SoutheasternOhioPreps.com

OSH wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2019 8:59 am Has anyone considered trying to add middle school in the spring?

Several Kentucky schools have done that, mainly in the Lexington area. It offers a cheaper alternative to club. To me, it's also a bigger benefit because now those 8th graders will be a little sharper for fall HS when they've spent a few months playing. Then, they jump straight into HS summer activities.

Falcon01 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 06, 2020 5:34 pmthe cheaper part is good, but if I had a daughter at that age, id want her getting the coaching and better level of competition, she could get from the club level. I coached MS soccer at FU for one year, and that was after 9 years of coaching HS soccer, and I would definitely encourage kids to play club over MS soccer if they are able.

Falcon01 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:33 am Problem is, this area also still has many many ADs who still dont want soccer at all, so getting them to add soccer as a spring sport for JH would be tough.

Falcon01 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:33 amMost SE schools don't do softball and baseball for JH though??

Falcon01 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:33 amI guess I can get behind the fact the SE doesnt have great club options, but still in MOST cases, club coaching is going to be better than a MS coach who's likely going to be a volunteer or parent, though not always. I suppose you'd have to look at each situation separately. If I lived anywhere near chilli at least, I'd try to get my kid to Columbus or dayton area for club, since like you said they're only gonna practice twice a week. You'll have to travel for tourneys anyway.

Falcon01 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:33 amIn the end... I'm all for kids having a ball at their feet as much as possible!! But I've always loved the idea of kids playing other sports too.

OSH wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 1:10 pm

Falcon01 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:33 am Problem is, this area also still has many many ADs who still dont want soccer at all, so getting them to add soccer as a spring sport for JH would be tough.

If there's enough movement for it, it's possible. It's starting to gain more traction in northern Kentucky right now (it already exists in Lexington-area). Kansas also has started operating middle school in the spring, as co-ed. I would figure there are more that do the same.

Additionally, this is why a "youth league" could sponsor the sport instead of the school. They avoid the ADs that way.

Falcon01 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:33 amMost SE schools don't do softball and baseball for JH though??

I can't speak for all, but to my knowledge softball and baseball is largely a privatized sport until high school. Where I grew up in southeastern Ohio there are no true middle school softball or baseball teams. I played baseball from kindergarten through high school.

Falcon01 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:33 amI guess I can get behind the fact the SE doesnt have great club options, but still in MOST cases, club coaching is going to be better than a MS coach who's likely going to be a volunteer or parent, though not always. I suppose you'd have to look at each situation separately. If I lived anywhere near chilli at least, I'd try to get my kid to Columbus or dayton area for club, since like you said they're only gonna practice twice a week. You'll have to travel for tourneys anyway.

You'll do that. But, most can't afford to travel. I'd also venture to say that many HS coaches also are involved in club in some capacity these days anyway. Many club coaches are very similar to what HS offers anyway, a parent or someone interested in coaching that is thrown into those positions because the clubs need to fill coaching vacancies (I know, I work with many clubs).

It's funny that there is so much complaining about middle school or high school "not being good enough." Yet, every high school game involves tons of club kids playing with and against their teammates, while being coached by former or current club coaches. Yet, "it's not good enough."

Falcon01 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:33 amIn the end... I'm all for kids having a ball at their feet as much as possible!! But I've always loved the idea of kids playing other sports too.

If there are few/no other sports offered for middle schoolers, they can't really play other sports unless it's offered on the private market -- which could add more fees. I work in a lot of different areas and study sport for a living.

Numbers are declining in youth soccer. We've lost nearly 500,000 youth soccer players in the last 5 years. High school sports (overall) have seen their first decline in participation numbers in 30 years. These aren't good trends. I don't know or care how other sports operate, I care about soccer because it's what I do. Opening the door for maybe 20 players to play middle school soccer in the spring is 20 kids who potentially wouldn't play anything in the spring. If kids want to play club, they still could. No one is being forced into it.

Why is it that when someone brings up something to fix a problem the first response is always "no this" or "no that"? It's never typically thinking outside the box of the positives it brings?