When is enough enough

We recently joined an FC Dallas team. We were told the team had a bi into LH. Come to find out (after signing) there was no bi and we played in the QT but did not make it. The coach has several other teams and rarely makes our games (in fact he only has been to 1 game so far). We also were told that we would have practices 2 a week (tues/thur). That has not been the case and we practice randomly with spur of the notice notification, on odd days and locations. Up until recent we were paying a fee for practice at futsol facility that he owns. There was a prior post about that and we have not heard about a fee of recent. The coach says that his boss has not gotten his scheduling corrected to where we have a practice field at the locations paid for by our fee.

When does it become a bigger problem than talking to the coach asst coach and manager who tend to cover for the coach. Practice last night was called last minute and when the few girls who were there showed up, I was told the coach was not there and instead the asst coach practiced with the girls and some random man no one is certain who he is. Notice was never sent telling the team the coach would not be at practice. Nor is there ever notice that he will not be at games. He just doesn't show.

Is it time to go to a higher above? Any help with this would and is appreciated.

Feeling frustrated and taken by this man and this club.

Assuming all of the above is correct, the time to go to upper management was about 3 months ago.

You're paying the same fees as other teams who don't have the same issues.

I agree with jogobonito06.

That is not the status quo at FCD. We have a very good history with the club and have always had great coaching & communication. Our DD's coach is always at games and all practices (which occur twice a week).

I would set up a face-to-face meeting with the DOC. Bring other parents with you to validate your situation. Bring documentation (games missed, practices missed, etc...)

Call him out on here...problem solved.

I rarely recommend calling out a coach. However, this situation calls for just that. Hit him where it hurts...in recruitment / $.

Lucy Loo wrote:We recently joined an FC Dallas team.  We were told the team had a bi into LH.  Come to find out (after signing) there was no bi and we played in the QT but did not make it.  The coach has several other teams and rarely makes our games (in fact he only has been to 1 game so far).  We also were told that we would have practices 2 a week (tues/thur).  That has not been the case and we practice randomly with spur of the notice notification, on odd days and locations.  Up until recent we were paying a fee for practice at futsol facility that he owns.  There was a prior post about that and we have not heard about a fee of recent.  The coach says that his boss has not gotten his scheduling corrected to where we have a practice field at the locations paid for by our fee.

When does it become a bigger problem than talking to the coach asst coach and manager who tend to cover for the coach.  Practice last night was called last minute and when the few girls who were there showed up, I was told the coach was not there and instead the asst coach practiced with the girls and some random man no one is certain who he is.  Notice was never sent telling the team the coach would not be at practice.  Nor is there ever notice that he will not be at games.  He just doesn't show.

Is it time to go to a higher above?  Any help with this would and is appreciated.

Feeling frustrated and taken by this man and this club.

Well past the time to say something.

Contact the Director of Coaches.

The bold statement is simply untrue.  FC Dallas has a scheduler that handles all the scheduling - all the coach has to do is let the scheduler know the time / location of their practices and the scheduler provides weekly field assignments.  The coach's boss would not have anything to do with his field assignments.

Cleansheets wrote:Call him out on here...problem solved.

I would call him out here, however it may be detrimental to your DD to do it now. Talk with the DOC and get his input first, see if another team is an option. Then let him have it on here. You know the old saying never fire your worker before their shift, wait till after they have pulled the double you so desperately need covered first.

You certainly have a case for getting a full release, if you want to go that way. Sounds like a bait and switch situation. Unfortunately, my experience, with FCD, was terrible and reeked of a money grab. I doubt the DOC even cares. Just keep the money to rolling in to feed the beast.

Put the coach and the venue on blast here and on social media. Call every number you can find for FC Dallas. Call his wife and mom and tell them what a terrible human being he is. Report the strange man to the police.

You can also sick Soapboxmom on them.. Heads will roll

SteamingBean wrote:You can also sick Soapboxmom on them.. Heads will roll

This might be the best post of 2016.......

Lucy Loo wrote:We recently joined an FC Dallas team.  We were told the team had a bi into LH.  Come to find out (after signing) there was no bi and we played in the QT but did not make it.  The coach has several other teams and rarely makes our games (in fact he only has been to 1 game so far).  We also were told that we would have practices 2 a week (tues/thur).  That has not been the case and we practice randomly with spur of the notice notification, on odd days and locations.  Up until recent we were paying a fee for practice at futsol facility that he owns.  There was a prior post about that and we have not heard about a fee of recent.  The coach says that his boss has not gotten his scheduling corrected to where we have a practice field at the locations paid for by our fee.

When does it become a bigger problem than talking to the coach asst coach and manager who tend to cover for the coach.  Practice last night was called last minute and when the few girls who were there showed up, I was told the coach was not there and instead the asst coach practiced with the girls and some random man no one is certain who he is.  Notice was never sent telling the team the coach would not be at practice.  Nor is there ever notice that he will not be at games.  He just doesn't show.

Is it time to go to a higher above?  Any help with this would and is appreciated.

Feeling frustrated and taken by this man and this club.

No DD on this team but know a little about the situation. At signing this team did have a bye. Bye's were not totally settled and were several changes made after signing day. This team ended up losing the bye once the dust settled. The coach was not involved in decision what to do with the bye.

I don't recommend calling anyone out on this blog. It usually does not end well. Have you spoken directly to the coach about your concerns? If not, that is the first step, then escalate or ask for a full release or transfer to another team in the club. Having experience with several clubs, this club is no different than any of the large clubs where money is a big issue, even if club is legally setup as a non-profit organization.

Regarding practice field scheduling, it is an issue. A scheduler is available but they have constraints with certain fields, days of availability, number of teams, weather, blackout dates on fields, etc. Surely this can be worked out but it's more complicated than most are aware of. They should practice 2 days a week unless have a weekday game, weather issues, etc. My DDs team had no practices between her last 2 games but that was no fault of the coach, other issues.

It is my understanding this coach has some games filmed and has had film review sessions. Most coaches do not do this.

I would suggest giving benefit of a doubt until speaking directly with the coach and fully understand their perspective. Hearing from you might result in a better understanding and a change you would appreciate.

Soccerdood wrote:

Lucy Loo wrote:We recently joined an FC Dallas team.  We were told the team had a bi into LH.  Come to find out (after signing) there was no bi and we played in the QT but did not make it.  The coach has several other teams and rarely makes our games (in fact he only has been to 1 game so far).  We also were told that we would have practices 2 a week (tues/thur).  That has not been the case and we practice randomly with spur of the notice notification, on odd days and locations.  Up until recent we were paying a fee for practice at futsol facility that he owns.  There was a prior post about that and we have not heard about a fee of recent.  The coach says that his boss has not gotten his scheduling corrected to where we have a practice field at the locations paid for by our fee.

When does it become a bigger problem than talking to the coach asst coach and manager who tend to cover for the coach.  Practice last night was called last minute and when the few girls who were there showed up, I was told the coach was not there and instead the asst coach practiced with the girls and some random man no one is certain who he is.  Notice was never sent telling the team the coach would not be at practice.  Nor is there ever notice that he will not be at games.  He just doesn't show.

Is it time to go to a higher above?  Any help with this would and is appreciated.

Feeling frustrated and taken by this man and this club.

No DD on this team but know a little about the situation. At signing this team did have a bye. Bye's were not totally settled and were several changes made after signing day. This team ended up losing the bye once the dust settled. The coach was not involved in decision what to do with the bye.

I don't recommend calling anyone out on this blog. It usually does not end well. Have you spoken directly to the coach about your concerns? If not, that is the first step, then escalate or ask for a full release or transfer to another team in the club. Having experience with several clubs, this club is no different than any of the large clubs where money is a big issue, even if club is legally setup as a non-profit organization.

Regarding practice field scheduling, it is an issue. A scheduler is available but they have constraints with certain fields, days of availability, number of teams, weather, blackout dates on fields, etc. Surely this can be worked out but it's more complicated than most are aware of. They should practice 2 days a week unless have a weekday game, weather issues, etc. My DDs team had no practices between her last 2 games but that was no fault of the coach, other issues.

It is my understanding this coach has some games filmed and has had film review sessions. Most coaches do not do this.

I would suggest giving benefit of a doubt until speaking directly with the coach and fully understand their perspective. Hearing from you might result in a better understanding and a change you would appreciate.

So, are you saying that the coach promised a LH bye based upon representations of the club, but then the club changed its position after getting people signed and yanked the bye?  

A scheduler is available . . . but the coach said it was his boss who could not get the scheduling corrected - so which is it?

And we are 3 1/2 months into the season and the coach still doesn't have it fixed?  Sounds like it must be a priority!

Then you say there are constraints with the fields and number of teams - does FC Dallas have too many teams for 2 practices per week based on the fields they have available? If not, then the scheduler should be able to easily slot the team in the same times on a weekly basis. Are other teams having this problem? What will happen when the grass fields are closed for the winter? Everyone only gets 1 practice per week?

This is ridiculous and starts with poor communication by the coach. (and possibly other questionable issues - special fees to the coach-owned facility?) If you haven't received acceptable answers from the coach / asst / manager - time to talk to the DOC (and good luck with that).

I know FCD may seem like a machine to many, yet others it's a perfect fit with great coaches. Gotta go on a case by case basis. Lot's of clubs have bad apples here and there, like any organization pretty much. We've had good coaches and poor ones at large clubs and indy's. That's what makes the journey interesting ;-)

Talk to DOC first, take documentation...at least enough to get a release with NTX soccer if that's your desire. Then go find someone else or play futsal and go watch a few tournaments with teams you are interested in over the holiday break. Still lots of choices and I feel bad for your situation. We've all had them if you've been in it long enough.

SteamingBean wrote:You can also sick Soapboxmom on them.. Heads will roll

SickofSilliness wrote:

Soccerdood wrote:

Lucy Loo wrote:We recently joined an FC Dallas team.  We were told the team had a bi into LH.  Come to find out (after signing) there was no bi and we played in the QT but did not make it.  The coach has several other teams and rarely makes our games (in fact he only has been to 1 game so far).  We also were told that we would have practices 2 a week (tues/thur).  That has not been the case and we practice randomly with spur of the notice notification, on odd days and locations.  Up until recent we were paying a fee for practice at futsol facility that he owns.  There was a prior post about that and we have not heard about a fee of recent.  The coach says that his boss has not gotten his scheduling corrected to where we have a practice field at the locations paid for by our fee.

When does it become a bigger problem than talking to the coach asst coach and manager who tend to cover for the coach.  Practice last night was called last minute and when the few girls who were there showed up, I was told the coach was not there and instead the asst coach practiced with the girls and some random man no one is certain who he is.  Notice was never sent telling the team the coach would not be at practice.  Nor is there ever notice that he will not be at games.  He just doesn't show.

Is it time to go to a higher above?  Any help with this would and is appreciated.

Feeling frustrated and taken by this man and this club.

No DD on this team but know a little about the situation. At signing this team did have a bye. Bye's were not totally settled and were several changes made after signing day. This team ended up losing the bye once the dust settled. The coach was not involved in decision what to do with the bye.

I don't recommend calling anyone out on this blog. It usually does not end well. Have you spoken directly to the coach about your concerns? If not, that is the first step, then escalate or ask for a full release or transfer to another team in the club. Having experience with several clubs, this club is no different than any of the large clubs where money is a big issue, even if club is legally setup as a non-profit organization.

Regarding practice field scheduling, it is an issue. A scheduler is available but they have constraints with certain fields, days of availability, number of teams, weather, blackout dates on fields, etc. Surely this can be worked out but it's more complicated than most are aware of. They should practice 2 days a week unless have a weekday game, weather issues, etc. My DDs team had no practices between her last 2 games but that was no fault of the coach, other issues.

It is my understanding this coach has some games filmed and has had film review sessions. Most coaches do not do this.

I would suggest giving benefit of a doubt until speaking directly with the coach and fully understand their perspective. Hearing from you might result in a better understanding and a change you would appreciate.

So, are you saying that the coach promised a LH bye based upon representations of the club, but then the club changed its position after getting people signed and yanked the bye?  

A scheduler is available . . . but the coach said it was his boss who could not get the scheduling corrected - so which is it?

And we are 3 1/2 months into the season and the coach still doesn't have it fixed?  Sounds like it must be a priority!

Then you say there are constraints with the fields and number of teams - does FC Dallas have too many teams for 2 practices per week based on the fields they have available?  If not, then the scheduler should be able to easily slot the team in the same times on a weekly basis.  Are other teams having this problem?  What will happen when the grass fields are closed for the winter?  Everyone only gets 1 practice per week?

This is ridiculous and starts with poor communication by the coach. (and possibly other questionable issues - special fees to the coach-owned facility?)  If you haven't received acceptable answers from the coach / asst / manager - time to talk to the DOC (and good luck with that).

The bye thing is very sketchy. I know that the club made the decision on the bye and not the coach, however if recruitment was based on a bye and then it was yanked then that should be taken up with the coach who can then go to age group director to voice the anger from parents. FCD did this up and down the board in all age groups this year with the JDL implementation. Gave the byes to the non JDL teams. Many teams ended up in LH that did not belong. But thats none of my business.

Exact wording regarding practice fields:
"Not sure why I had DSP for Thursday practice, we do not currently have DSP on t/Th. We will go inside until my bosses figure out the field situation, it is getting too dark. I have asked them to get DSP on those days and also to put us on BL schedule. They aren't moving very fast though. Will update when I know. " -- 23 days ago

No need to call anyone out on this blog. They tend to hang themselves in these situations. I do appreciate the input and will go to the DOC (although I expect I will get nowhere based on the comments). My DD is the one who loses in this situation. At least for now!

I went to the DOC (he is now the VP) years ago about a lying, abusive, incompetent boys coach and got nowhere. He only became interested when the coach tried to take the team to another club.

Hope FCD has changed. Good luck.

upper95 wrote:I went to the DOC (he is now the VP) years ago about a lying, abusive, incompetent boys coach and got nowhere.  He only became interested when the coach tried to take the team to another club.

Hope FCD has changed.  Good luck.

The default position is "another crazed, over-involved parent". Until it impacts the revenue stream.
$$$

Not being mean but "not making it though QT" maybe says the team wasn't ready for LH and FCD and or the coach realized it. Take a look throughout the LH standings in all age groups and you'll see examples of teams that were handed byes that are now struggling in that division.

Also, joining a team because of a bye and not the quality of the coach isn't doing you or your daughter any favors and tells me that maybe priorities are a bit screwed up. Sure we all want our DD to play in "the spotlight" but that should not take precedence over the quality of the coach.

As for the other issues it simply seems like you picked a bad coach who isn't very organized, doesn't care, or delegated to someone else who fits these descriptions.

2028 wrote:

SteamingBean wrote:You can also sick Soapboxmom on them.. Heads will roll

Personally if it were me I would sue immediately.

I don't know but I think this is worth oh... say... $100,000!

Just do it and remember if you cash in...it's all for the children!