strongly that an organization designed to protect the interest of players is inevitable to stop the craze.

Doesn't a players union protect players under contract that are being paid? Then don't you pay dues to be in a union. So more cost on top of your contract.

"All these clubs care about are the $$$ that they suck out of us. What protects the players from scandalous coaches and clubs? Nothing!"...

You do. You're the parent. Stop b.t.hing and make better choices for your DD and family.

kick_tha_ball wrote:"All these clubs care about are the $$$ that they suck out of us.  What protects the players from scandalous coaches and clubs?  Nothing!"...

You do. You're the parent. Stop b.t.hing and make better choices for your DD and family.

Must be a coach or club suck up.
A$$wipe!

I can't disagree with parents improving their knowledge doing their homework and making informed decisions. Some coaches back fill their pocket books with those players and parents that are uniformed.

calcio9990 wrote:

kick_tha_ball wrote:"All these clubs care about are the $$$ that they suck out of us.  What protects the players from scandalous coaches and clubs?  Nothing!"...

You do. You're the parent. Stop b.t.hing and make better choices for your DD and family.

Must be a coach or club suck up.
A$$wipe!

Not a coach or a "club suck up" as you so elequently put it. Just a parent that ain't always looking to blame someone else because YOU make dumbass decisions. You

Zizou wrote:I can't disagree with parents improving their knowledge doing their homework and making informed decisions. Some coaches back fill their pocket books with those players and parents that are uniformed.

Some coaches?
Aside form just a lot of shite coaching around... have seen much bad behaviour, otherwise known as just simple, greedy corruption from coaches and clubs, taking the money and delivering crap.

Fact of the matter is, I can't think of any industry that has less consumer protection than the racket in NTX soccer.

Looking forward to US Soccer coming in to the mix with DA and bringing a level of over sight and governance to the swamp! Long overdue!

kick_tha_ball wrote:

calcio9990 wrote:

kick_tha_ball wrote:"All these clubs care about are the $$$ that they suck out of us.  What protects the players from scandalous coaches and clubs?  Nothing!"...

You do. You're the parent. Stop b.t.hing and make better choices for your DD and family.

Must be a coach or club suck up.
A$$wipe!

Not a coach or a "club suck up" as you so elequently put it. Just a parent that ain't always looking to blame someone else because YOU make dumbass decisions. You

Suck up a$$wipe! Wake up...

calcio9990 wrote:

kick_tha_ball wrote:

calcio9990 wrote:

kick_tha_ball wrote:"All these clubs care about are the $$$ that they suck out of us.  What protects the players from scandalous coaches and clubs?  Nothing!"...

You do. You're the parent. Stop b.t.hing and make better choices for your DD and family.

Must be a coach or club suck up.
A$$wipe!

Not a coach or a "club suck up" as you so elequently put it. Just a parent that ain't always looking to blame someone else because YOU make dumbass decisions. You

Suck up a$$wipe!  Wake up...

"A man that cusses as much as you, does so becsuse he has nothing intelligent to say". FYI...I'm wide awake. I'm not the one on this forum blaming a coach/club because they are in the business of making money. You don't want them to take your money, stop giving it to them. Pretty simple concept.

calcio9990 wrote:

Zizou wrote:I can't disagree with parents improving their knowledge doing their homework and making informed decisions. Some coaches back fill their pocket books with those players and parents that are uniformed.

Some coaches?
Aside form just a lot of shite coaching around...  have seen much bad behaviour, otherwise known as just simple, greedy corruption from coaches and clubs, taking the money and delivering crap.

Fact of the matter is, I can't think of any industry that has less consumer protection than the racket in NTX soccer.
 
Looking forward to US Soccer coming in to the mix with DA and bringing a level of over sight and governance to the swamp!  Long overdue!

This has been fostered by parents and players that when felt they have been dealt an unfair deal moving around and paying money to make their little Susie happy. Opening up an industry where it is easy to come on this board and say forming a team come out and I will play your kid just pay me the money.

Wonder if the OP mean this thread to be in the same post as the "biggest DB coach". Could the two be related? Things that make you go hummm.....

I agree that we, the customers, do very little to help one another in this market.  When someone asks for help, some of us will try to assist but too many of us are quick to make a snide retort.  

We don't help each other enough but, in my opinion, that's because many are afraid to speak up.  Many of us worry about imagined retribution against their own child from their coach or club.  

I suspect we do allow coaches and clubs to bully us because we know we're compelled to trust our children (and money and time) with them.  But we have more options now than ever before... Are we really still being compelled?  (I don't think so.  We all just have to be willing to try the path less taken.)

In my opinion, reducing Select contract lengths from 12 months to 6 months would solve most of our problems.  I've mentioned this idea on the forums in the past but there's always outspoken posters whining about how that simple change would shatter their world.  If Academy can survive (or even excel) in a month-to-month format, why can't Select withstand a move from 12 to 6 months in contract length?  Is it really that fragile of a system?  Coaches would take the customer relationship a lot more seriously.  

The problem isn't with the clubs preventing change.  Why should they change this system?  The problem is with us.  We refuse to come together as a customer group and make a change like that happen.

come together? LMAO you can't even get parents to come clean on tryout schedules. Coaches aren't making you guys kiss their ass, provide extra "gifts" etc. You guys are choosing to do it. Parents in NTX word harder than their kids. They would rather put in the work selling, schmoozing, contributing than just have little Suzie work and earn what she gets. The coaches and clubs are exactly what we the parents have asked for and created

IMO the contract rules should be less restrictive and that would give back some power to the player.  

Full releases during contract should be given only in serious situations (player moves, parent loses job, player NEVER plays etc).  Otherwise you signed up, and you deal with it - plus the rest of the team depends on you being there and your release changes what everyone else signed up for.

That said - I see no legit reason why there is a need for permission to train or guest play with other clubs, teams or groups - presuming that it doesn't mean missing your team's training or games.

The bigger issue for me seems to be the length of the contract.  July 1 - June 31.  Clubs should have ZERO say about where your dd trains or guest plays period - but certainly not after the season is over.  Why should a player have to get a guest release in May or June from a club she intends to leave to guest play with a team she is interested in joining?  Makes no sense.

And why not permit coaches to offer contracts at any time after the season? Maybe the contract "offer" isn't binding ON THE PLAYER until June 15 or July 1, (BUT WOULD BE BINDING ON THE CLUB). Wouldn't all parents want to avoid the dreaded last  weeks of June walkups?  Coaches would start doling out contracts to their "keepers" earlier and you would know pretty early if you needed to keep looking because your dd didn't get a contract, and you would have a better idea of who was actually joining the team.  

This all happens behind the scenes anyway, so why not be up front about it and make the clubs commit before parents and players have to?

Just a couple of ideas that will never happen - but I feel better now.