Surf Soccer Club Affirms Open Door Policy for Player Movement
In today’s highly competitive youth soccer environment in which tryouts can take place months before the current season ends, trying out for a new club can result in damaging a player’s credibility and position on their existing team. In San Diego, Surf Soccer Club is taking a stand for more openness and transparency during this delicate period of time, and is telling their players, “Go check out other clubs – we are proud of our programs, coaches, facility and track record of success. Parents and players should not need to worry about retaliation in seeking the best club option.”
As the new year approaches families will begin to have the fear/problem of shopping for the right soccer club for their child. San Diego Surf Soccer Club wants to create a positive environment where players want to train and develop — and, the club is setting a new path not often seen in youth soccer.
With fall league season wrapping up soon, parents have begun the discussion with their competitive soccer player about which club they’d like to play for next season. Yes, tryouts are rapidly approaching, and the youth soccer landscape has been dramatically altered following a series of US Soccer initiatives regarding birth year age groupings and small sided team play. Many teams will be broken up as clubs transition from August – July age groupings to January – December, and it’s possible that youth soccer will see an increased amount of players looking to find the best fit for them. One club has embraced these changes wholeheartedly and has reaffirmed its long-standing policy regarding the movement of its players during the season.
San Diego Surf Soccer Club has an open-door policy with regards to guest playing, training, and attending tryouts for its current players, and encourages each Surf parent to make the best soccer decision for their child. Parents and players will not be punished in any way for attending these activities outside of the Surf organization. Players are still expected to attend all regular practices and team events, and absences from these events can be expected to affect positional and playing time decisions per team policy.
“We realize that on occasion, for carpool or playing time or any other reason, that a Surf player would be better served by joining another club next season. We always want what is best for our kids, and so this policy makes official the philosophy we’ve had for years regarding player movement. Every Surf player should be allowed to look around to see if there is a better fit for them out there. Ultimately, we are confident that Surf provides the best training, facilities, and developmental opportunities for a vast majority of players in San Diego,” said Mark Spooner, Surf Girls Director of Coaching.
US Soccer’s decision to shift the age groupings to calendar year to be in line with the rest of the world will split apart many teams which have played together for years, and could provide opportunities for players that haven’t existed in the past.
“With the upcoming age groups changing to birth years for the 2016/2017 season, we understand that there will be the potential for lots of players to seek out playing opportunities, and our goal is for every Surf player to land in the best situation for them,” said Colin Chesters, Surf VP of Soccer Operations.
Jeremy McDonald, Surf Soccer Club’s President, remarked on the upcoming tryout season, “There is a tendency for coaches this time of year to protect at all costs the teams they have built, and to consider any soccer training at a rival club to be disloyal. We are in favor of a free and open tryout period in which parents are under no pressure to re-sign before tryouts and can conduct a thorough evaluation of the club and coach options out there without feeling threatened by the possibility of repercussions. Playing competitive soccer in this highly competitive environment is a substantial commitment, both in time and resources, and at the end of the day we want to make sure that every player playing for Surf is excited about that commitment.”
