Blitzed wrote:I have had my kids play in Classic League for a long time and now, as the end to my eldest child's Classic League career is coming into sight, I find myself wondering whether my kids would have been better served going a different route than the North Texas / Classic League way.

I have come to believe the pressure to win that comes with Classic League through the promotion and relegation is detrimental to development. It seems now that there is so much riding on these U11 games that most players are taught to get rid of the ball as soon as possible to avoid making a mistake. Young players need to be able to make mistakes, it is how they learn.

I think we play 11 v 11 too early. Most of the rest of the country doesn't go to 11 v 11 until U13 while we start at U11. A lot of youth academy teams are going to 11 v 11 at U10 because of the pressure to do well in the QT tournament. The traditional soccer powerhouses have their youth playing mainly small sided formats like futsal but we seem to be doing the opposite and pushing the 11 v 11 format earlier and earlier.

I understand that Classic league exists to service the clubs and the clubs exist because they provide a service that a lot of us are willing to pay for but I think this system has become something that is good for the clubs and coaches but perhaps not as good for the players. I tried to think of any changes Classic League has made since my kids started playing that were beneficial to the player. I am sure there are some but I couldn't think of any. I thought of a few changes that are not beneficial to the player: Elimination of n+1 (clubs now less responsive to the players since they usually keep the bye), limiting substitutions to 7 per half and players may only enter the game once per half for U13 and above (coaches have an excuse to not play their bench since their starter can't return once they take them out. This was rescinded after 1 year for D2&D3 but is still the rule for D1), increasing the number of players on the roster by 2 (more money for the clubs, less playing time for the players)

I am not trying to criticize Classic League. There are a lot of great players that have played in this league. The reason why I am thinking about this is because I have a kid who will be U11 next season and I am wondering whether taking a different path this time around might be better. Perhaps only playing futsal and small sided outdoor until U13 and then trying to join a Classic League team. Maybe staying in rec and paying for individual skills until U13 ($3000/year can buy a lot of skill sessions). Or maybe joining one of the residency programs that the Texans and FC Dallas provide instead of playing in Classic League.

I guess what I am wondering is if you had this soccer experience to do all over again, what would you do?

Laimport wrote:C'mon guys.

You make it sound like the coaches are in it for the money!...LOL!!

Durty-Tackle wrote:This topic really makes my blood boil. I have felt the same way for some time and please know that you are not alone.

I went against the grain and have loved every minute of it. Let me explain.

I have one BB that is a D1 CL player and another BB that easily could be. Right before signing, my BB told me he did not want to play soccer anymore. He was sick of all the pressure and how the coach just pushed and pushed so much. He told me he hated soccer. My heart was broken for him. I could not believe that I had paid for a coach to basically suck all the life out of the game and essentially break my son. (This is current D1 coach)

I asked him if he would like to play rec instead. He was hesitant but after about a week of thinking about it, he told me yes.

This is where the magic started. I got to coach him again and have loved every minute of it. He got back to having fun and loving the game. I get to teach him and the team how I wish he would have been taught by his academy coaches. I get to show them tons of skills. How to turn and receive the ball, set plays, tactics, quick 1 touch passing, triangle passing, 1v1 moves, lots of 3v3 scrimmages, lots of futsal....it's awesome. I went in with the attitude of developing these players to love the game and not to go for wins.

This was taken straight out of Albertin Montoya's philosophy.

The result has been very impressive. Parents have told me that their child's attitude and confidence has soared. I had kids that would never take shots (or scoring in 3 years of soccer) to actually becoming consistant good little goal scorers.

I tell the kids to be creative and try the moves that I show them. When they mess up, they don't get yelled at...they get commended for trying the move.


I know what some will say, "But CL teaches the kids to be quick and play with other kids with really good skills. And you can't ge better unless you are around better players...bla bla bla"

Just for grins, my older BB's coach will let my younger son play or scrimmage with them...and guess what. He has no problem scoring on older D1 boys. He may not have the speed, but he has the skill to deceive and get the shot off every time. And guess what...he smiling the whole time.

Was is worth it...yes. Does my son love the game again...yes.

It was the best decision I ever made. If I had to do it all over again, I would have done the same with my older BB.

newparent wrote:

omega striker wrote:is ridiculous to have relegation.

I have witness a team who tried to play possesion soccer but the coach yanked the kids off the field and put in his more useful kickballing specialist! if they wanted to play it was either "kick ball" or "bench" coach should put in huge letters on the contract and a big sign on their practice field ONLY KICKBALLERS ALLOWED!

a lot of coaches incorrectly assume that kids know most of it by U11...when a lot of kids don't!

allen04 wrote:

a lot of coaches incorrectly assume that kids know most of it by U11...when a lot of kids don't!

Which is why you need to put your kids into a youth academy as soon as possible and knock it off with this whole "let them play rec until they go select" nonsense.

GIGO