TLDNR - Son switching from soccer to football. No more club and no more HS Soccer. Grown a lot over the years and I love watching him play....sad to see him give it up but I told him he's old enough to decide for himself and live with whatever happens.
Has decided he's had enough of club soccer and wants to play football starting this coming fall. HS Soccer and Football are the same season here so he cannot do both. He made some comments about playing football last year (prior to 9th grade) and I told him in no uncertain terms would he play for the old coach. *
He's played football in 6th and 8th grade and been playing soccer since he was 5yrs old. Our HS recently 'fired' their football coach and hired a new coach who seems to have the whole school fired up about football again. Program fell a lot under the old coach and the new AD decided after last's fall's debacle of a season enough was enough. New coach won a state title at a 3A school (we are 6A).
He made the HS JV soccer team last fall as a freshman (one of 2 - which is really good at his HS; several state titles and usually make several rounds of the play offs every season). He has a shot to make varsity as a soph. and if he doesn't, he'd be playing most of every game on the JV. He is on his current clubs 2nd team and is one of 2 players on the team who's played every minute of every game this season (~12 games so far) and I expect this will continue through spring and into the state cup games in June. He is usually the fastest player on the field and I've yet to see a fast break he did not run down. When he was 5 he literally could barely run and dribble the ball at the same time. Now I watch him run kids down, dribble circles around other teams, time his tackles just right to stop break away. I would have given up my left nut to have the coaching he's had over the years when I was his age.
He also got moved up to the varsity track team after the first meet this spring and placed 3rd at two varsity meets in triple jump as a fish (set a school record in 8th grade) = yes humble brag about my son. Club soccer has interfered with track a few times this spring and he wants to focus on track more than soccer right now (with good reason).
I told him he has until August basically to decide, just to understand he might be standing on the sidelines at the JV football games since he is a little behind the curve on his friends/classmates and might not see much play until his senior year vs. the potential of winning a state title in soccer. I did tell him he can do whatever he wants (and football would be A LOT cheaper!) and I'll support him either way. Anyway, just a bit sad to see him give it up. I love the game, used to coach, and still play and referee on weekends.
I just hope his feeble 14yr old mind is not caught up in the excitement of a new coach and he regrets his decision 3-years from now.
*My older boys played for the old coach and my current junior play(ed) for him. He was the offensive coordinator and my older boys were on offense and hated him. My middle son plays defense (the old coach never really coached the defense) and agrees he was a terrible head coach but he had no direct 'coaching' from him so didn't have a strong opinion one way or the other (although he would get pretty pissed when the defense would score more points than the offense and team would still lose games).
Has decided he's had enough of club soccer and wants to play football starting this coming fall. HS Soccer and Football are the same season here so he cannot do both. He made some comments about playing football last year (prior to 9th grade) and I told him in no uncertain terms would he play for the old coach. *
He's played football in 6th and 8th grade and been playing soccer since he was 5yrs old. Our HS recently 'fired' their football coach and hired a new coach who seems to have the whole school fired up about football again. Program fell a lot under the old coach and the new AD decided after last's fall's debacle of a season enough was enough. New coach won a state title at a 3A school (we are 6A).
He made the HS JV soccer team last fall as a freshman (one of 2 - which is really good at his HS; several state titles and usually make several rounds of the play offs every season). He has a shot to make varsity as a soph. and if he doesn't, he'd be playing most of every game on the JV. He is on his current clubs 2nd team and is one of 2 players on the team who's played every minute of every game this season (~12 games so far) and I expect this will continue through spring and into the state cup games in June. He is usually the fastest player on the field and I've yet to see a fast break he did not run down. When he was 5 he literally could barely run and dribble the ball at the same time. Now I watch him run kids down, dribble circles around other teams, time his tackles just right to stop break away. I would have given up my left nut to have the coaching he's had over the years when I was his age.
He also got moved up to the varsity track team after the first meet this spring and placed 3rd at two varsity meets in triple jump as a fish (set a school record in 8th grade) = yes humble brag about my son. Club soccer has interfered with track a few times this spring and he wants to focus on track more than soccer right now (with good reason).
I told him he has until August basically to decide, just to understand he might be standing on the sidelines at the JV football games since he is a little behind the curve on his friends/classmates and might not see much play until his senior year vs. the potential of winning a state title in soccer. I did tell him he can do whatever he wants (and football would be A LOT cheaper!) and I'll support him either way. Anyway, just a bit sad to see him give it up. I love the game, used to coach, and still play and referee on weekends.
I just hope his feeble 14yr old mind is not caught up in the excitement of a new coach and he regrets his decision 3-years from now.
*My older boys played for the old coach and my current junior play(ed) for him. He was the offensive coordinator and my older boys were on offense and hated him. My middle son plays defense (the old coach never really coached the defense) and agrees he was a terrible head coach but he had no direct 'coaching' from him so didn't have a strong opinion one way or the other (although he would get pretty pissed when the defense would score more points than the offense and team would still lose games).