Fever 04 Penn Team Disbanded

Looking for some advice as this is my first go around in LHGCL and would appreciate any feedback on what our options are.

My daughter played on the Fever 04 Penn team in LHGCL D2. We finished in tenth place and played the top teams well, beating or tying most of the top 5 teams. We finished in 10th, but were only 11 points out of 1st place. So we secured the bye for next year.

This past weekend, the team won a tournament, posed with the trophy and all seemed good. As a mom on this team, I saw nothing but great parents committed to their kids' success. So everything was going great. We thought.

On Tuesday, the coach sent out a letter which said he was disbanding the team because he did not trust the parents intentions. Sure, a couple girls asked for releases because they thought they were too good for D2, but far from a mutiny.Heck, we had guest players out that were apparently offered positions on the team this weekend. Overall a great group that intended to stay together.

We found out yesterday that Fever had been actively negotiating with other teams to bring their entire roster over to take our D2 spot. We were all told that we could play for the NPL Fever Team, but apparently, we have to find another LHGCL team.

So my questions are:

1) Can they do this and does LHGCL condone this?

2) Do we as parents have any recourse? Some have suggested keeping the core together, hiring a new coach and going independent. Is that an option?

I'm not 100% positive but the club owns the bye, however I think 75% of the team has to return. I could be wrong but might be worth looking into.

Good luck

1. The quick answer is yes they can and LHGCL has nothing to do with whether or not a team stays together regardless of where they rank.

2. You really do not have any recourse. You can try to keep the core together but starting a new team with just over a month until most club's signing day without a known coach and an established club would be close to impossible. Even if you do that, you will have to requalify because the bye stays with the club.

team can change clubs and retain bye if 75% stay together

LH rule III.C.2

2.General Definitions for League Playing Format and Qualifying Tournament
a)Teams are invited back into LHGCL for the next soccer year (“Bye”) according to the playing format below. The spirit of a bye is to reward returning teams/players for their performance the prior year. A “team” is generally determined by the team name and club affiliation. There is no minimum number of players from the previous soccer year that must be retained by a team to keep a Bye for the club for the next soccer year.However, there are two situations where a bye would not be extended to a club based on the team standings from the prior year.

(1)If 75 percent of the players on a team (based on the roster as of April 1 of the previous soccer year, rounding fractions up to the next whole number*) leave a team/club to join another team/club, the league Bye will be awarded to that group of players with their new team/club, except as outlined in (2.a.2) below. If this takes place, the Age Division Commissioner must be informed at the time the roster is submitted.
*Examples:
75% of 14 players = 10.5 = 11 players
75% of 15 players = 11.25 = 12 players
75% of 16 players = 12 players
75% of 17 players = 12.75 = 13 players
75% of 18 players = 13.5 = 14 players

Thanks Sota34, I knew something like that was out there. So keep team together and move to another club, they may even be able to provide a few players to help round out the team plus provide a coach.

Option 1: Get 75% (long shot) and take the bye to another club - most would be welcoming. Reach out to a club that practices nearby and see if a coach might be interested / available to take the team.

Option 2: Keep this post active letting others know how the club screwed your team.

SickofSilliness wrote:Option 1:  Get 75% (long shot) and take the bye to another club - most would be welcoming.  Reach out to a club that practices nearby and see if a coach might be interested / available to take the team.

Option 2:  Keep this post active letting others know how the club screwed your team.

Ha ha. Like both of those options!

Or you could stay there, put a smile on your face and try NPL Red River.

soccertard wrote:Or you could stay there, put a smile on your face and try NPL Red River.

Not!

giacamo wrote:

SickofSilliness wrote:Option 1:  Get 75% (long shot) and take the bye to another club - most would be welcoming.  Reach out to a club that practices nearby and see if a coach might be interested / available to take the team.

Option 2:  Keep this post active letting others know how the club screwed your team.

Ha ha. Like both of those options!

Navigated similar waters a few years back. Option 1 can be done (we did it successfully), but it requires a highly unified parent group, a strong leader of the parent group, and a Team Manager who is savvy with the NTSSA and LHGCL rules and bylaws.

If Fever truly has been shopping that bye around to other teams, that means they are motivated and confident in making sure you won't get to the 75% threshold. It will take a strong, unified, and savvy group to successfully fight that. If you don't have that, don't bother. You will fail.

Where are all the KP defenders? He would never do something like this!

ForReal wrote:Where are all the KP defenders?  He would never do something like this!

Wow, has this type of stuff gone down with him in the past? Now I just feel stupid.

giacamo wrote:

ForReal wrote:Where are all the KP defenders?  He would never do something like this!

Wow, has this type of stuff gone down with him in the past? Now I just feel stupid.

Actually, not that I am aware of. There have been some threads that make him out to be the best coach ever and even a better person. Just curious if those in love with KP have anything to say about this.

This is interesting seeing how Fever posts things like:

"...We believe ... of the work, the dedication, and the path that Fever has charted. This opportunity allows the Fever Way to be showcased .... Lighting the Way - Fever United!..."

Along with your 04 Team, they may lose many more when it is all said and done and it is all because of how they operate. They claim to function differently than the cut throat Bigs, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I have friends there on great teams with good people and kiddos but lately, the negative stories outnumber the good ones.

Seems the Fever way is offering only NPL and LH, then getting upset when kids and coaches explore better opportunities. That's not right in my opinion.

Good luck to you and my advice is always look out for you and your DD because there are not many clubs or coaches out there that will.

Bodhisattva wrote:This is interesting seeing how Fever posts things like:

"...We believe ... of the work, the dedication, and the path that Fever has charted. This opportunity allows the Fever Way to be showcased .... Lighting the Way - Fever United!..."

Along with your 04 Team, they may lose many more when it is all said and done and it is all because of how they operate. They claim to function differently than the cut throat Bigs, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I have friends there on great teams with good people and kiddos but lately, the negative stories outnumber the good ones.

Seems the Fever way is offering only NPL and LH, then getting upset when kids and coaches explore better opportunities. That's not right in my opinion.

Good luck to you and my advice is always look out for you and your DD because there are not many clubs or coaches out there that will.

You got that right. I think the coach figured he couldn't handle both 04 LHGCL Team along with expansion NPL teams. This was a solution to bring over an entire new roster and coach (maybe he has multiple teams?) and tell any suckers to stick around to play in the NPL "Red River League" Whoohoo!

Truly sorry for the shabby way your DD are being treated by Fever. Unfortunately have heard firsthand many stories of the Fever shenanigans over the past several years.

Best of luck to your DD.

SickofSilliness wrote:Option 1:  Get 75% (long shot) and take the bye to another club - most would be welcoming.  Reach out to a club that practices nearby and see if a coach might be interested / available to take the team.

Option 2:  Keep this post active letting others know how the club screwed your team.

Heard 5 had already left. So unless there was 20 on roster.....

Bodhisattva wrote:This is interesting seeing how Fever posts things like:

"...We believe ... of the work, the dedication, and the path that Fever has charted. This opportunity allows the Fever Way to be showcased .... Lighting the Way - Fever United!..."

Along with your 04 Team, they may lose many more when it is all said and done and it is all because of how they operate. They claim to function differently than the cut throat Bigs, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I have friends there on great teams with good people and kiddos but lately, the negative stories outnumber the good ones.

Seems the Fever way is offering only NPL and LH, then getting upset when kids and coaches explore better opportunities. That's not right in my opinion.

Good luck to you and my advice is always look out for you and your DD because there are not many clubs or coaches out there that will.

Agree we Bodhisattva ...

KP may be a fine trainer, but I've heard about quite a bit of shady business when it comes to this guy and the club in general ...
Might've burned a few too many coaches, teams, and players in the past to continue to be successful in this market.

The disappointing part of this is that its probably a done deal there is probably another team that saw the opportunity to go to Highlands and already has their uniform order in

On a side note, I'd love to hear the sales pitch on the value of LHGCL D2 level players/teams, playing in the Red River NPL, and travelling multiple times per year to OK/AK to play league matches...

bwgophers wrote:On a side note, I'd love to hear the sales pitch on the value of LHGCL D2 level players/teams, playing in the Red River NPL, and travelling multiple times per year to OK/AK to play league matches...

The same sales pitch he gave to this D2 team when he said we had to fly out to Las Vegas to play in the Bronze Level of a Tournament: "Exposure"

giacamo wrote:Looking for some advice as this is my first go around in LHGCL and would appreciate any feedback on what our options are.

My daughter played on the Fever 04 Penn team in LHGCL D2. We finished in tenth place and played the top teams well, beating or tying most of the top 5 teams.  We finished in 10th, but were only 11 points out of 1st place. So we secured the bye for next year.

This past weekend, the team won a tournament, posed with the trophy and all seemed good.  As a mom on this team, I saw nothing but great parents committed to their kids' success. So everything was going great. We thought.

On Tuesday, the coach sent out a letter which said he was disbanding the team because he did not trust the parents intentions.  Sure, a couple girls asked for releases because they thought they were too good for D2, but far from a mutiny.Heck, we had guest players out that were apparently offered positions on the team this weekend.  Overall a great group that intended to stay together.

We found out yesterday that Fever had been actively negotiating with other teams to bring their entire roster over to take our D2 spot.  We were all told that we could play for the NPL Fever Team, but apparently, we have to find another LHGCL team.

So my questions are:

1) Can they do this and does LHGCL condone this?

2) Do we as parents have any recourse? Some have suggested keeping the core together, hiring a new coach and going independent.  Is that an option?

Questions for you giacamo, how many of your "team mates" were consistently coming to practice before the team was disbanded? Did you still have a team or had your "friends" already taken their DD out shopping for other teams and left the rest of you holding the bag?? Maybe just 1 or 3...no, more like 5-6.... Did they not invite you to go to practice hopping? Would you rather this happened on June 30th or early enough to give you a chance to find a team? I've had it happen in late June...NOT FUN AT ALL. I am sure they will all say "I was planning to stay until Coach Penn sent the letter". I call BS!! The writing was on the wall, it was just not fun to read it out loud.

Sounds like the team was just a stepping stone so he could get ahead.

My DD was part of this team and we are currently looking for a new home. Player attendance has dropped and just this week only 7-8 showed up out of the 13 stated. I know for a fact 2 of the girls have practiced with D'Feeters and 1 left to go to DT South

poobaby_02 wrote:

giacamo wrote:Looking for some advice as this is my first go around in LHGCL and would appreciate any feedback on what our options are.

My daughter played on the Fever 04 Penn team in LHGCL D2. We finished in tenth place and played the top teams well, beating or tying most of the top 5 teams.  We finished in 10th, but were only 11 points out of 1st place. So we secured the bye for next year.

This past weekend, the team won a tournament, posed with the trophy and all seemed good.  As a mom on this team, I saw nothing but great parents committed to their kids' success. So everything was going great. We thought.

On Tuesday, the coach sent out a letter which said he was disbanding the team because he did not trust the parents intentions.  Sure, a couple girls asked for releases because they thought they were too good for D2, but far from a mutiny.Heck, we had guest players out that were apparently offered positions on the team this weekend.  Overall a great group that intended to stay together.

We found out yesterday that Fever had been actively negotiating with other teams to bring their entire roster over to take our D2 spot.  We were all told that we could play for the NPL Fever Team, but apparently, we have to find another LHGCL team.

So my questions are:

1) Can they do this and does LHGCL condone this?

2) Do we as parents have any recourse? Some have suggested keeping the core together, hiring a new coach and going independent.  Is that an option?

Questions for you giacamo, how many of your "team mates" were consistently coming to practice before the team was disbanded?  Did you still have a team or had your "friends" already taken their DD out shopping for other teams and left the rest of you holding the bag?? Maybe just 1 or 3...no, more like 5-6....  Did they not invite you to go to practice hopping?  Would you rather this happened on June 30th or early enough to give you a chance to find a team?  I've had it happen in late June...NOT FUN AT ALL.  I am sure they will all say "I was planning to stay until Coach Penn sent the letter".  I call BS!!  The writing was on the wall, it was just not fun to read it out loud.  

Well you quickly demonstrated two things:

1) You are a fool! If I was "practice hopping" why would I come on here looking for advice on how to keep a team together that got blind sided by their coach/club? I had actually refused offers for my daughter to guest play on other teams out of loyalty and respect for this guy.

2) You have some inside information that I do not. You must be very close to the coach when he tells you who is asking for releases.

Yes, some girls were chronically absent from practice and some of them were never penalized, played the entire game and the coach never addressed it, his fault. We could live with it.

Yes, only 7-8 came to practice on Monday. Remember we played 5 or 6 games Sat and Sunday. The girls were exhausted. Most coaches reward them with a day off. This guy acted like a child and makes excuses for why they ditched the team.

Do you think he owed us at least one parent meeting to tell us about the problems he was having? You saw the "writing on the wall" we did not. We also would have liked a face to face meeting and not a disbanding via e mail.