SDL - New For Spring 2013

finish1 wrote:Gatorz, here is a link for you. Yes, an '03 can play up into the '02 pre-academy. I haven't heard of any '03's playing up into that league, but if someone were exceptional enough...

http://npltexas.demosphere.com/teams/50651372/55347577-55346138/TEAM.html

I just don't believe SDL needs 4 degrees of competitiveness at the younger ages. Some coaches are feeding off parental egos and making empty promises of the future...while taking their money. This decision by SDL feeds that cycle and will do nothing to improve the overall level of player competency.

We need less league play, not more. The focus for the younger ages needs to be skill, touch and movement in small sided games.

What ever happened to Reyna and Klinsman's plan to redefine youth soccer and get us all moving in the same direction? This idea can't possibly be part of that plan...

On the other hand, I don't have a problem with an end-of-season tournament for a Champions Cup. It's a great way to measure player performance vs their peers.

Where are Solar, FCD and Andromeda in that league? I thought they all had PA teams as well.

I still don't have a problem with the league trying to set levels of play. It is not always about EGO of the parents or coach but what is actually best for the kids. As I said, no team likes to beat up on other teams every weekend and no team likes to get killed every weekend either. If the league can sift them into appropriate divisions for play, then that works for me.

I think they should start practicing 3 times a week at U9 and play once per weekend. I also don't have a problem with them starting to keep score, as most parents of these teams know what the score was and if they won or lost. I don't see any way around that.

I guess we could play 4v4 or 5v5 until they were 13 on small fields with no scores, but I think participation would drop significantly. That system will not work in America for at least another 10 or 15 years until we develop a real soccer culture.

Not all the clubs participate in the U11 pre-academy, yet. As you can see, it is a travel league and is the perfect place for U10 players that show exceptional soccer ablilities and need better competition(or U9, U8 or U7). NTX no longer has a minimum age for competitive soccer players.

You have a tendency to debate with extremity, but you also have a point regarding participation levels. My opinion is that youth academy has way too much participation at the younger ages and many of them really belong in rec. Maybe that's why SDL now needs 4 levels of competition.

Will beat your dead horse one more time on the "noone likes to win or lose 8-0 every weekend" issue. Play up a year (or two) and the wins will take care of themselves. If your team is getting killed every weekend, then do you really belong in academy?

I prefer SDL to stay a league without scores, as originally designed, so kids can learn to play the game without the pressure of win/loss records. Soccer is a very complicated game that takes many years and touches to fully grasp. Ultra competitive parents and super-team building, recruting coaches have destroyed the SDL concept.

Love the idea of an end of season tournament to compare progress.

You can have the last word, as my opinion has been stated, and double restated. Best of luck!

There are going to be 12 teams in the "platinum" division. Where are they going to come from? Seems like they are wanting to have the teams playing in the "platinum" division at primetime to move to their league.