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I agree completely with letmeputittooyouthisway that there are too few female coaches found at the club level.

As far as player development, I think Van Taylor does a great job in coordinating/conducting the coaches' training sessions and programs leading to coaching licenses, but I admit there seems to be some lack of retention by club coaches as they go from the classroom to the fields. Especially with regards to emphasis on technical.

Who would I recommend as a player-development coach at the State ODP level... girls side? I've known several strong player development coaches that have come from the colleges for some of the past girls' teams. I was very impressed with what Miller did in her training sessions with the '93 girls the last two years. I've known a few on the club side, but if I had to choose just one from that arena I'd try to recruit the services of Ralston Moore, former DOC of UGSA (Upstate Girls Soccer Assoc.), former member of the Jamaican Nat. Team, and currently a coach at CESA. Unfortunately, I don't think he could/would become involved with SC ODP unless SCYSA could find a way to reduce the cost of ODP to the individual player.

$200? Wouldn't that be magnificent?

The real answer is more and better corporate sponsorship.

Cost cutting? That's a great question. Off the top of my head, ODP last year cost about $1200, with no allowance for spending money, gasoline, etc. That includes tryout, W-S and Tuscaloosa. Does not include numerous trips "yonder" for training. On that account, parents pretty much were left to carpool (or not). Realistically, I had about $1750 into it, by season's end.

For my money, the W-S exercise is a waste of time and money. I saw very little genuine evaluation ... a lot more vague confirmation of accepted truths and previous lists. Games are routinely cancelled/shifted, etc. The weather generally stinks in W-S in January -- 13 degrees at wake-up time last year; rain and wind in previous years.

I would focus on an in-state mini-camp environment, with fewer players and much more hard training and various competitions, including, but not limited to, 11-v-11. This could be done for far less than $400/kid, and far better than 4 kids per (inadequate) room.

I'd take a long, hard look at the Tuscaloosa activity, in terms of value. To me, it's nothing more than an overpriced college camp -- little or no genuine instruction, with the vast majority of kids never really getting a shot at the coveted night-time slots. And "holdover" camp? Don't get me started. When I saw a kid "disappointed" to be held over, based on a previous year's experience ... WOW! That told me all I needed to know.

In the end, the focus and end-product of ODP should not be team tournaments and titles. It should be in training, individual technical development, etc. As it stands, tuscaloosa is basically games and downtime, with a smattering of mediocre "training" and the opportunity to watch the "chosen" play at night.

On the girls' side with the '93 group and previous years with the '91 group (I can't speak for all age groups), in the most expensive years, the recent ones, I was probably in for about $1,100 per daughter including gas. I spend about that (maybe a little less) for a one-daughter trip to Disney. Six or seven years ago my total cost per year per daughter was about $350 (that included region camp).

BTW, in previous years the girls' state teams and region camps have been run by college coaches not club coaches. So, I've figured each year at camp my daughter has been evaluated to some degree in a camp environment by at least 10 college coaches. Have the college coaches been running the boys' side?

I think the key is value.

I'll find $1,200/year for an activity that gives value. I truly believe the average parent, with a little legwork, can spend $1,200 (soccer dollars) much more wisely than on ODP.

If the fees charged per player per year could be reduced to $200 through fund raising and corporate sponsorship, would you consider ODP worth the player's time given what the player has gotten in the past year or two? I don't think reduction of cost to the player alone should be what we're striving for, but what if?

I agree that the seemingly increasing emphasis on ODP Team success distracts us from what the system is in place to accomplish for the individual player.

At this point, based on the last three years, it could be free, and mine would NOT go.

In order:

1) I'd clean up the problems, both real and perceived.
2) I'd attach a break-even, per-kid cost for the "new and improved" program.
3) I'd do everything I could to offset those costs through fund-raising, sponsorship, competitive bidding, etc.

The ultimate goal -- a Grade A program at substantially reduced (or no) cost.

Scwame, I take your post as about "choices and commitment".
It seems you must be referring to players who initially tried out and made your Club team, but when they found out what they were initially told by your Club Coach and Club was not going to be what really has occurred, decided to seek other options and either not play or play elsewhere. It always seem the "commitment" is a "one-way street". It's always the player who must be committed, not the Club. It is always the players and parents who get the "commitment" e mail when the Coach hears rumblings of player and parent discontent. Quite ironic (and correct me if I am wrong) but a certain Coach "harps" on commitment, yet he chooses to go on vacation rather than train your team the week prior to State Cup. And your results in State Cup play indicate you might have been better off had he been with your team.
Your quote- "Choices have to be made by players and coaches but they need to be clear up front and upheld through the whole season" is so true. Too bad it does not always work out that way.

Some were asking about deadlines. Just got this below in my inbox today. Looks like Saturday is it.

Somewhat confusing for us newbies to ODP. Stlll states coaching staff announced next week (same message as on Nov 4th). This now would be after registration deadline that just sounds odd and no details on pricing, etc. I am confused.

We have a number of kids who might be interested at younger age groups (including one of mine) but I'm not sure how I could register them without additional information.

Does anyone know how the 99/00 developmental teams will work, what is the cost at this younger age, and what's involved?

Anyway. here is the latest email from ODP ADVISORY COMMITTEE...

Quote:

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ONLY 4 DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER FOR ODP
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 20, 2010
Birth Year 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 & 2000 are eligible for this program.

District Tryouts: Sunday, December 5
Boys from 10am–12pm (Registration starts at 9am)
Girls from 2-4pm (Registration starts at 1pm)
Coastal District: Patriots Point, Mount Pleasant
Midstate District: BB&T, Columbia
Piedmont District: MESA, Greenville

Note: 15-20 players from each district will be invited to attend the State Team Tryouts on Sunday, December 19

Note: If you are unable to attend tryouts on December 5th. for any reason you must register for the ODP Tryouts online at www.SCYSA.org by the deadline. You must also inform Allen Bishop, SCYS ODP Administrator, of your intentions prior to the District Tryouts (December 5). Please note that your excuse must be approved by Allen Bishop and documented as well.

State Tryouts: Sunday, December 19 @ BB&T
Boys from 10am–12pm (Registration starts at 9am)
Girls from 2-4pm (Registration starts at 1pm)
Note: Attendance at the State Tryouts are by invitation only.

Next week we will be sending out the list of coaches for the respective age groups.

Click here to register for ODP Tryouts Now!

https://ssl.demosphere.com/scripts/runisa.dll?s7:gp::72182+regis/guidelines

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Soccerpop, I was proposing a future world order that could be a solution to some of the current problems and/or frustration. It doesn't exist now. I don't know about all clubs but at least in some clubs there traditionally has been no input and very little say from the check writers. It just seems to me if we could separate the leagues out, and/or the parents can have some input and/or it is very clear up front what the players are signing on or trying out for then you would hope there would not be a commitment issue. I agree, commitment needs to be a two way street with clear information up front by both parties - players and coaches. I can't say I know what you are talking about with regards to state cup but I suspect that is a whole other subject regarding individual coaches which probably isn't a forum issue. I would hope as a community we could come up with a way to change the system for the better be it ODP, club soccer and player development.