NT Select 101?

I was looking for a post to cover
What are the different levels of select boys soccer
Classic 1,2,3
Plano Premier 1,2, etc
Development academy (when does it start, what is the purpose)
What are the reasons for moving teams
What the the advantages to play on a higher level team
What are the average costs?
What is the typical amount travel?
What to look for in a club coach?

I have 3 96, 98, 02 all have been asked to join various clubs.


I have found alot of nibbles here, but not a single post covering this.

I was looking for a post to cover

What are the different levels of select boys soccer
Classic 1,2,3
Plano Premier 1,2, etc
you just answered your own question by listing the levels.
the best players generally play in classic 1, then step down to classic 2, then classic 3, etc.

Development academy (when does it start, what is the purpose)
i've seen posts for kids as low as u5.
the purpose is to get better training and development than playing for a dad
in a rec league that yells "kick it harder" and thinks of himself as a good coach

What are the reasons for moving teams
same reason you would move from one job to another

What the the advantages to play on a higher level team
really? this seems pretty obvious.

What are the average costs?
who knows? i don't think anyone has went from club to club, team to team finding the costs
and averaging them. i can tell you my cost, but i can't speak for other teams. so average??
who knows!?!

What is the typical amount travel?
typical amount? varies from team to team. better teams tend to travel more.
lesser teams tend to stay more localized. plenty of good competition
right in our area.

What to look for in a club coach?
a coach that fits you and your son's criteria. what might be right for my son,
may not be right for your son. define what you want from this select soccer stuff,
then go out and find a good fit.

I have 3 96, 98, 02 all have been asked to join various clubs.

96 - getting in the game really late
98 - getting in late also, but could possibly catch up
02 - right time to be getting involved in academy, imo

You are going to have to think for yourself and figure this out for your situation.
Everyone posting on this board is answering questions based on their situation.
If my son is an incredible player, I'd be more likely to say you have to play on a top team
and not waste your time or money playing on a team in Plano, because it would be
a waste in my situation. If my son was a lesser player, then I would see things completely
differently and advise you accordingly. You are going to have to answer your own
questions.....i'm just sayin

All of this changed this year.

Here's probably the current layout in terms of competitiveness


Development Academy (U16/U18)
Classic 1 (U16+)
Pre-Academy (U15)
Classic 1 (U15)
Pre-Academy (U14)
Classic 1 (U14)

Plano is a step below Classic 3. All of these areas have teams that could probably play
within the level above (i.e. Classic 3 probably has teams that can play in Classic 2).
At the end of the year - the top 2 teams move up a level, the bottom 2 move down.
There is a different method, but Plano top teams can earn their way into Classic.

All of this can change as people determine if Pre-Academy is desirable or not,
currently, it's that new shiny toy - so, it has a lot of googly-eyed suitors.

There is no stronghold on fun - it can be found in all the divisions, as well as heartache.

DA has been around a few years - supposedly, it's to develop the National Team, to date -
only one player has made the USMNT (North Texan/Andro Alum - Dillon Powers).
This would be considered the best of the best - potential college/pro players.

The reasons for moving between teams would vary - playing time, competitiveness, location, coaching or team
chemistry - same as changing schools.

The advantages of playing on a higher level team varies
- if your kid or you want your kid to develop (IMO, there's a better chance of that happening on
a better team). 3 hours of practice is better than 50 min of playing time on a Saturday.
Some parents need their kid to play more, and need those trophies/medals/car stickers - this varies
as much as what's the advantage of spending more on a car. Keep in mind, the majority
of the soccer players in the world are not on top teams.

Club costs average around 2200-3000. Many, many variables.
- Uniforms are around 300-400 and not included in the above cost.
Tournaments may/may not be in that cost as well - there is no apples-apples comparison
as it varies with club and coach payments. There are some teams where the coach is not paid
and it can lower the annual dues to 600-800.

Some teams travel a lot, some don't. If you are on a top team (D1/Pre-Ac/DA) - expect to travel
around 4-6 times per year (4 is absolute minimum). You will have games that are drivable. Most teams
at this level travel to other tournaments as well (Florida/Calif/Tenn). That can add up substantially.

The 'what to look for in a club/coach' is way too personal of a question and depends on
what you are after - there are probably only 5000 posts on that in this forum (haters/lovers).
Up until this year - my kids stayed with the same coach from around U8 (one coach was
recently named a national academy coach - kudos for him). Bottom line on coaches, if your
kid doesn't have chemistry with the coach - pretty much all is lost in this endeavor.

Good Luck - sure you don't want to buy them golf clubs?

Clueless, your post is very helpful.

After reading through some other posts on this web site, there seems to be an assumption that team A is in the highest level. The coach must be better, so my kid will get better. This is not logical. I'm still not sure how to evaluate coaches. It seems many teams are good because they recruit the best players to their team, not really develop them.

34blast wrote:Clueless, your post is very helpful.

After reading through some other posts on this web site, there seems to be an assumption that team A is in the highest level. The coach must be better, so my kid will get better. This is not logical. I'm still not sure how to evaluate coaches. It seems many teams are good because they recruit the best players to their team, not really develop them.

Conversely many of the best players are attracted to the best coaches.

The coaches that show up late, cancel practice at the drop of a hat and allow the kids to play grab-ass aren't really developing anything other than poor habits.

34blast wrote:Clueless, your post is very helpful.

After reading through some other posts on this web site, there seems to be an assumption that team A is in the highest level. The coach must be better, so my kid will get better. This is not logical. I'm still not sure how to evaluate coaches. It seems many teams are good because they recruit the best players to their team, not really develop them.

I do not agree with this statement across the board. In my bb's age group, I have watched over the years as the best teams have developed from teams that have a core group of boys that stay together and are developed as players and as a team. And the good coaches are the ones that are keeping these core groups together and adding additional players as needed while continuing their development.