2nd Time thru.

Anybody with their 2nd or even 3rd DD apply any lessons while going thru the "academy" process for the second time or more?

Maybe keeping the player out of academy saving your money and just having them attend private or even group lessons? Just letting them have fun on a rec team, Or even coach a rec team their selves and use what you have learned with your older kids to help your younger players?

In this race to the bottom seems like parents are lining up to sign their 5 and 6 year olds up for academy teams.

2ndTimethru wrote:Anybody with their 2nd or even 3rd DD apply any lessons while going thru the "academy" process for the second time or more?

Maybe keeping the player out of academy saving your money and just having them attend private or even group lessons? Just letting them have fun on a rec team, Or even coach a rec team their selves and use what you have learned with your older kids to help your younger players?

In this race to the bottom seems like parents are lining up to sign their 5 and 6 year olds up for academy teams.

Just the opposite. The 2nd time through I got my DD in academy as quickly as possible. Who says academy can't be fun as well?
The plan was to try out as many teams/coaches as possible to find the right fit between coach and player. A coach whose focus was on skill and development vs. wins/athleticism. In academy, the coach, not the club, is the most important factor. Luckily, we found that very early in the process. You may be able find the right coach playing rec, but it won't be easy.

3x through.

Perfect world with no parents involved, find a really good academy coach, sit back and enjoy.

In the real world with parents involved (drama), I'd coach #4 on an indie coed team and set the right mix of technical, futsal and outdoor myself.

If you haven't figured it out the first time I feel sorry for anyone the second.

Watch "Gnarls Barkley - Crazy [video] Album Version" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/-N4jf6rtyuw

First time thru might of been so Bat shite crazy, your not sure what is normal. Where is the signups for music lessons?

Academy soccer is a blast if you find the right coach and the right group of kids. Parents need to sit back and just enjoy the soccer.. Don't get on a team focused on the win/loss column. Teams/coaches focused on the win ruins it for everyone. Most of the kids at that age couldn't tell you if they won or lost anyway. Relax and enjoy the ride.

If you don't do academy and your kid truly loves the game and has the talent to play it at competitive levels, she will not learn the game the way she needs to learn it. Skills are only a small piece of the puzzle. At 15 (my oldest can attest) all the girls play hard, speed is leveled out, they all have skills and the only difference is talent/will takes over and learning to play as a team determines success.

The second time thru will be much more expensive w the monopolized soccer and this year is new scrubs for the pay to play clubs. The coaching hasn't changed much since majority of bad coaches are still around. I wish I could count on one hand any good coaches at any club and I can't. I feel sorry for you.

Best of luck.

MedMan needs another dose of whatever he takes..
There are a lot of great academy and up thru 3 yr select coaches out there. Your DD will immediately know after her first week of practice/guest in games who she wants to play for. My advice though is to find a team as close to your home as possible for the young ones. The commute will kill it for your young one more than anything.

2nd Time Through.

I preferred to start in REC for three of reasons.

One is because it is more fun for them. Snacks, Pictures, trophies etc.

Two is to see if they retain interest after a year. If they do not, then we'll look at other active sports or outlets. If they do, then Academy is our next step.

Three is because it is financially friendly.

2nd time....

Find a fun Rec team if you have the time with an academy team as a foundation also. If your kid is “that kid” then she will be dominant in Rec and confident in academy (if not dominant there also.) There will probably never be any smooth sailing but focus on your daughter and not so much the culture of the “team.” It’s easy to get caught up in winning and drinking buddies and birthday parties....I approach this situation with more focus on my daughter being equipped to contribute at any position (outside of keeper lol) on any team vs a coach making her a position player.

We learned at the younger ages to focus on a coach who teaches the basic skills and concepts of the game and keeps it fun for the players.

Red flags for us were coaches who:
. were too focused on team results and rankings at the younger ages
. primary coaching focus was effort and aggression for a result vs learning the game

Find a coach she likes who preaches and teaches basics.
Learn to play with a soccer ball and then learn the game.

TxFutbal wrote:MedMan needs another dose of whatever he takes..
There are a lot of great academy and up thru 3 yr select coaches out there.  Your DD will immediately know after her first week of practice/guest in games who she wants to play for.  My advice though is to find a team as close to your home as possible for the young ones.  The commute will kill it for your young one more than anything.

The commute killed it for me, not her.

Coach wrote:

TxFutbal wrote:MedMan needs another dose of whatever he takes..
There are a lot of great academy and up thru 3 yr select coaches out there.  Your DD will immediately know after her first week of practice/guest in games who she wants to play for.  My advice though is to find a team as close to your home as possible for the young ones.  The commute will kill it for your young one more than anything.

The commute killed it for me, not her.

Agreed

There a lot of good responses here with a lot of good perspectives. We are in the process of going thru the gauntlet for the 4th time - 1 HS kid, 2 DA kids and 1 we will wait and see.
Rec is fun and an introduction, but you get what you pay for.
Academy early has worked well for us. Find a coach that you have confidence in that focuses on skills. The talent level of the team will be important at some point in time, but not early on.
As time passes/getting closer to Select and if your kiddo has pontential, then playing with better players (In my opinion) will become a must. Being surrounded by other talented players will push yours to be better.
Couldn’t agree more with those that implied to not be enamored with “winning”. With that said, don’t be fooled to think that it is not important. Your player will give maximal effort if they know that their teammates want it as much as they do and if they know that they have a chance evertime they step on the field.
When/if you realize that your kiddo might be pretty good, then other investments might be beneficial - camps, skill (individual or group), agility/speed and conditioning training. The more confident they are on the ball, the more they will be willing to showcase their talent.
Hope this helps