can a player leave select for a year and return later?

Anyone have any experience, advice, or expertise regarding a young select player leaving the select level to play rec and/or train privately, then return to select soccer the next year?

• What are the risks of a select player laying off a year?
  
• What might the benefits be?
  
• How easily can she return to select soccer the next year?
  
• What is the paperwork/process through North Texas Soccer and with her club?
  
• Can she play rec with no problem or issues (as far as paperwork, etc)?
  

She loves soccer and is a good player, but is open to taking a break. She has also had an nagging injury that we would like to see given an opportunity to heal completely.

In order:
The "risks" are that she wont receive the quality of coaching that the good select coaches provide. There are some good rec coaches of course, and bad select coaches, but the professional coaches who know their business are almost invariably coaching a select team. You can reduce the risk by perhaps investigating private coaching opportunities, camps, etc. Some of the better coaches will of course be able to do this (assuming they have time and you make it worth their while). A further "risk" is that she will not have a high level of competition for a year. Most Rec games will be slower and against less skilled girls/teams.

The benefits would be (as seems to be the case) she would avoid "burnout" if she is on the edge. Also you will have more money to spend on non soccer things.

How easily she returns depends on several things, including what you might mean by return. Is she 11 yrs old, wanting to return when she is 13? Or 13 yrs old wanting to return when 15? It matters. Does she want to come back to the same team/coach? No agreement exists which would guarantee her a spot on the same team, or on any team for that matter. She can always try new teams and join them provided she is invited after try outs, and you want to spend the $ and sign the contract.

No paperwork required just to take a year off. You just need to register her in your association for rec. Unless you want a release mid-year, then the paperwork is a "release to rec" which should be no problem and a rubber stamp process.

No issues playing rec next year, but if you want her to play rec in the spring, she would need a NTX release.

Hope that helps!

on_the_pitch wrote:Anyone have any experience, advice, or expertise regarding a young select player leaving the select level to play rec and/or train privately, then return to select soccer the next year?

• What are the risks of a select player laying off a year?
  
• What might the benefits be?
  
• How easily can she return to select soccer the next year?
  
• What is the paperwork/process through North Texas Soccer and with her club?
  
• Can she play rec with no problem or issues (as far as paperwork, etc)?
  

She loves soccer and is a good player, but is open to taking a break. She has also had an nagging injury that we would like to see given an opportunity to heal completely.

Can't and won't comment on your 1st 3 questions.

Regarding your last 2:

[*]What is the paperwork/process through North Texas Soccer and with her club?

Got to http://www.ntxsoccer.org/youthforms.aspx and download the Release Form. If all you want is a release to Rec., you do not need any signatures from the club. You can fill it out and take it straight to NTSSA to get her released to Rec.

There is no paperwork or anything that needs to be completed with the club. How you handle any remaining unpaid dues for the year is between you and the club. If you signed a payment agreement with the club back in July, then legally, you are bound to those payments. If you walk away from unpaid dues, the club could take you to small claims court to recover that money. It's highly unlikely that a club would go that far, but you should be aware that it is a possibility. Basically, how you handle the separation with your current coach and club will fall into the "are you burning bridges" category, which could impact a possible opportunity for your DD down the road. You'll have to assess what the risk is and how you want to handle it.

[*]Can she play rec with no problem or issues (as far as paperwork, etc)?

As long as you get a rec release from NTSSA prior to April 1, 2013, she will have no problem playing rec. After April 1, you can't get a rec release for the current soccer year (current soccer year ends on June 30, 2013).

On July 1, 2013, a new soccer year begins, and everything starts fresh. After July 1, 2013, she will be a rec player unless/until she fills out, signs, and submits a new competitive player registration form with NTSSA for 2013-2014.

Hope that helps.

Thanks, Santos, that does help. You, too, B-dub, but not sure why you won't comment on my first three questions. It's just advice, personal opinion, and experience with this that I'm seeking. Your opinion is just that--an opinion--which I would really appreciate being you post on this forum often, and have no doubt read many, many threads. I can sort through and determine if your opinion is one that I care to apply to our situation. This is a forum where the breadth of knowledge and experience is a huge advantage, hence my post for input. U12 now, would return U14 year, if that helps...

on_the_pitch wrote:Anyone have any experience, advice, or expertise regarding a young select player leaving the select level to play rec and/or train privately, then return to select soccer the next year?

• What are the risks of a select player laying off a year? Other players will develop faster.
  
• What might the benefits be?
  None that I can think of...probably more harm than good.
  
• How easily can she return to select soccer the next year?
  Easy as trying out and making a roster, as long as it is not mid-year. If playing rec will need a release.
  
• What is the paperwork/process through North Texas Soccer and with her club?
  Rec release or any other release they deem necessary, would also need a practice release if wanting to practice with a team prior to joining.
  
• Can she play rec with no problem or issues (as far as paperwork, etc)?
  I believe any select player going to play rec would be welcomed in the player pool. Just don't think you are doing her any favors by playing rec, go play a lower level select if it is too competitive. If it is a financial decision, then that is a different story all together.
  

She loves soccer and is a good player, but is open to taking a break. She has also had an nagging injury that we would like to see given an opportunity to heal completely.

You can let the injury heal correctly by having a stern conversation with coach, that is not their (the coach's) decision and is not in the best interest of the player.

To even try to give a answer one must know what age she is, what is her approxamate skill level and what are the long term goals in soccer. All of 3 of these impact the possible risks/benifits.

U12 would be a great time to skip a year or two and return at HS age. How big an impact will it have. Is she the type to practice on her own, always juggling , knocking a ball into a wall, pickup games after school? If not then her skills may suffer greatly and it will take a while to catch up. Is she a supporting player in a mid or lower level league, a stud in a top league ? Is college ball a goal. If this is just something she enjoys it really does not matter. If she is really athletic she will catch back up. If a top college program is the end goal then 1 year now would be fine, 2 probably not advisable.

No matter what all the "experts" will say about her development, the bottom line is if her body or mind want or need the time off then do it. Come back when she wants to, not when she "should"

my2cents wrote:To even try to give a answer one must know what age she is, what is her approxamate skill level and what are the long term goals in soccer. All of 3 of these impact the possible risks/benifits.

U12 would be a great time to skip a year or two and return at HS age. How big an impact will it have. Is she the type to practice on her own, always juggling , knocking a ball into a wall, pickup games after school? If not then her skills may suffer greatly and it will take a while to catch up. Is she a supporting player in a mid or lower level league, a stud in a top league ? Is college ball a goal. If this is just something she enjoys it really does not matter. If she is really athletic she will catch back up. If a top college program is the end goal then 1 year now would be fine, 2 probably not advisable.

No matter what all the "experts" will say about her development, the bottom line is if her body or mind want or need the time off then do it. Come back when she wants to, not when she "should"

U12 now, would return U14--and yes, she lives and breathes soccer, is disciplined both on the field and off (will not drink a coke, even if I offer her one). But she also has a mature attitude and sees where a break might make the "long haul" a little easier. We realize that this will not be an option at all in a few years.

on_the_pitch wrote:Thanks, Santos, that does help. You, too, B-dub, but not sure why you won't comment on my first three questions. It's just advice, personal opinion, and experience with this that I'm seeking. Your opinion is just that--an opinion--which I would really appreciate being you post on this forum often, and have no doubt read many, many threads. I can sort through and determine if your opinion is one that I care to apply to our situation. This is a forum where the breadth of knowledge and experience is a huge advantage, hence my post for input. U12 now, would return U14 year, if that helps...

It's because I am not qualified to comment on your first 3 questions. I have one kid playing select soccer and she has never gone from select -> rec -> select, or even considered it. I also have never spoken to anyone who has a DD or BB who has gone through that transition.

I try to make it a habit to only comment publicly on areas where I have experience or legitimate knowledge. Sometimes I'm clearly more successful at that than others.

I can comment on your last 2 questions because I have been a team manager for a select team in NTX, and have been through situations that required me to have good knowledge of the NTSSA rules.

I can only add this... We had 2 players from my DD's '01 team (LHGCL D1 Supergroup at U11, now LHGCL D2 at U12) that got rec releases in January of our U11 year. They played rec in PYSA last Spring, and are now back playing select for a team in PPL D1. So clearly it is possible. However, I have not seen or spoken to the parents of either of those players since they left my DD's team, so I have no idea how easy or difficult it was for them go from select->rec->select, and what issues they encountered, if any.

bwgophers wrote:

on_the_pitch wrote:Thanks, Santos, that does help. You, too, B-dub, but not sure why you won't comment on my first three questions. It's just advice, personal opinion, and experience with this that I'm seeking. Your opinion is just that--an opinion--which I would really appreciate being you post on this forum often, and have no doubt read many, many threads. I can sort through and determine if your opinion is one that I care to apply to our situation. This is a forum where the breadth of knowledge and experience is a huge advantage, hence my post for input. U12 now, would return U14 year, if that helps...

It's because I am not qualified to comment on your first 3 questions. I have one kid playing select soccer and she has never gone from select -> rec -> select, or even considered it. I also have never spoken to anyone who has a DD or BB who has gone through that transition.

I try to make it a habit to only comment publicly on areas where I have experience or legitimate knowledge. Sometimes I'm clearly more successful at that than others.

I can comment on your last 2 questions because I have been a team manager for a select team in NTX, and have been through situations that required me to have good knowledge of the NTSSA rules.

I can only add this... We had 2 players from my DD's '01 team (LHGCL D1 Supergroup at U11, now LHGCL D2 at U12) that got rec releases in January of our U11 year. They played rec in PYSA last Spring, and are now back playing select for a team in PPL D1. So clearly it is possible. However, I have not seen or spoken to the parents of either of those players since they left my DD's team, so I have no idea how easy or difficult it was for them go from select->rec->select, and what issues they encountered, if any.

Great, see I knew you had sumthin--thanks!

If she wants to take a break and heal, then the benefits of some time off from the competitive level far outweigh any negative side effects.

Will the girls that she's competing against now be more experienced than her when she gets back? Yes. Will she potentially come back healthy and fresh with a renewed love for the game? Yes.

The only real risk I see... During her time off she may find something that inspires her even more than soccer. Then she decides to pursue that activity instead. But... that's not really a negative is it? That's ultimately a positive decision that both you and your DD made together to set her up for real success.

It's her life in athletics, let her own it.

Now is the time for some Public Enemy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK8sxngSWaU

A player can take off a year with little if any setbacks. I've seen it on numerous occasions. And believe it or not, the player can even play very little soccer during the break and still get back to form after a few months of training. In the case you've presented, the girl is given time to heal, gets to check out different interests to make sure she really loves select soccer as much as she thinks, and can then make an educated decision if she wants to return and at what level. If she's a D1 player but then comes back to a D3 team, so what? As long as the player remains active and out of trouble (not too much free time on her hands), what's the big deal? It's not as though she's likely in for a huge scholarship payoff to the university of her choice in the future anyway. What a great opportunity to prioritize.

I have a daughter who took off two years (9th and 10th grade). She did play club and high school basketball though. Rusty would be a good word to describe coming back, but the ball skills and foot skills do come back. She was pretty hard on herself after her first game. I think she expected to be back to where she left off. I had to remind her that during her break, the other girls have practices 2-3 times a week, and played about 100 games (club, tournaments, high school). Having to work her way from the bench to quality playing time gave her a new perspective too. Looking back, she had pretty much had it with all the BS involved with club soccer. She was burned out, but we saw her potential though and encouraged her to stick with it. In hindsight, the break was good for all of us and she was able to evaluate what soccer meant to her. In the end, I'd say she was happy with how everything turned out. Hope this helps. Others may have had a different experience.