SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Girls Varsity Soccer HS vs Club coach?

I guess the Charleston area can stand one more soccer club

Most stayed where they were last year..Sprinkled around the lowcountry..Mostly between BFA and SSC

Farkas:
That is my point, you can't find one great girl playing HS soccer let alone eleven (11) that dosn't play club ball. Success in HS soccer is tied to club soccer.

There are varying degrees of club players out there playing high school soccer. Some play R3PL, some play Challenge and some play Classic.

There are also girls playing high school soccer who have quit playing club soccer all together, some who play rec soccer, and some who contribute significantly to the varsity high school team, but don't play soccer in the off season at all (basketball players, swimmers, x-country runners).

If you have a good high school coach, you can make a run at a state title with a mix of these players.

True..eleven clubs players will get you wins but not championships..Coaches decide game plans..who is starting and when players need to come off and go on the field..A good coach is a necessity for success..I don't mean to step on toes but I would rather have a COACH that can educate than an educator that can coach..If that makes any sense to you.

Agreed, Hurst...to say "you can't find one" is an overstatement. There are those athletes who can occasionally come out of nowhere and, with the right training and encouragement, make even a long-time club player look a little silly in a 1v1 situation.

Trouble is, soccer isn't a 1v1 sport, and a couple of great athletes have trouble making a difference when things don't come together to get them the ball in the right place at the right times--which, I think, causes these players to be underrated and often go unnoticed.

I think club training is at its greatest advantage when you have a significant number of players from the same HS team also playing together at club in the off-season...not only do they get the extra training and touches on the ball, but they also get the extra time learning to work with each other, knowing what to expect from teammates, and perfecting combination play with each other as well as individual skill.

If you look at some of the most successful teams in my area (Wando, James Island, West Ashley, Summerville) you'll see that many of these young people have not only played year-round for years and gotten the benefit of the extra time and coaching, but many of them have also managed to play TOGETHER for that extra time...which, IMHO, makes an even bigger difference in team play than the individual coaching.

I have yet to see a non club player making any impact at the HS level. Can anyone on this board name a single non club player who made an impact last weekend at stone stadium? Heck i'll go one further, did a single non club player even make it onto the field in the 3A-or 4-A girls games?

Sweet,
Define "impact." If your definition is restricted to playing in a state championship game, then maybe not...but then I could also show you dozens and dozens of high-level club players who also apparently made "no impact."

If you're talking about having an impact on the overall success and dynamics of a team within their competitive level, then I could cite you examples, yes.

Here's one from close to home, that doesn't involve winning state but does involve making a difference (aka "impact")

2005 season: Berkeley loses to Wando 0-9, West Ashley 0-12, and James Island 0-13.

2006 season: A home-grown freshman keeper, with no prior club experience and no prior formal keeper training, and supported by a team with NO club players, holds Wando and James Island to 3 goals and West Ashley to 2.

Championship? No. Stone Stadium? No. Impact on overall team play and effectiveness? Huge.