SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP South Carolina club soccer is decadent and depraved....

CHT, they who? i was speaking in general terms.

JAK, I would not even attempt to comment on the girl's side of things (usually).

In fact many York county area girls do stay in Charlotte (and points north) to play for clubs becasue the options in York are less than optimal. On the boys side it is harder becasue thier boys season does not match the SC season. There are even are boys choosing to play there and skip high school play, one example would be USC future player Asa Kryst who plays for CSA.

I was refering to girls..It was my understanding that ENCL teams would not be competing any longer in state cups after this year..I think we might all be going in different directions..It does matter whether thay are or not because without a state championship..It's going to be more difficult getting into regions..

Guys, a lot (if not MOST) of the player-transfer from club to club to Academy boils down to simple human nature: i.e., the "grass is greener" syndrome.
Kids and parents seek hypothetical "opportunity" -- to play, be seen, etc. -- rather than settle into the best training environment, which is the single most relevant variable in player development.
I've seen kids transfer from club to club to Academy in the space of 12 months, with absolutely zero evidence of improved play.
Guess my point is, there are many ways to skin a cat. There is room for all. And who wins is largely irrelevant. So why hyperventilate?

Very good posts...How about the kids that leave a good team where the focal point of the offense is on them and play numerous positions to what is suppose to be a better team to find themselves playing a totally different position and makes less of an impact on the better team..Because development to that point had always been on the opposite side of the ball..Sometimes playing with the best can stifle development also..I guess it's just how we look at it..

CHT, so in your example, this kid leaves a team where they are (by your description) an offensive-minded impact player; and go to a supposedly better team where:

1) they find themselves playing a totally different position; not all that odd; the player's new coach might not know them that well and wants to see how they do in a position the player is not all that familiar playing at (I've seen players moved around before to positions that, at the time, just didn't make sense, only to discover that the player was a "natural" at the new position); or, the player's new coach might just be trying to work them onto the field in some way, because they might not otherwise get much playing time in what is their "normal" position because he/she is now the "low man on the totem pole" and for the most part, an unknown.

2) they make less of an impact; well, if they left an "average" team, where they were a standout player, for a much better team, there is a very good chance that they will now be just an "average" player (when I say "average" here, I mean similar in skill, etc, to his/her new teammates) on that much better team. If that's the case, it only makes sense that, at least in the beginning, they are going to make much less of an impact on that new team.

"Because development to that point had always been on the opposite side of the ball." Are you saying that this child can no longer develop because they are now playing a different position than they're used to? Not sure I understand that logic.

As someone whose child plays multiple positions, I can only extol the benefits of versatility. The reality is, kids must learn to play with AND without the ball, on BOTH offense and defense.
Also, as someone who has (extensively) coached another sport, I can tell you that beauty is in the ye of the beholder. Different coaches see different things in the same kid.
Encourage your child to learn, practice and master the total game, and watch his/her playing time increase.

Belli,
Totally understand all your points..To clear a few things up the player left a team that is good but finds itself in second at state cup to the better team..Both teams play region ball..
The coach was well aware of the player and the team because they shared history
Three years now and I don't see the player improving or making more of an impact..
Yes..players should know how to play both sides of the ball but what do teams do when they don't want to run up a score?
Put their defenders up front and forwards in the back or let's just say..play players out of position..
The forwards and defenders I saw playing eight years ago are still playing those positions at the end of their club play..Do players move and have success? Some..but it's not the norm..Most practices I see forwards and midfielders working together and see defenders and midfielders working together..Their practices are planned based on their positions..for example..Defenders see the ball coming one direction and play the ball in one direction most of the practice while midielders play in both directions..Remember while I have had a boy and a girl play..the last three years has been watching girls..Boys probably respond differently..

Realizing that this is a rather extreme either/or ...

I'd much rather have my kid training with the best and struggling for playing time AT THAT LEVEL than training with mediocrities and playing/dominating every minute AT THAT LEVEL.