Status of SE Texas Boy's soccer!

[sharkfutbol]

Well said setxgal....    it is a hard balance..

[Bon_Mot]

I gave you a karma point for that one, setxgal.

Alright, just about anyone can find a problem.  Now let's solve it.  My question is, what can we do?  High school coaches, parents, former players, fans, ect. What can we do?  Soccer is losing kids to select baseball, junior league football, PS3, and the like every year.  Suggestions?  Anyone?

[Guest setxgal]

Thanks bon mot

As far an answer......idk. I think it definitely starts with the clubs. I don't have a lot of experience with the high school part, and really don't know a ton about Houston teams' clubs, and haven't sat on a board here in about 7 years, but I know its the only way to start them young. (And I am just realizing this, but I guess you literally have to decide for your child at age 4, so they might have the skills needed to play good soccer in high school.I know other sports do the same, it just seems more extreme in soccer since there is so few spots to show their talent)

You won't find bigger soccer fanatics than my kids,(they play, practice, go to each others practices, etc) and my oldest daughters' team didn't even play select last year, just  DIV. II through Beaumont, and they went to state two years in a row, but with the training situation and a few other factors they did not play Select.  Does that change what they learned or improved or whether or not they will be noticed by anyone? I guess future will tell. I do know the HS teams that her BMT team made up all went to play offs, so.....?

But, can someone explain to me, seriously, what is the best thing to get kids noticed, esp. if they want to play college soccer?

(I'm starting to feel like a stage mom, driving my kids to Houston for practice and so on.....) If that is what we have to do, why, other than convenience, even have clubs locally?  Better yet, why can't the local clubs step up and become better clubs? What is the missing link? I know they want to do good, and when they can stop all the bickering and political bull, they do good things.  I know in Gulf Coast,one year, we really put the word out to PA schools, and we did have a little better turnout, although we had to offer grants (which, they DO have....it just cuts into their budgets if they use them) to increase more of the PA students.  We put fliers out in English and Spanish( and no we didn't have a great translator, just some college student-lol) but it helped for one season, and we maybe only retained 10% of those same kids the next year. Why?? I don't know.  I suspect money and there is no real soccer in school at the younger years, everything comes out of parents pockets.  We even looked into (and eventually got)lights so practice could be at better times, etc. We did the, sign up early and its cheaper-but nothing really changed .  My kids went and played through Beaumont after about 2001ish after some political garbage affected the granting of only one DIV II team.  And speaking of that.....Why in the world would a club limit themselves to only one team in a bracket, when there were enough boys to play? I know it allowed them to only pick the cream of the crop, but isn't that part of the problem?? If you aren't standing out at 10 or 11, you have to hang it up?  Why not grant two teams, they were going to have to travel to play anyhow, and keep those boys at that age interested. How many kids did we lose in this area at that age? VERY VERY RARELY, will a child continue in soccer into his teens if he hasn't been picked up on a DIV II team.  SO, we sort of did this to ourselves!!! Luckily, our coaches at the HS level are talented enough to get some of those back into it, but who knows what they could have been working with?

Ok, that's all my gripes for now....I remember why I got off the board....it was like hitting my head on a wall over and over and thinking I could knock it down.

We just have to get out clubs to a higher caliper, and hopefully, as the 2nd and 3rd generation soccer players come about it will take off more and more!

[sharkfutbol]

Your girls team is a very good team.  Several of those girls should be considering going to play in colleges somewhere.  Problem is alot of times its the parents that want the kids going to college to play, more so than the kids.  So alot of times the kids just fade because it is in fact what they want. Several Kelly boys this year could have gone off to play somewhere whether it be Div II or what but they really had no interest after their last game at Kelly than  to continue.  If your children want to extend their hopes and play somewhere at a higher level,  there is lots and lots of colleges looking for the ladies to play.  Private message me and I will give you an idea on what to do to help your daughter play somewhere else.  As for club and developing players at early ages. Until you quit celebrating a victory when in fact there isnt suppose to be scores kept at early agges. But rather celebrate your childrens involvement after the game. Most the little players have no clue whether they won or loss and dont really care.  They just enjoyed socializing.  And parents quit riduculing children for losing at five or six on up to what ever age.  And stop celebrating another five or six year olds missed goal then sorry to say, but the enjoyment will not be there but for a very select few.  Than we lose more players to PS2 because there they have no negative energy being thrown at them every saturday after a game. Parents screaming  Why dont you run,  why dont you get tough, why dont you do more and why why why not be a superhero that most of us adults never were.  Let the coaches coach, and parents celebrate and take the kids out after each game win or lose and see the difference in enrollment.  The numbers at local clubs havent increased like they were once doing and its not lack of kids but lack of enjoyment in playing at the early ages.  Coaches at 6,7,8, and all the way up should be teaching skills to the TEAM.  Teach them to handle a soccer ball with their feet like they can with their hands.  Then you have a player hooked for life.  Its lack of knowing how to play that keepts them from playing.  Its an embarrassment to see so many 14,15,16,17, yea olds that cant look up and walk with a soccer ball at their feet and still get accolades for kicking a ball high and long.  Teach them to play the game, and then allow them to play the game and they will grow with their age and the development of the game.  Sounds easy but like you said SETX gal  not alot of people interested in allowing it to happen.  Not putting the all the blame on the parents but the kids idolize their parents more than their coach and you parents have more input for them than  a coach does.  Sure we as coaches make lots of mistakes and errors and hopefully feel terrible for it.  Lets all get it worked out somehow are another and help the youth.................

[soccermom]

Both of my boys have played soccer - both club and high school.  We tried the select clubs but quite honestly we just could not afford it.  They also played in quickfoot 4x4 for several years.  My oldest son is in college and he plays intermural soccer.  My younger son is a junior this year and is determined to play soccer in college.  We signed him up with the NCSA (National Collegiate Scouting Association).  So far we have been impressed with the response he has gotten.  We are in the process of putting his video together to send out.  We will also be visiting some of them this summer.  He is in the top 3% of his class and a 4.0 GPA so that certainly can't hurt.  We have been told that most college soccer teams do not have a lot of scholarship money available but they love kids that have good academics and can play soccer too.  They are able to acquire scholarships based on their academics and in turn they get a quality soccer player as well.  It is a win/win situation for them.  What we have learned through our two boys is you have to market them yourselves.  I would appreciate the coaches opinion on this but IMO they just don't have the time and/or budget to find the right college for your kids.  I know our boys coach has been more than willing to help us but we had to take the iniative ourselves.

Some advice for parents of younger kids that want to play soccer in college:

-Keep your own stats for every game

-Take lots of video

-Keep up the grades

Anyone who is interested in learning more about the NCSA feel free to send me a message.

We are also trying to encourage our boys to get involved with the young kids just starting out playing soccer.  Volunteer to coach or at least help out.  The future of soccer depends on the young ones.  We cannot change the way it is today but we can work on the future.

[RonBurgundy68]

In response to Bon_Mot's and my mom's post, I think the main thing we can do right now is start getting the former players fresh out of school to start coaching in the youth leagues, as young as you can go... I'm starting to get interested into forming a team, and sticking with them as long as I can... If we can start them out young, and keep them interested, the better off we are...

[sharkfutbol]

That would be a great thing to have the youngsters teaching the youngers the Game..........  the skills ....  are what wins games...... and keeps the kids interested.  the more youth the better for the future.

[Guest setxgal]

I too think that is a great idea....the younger they start the better, and having young coaches is great too.  We just have to get the clubs and parents on board ....there has to be a shift in our understanding of the process of how to teach the game.  Soccer, at the young ages, is alone in that whole "no wins, no losses" attitude. You might get thrown out of any other park at another sport for not encouraging the total anihilation of the other team. Heck only in the last few years did they put run limits on softball.

We are at a disadvantage with this sport.  We have so many other sports to play. but in other countries, they do not have as quite a variety, hence soccer is more in the forefront(which it should be!!!!!)It is in their blood like football is in ours. So, we have parents that don't understand the game, the running of the clubs is relatively young in our area, and there is not much of a fan base to help keep players encouraged.  I would love to see more of it in PE . There is such a divide, all other sports are encouraged at school and clubs, soccer just at clubs until HS. (unless i have misunderstood the set up?!?)

We need to prioritize  and be culturally diverse in our understanding of how it works for other countries(minus that whole stampede and dying at the games )

After getting that type of information, we bring it to our existing clubs-they just need a LIL straightening out. We actually have a good framework, but its been a little neglected.(fig. out how to get more kids signing up, financial abilities, travel, etc) After that, then we start looking at the Houston Clubs and  see what we could be doing further to help .  I think its a good starter plan....our clubs DONOT have to be HOUSTON clubs...we just have to be able to compete with them and get recognized as they do. 

[SHSsccr12]

wow that is good stuff.  i would have loved to play in houston but didnt have the money to drive there 3 times a week  that is probably what keeps most people from playing because i played with the spindletop select team for a while and that was still alot to pay especially since my parents really dont understand the game.  im only 19 and dont have the expierence as you old ppl do but like someone said if you teach a 12 year old the fundamentals and their parents dont get in the way you have them hooked for life...

i also play soccer in college.  good grades helps almost more than playing ability because if you do get a scholarship for playing the chances of it being a full ride is extremely small.  we have 5 guys from over seas (all amazing players) and only 1 is on full scholarship.  but the best thing to do is send tapes follow up with calls and meet the coach.  usually after high school season is over you can go practice with the team.  we had two guys from lindale come out the other day actually.

[soccerdude]

There have been some great questions asked. Sounds like the big topic is where must you go to be recognized for college and what has happened to the area soccer wise. Well I'm going to tell you straight up...in order to be recognized YOU MUST GO TO HOUSTON AND PLAY!

      1 - The teams around here are not going to get the attention from college coaches. We talk about all the time how this team wins this tournament, but it's not tournaments that will get you recognized as much as SHOWCASES. I have played in some of the biggest showcases in the nation and have gone to the website and checked out which coaches will or have been there. For example: My team played in the Score at the Shore Soccer Showcase. No trophies but many opportunities. 200+ college coaches from all types of schools...Div. 1, 2, 3, and NAIA. These showcases is where you are seen. Also being in big tournaments is where they will see you. For instance: Dallas Cup. Also, college coaches probably will not come out and watch Div. 2 or Super 2 soccer games. The high level of play just isn't there. There are looking for the high competition...Div. 1. For some who may not know...Div. 1 is split up into 3 levels...competitive (lowest), classic (middle), and premier (highest). These will be the teams that will be looked at.

      2 - You can't just sit back and wait for a college coach to find you. Sure it might happen, but players can't just wait for a coach to call them up. You have to email coaches where and when you will be playing, and make sure you give them plenty of time to see if they can make it. As the time comes closer to the event you will be playing in just send them a reminder.

      3 - You HAVE to find someone for the coach to see you. Along with showcases, region 3 premier league, and tournaments, my club brings in college coaches 2 to 3 times a year to do training sessions with us. This helps us to get to know the coaches as well as have them see us play.

      These are just some tips from me. Hope They help. And yes practice 2 to 3 times a week is hard but it is most certainly worth it. What you may pay for in gas may end up paying off later. I encourage anyone who has the want to to play in college needs to go to Houston.

      As far as soccer around the area...well part of the problem that has gone on for many years is not putting the kids in Spindletop,which was formed to try to get the best players from the area,and form them into one or two of the best teams they could possibly assemble in the age group. The problem has been that different areas (Beaumont, Hardin County, Gulf Coast, etc.) have been wanting to keep the "glory" in their clubs. This has been a major factor that (esp. for the boys) we have not produced any championships recently or at least in the higher competitive levels. We needed to be putting the best-of-the-best together in order to do some good, and this hasn't been done very well. I'm not sure about the younger ages from Spindletop because I have moved on from SSSC but I know of younger players that were on good teams that have already made their way over to Houston. And I don't have anything against the local areas because that is where I got started. Just saying if we want to have a chance in the area we have to put the best on one team. Just some things to dwell upon.

[TradinUp BH]

I'll put my two cents in.  I moved back to the area three years ago from Katy.  I contacted GCYSC to sign up my two boys, and was told that I was too late.  Now this was in June and there hadn't been any set teams or anything.  At the time the boys were 5 and 8.  The people I spoke with were very rude about the situation, and from then on I said I wouldn't put my kids in soccer because of the way I was treated. I felt that the way I was treated reflected the way that my kids would be treated in a league that didn't have any concerns for the area youth.  Anyways, hopefully area soccer grows, but you would be amazed at how many youths in other areas of the state play soccer.  Sorry for my griping, but I had to note my interaction with area youth soccer.

[sharkfutbol]

I am sure you are not alone.  I guess you have noticed nobody got on here to argue the point with you

[Guest L212]

I'll definitely argue the point.  Scalp'em's comment that GCYSC doesn't have any concerns for area youth is absurd.  Why would any youth league exist if not to benefit the kids?  Does Scalp'em think the board members, coaches, team moms, etc. at GCYSC have some ulterior motive for be involved the league?  As for the local youth, I've read on this website about some of their players being named to high school All-District teams, earning college scholarships and even making it to the pros.  Looks to me like maybe there is some concern for the area youth at GCYSC after all.

[Guest setxgal]

In response to MCfan, there are some great people at GCYSC who truly want to help the kids and the sport....but i know of times when the club has made some poor decisions in their handling of things and people. I really believe they think they are doing the best thing, but depending on the strength of their board, sometimes the message doesn't always come through (as in the case above ). I know it is definitely NOT LIMITED to GCYSC-that's just what i know from personal experience.

This is in no way defending GC in how they handled the person who couldn't sign up in June, (and I don't know the situation from that time with the club) but, I can tell you that at a certain point, you have to stop registering kids in order to get all the uniforms ordered, and in some cases, there aren't enough coaches. One year we handed out uniforms opening day because we ordered late and they didn't come in on time. It's not so bad when the club goes to one color for everyone, but we had every team had a different color, so therefore you had to have a good idea of the #'s and sizes, etc. and had to keep to the budget.

I have not had any dealings with that actual club in many years so I don't know what their deadline is now.

[jrig]

SCALP'EM, DUDE....SERIOUSLY...3 YEARS AGO...TIME TO MOVE ON!

[RonBurgundy68]

SCALP'EM, DUDE....SERIOUSLY...3 YEARS AGO...TIME TO MOVE ON!

He was just saying how he got treated... And to be honest, if I was treated that way, I wouldn't go back to that league either... Cut him some slack...

[jrig]

JUST GLAD MY DAD DIDN'T KEEP ME FROM PLAYING SOCCER CAUSE HE GOT MAD AT SOMEBODY.

[RonBurgundy68]

JUST GLAD MY DAD DIDN'T KEEP ME FROM PLAYING SOCCER CAUSE HE GOT MAD AT SOMEBODY.

Well the thing is, is that you don't know if he moved them to a different league or not, because he did not say...

[sharkfutbol]

The problem with the whole system is...  the under tens and below are not suppose to be keeping score and wins and losses because it is suppose to be for fun.  But the clubs decided to start a draft to let coaches draft their players which makes no sense because we are suppose to be teaching and letting them play and the one word that always comes up.. FUN.... .well it used to be neighborhood teams which is what we need to go to again.. NEIGHBORHOOD teams.. that way the kids on the same team go to elementary school together and live near each other and have friends on the team and someone to play around the yard with...  that is FUN to the kids... they wear their team jerseys to school together and the other kids that dont play will want to play and so the numbers would be soaring and growing.  The port arthur kids can form thier own team and have a dad that speaks their language and they dont have to struggle to find a ride to practice somehwere else.   no more struggling for rides... kids have neighbors on their team and someone to play around in the yard with....  and its all fun... again...  get rid of the draft for the recreation program... then i can guarantee the numbers would increase and the programs would flourish again...  thats my opinion....

[Bon_Mot]

Wow.  I didn't know they were drafting that young.  I can't say too much because I'm not a part of it, and I haven't heard reasons why they think this is the best way... but it really should be about fun.  I can remember after games looking to my parents to see if we "won" or not.  Their reaction meant much more than the score.

[sharkfutbol]

what you just wrote .. is the biggest argument among board and parents and coaching.  parents want to say their children care if they win or lose...  kids have no clue .. well the majority doesnt...  however the kids look to the parents to see what their reaction is.. if the parents are upset then the kids will be upset.. and yes they are upset because they lost.. but not really .. they are upset because their parents are upset they lost...  kids dont care they are all about enjoying themselves. 

[jrig]

YOU'RE RIGHT, I DON'T KNOW.  BUT I KNOW WHAT HE SAID IN HIS POST - "AND FROM THEN ON I SAID I WOULDN'T PUT MY KIDS IN SOCCER BECAUSE OF THE WAY I WAS TREATED."