Metro Select Schedule for 2016-2017?

[OU812]

You would need to understand the management style of this club and some history on this team to comprehend why? Club management concerns and issues have been years in the making. Unfortunate and difficult situation for all parties, especially the players.

 

[RRS]

My objection doesn't lie in any way with their choice to attend an academy. My own son attended an academy for several years, and we were very satisfied with the training he received there. There's absolutely no question in my mind that academies fill a much-needed niche, and that many of them provide a quality service.

Player movement is always going to be inevitable to some degree - but, as easoccer wrote, it's usually one or two at a time. The fact that 7 or 8 left at the same time, gives the situation a different dimension. Not close enough to know their motivation for certain, although I've heard second hand that it revolves around dissatisfaction with the coaching, dating back to last season. I have no way of knowing if there was any discussion between them and the club previously.

I do, however, take major issue with their choice of timing, and with them going back on the commitment they gave to the team at the start of the season just a month ago. The time to have left would have been in the offseason - not five weeks in, at a point guaranteed to destroy the team, and leave their teammates with very limited options - few of which include being able to continue in Metro.

I think RCharlesworth sets out the situation well in post #42 above. Should "commitment" now include the phrase "...until something better comes along"? I don't think so.

 

[CanadianSpur]

I agree - I think it's wrong they left after 5 games. But at the same time if it's best for their kids to be at an academy we can't say that aspect of the decision is wrong.

Perhaps the idea of moving to an academy vs playing club soccer is not wrong but making a commitment and then abandoning that commitment with the impact that it has on others is simply wrong. This kind of decision needs to be made at before the season starts so as not to negatively impact others. As a parent I would never condone this. I would honour my commitment and expect my child to do so as well.

 

[easoccer]

Again, just to facilitate discussion, as I am not involved, but maybe they felt that promises made to them were abandonded. Usually disgruntled players are limited to a couple, but at 7 players? There must be some serious issues at play with that team.

Is this a case of 2 teams merged to make one? If they were on the team last year, certainly you would have heard something.

And if the issue is a coach, I would think that half the team opposing that appointment would be enough to effect change.

The whole situation sounds disfunctional.

 

[Semi Retired Soccer Coach]

If I was paying $945 a season just in registration fees I would be expecting a superlative program that was geared at helping my son or daughter achieve their soccer playing dreams. A youth club makes a promise to its community to provide the best possible value for its fees and obviously this particular parent group feels that promise was unfulfilled. I would suggest that there are many dissatisfied parents in clubs all over the lower mainland who would pull their kids out of their programs if a better one came along, that it doesn't happen more often is not surprising given the negative reaction toward this particular parent group on this message board. I would bet that they are being vilified within their club and by other parents and coaches at the fields as well. Clubs take their players and parents for granted all too often in our soccer community.
I believe the onus is on a club and the coaches to provide an experience that satisfies the parents and players, if they aren't doing that why would anyone reasonably expect that they should just "suck it up" for another 5 or 6 months? Would you really pay top dollar for any product or service that you were unhappy with? Clearly in this case a club and TD missed all the warning signs. if they didn't recognize the potential for serious problems they were negligent, and if they did see this scenario coming they've had months to have come up with satisfactory solutions to their parents concerns or to have provided alternative programming choices.
Imagine what the soccer landscape would look like if their were no "out of district" restrictions at all, if the BCSPL was fully funded rather than registration funded (or at least no more expensive than an average soccer club) and if we took away the restriction on academies from taking part in youth leagues...

 

[RCharlesworth]

I can admit that I don't have all the background details and likely there is someone out there trolling just shaking their head, thinking that I don't have the facts. The point raised above by Semi Retired is valid, if I am paying extra dollars to be in a better program with higher calibre teams then there needs to be better coaching than what is received at the house level. At the end of day it does become a value proposition, am I receiving good value for what I am paying? So in this case from what I can gather from my limited exposure, only being with the team for 12 months. The previous coach that now has the academy, also works with RGSA. He was the coach a couple of years back for U13, this parent group in question truly thinks highly of him and his coaching techniques (he has many coaching certs both Cdn and Euro). I am unable to answer the question, "why did he not come back to coach the next season?" I do not know the timeline or details between him concluding, I'm guessing the U13 season and the start of the U14 season when my son arrived. The parents seemed only able to compare the U13 team/coach to the U14 team/coach and the same with the start of this season. I as a parent and a bystander, I have no reference point for the U13 coach to compare to the U14 situation, only that both I and my son felt we were getting good value for our registration fee for both last year and this season. Fast forward to this season U15, the academy coach/U13 coach, Martin B, is working with RGSA. I can only imagine that his RGSA contract may prevent him from working with both clubs. The new coach that was brought on for the MSL U15 team has his coaching certifications, has coached at this level previously, has a good nature about him as far as coaching the boys, but again he did not meet muster in the eyes of this group of parents. In the end, I take issue with the commitment made by them and then broken but also with the fact that they were upset by not having this previous individual assigned to the team as the coach. This parent group seems to be upset that this desired coach won't be the MSL team's coach yet he is employed by a different club and likely is prevented from doing so. That would be similar to me wanting my company to hire a part time individual away from his full time job at another organization and then being upset with my HR group. In the end this individual was likely never going to come anyway.

 

[Soccer_dude]

Without ever seeing this team, judging from the standings, besides there last game, they seem pretty competitive although second last..

 

[LFC]

With regards to the U15 Metro team folding, this has happened. My son plays on this squad and in the end the whole process has been very disturbing for him as he is one of the 8 players left scrambling trying to find a place to fit in now and continue to play at a high level. A previous post is accurate that there was a group of parents that have been able to impact the whole team. The parents of the 7 players leaving have decided that they would much rather train with the MB School of Soccer / Academy and in doing so, seem to have waited until the 11th hour to withdraw their boys from the team and club, collect the majority of their registration fees back from RFC and then continue on with Martin B. It makes me wonder who has orchestrated this mass withdrawal? Another post is accurate too in that at the start of our season, one of the coaches hosted a team parent meeting and presented the situation that as a team we had very low roster numbers and that we needed commitment from each family and each player to ensure the viability of the squad for the season. All of those in the attendance at the meeting, including those parents that have since withdrawn their boys from the team agreed that upon initial team training sessions they were satisfied with the coaching group and the team selection, they were committed to this team for the whole season. Commitments were made but were obviously intended to be broken as we are now in a situation where those same parents have decided to say one thing in September and have acted in a completely opposite way this past weekend. I am trying to keep this civil and to the point but my level of frustration and anger towards these individuals who believe that they have taught RFC a lesson have really only impacted my son and the 7 other players left holding the bag and with limited options to play. My hat goes off to RFC for their efforts to place the impacted boys in other in-house programs and they have made efforts to approach other clubs to see if OOD players can be absorbed by local clubs closer to these players homes.

RCharlesworth , i have alot of sympathy and can truly feel what you and the 8 loyal players must be feeling.
We face these problems all the time in Newton where we play all year round - Winter and a full summer leage upto U12 & 10 Tournaments for U13 to open. Playing all year is a real asset for Newton/Surrey players and is a major reason why teams from this area do so well at all levels .

Examples of problems:
A team finishes the winter season & doesn,t want to play summer = team will either be taken by another club or coach or the best players will be taken.

Some clubs in Newton hold tryouts during Mar/April and players are selected to teams & often a team meeting will be held where all parents/players give their commitment to the team.
During Aug & early Sept many teams are split up by other teams poaching their best players and offering to register them for free.
There are similar stories to yours of teams being entered into Leages and having to withdraw , when parents withdraw their kids to go to other teams or form brand new teams.

BC Soccer & local Districts should bring in a rule to control these defections !

 

[Soccer-dad-NV]

I heard that the U15 Richmond metro team did not have all their ID cards for their sole win. Makes one wonder if the metro fees were actually paid by those that left if that's the case. Much easier to leave if you had not paid your $750+ fee.

 

[RCharlesworth]

Without ever seeing this team, judging from the standings, besides there last game, they seem pretty competitive although second last..

I heard that the U15 Richmond metro team did not have all their ID cards for their sole win. Makes one wonder if the metro fees were actually paid by those that left if that's the case. Much easier to leave if you had not paid your $750+ fee.

So you are correct that the team was competitive, given it was the 3rd coach in as many years. Tied the first game, lost to CCB when RFC could only field a team with 10 players, lost the next game 1-nil, the NV poster is right that RFC was missing player ID cards, from the previous game the cards were not retrieved from the referee hence not available at NrthVan and then the last game when half the players had checked out (last weekend to play before the refund). My concern is not going to change anything, my son was offered an opportunity to play on the Gold squad which we will do so that he continues to play and stay active. Still frustrating that this group decided training in an environment that has no league games or a real team was superior to the team situation that they left.

 

[TKBC]

Still frustrating that this group decided training in an environment that has no league games or a real team was superior to the team situation that they left.

Maybe it is superior.