Who do (or did) your kids play for during academy/select years? What did you like about the club?
What clubs would you avoid?

Mine play for the Renegades. Love the coach, I think at this point we are more concerned about the coach than the actual club.

If we had to move we would probably avoid AlphaForms and Solar.
AF because they are the Harlem Globetrotters of soccer. Great individual skills not great team skills.
Solar due to the coaches, we have yet to play a Solar team where the coach didn't berate his own players as they are getting beat.

Clubs I would consider are Sting maybe BVB.

Thoughts?

Are you talking about a boy or girl?
Objectively, how good is your kid?
How old are they and what league are they currently playing in?
Where do you live?
How far are you willing to drive?
How much are you willing to pay?
Do you want your kid to play soccer or do they want to play soccer?

My 07 boy has played for a Solar team for 2 years. We live in close proximity to both Solar and FC Dallas main fields. I contacted both clubs to see if there was interest from any of their upper teams and a coach with a Classic League D1 team brought him out for a tryout and he made it. He had been with FCUSA and a local guy that plays Plano Premier before that.
There are pros and cons to a big club v. small club but in the end, these big clubs generally have the most upside because of their ability to combine talent for the DA and ECNL programs.
If your kid is an "average" select player then I would try to find the clob with the best mixture of price, proximity, and coach you can tolerate.

Anecdotal story- my kid's team scrimmaged Tatu's 07 Girls Sting team last fall. If I had a girl and lived close enough to Richardson, I would want him as a coach.

My 2010 daughter plays for a small club in Keller called Saints ASC. We've tried out with FCD before and were offered a spot on their top team. Definitely pros and cons for big and small clubs but we prefer the small club. Our coach is outstanding and we stay around because of him. He's big in building a team by development and not just grabbing talent from other teams in the club. The girls are all friends and it's a great family atmosphere. We're a couple of pieces away from having an elite team in this age bracket. We're recruiting now and it's starting to come together.

Edit: we have some Sting players trying out next week because they aren't happy with the club.

Went through this a while back. It all depends on the coach mostly. I agree with you 100% on Alphaforms. We have been with Solar for a year but with a coach that had just started a team. My son is a 2011 and has improved alot and so has the team. I don't see him berate the players or any other solar team. Haven't seen that with any club really.

My daughter is a 2010, so we go select this year. I really just started this thread to see other people's experiences. We aren't looking to move clubs b/c we really like our coach.
Objectively, our daughter is pretty good. Playing at the PIT now, in Plano and I believe Lake Highlands in the fall.

*She plays because she wants to. A friend of hers asked her join their team in kindergarten and she has been hooked ever since. I tell her that as long as she wants to play and is having fun, I will let her go as far as her talent dictates.

I think there is a lot of good advice above. I probably don't have anything else to offer, but will throw a few random comments out here.

Agree on Alphaforms. They might be good for individual development when they are 6 and 7 years old, but after that its sending them down the wrong path. By 7 or 8 years old, starting to work on the team skills is important. AF may be awesome on the small field, but when they start to move to the bigger field, they will not know how to pass and the mind set will be to take the ball down the field your self and its just not going to work.

If you have a girl, Sting is a good program to look at.

I think if you have a lot of talent and want to keep going, you get on with FCD, Solar, Texans or Sting. The program as a whole has a lot to offer. But if you cant catch on with a good coach there, your losing out just like you would anywhere.

If your just wanting to improve and play at a higher level than rec, then you can find some of the smaller programs and still get a lot out of it. The rec team I used to coach has mostly gone to one of these smaller programs and they are learning a lot and having a blast.

All that said, my two boys play for FCD. My oldest has played there for 5 years I think. My youngest for 2 years.
For my oldest, he has had a good coach, but in retrospect, I don't think he is the right coach for my son and it might be time to switch.
For my youngest, we have seen a lot of improvement.

For reference, I live in Allen so I live pretty close to Solar, but make the drive to Frisco for FCD twice a week. Its only 15 minutes though.

Daughter plays for Texans. We were given this advice when we started looking a couple years ago - find a team with a coach you and your kid like and work well with, with parents that you can handle being around and at a not-so-distant practice location. Can be hard to find all three but figure out what the player and family are willing to give up. Also knowing where your kid will play and how much playing time they'll get may change the calculus. In that May-June window before signing day, dont be afraid to try out new teams/coaches. It never hurts.

Ask about club fees and likelihood for extra payments due to "unforeseen" expenses team fees. You expect the clubs fees + uniform costs + tourney fees but its the extra fees to rent indoor space during the rainy two weeks where the team cant practice outdoors and then another fee for that quick indoor season during Dec and Jan that wasnt really even discussed until November... it just adds up.

Be aware that coaches change clubs all time; they're like hired guns getting the best payout an arrangements. That being said and with varying degrees of interaction (from direct to only as an gameday/scrimmage observer) some of the coaches I've liked over the last couple of years are Voutier, Bohannon, Blanton, Scarfone and there's a guy from Spirit whose name escapes me. Lots of good coaches you just have to find a good fit.

This got way too long but I'll add on quick note that if the team plays for LH Girls Classic at UTD, be prepared for lots of rescheduling due to wet fields. Frankly it's been annoying as hell.

tysker said:

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some of the coaches I've liked over the last couple of years are Voutier, Bohannon, Blanton, Scarfone and there's a guy from Spirit whose name escapes me. Lots of good coaches you just have to find a good fit.

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Ha! Our coach made your list.
Again, I'm happy we were are at. I just like hearing about others experiences.

My kids are not ready for this these types of leagues yet, but I have questions before we think about them.

How much do these leagues cost?

Does it become their life? I know people with kids In these leagues (Texans and FCD) and it seems that they spend a ton on dues and travel, but I don't know.

Do these parents think that their kids will be pros? Get scholarships? I went to a game in Plano, and there were so many teams. I wondered if all of those parents thought that their kids would get full rides?

I spoke to a client that was in the USWNT pool (was on bench for a few WNT games). She seemed down on these leagues. She said that US Soccer was missing out on talent because of fees. That these leagues price talented poor kids out of national team radar.

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How much do these leagues cost?
Does it become their life? I know people with kids In these leagues (Texans and FCD) and it seems that they spend a ton on dues and travel, but I don't know.

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Cant speak for others but we pay >$3k/yr. Its a total team fee based on a 13 (14?) person roster (playing 9v9) so if there are only 12 players you wind up paying more. Daughter went from rec to select but I think academy costs were $125/month, maybe. Club gear is like $200-$400 and apparently it changes every couple of years which doesnt matter because your kid has probably outgrown much of it anyways. 1.5hr practices twice a week plus games on the weekend. Lots of teams play in two leagues (last year we did LHGCL and a JDL league, this season we're in LHGCL and an 11v11 league 'practicing' for next year). This is why I mentioned above to find a team that practices close by; just like commuting to work, those 30-45 mins here and there and adds up along with those pesky toll road fees b/c you cant be late. You'll see plenty of moms wearing shirts that read "I can't, I have soccer" for a reason.

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Do these parents think that their kids will be pros? Get scholarships? I went to a game in Plano, and there were so many teams. I wondered if all of those parents thought that their kids would get full rides?

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Parents are mixed but I think you see the 'college scholarship' thing in all activities. But when you're paying as much I think many parents are looking for some sort of ROI. Sometimes its college geared and sometime its simply prestige and status seeking sometimes it reliving childood dreams through kids.

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I spoke to a client that was in the USWNT pool (was on bench for a few WNT games). She seemed down on these leagues. She said that US Soccer was missing out on talent because of fees. That these leagues price talented poor kids out of national team radar.

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You can get discounts or scholarship through many of the select teams and I think when they go to the DA and FDL levels the costs are somewhat if not fully covered by the club (of course so few actually make it to that level). But my daughter's team is already suffering from player and parent burnout. Girls and parents wanting to do different things and play different sports more often. Good athletes are good athletes and I wonder if puberty effects female athletes more dramatically than males.


One thing I will mention is that some coaches of clubs wind up with so many teams (academy and select) that it feels like you're kid isnt getting enough individual attention and I see many are learning, even practicing, bad technique because the coach doesnt care or have time to monitor and correct all 30+ players. And when there are multiple teams (say 2011s, 2010s and 08s,07s) practicing all at the same time you wind up with assistants doing much of the work and you wonder who's ultimately the coach you're paying for.

DallasAggie97 said:

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My kids are not ready for this these types of leagues yet, but I have questions before we think about them.

How much do these leagues cost?

You're no paying for the league, you pay the club and they handle the league stuff. I have a u13 Boy with Solar and his plays Classic League in Dallas and then NPL which is some travel to Arkansas & Oklahoma. Our yearly Club/Team dues are about $800. Then another $400ish on uniforms depending on how much cold weather/extras you want.

Does it become their life? I know people with kids In these leagues (Texans and FCD) and it seems that they spend a ton on dues and travel, but I don't know.

I wouldn't say it becomes your life, but you're going to have games a lot and if you're paying that kind of coin, seems like you'd want to be there.

Do these parents think that their kids will be pros? Get scholarships? I went to a game in Plano, and there were so many teams. I wondered if all of those parents thought that their kids would get full rides?

Soccer is weird in that it benefits you more to be a girl than a boy. There are very few decent universities with boy's programs nearby. SMU, Houston, ard Tulsa are basically it. My son is decent but I have no interest in him playing for the small school that most kids go to around here and I don't think he will be good enough to play at SMU. Then your next best option is to go way out of state to play. But yes, there are a lot parents that think there kid will get a scholarship to play somewhere. If you have a girl, then there are a ton more options for scholarships. I don't think of it as an investment, far from it. His ability dictates that he should play at that level and he'll more than likely play multiple years of varsity soccer in high school because of his experience. Also, I'm willing to pay that because watching rec soccer is terrible. I'm paying thousands of dollars so I don't have to watch crappy soccer.

I spoke to a client that was in the USWNT pool (was on bench for a few WNT games). She seemed down on these leagues. She said that US Soccer was missing out on talent because of fees. That these leagues price talented poor kids out of national team radar.

Correct, our system is flawed. That being said, US Soccer does offset the costs of their DA program, but you basically have to play high level to get noticed by them.

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DallasAggie97 said:

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My kids are not ready for this these types of leagues yet, but I have questions before we think about them.

How much do these leagues cost?

Does it become their life? I know people with kids In these leagues (Texans and FCD) and it seems that they spend a ton on dues and travel, but I don't know.

Do these parents think that their kids will be pros? Get scholarships? I went to a game in Plano, and there were so many teams. I wondered if all of those parents thought that their kids would get full rides?

I spoke to a client that was in the USWNT pool (was on bench for a few WNT games). She seemed down on these leagues. She said that US Soccer was missing out on talent because of fees. That these leagues price talented poor kids out of national team radar.

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How much do these leagues cost?

It can vary quite a bit. I have seen between $500 a year to $3000 a year. It depends on the club and the age group.


Does it become their life? I know people with kids In these leagues (Texans and FCD) and it seems that they spend a ton on dues and travel, but I don't know.

It can. It depends how involved you want to get. At a minimum though, its usually two practices a week, plus one game a week.

On and off, our kids also go to a conditioning or private/group coaching session 1 night a week. Thats not a requirement, just something our kids wanted to do to work on skills or condition.


Do these parents think that their kids will be pros? Get scholarships? I went to a game in Plano, and there were so many teams. I wondered if all of those parents thought that their kids would get full rides?

For my kids, I know my kids are not good enough to get a scholarship. As you mentioned, its way too competitive for that. Especially in Collin County. I think this county has either the largest or second largest soccer community in the nation. And the FCD, Solar and Dallas Texans are all in the top 10 youth programs in the nation.
My kids are playing club because they enjoy playing it and want to do it against a higher skill set, play more often and take it more serious than we could find at the rec level. Luckily, we are fortunate enough to be financially capable of letting them do this. As long as they are learning to work hard for something, work with other sand enjoy it... I'm fine with that. But I have no illusion this is getting my kid into college. I think a lot of the parents I have come across have had the same mind set. I do know a few kids though who play DA and ENCL and its not our of the realm of possibility for most of those to get scholarships. If your playing at that level, you can probably get something.


I spoke to a client that was in the USWNT pool (was on bench for a few WNT games). She seemed down on these leagues. She said that US Soccer was missing out on talent because of fees. That these leagues price talented poor kids out of national team radar.

Bingo. This is a huge problem. It's a big hurdle for reaching the next level in the US. It's goes beyond these leagues, but really relates to US Soccer, school soccer and competition with other sports.
Right now, a majority of your good athletes are going to Football. There are cheaper avenues to get to a sport are following football and not soccer (as you mentioned). Additionally, the contracts offer more money at the pro level, and there are more scholarships for football than soccer. Even more so when you consider a lot of schools don't have mens soccer teams. There could be an entirely new thread, but I think getting the better talent into soccer will come from two things:
1) Having the great athletes go to soccer instead of football... I see this starting to happen at a small level now as parents are worried about concussions in football.
2) A top down direction from US soccer to completely flip the pyramid so kids can get proper training for free or minimal fees. But this will take buy in from local leagues, pro teams and academies. Basically, the academies have to get paid somehow.

My daughter's 2010 team qualified for GCL D1. This is our oldest kid, so this is our first time through this madness. Apparently there are a ton of leagues in this area. (GCL, Plano Premier, RPL/NPL, etc.) Can anybody power rank these leagues? Everytime I speak to somebody whose kid plays in a different league, I am told why their league is better. I just don't know...
Thanks!

I think we played y'all in GCL QT. I think I might have even asked you the score to your game when y'all were playing Sting in your final game. We didn't qualify for GCL. I'll withhold my comments on the seeding for the second weekend because I don't want sound like a sore loser but our bracket placement was crap. Our GK play didn't help in the slightest but we're working on fixing/changing that now. To answer your question for 2010 age brackets:

GCL
Plano/RPL
The rest here

I foresee RPL making a strong push in overtaking GCL in the future. This is their first year and people are tired of the politics in GCL. For now though and moving forward for the next few years GCL is the top for this age. Once the girls get into the U13 ages, more leagues become available that are higher quality than GCL. ECNL seems to be highest now with NPL right there with it. I manage my daughters team and am immersed in youth soccer bc of that. Like the conversation!

Thanks for clarifying! That Sting coach was a piece. A poor girl on his team broke her arm while we were playing them and he didn't even step on the field to check on her.

I have a 2010 girl playing Lake Highlands D2 this year. We are on a Sting team that moved over from Evolution because our coach moved to Sting. (Our coach doesn't yell so I don't think you are referencing us..haha) I think the key is finding a coach you love and is good with your kid. We love our coach and the parents on our team. From what I've heard though, the chances are super slim that we will stick together forever.

You're exactly right. I'm not upset that we didn't make GCL. My daughter responds to her coach well and continues to develop as a person and a player. She's really good and could earn a spot on any number of the top teams in NTX (parent bias alert!) but we enjoy our coach and the team. We've discussed with our coach that there will come a day when we have to leave the team to play better competition and he's ok with that. But we aren't gonna just go chase trophies every weekend just to say we can.

Our Sting team practices in Euless and our girls are based in the mid cities area. Let me know if you are interested next year! I haven't noticed a huge difference between Evolution and Sting yet. Our coach is more motivated to prove himself this year though.

Yup. Coach is key, the actual club is very far down on my hit list. From my understanding, teams start breaking up around the time the girls hit 12/13 years old. Only because the older they get the fewer there are that still want to play.

Shameless bump here. Any updates on players and teams here? Me moved clubs this year (with our coach) to FCD and are playing GCL D2. Daughter also tried out and made the ODP team.

Nice.
Stayed with same coach/club.
Classic League D1 and ECRL (ECNL RL?? who knows...)
Only 2 games into GCL and 1 into ECNL been a mixed bag so far.

Still with same team here, qualified for D2 Classic. My son scored 2 goals in last match of qualifying for them to win 2-0 to get into D2 by 1 point. It has been fun watching so far competing against the better teams.

Post occasional updates on ODP. I'm curious about coaching, games, competition etc.

Will do. I've heard many say it's a scam but so far we've liked it through two tryouts and one practice. If nothing else, it gives my daughter a personal goal that she can work towards. First goal was make state pool, done. Next goal is make regional pool. And so on. Coaches so far have been great. Both from Sting.

Hey Maverick06, I think my daughter played your daughter this weekend. Would love to pick your brain about that FC Dallas team. We are thinking about switching from our Sting team but live in Colleyville and don't want to travel far for practices. We've already done Evolution and don't want to go back. We love our coach and haven't had any problems with Sting but I think our team is going to fall apart and my daughter is stalling in her development.

Sure thing! What's the best way to connect?

Thanks!

Got it and sent. You can take your email down if you want.

There might be a Solar team that practices at the PIT in Roanoke.

Solar is a level above what we need right now. We have friends on one that practices in Grapevine but the coach is too intense. Thanks though!

There is a North Texas Facebook group/page that I have heard is a good place to find out about teams in specific areas of DFW. You can get info about coaches, teams, team needs etc. I've also heard that during soccer season it's a great read for all of the in-season soccer drama, i.e. crazy soccer parents.

I don't Facebook, otherwise I would have posted the link. But it might be a good place to start search for a team.

Fut411.com

They used to have a map of teams and practice locations but I couldn't find it today.

smc05 said:

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Solar is a level above what we need right now. We have friends on one that practices in Grapevine but the coach is too intense. Thanks though!

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i bet i know the coach you're talking about....

Our coach came over from Solar to BVB this year, and he's been great.