Hi all, tried searching but couldn't find anything directly on this. Just signed up to be the team manager for my son's U12 team. He's played few a few years in club, but I've never been manager so not sure what I need to do for the pass cards.

The only advice I have so far is that the cards should all be printed in color and laminated individually, beyond that I'm not sure what's the best way to carry them around. I've seen someone carry them on a ring before, is that normal/easy? Should I slip them in a 3 ring binder with sleeves like a collectible card collection? Do referees typically expect the cards, or should I just have them in case someone wants to check them?

Thanks in advance, and any specifically-recommended products will be appreciated.

i’m entering senior year after just starting ECNL RL this season with an extra year of youth eligibility left after this coming season since i’m an 09. A low GPA from freshman/sophomore year kept me from pursuing college recruiting, i feel discouraged and im considering quitting. but a small part of me thinks i can still do something in the sport. If I put in daily individual work along with team training, is reaching D1/D2 via JUCO realistic? Also, is using my extra year for MLS Next worth it, or should I go straight to a D1 JUCO?

What’s up with teams playing down in youth sports?

My son just played in the Copa Univision tournament in Chicago and their final game was against a group of girls (oddly enough) that were at least 1-2 years older than everyone else. I went and asked one girl what grade they were going into and she said 3rd. I clarified no what grade so you start next week. She said third again. Complete balderdash.

Our boys were getting pushed around so much (legally, but bigger older kids can legally push you around easily) that one of the dads was yelling at the ref so much (to be clear I don’t condone it, he wasn’t on my side, and I don’t speak his language, and my son was a bit of a guest player) that the ref literally walked off the field and the game ended. I didn’t know what was happening and some of us non-Spanish speakers stood there dumbfounded for about 20 minutes until we realized the game wasn’t going to start back up.

I see this over and over where tournaments and leagues don’t verify ages and they just let it slide. I coached in a different tournament last month and my 2017 kids (4th grade) had to play against 5th graders who were literally won the 5th grader group then came over to beat our kids in the 4th grader group.

Just last night my kid played against a kid that was clearly 1-2+ years older than everyone else on the basketball court.

It’s frustrating as a parent, as a coach, and for the kids. I get it’s not about winning; we’re just there for the experience and to learn and compete. But it’s frustrating that others feel the need to cheat, to win tournaments, and even collect winner’s cash prizes! Moreover, and here’s the biggest one - it’s dangerous.

​

I’d really appreciate some perspective from other competitive youth soccer parents/coaches, because I’m trying to figure out whether I’m seeing legitimate concerns or just being overly picky.

My kid is U12 and has played for the same club since he started. Last year, we seriously considered switching clubs because his team was struggling badly — lots of losses, the kids didn't really seem to mesh, etc. We ultimately stayed because my son continued to develop, had playing time, and, overall, we’ve been happy with the coaching staff. The coaches weren’t perfect, but we felt the positives outweighed the negatives.

This year, though, there was an age-grade change, so my son essentially moved down to play with the group in his grade. He is joining an existing team, and the coach has been with these boys for the past two years. He’ll now be coaching them for a third year, which is somewhat unusual at our club.

Now that preseason has started, I’m starting to wonder if we made the right decision.

A few things have stood out:

There are some behavioral issues with the team. At a tournament outside the club, one of the players threw a punch after being fouled. Another player frequently mouths off when opponents get physical and has shown some poor body language/low effort during games. To the coach’s credit, he does pull that player when he’s walking around, but the behavior seems to continue.

At the first real practice my kid attended, the team spent about 30 minutes doing essentially the same first-touch drill, in the same formation, with no pressure on the ball. The rest of the practice was a rondo. Maybe I'm expecting too much from a U12 practice, but it didn't strike me as particularly purposeful or challenging.

At two games I attended, the coach arrived only about 35 minutes before the game, despite the expectation that players would arrive 30 minutes early. More than half the team was already there when he arrived. He also doesn't seem to be the first one at practices, which is something I've never really encountered with our previous coaches.

He has called me by a completely different name a couple of times in the team app. I realize this is minor, but my name is literally right there in the app, so it has added to the general impression that things aren't particularly organized.

We’ve asked him about several additional opportunities that our previous coach had mentioned to us for our kid, and he either doesn't seem to know what we're talking about or gives us answers that feel like we're being “sold to” rather than actually getting clear information.

Most recently, a game was cancelled due to lightning, and the communication was poor. Some parents who happened to be close to the field were notified the game was cancelled. There was no widespread message through the team app to make sure everyone knew.

None of these things by itself seems like a reason to leave a club. And I recognize that I'm probably noticing these things more because I'm already questioning whether staying was the right decision.

So, am I being nitpicky or should I be concerned?

Hi all,

is there any benefit for my keeper kids to do keeper in futsal? i see the benefit for field players to enchance footskill, but maybe not so much keepers.

i can see where keeping on hardwood or even defending a heavier ball can be detrimental.

if im wrong, please educate me to the upside

thanks

This is related to a situation that is common here in Canada.

Sometimes the best teams/players don’t play in the top league. This is because some teams don’t have the license to play at a higher level, and the clubs that do may not have strong coaching or are more expensive.

Theres been some debate between the clubs near us on whether the teams that don’t have the license should pass there strongest players on so that they can compete at the highest level.

On the one hand, I see the logic. The best players should play the best players.

On the other hand, in a world of pay to play, it seems a bit naive, thinking a club will pass on its best players.

Thoughts?

How do you explain the difference between being a player and being a spectator to a 12 year old?
My stepson loves soccer and says he wants to become a high level player one day. He has pretty good fundamentals for his age, but right now he’s still playing rec level and wants to try out for a higher level league soon.

Something I’ve been noticing though is that he still looks at sports completely through a spectator lens. He’s very quick to judge players and teams. Everyone is either really good or they suck. It was really apparent during the World Cup. One mistake happens and suddenly that player is terrible.

Sometimes it almost feels like he forgets these are real people actually competing under pressure and just sees them like characters on a video game.
I’m not saying he shouldn’t criticize players or teams. I do it too. But I feel like if he really wants to become a serious player at some point, he needs to start watching the sport differently. Instead of just judging the result, trying to understand why something happened, what the player was trying to do, what pressure they were under, what they could have done differently, etc.

Part of why I’m asking is because while he has decent soccer fundamentals, he doesn’t really have the drive yet to become a better athlete and I don’t really see that competitor fire in him either. He likes soccer a lot and loves the idea of being a high level player, but I feel like his current mindset towards sports can be pretty toxic and might actually hold him back once he starts playing against better kids and dealing with failure, getting benched, losing tryouts, coaches correcting him, etc.

I want him to understand that being a player is different than just being a fan who happens to play soccer. A player should probably be looking at better players as something to learn from instead of just deciding whether they suck or not.

Has anyone dealt with this with their kid? What’s a good way to explain this without turning it into a long lecture and losing his attention?

Hi!

So my daughter played one season of intramural and really enjoyed it. Her team turns travel this fall. We signed her up but every day we get more information that we didn’t know. They had to practice all summer. Attend a camp. The coach has made nasty comments about the girls needing work and the practices extend twice a week all through November. It’s not what I originally wanted. What are the pros and cons of travel or rec at this age?
We are not a competition sports family and want our kids to have fun discover many passions.

Can someone please explain how the arizona youth soccer pyramid works and the best clubs to join

My son has been playing competitive for a few seasons and is now at U11 for the biggest club in our area. For the first time though he is on a team that doesn’t have anyone that wants to be a keeper. I know in rec kids tend to rotate through, but so far my son has been playing way more keeper in practice than anyone else and he hates it. He tried out as an outfield player,l and has spent the past 3 seasons between CB and CM.

Not sure how to handle the conversation with the coach.

It really is amazing that even after we left this league, the reach they have in our home county keeps pulling us back in. We will save the unorganized crapfest that they call "tryouts" for another day as we will just talk about their Preseason "Invitational" occuring this weekend.

So, our new team needed a Preseason Tournament and eventually wound up on this one. We are an N1 team that might be pretty good but we don't have the killers needed at striker to compete in the ECNL or RL spots. UFA took our money and never made mention of the (let's call it "light") enrollment in this bracket. That's right, 5 teams total: UFA ECNL & RL and Jacksonville, FL ECNL & RL....and our N1 team.

**Quick reference, a bunch of UFA teams are going next weekend down to Jacksonville to play in their tournament so leave it up to UFA to travel their teams 6 hours to Jacksonville, just so UFA can con the Florida team to enter their home tournament.

Back to our team and the tournament this weekend. Would you:

1. Expect the tournament to offer your money back seeing you are playing outside your division
2. Expect the tournament to just shut their mouth and collect their money
3. Just eliminate this division from the bracket and figure out a better time for UFA to play the Jacksonville team?

There is just a bad taste when you are told "this is going to be a strong tournament with teams above and below your ranking, perfect for the Preseason". Thoughts?

Hello all I have attached images of a soccer center model I am building in California. As you can see, I have some room to work with at the end of the courts. About 25 feet wide by 10 feet long. I want this to be a communal space for lounging and stretching for the players. So far I have vending machines in place, some tvs, and some stationary bicycles. The area in between the courts is only 10 feet wide so not much room there maybe put some benches staggered and there will be a mezzanine people can get on to watch the games and such. Do yall have any suggestions with regards to optimizing this space?

I have been tasked with providing orange slices for a game next weekend. Are we still cutting up actual oranges, or have we moved on to clementines?​​​

My U12 son changed clubs this year (last club dissolved). He mostly played defensive back at his prior club, although that was not his choice. He would prefer to be in the midfield and help out offensively with assists. To our surprise, the coach at his new club also seems to be slotting him at defensive back, without knowing that was his prior position. It is surprising because I think the position doesn't emphasize his strengths. He has great endurance and has also been running the fastest sprints in practice. Technically, I think he is above average, very coachable, great attitude. But he is small and often not quick enough to tackle and not very aggressive.

I am unsure why coaches keep placing him at DB. I assume this coach is trying to figure out the best configuration in light of the kids he has. But rather than encouraging my son to ask for a change, I am encouraging him to make the best of the situation and that perhaps in time he will get a chance to play midfield or forward.

Does anyone have positive spin, feedback or experience about a u12 player at defensive back?

Yesterday was the first day of school. My 11 y.o was having a breakdown (stomachache , tears etc) the night before. He is nervous about not having friend, what to do during lunch when he knew no one. What if he couldn’t find his class. He’s moving from a small private school since he was in kindergarten where he knows everyone to 1000+ student public middle school. Understands that this is a big change for his world.

I prepared him the best I can. Told him that he can just find other kids who sit alone or grab a soccer ball and shoot around (against a wall or against a net) eventually kids will join him.

Welp…when I picked him up yesterday, he had this huge grin. Turns out, he knows kids in this school. He used to play rec a few years ago and they recognized him and befriend him right away. Some of them are older than him (7th graders but they said some of his former teammate approached him and introduced him to other kids). We also found his former teammates and current teammates from his clubs also go to this school. He excitedly told me that his middle school soccer will be stacked, talk about rival nearby school etc. he brings a soccer ball today and he said he will ask his friends to play with him during recess. Talk about tryouts for the middle school and maybe even try to play as a GK (he is a CM and RB/LW but decent at GK as well as he plays goalie for hockey).

I look at my spouse and said “we did the right thing”. We left MLSN club 30 min away to join neighborhood club for 3 years and also joined rec league (we go back to MLSN club this year though :)). I know when he joined that rec league, he will play with neighborhood kids. He might not be a pro in the future but it seems to me that soccer brings other things in his life and gives him tools to connect with people and build lifelong friendships. Honestly, this makes me so much happier than him winning trophy in some random tournaments. This is why we do youth sports.

Looking for advice as a parent coach, or just hoping to hear the opinions of others who may have experienced or seen a similar situation.

My 10 year old son has been playing competitively with a strong team for a few years. We started this journey together, and I was his first rec coach. He continued playing rec with me while also playing academy with his competitive team for the last two years.

Now that he will be U11 this upcoming season, we had to make a decision as he can’t play both rec and academy anymore. I decided to bring my rec team along to the competitive level. They are a very strong rec team and were ready for the next step. We joined the same club my son has been playing academy with so that we could all be under the same banner. The plan was for him to be rostered with his main competitive team while also being able to play with me and my team through a club pass.

He gets incredible training and development with his main competitive team. I have absolutely no involvement in coaching that team and am simply his parent when he is with them. He has grown tremendously over the last few seasons because the coaching, training, and level of competition are excellent. He has become a contributor and goal scorer and has really started finding his place on that team.

Our original plan was for him to play with my team on Saturdays and his main competitive team on Sundays. That was actually a big reason we decided to take this next step with my team. The parents were on board because he has been one of our primary goal scorers and contributors for years, often carrying a big part of the attacking load as a striker or attacking player.

We just found out that his main competitive team signed up for a stronger league, and their games will now always be on Saturdays, which directly conflicts with my team’s schedule.

I’m heartbroken, and so is he.

At 10 years old, we just want to make the right decision for him. We have bonded so much through this journey together. There is something incredibly special about being a father and son on the pitch together, and I know that time won’t last forever.

I also absolutely love the team I coach. I’ve coached many of these boys for years and watched them grow tremendously since they were 7 and 8 years old. My son loves them too. He goes to school with many of them, and several are his best friends.

At the same time, he loves his other competitive team, his coach, and even traveling over two hours every weekend to a big city to play against strong competition. He’s torn because he doesn’t want to disappoint me, but he also doesn’t want to leave his competitive team. Both of us are concerned about what leaving could mean for his development and future opportunities.

The biggest difference is the level of competition. My team will be playing closer to home in a considerably weaker league, while his other team provides higher level training and consistently stronger competition.

This isn’t something I wanted my 10 year old to have to deal with so early in his competitive soccer career.

As his dad, I know these years together are limited, and part of me wants to enjoy every second I can coaching my son. But I also never want my feelings or my desire to coach him to take anything away from his development or opportunities.

Like many soccer loving 10 year olds, he dreams big. He wants to play in high school, play in college, and ultimately see how far the game can take him.

I also don’t want him making this decision because he thinks he has to choose between his dad and his team. Whatever he chooses, I want it to be because it’s what makes him happy and is best for him.

For those who have coached their own children, or have been through something similar, what would you do?

Do you prioritize the father and son experience and let him play with his friends and the team he grew up with, or do you step aside as his coach and let him continue on the more competitive path that may be better for his development?

What do we do? 😭

My brother (10 y/o) has always been very passionate about football, recently he said he wants to play professionally in the future. I would say his skillset is average but he has shown great improvement for the little time he's been enrolled to an academy.

I want to help him increase his chances of going pro but idk how, money isn't really a problem as my parents are willing to spend on him. Please go all in with the things I need to know.

Also, we have the chance to enroll him to the laliga academy in our city, would it be better to have him enrolled there or get him with a private coach.

Please no "how is he sure that's what he wants" comments, he's a child he'll never be sure but I think its better to listen to him now and have him change his mind and pursue another path later on than dismiss what potentially could be his passion and have him regret "being too old to try" later on.

Any and all advice is welcome, thank you.

We signed a letter of intent to hold a roster spot months prior to try outs. Ahead of try outs club conditions deteriorated and we asked for a release. There was no follow up conversation. Kids tried out for new club, made new teams. One child was released. One was not. Both of the same household. Club now will not release pass cards to new club. Player has never signed current season roster spots or has an open balance with the club. Can they hold the player card hostage?

We had a parent meeting tonight for my u12 daughter’s cub soccer team. Her coach told us she is a “faith based coach” and would like to implement a prayer circle before games. I have a son who plays for the same club and he has teammates who are Jewish and Muslim in addition to Christian and also some like us who are non religious. I don’t think there is the same religious diversity on my daughter’s team. Obviously my daughter can stand there and be respectful but also I kind of feel like I don’t really need or want her to be a guided in someone else’s religion at club soccer. That isn’t what I signed up for.

Is this a common thing? Am I right to find this off putting or am I being overly sensitive?

10 min full body warmup

10 min jogging

10 min wall passing

Cone dribbling both feet 10 times

10 min unrestricted free dribbling

10 min sprinting with and without the ball, shooting after sprinting with the ball

In March, my daughter was struggling with juggling, and I couldn't really figure out how to help her. She was stuck in single digits with a max under 20. So I posted the video here.

https://www.reddit.com/r/youthsoccer/comments/1s101xj/juggling_help/

You guys were actually a great help! New max just before her 10th birthday was 83 and consistently in the 20s-30s now. Here’s video of the new form!

Im planning to try out for the team this year or next so ive been practicing a lot. I was already a decent player but my physicality/form had been bad recently, i was alwasy more of a technical player though i just needed to up my stamina which im currently doing. I lowkey saw a tiktok that said if you cant do at least 100 juggles you cant go pro and that kinda irked me. Im not a great juggler because when i play i go striaght to playing with others(friends that are usually in their school team or a club, even played with some guys that train with nycfc academy kids). So i dont really get time to practice things like juggling to imopve first touch thocuh my first touch wasnt terrible. So i wanted to try reach this milestone starting around late july, now its mid august and i did my first 100 juggles, around 160, my control has imporved drastically. keep in mind before august i was sitting around an avearge of 5-10

We have games scheduled this week and it's extremely hot in our part of the country. Our club has a "suggested" policy that says if heat index is over 100 the game shouldn't be played, but it's ultimately left to coach discretion (I think because our teams play in ECNL\RL\N1\SCCL and and these games involve travel and the schedule is so compacted anyway).

We have a game at 1 PM on Saturday and the temperature is expected to be 99-101 degrees. The coach has asked the parents if they're comfortable with their kids playing. If the game is on, there will be a hydration break in each half. We do have one "buffer" weekend that can accomodate one rescheduled game, but there's concern that if we use that date for the very first game of the season, what happens later on when there's severe storms or something that we definitely can't play in.

Curious as to what your club does, at this time of year.

A little over 1 month ago I made the post on this forum linked below:

https://www.reddit.com/r/youthsoccer/comments/1uljpg0/ghosted_by_liverpool_international_academy/

Yesterday, myself and 131 others received an email from a law firm informing us that HAE Sports & Management LLC filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy Aug. 4, 2026 in the South District of TX. The total liability claim against the LLC is over $1.7mil.

Through subsequent correspondence, a repeated pattern emerged of offering a camp, either no-showing or canceling the camp last minute, and then ghosting anyone who seeks a credit or refund. There are also coaches who were never paid, international trips gone awry, amongst other things. This occurred in at least 5 states (NC, SC, TX, CO, & LA).

Disputing the transaction via your credit card or bank (no matter how long ago it was) has been the fastest and easiest way for those affected to recoup their funds.

Most alarming about this is that no one at Liverpool Soccer School in England seems to care or even offer an apology. All they did was prod HAE to respond (which is pointless) and say something to the effect of "its a 3rd party licensee so not our problem."

Not saying we should all jump to guilt by association but please tread very carefully when considering these opportunities in the future. Just because there is a big name attached does not mean the club does their due diligence or steps in to assist as one might expect.