SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP Where are all the minorities in youth club soccer?

CA,it's great to see your club trying to bring in minorities, but here in the upstate the big youth soccer club is located in one of the wealthiest areas of the upstate, and i could be wrong, but i've never seen the big club offer any free soccer programs in low income areas to try and bring in potential great athletes from these areas. these low income areas are producing some of the best baseball, basketball and football players in the state, but no soccer players are coming from these areas. Could it be that volunteers in these other sports are offering their time and training for free, and the big soccer club will only do it if their getting paid. That's what it looks like.

Dawgs,
Why go through the charade? Just go ahead and say what you want to say. The title should have read "CESA charges too much money." You're a broken record.

dawgs, unless you really are trying to say something else (as loc is suggesting) look at the coaches for (youth) baseball, basketball and football. Typically, they are "just" parents.

Think about it; if you were born, let's say, prior to 1980 (just throwing a date out there) there is a very good chance that you played two or three of those sports growing up (either organized or pick-up); and after you stopped playing one or more of them, you kept watching it on tv. So, most of the parents of youth baseball, basketball and football players have been around those sports, in some way, most of their lives.

Now look at your typical soccer parent. The vast majority of these parents only started learning about soccer after their child(ren) started playing. Learning the game, without having played it for some amount of time, has its disadvantages. Not saying those parents can't learn the game, because they can, and do; but there a things about it that are much easier to understand if you've actually been out there on the pitch, or have been involved in it for many years.

Here's a question for you: do those sports have the same types of coaching licensure that soccer does? (or any at all?) None of the parents who coached my children in baseball, basketball or softball had any kind of license. I knew several people who coached football, and they definitely did not.

And in addition to that, there are plenty of travel teams in baseball and basketball where coaches are paid.

Here's a question for you: do those sports have the same types of coaching licensure that soccer does? (or any at all?) None of the parents who coached my children in baseball, basketball or softball had any kind of license. I knew several people who coached football, and they definitely did not.

Excellent question! Licensing primarily serves to make money for USSF or NSCAA. I read an article in the last NSCAA Journal about a high school coach that has won more than 800 games and multiple state titles, but has no license. Is he a worse coach because of it? Or is a "dad" that attends two weekends to obtain a "D" license a better coach because he's been "trained?"

Hatch,

While I believe that the "concept' of licensure is a good thing, its application does not guarantee anything. I've known absolutely brilliant coaches (in many sports) who don't hold a license or certification, and I've seen my share of licensed clowns.

To me, a far more relevant metric would be for a competent, trusted evaluator to "observe" (with no prior notice) a coach during a training session and game, then offer suggestions for improvement.

Which SHOULD happen in-house at all clubs, by the way. But does it?

There is a team called CESA Alfa (u15 boys). I don’t know the whole story but I spoke with a parent about the team. They are a CESA travel team but they are not typical. The team has lower fees because the have volunteers that coach. (This team is very well coached.) Most of the team is hispanic and I was told that any child who wants to play soccer may join the team. The ages of the kids vary greatly (some are much younger than 14) but they are a talented bunch. They won 10 league games this fall and they won tournament where I saw them play. I don’t know if CESA assists in any way other than allowing the team to save some club fees but CESA is making it more affordable for this dollar conscious team.

It did happen at the Carolina Girls club years ago..Andy Grist was the DOC and he would travel every weekend following his teams to evaluate not just the team but the coaches..He had a syllabus for the coaches to follow so that the training was consistant..He was ahead of his time..He was doing this ten years ago..