Girls Soccer Help

G

Gmoney84

Member
I am posting here because I am new to all this and need some guidance/assistance. My daughter is 7 years old and has been playing soccer since she was 3. I know you've seen those parents before who think their kid is God's gift to the world and pump them up every chance they get. My daughter is a special talent at soccer. We have 5 kids and she is the youngest, she is the best athlete I've seen at that age-skill wise, strength, speed, and aggression. We live between Columbus and Dayton and she has played the last two season with Elite FC in Marysville. She plays up on their u9 1 team because according to the coaches "she would kill kids at u8." We are looking to increase her soccer IQ and start working with an individual trainer. We are also looking at what clubs would be the most competitive for her in order to build her skills. We do not know enough about soccer to know what teams are mediocre/higher level or what trainers to look for to get her where she needs to be.

She absolutely LOVES soccer and wants to compete at a high level herself.
 
 
As the youngest of 5, she's likely been exposed to more physical activity then other kids her age, which could be why she's more engaged and better. Is she bigger, stronger, faster on the field? Or are her skills better? How often does she play by her self in the yard, against the garage door, or wall? There will varying opinions on what age to start individual, personalized training, but IMO, foot skills are the absolute most important area for individual development. Club will teach strategy and tactics, but individual skills can/should be developed on her own. In the yard, driveway, basement, small touches from You Tube videos. You don't need to spend a ton of money, or drive that far, for advanced foot skills training.
 
William Wallace said:
As the youngest of 5, she's likely been exposed to more physical activity then other kids her age, which could be why she's more engaged and better. Is she bigger, stronger, faster on the field? Or are her skills better? How often does she play by her self in the yard, against the garage door, or wall? There will varying opinions on what age to start individual, personalized training, but IMO, foot skills are the absolute most important area for individual development. Club will teach strategy and tactics, but individual skills can/should be developed on her own. In the yard, driveway, basement, small touches from You Tube videos. You don't need to spend a ton of money, or drive that far, for advanced foot skills training.
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I appreciate that, she is not bigger, she's actually the smallest on the team. She is faster, more aggressive, she has benefitted from being the most engaged. She plays for at least 20-30 minutes a day by herself. Her brother (16 years old) will go out and kick around with her or guard her at times. None of our other kids have played soccer. She is the first soccer player in our family and has asked for extra things to help her but we don't know where to start. If you have any videos to follow or youtubers to follow, I'm all ears. Thank you!
 
I've seen a few talented girls playing up a year until about U10 or U11, when they were placed back in their appropriate age group. Depends on the club and level of competition. Based on your location, yes OP would be one of the better options to look at for next season. Club Ohio and Barcelona United would also be fine for the next few years at this age level. In Dayton, you're looking at BSA Celtics and FC United. A little further south, there's Warren County (WCSA) and Cincinnati Elite. If you're willing to go all the way to Cincy (which I wouldn't recommend until at least U10), there's a plethora of options including Cincinnati United (CUP), Kings Hammer (KHA), Ohio Elite (OE), and Total Futbol Academy (TFA). Consider the additional cost of moving to one of these clubs. Some are twice as much as others (not including travel expenses), and none of them are what I'd call cheap.

It's worth noting that beginning at U13 (formerly U14), girls can compete in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), widely-considered the most competitive format out there. Clubs in the region with teams in the ECNL include OP, Ohio Elite, and recently-joined Kings Hammer.

Important thing at this stage is to avoid overwhelming. Let them connect with the sport first and develop a deep love for the game. At any decent club, they're going to get all the training they need to be successful in the early years. You can always transition to a more competitive club later depending on how she's developing. As for a personal trainer, you'll get varying opinions on the need for that. My daughters went through the system just fine without one, all the way to playing D1 in college. They attended a few "group" sessions with a trainer and went to couple camps in the offseason over the years, but nothing too intense. I couldn't honestly tell you if any of that made much difference, other than giving them additional touches between seasons (and taking more money out of my pocket!).

Also keep in mind that as they grow, strengths and weaknesses will change, as will the competition around her. Others will eventually catch up and may even surpass in some respects, especially as she moves into more competitive play. Don't let that discourage you when it happens. Those that stick with it will find new strengths, hone existing ones, and will learn to play different positions. They may eventually settle in one that is very different from where they started.
Fun times ahead! The best part is all the people you'll meet along the way! I really miss that. Wish her luck on her journey! (y)
 
If I were you I would move to Brazil. Best coaches in the world. She needs to immediately start training at the highest level possible or her life will amount to nothing!!!
 
Gmoney84 said:
I've heard that they just farm kids out to whomever will take them and coaches won't show up. I need to reach out to their higher level coaches, but I wasn't sure if they started the state level at u8 or u10
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I'm not sure what that means, as they have a lot of quality coaches and have helped develop a lot of good talent at OP.

Make sure she enjoys the game continuously. Private lessons are a waste of money, that can be done by yourself and her. Plenty of videos and instructional information out there. She just needs to spend as much time on the ball and in competition as possible, but add in adequate rest. The body needs to recover. The mind needs to recover.

It makes no sense to drive all over if there's adequate club/training nearby. It seems you have that there. Individual training is just a money grab.
 
belied dat said:
I'm not sure what that means, as they have a lot of quality coaches and have helped develop a lot of good talent at OP.

Make sure she enjoys the game continuously. Private lessons are a waste of money, that can be done by yourself and her. Plenty of videos and instructional information out there. She just needs to spend as much time on the ball and in competition as possible, but add in adequate rest. The body needs to recover. The mind needs to recover.

It makes no sense to drive all over if there's adequate club/training nearby. It seems you have that there. Individual training is just a money grab.
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I appreciate that! We played against an OP team who was not necessarily advanced or developed and the poor kids' coach didn't even show up to coach the game. We have played against really good OP teams as well though who are obviously very well coached.
 
BleedingSoccer said:
I've seen a few talented girls playing up a year until about U10 or U11, when they were placed back in their appropriate age group. Depends on the club and level of competition. Based on your location, yes OP would be one of the better options to look at for next season. Club Ohio and Barcelona United would also be fine for the next few years at this age level. In Dayton, you're looking at BSA Celtics and FC United. A little further south, there's Warren County (WCSA) and Cincinnati Elite. If you're willing to go all the way to Cincy (which I wouldn't recommend until at least U10), there's a plethora of options including Cincinnati United (CUP), Kings Hammer (KHA), Ohio Elite (OE), and Total Futbol Academy (TFA). Consider the additional cost of moving to one of these clubs. Some are twice as much as others (not including travel expenses), and none of them are what I'd call cheap.

It's worth noting that beginning at U13 (formerly U14), girls can compete in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), widely-considered the most competitive format out there. Clubs in the region with teams in the ECNL include OP, Ohio Elite, and recently-joined Kings Hammer.

Important thing at this stage is to avoid overwhelming. Let them connect with the sport first and develop a deep love for the game. At any decent club, they're going to get all the training they need to be successful in the early years. You can always transition to a more competitive club later depending on how she's developing. As for a personal trainer, you'll get varying opinions on the need for that. My daughters went through the system just fine without one, all the way to playing D1 in college. They attended a few "group" sessions with a trainer and went to couple camps in the offseason over the years, but nothing too intense. I couldn't honestly tell you if any of that made much difference, other than giving them additional touches between seasons (and taking more money out of my pocket!).

Also keep in mind that as they grow, strengths and weaknesses will change, as will the competition around her. Others will eventually catch up and may even surpass in some respects, especially as she moves into more competitive play. Don't let that discourage you when it happens. Those that stick with it will find new strengths, hone existing ones, and will learn to play different positions. They may eventually settle in one that is very different from where they started.
Fun times ahead! The best part is all the people you'll meet along the way! I really miss that. Wish her luck on her journey! (y)
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I can't tell you how much I truly appreciate your post. I am very unfamiliar with leagues, what is most competitive, etc. She eats, sleeps, and breathes soccer. She would play absolutely every day and watches soccer on youtube, espn, etc.
 
Find a team and let her make life long friends and get the training that will benefit her for years. Once she gets a little older, if playing college is her goal you can look for a more advanced team if she needs one. Plenty of clubs will get her where she needs to be if college is your goal. My advice is make sure she hits the books because if you're banking on a soccer full ride she better be EXTRA SPECIAL! Academic money goes along way paying for tuition. My daughter played in college and now is a nurse and academic money helped pay for the majority of her tuition!
 
PantherDad said:
Find a team and let her make life long friends and get the training that will benefit her for years. Once she gets a little older, if playing college is her goal you can look for a more advanced team if she needs one. Plenty of clubs will get her where she needs to be if college is your goal. My advice is make sure she hits the books because if you're banking on a soccer full ride she better be EXTRA SPECIAL! Academic money goes along way paying for tuition. My daughter played in college and now is a nurse and academic money helped pay for the majority of her tuition!
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Totally get that one. Our oldest daughter is headed to Case Western Reserve on a full ride. We stress academics first, athletics second, but yes, I'm not even joking when I say she is extra special for talent in soccer
 
Gmoney84 said:
Totally get that one. Our oldest daughter is headed to Case Western Reserve on a full ride. We stress academics first, athletics second, but yes, I'm not even joking when I say she is extra special for talent in soccer
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Full academic ride to Case is quite an accomplishment!
 
I agree with you. My daughter plays in college now. What I can say is that looking back, the kids that make to the collegiate level were often the best or one of the best players at every level. However, with that said, a lot of players that were considered really good washout for various reasons over the years — they don’t grow enough, they don’t maintain an athletic advantage, they get interested in other things, they get injured, etc.

The important thing for younger kids is to foster a love for the game, and get the appropriate skill development for her age group. I would focus on being part of a club that makes it fun with the right amount of competitiveness (ie, she starts to learn the importance of working hard and being part of a team), and places an emphasis on skill development. Assuming she progresses, I would consider looking at an advanced team/club/program as she approaches U11.

The team and club is important, but I would fill in the experience with a few high quality soccer camps in the offseason that sprinkle in fun and skill development.

In my experience, a kid that has a love for the game will let you know at an early age. She won’t want to put the ball down. She will be asking for more - when’s the next practice, when’s the next game, can I do a camp, can we go out and kick the ball around…etc. If you have a kid like this, harness this by providing fun opportunities, stepping back sometimes to avoid burnout, etc. Importantly, do not force your kid to play, practice at that age….If she ends up being in this for the long haul, there will be plenty of moments along the way where she’ll have to practice and train when she doesn’t feel like
BleedingSoccer said:
I've seen a few talented girls playing up a year until about U10 or U11, when they were placed back in their appropriate age group. Depends on the club and level of competition. Based on your location, yes OP would be one of the better options to look at for next season. Club Ohio and Barcelona United would also be fine for the next few years at this age level. In Dayton, you're looking at BSA Celtics and FC United. A little further south, there's Warren County (WCSA) and Cincinnati Elite. If you're willing to go all the way to Cincy (which I wouldn't recommend until at least U10), there's a plethora of options including Cincinnati United (CUP), Kings Hammer (KHA), Ohio Elite (OE), and Total Futbol Academy (TFA). Consider the additional cost of moving to one of these clubs. Some are twice as much as others (not including travel expenses), and none of them are what I'd call cheap.

It's worth noting that beginning at U13 (formerly U14), girls can compete in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), widely-considered the most competitive format out there. Clubs in the region with teams in the ECNL include OP, Ohio Elite, and recently-joined Kings Hammer.

Important thing at this stage is to avoid overwhelming. Let them connect with the sport first and develop a deep love for the game. At any decent club, they're going to get all the training they need to be successful in the early years. You can always transition to a more competitive club later depending on how she's developing. As for a personal trainer, you'll get varying opinions on the need for that. My daughters went through the system just fine without one, all the way to playing D1 in college. They attended a few "group" sessions with a trainer and went to couple camps in the offseason over the years, but nothing too intense. I couldn't honestly tell you if any of that made much difference, other than giving them additional touches between seasons (and taking more money out of my pocket!).

Also keep in mind that as they grow, strengths and weaknesses will change, as will the competition around her. Others will eventually catch up and may even surpass in some respects, especially as she moves into more competitive play. Don't let that discourage you when it happens. Those that stick with it will find new strengths, hone existing ones, and will learn to play different positions. They may eventually settle in one that is very different from where they started.
Fun times ahead! The best part is all the people you'll meet along the way! I really miss that. Wish her luck on her journey! (y)
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