The Offer

At the end of the tryout period is the all anticipated “OFFER” for those coming out of a recreational environment, this might be the strangest part of club soccer.  Your 8, 9 or 10 year old is presented with a formal offer for the team and then you are provided a contract to sign for the year.  Crazy when you think about it, but that is the way it works….

It is an exciting time the first time you get the offer.  Your kid is wanted for a club team, but it is important to make sure you understand what you are committing to and what the offer really means.  At the younger ages and lower levels of play it’s really pretty simple, will your player develop in the environment created by the coach, club and teammates.  That should be the main concern, is the environment good and will my player develop.  If the answer is yes, join the team and enjoy the ride.  (if you don’t know if you are at a high level or a low level, we will be posting an article on leagues and levels in the future).  

These are one year commitments and those commitments go both ways.  Most coaches are looking to create teams that can stick together for the long haul, but at the younger ages rosters need to be expanded as the players progress up the age ladder and also as the teams become more competitive.  So a U10 team playing flight 3 can get by with 9 or 10 players, but if they are playing flight 1, they likely need 12.  One size does not fit all.  A roster should be evaluated every year and players that deserve to move up should be promoted and those players that need a lower level of play should move down or stay at that level.  Never take it personal, most coaches are looking for the right fit for the squad.

Older and Higher Flight Considerations

At the older ages and higher levels, it is a very different decision process and as a parent there are some key questions you want to ask, or have your player ask, depending on the age.  There are differences between a U11 flight 3 situation and a U16 ECNL or MLS Next situation, those differences are beyond the scope of this article.

Questions to Consider with the Offer

• Where does your player fit in?
  • Are they a starter? 
  • First off the bench? 
  • Or a Reserve destined to guest with the team at the level below or only play in garbage time?
• How many players are on the team?
• What formation does the team run?
• What position do you see my player playing (you may be surprised by the answer to this question)?
• What do you like about me/my player?
• What expectations do you have of me (my player) as a player?
• What will make me (my player) successful on your team?
• How many days a week do we practice?
• How active are you in the college recruitment process? (Older ages only)
• Will you be the coach?
  • Is there a coaching staff?
  • How many teams do you Coach?
• How would you describe your coaching style?
• What’s the cost?

Conclusion

The Club year lasts for a full year (even though the primary season is only part of that calendar year – see our post here on that), it’s a long time and you should go into the year with as much information as possible.  That being said, understand that the coach does not control every aspect of the team, parents, players, the club, league, city, and a lot of other factors impact a soccer year.  Knowing what you are getting with your coach though, is one thing you should be able to count on.

If you are chasing wins and not development, feel free to disregard all of this and just get on a team that racks up the trophies, but understand when high school and college coaches are looking at players, they care about the player’s abilities more than anything else and won’t be looking at your U10 trophy case.  Player development is the key (see our article here).

Please check out our entire Modern Soccer Parent section of the website here.

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