Jump to content

Disappointed in some u-15 Division I teams decision..


CHAMPDDS
 Share

Recommended Posts

Have to admit I am a little bit disappointed that so many u-15 teams this year, that were Division I last year, have opted to drop down to Division II... (you know who you are)...Basically makes the Division I league a joke, since only four division I teams exist this season, and they are only going to play league to establish seeding for the state tournament, since they all automatically qualify !

 

I really think Tennessee Soccer should have taken a closer look at this situation and perhaps intervene or adjust things to balance out the system better...( Consider Georgia's model for select team divisions...that seems to be a much better system, versus letting the teams decide which division to play in....)

 

Of course, just my opinion...

 

D :hungry:

 

2009-2010 Division II Teams:

 

BRENTWOOD BWSC 95 GIRLS SELECT

CHATTANOOGA UNITED FC 95

EAST RIDGE SA EXPRESS 95 SHOCKERS

FC ALLIANCE 95 GOLD

TENNESSEE UNITED SC 95 GIRLS RED

MURFREESBORO SC STRIKERS PREMIER 95

TENNESSEE RUSH JACKSON 95 GIRLS NIKE

TENNESSEE RUSH NIKE 95

HARPETH FC LADY HURRICANES

TNFC 95 BLITZ

COLLIERVILLE SA 95 LADY LOBOS WHITE

UNIDA JAGUARS

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 21
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Who are the D1 teams?

 

I believe they are:

 

BRENTWOOD PREMIER (Former Apex)- Current #1 State

KFC CRUSH BLUE - (#2 State)

LADY LOBOS 95

CHATTANOOGA UNITED FC 95 BLACK

 

The last team, CUFC 95 BLACK, is from the newly formed merger club here in Chattanooga that for the most part, is a hybrid of the former Redoubt and Premier Soccer Academy (PSA95)..which both played divsion I last season...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay...Found the Division I LEAGUE teams from last year: (B-wood Premier and KFC Crush had automatic bids to state league)

 

E FC Alliance FC Alliance 95 Girls Black

E BWSC Select

E BWSC 95 Elite

E Premier Soccer Academy PSA 95

E Redoubt Futbol Club RFC 95

W CSA 95 Lady Lobos Blue

W HFC Lady Hurricanes Black

W Midsouth Futbol Club Midsouth FC 95 Girls blue

W TUSC 95 Girls Red

W TN Rush Kickers 95

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some possibe considerations that you might not have taken into account.

 

1) Players could have left a team and the team is no longer able to compete at the Division I level.

 

2) The team might have decided that they didn't have enough players interested in pursuing soccer after high school.

 

3) Talent tends to pool after a certain age and many teams no longer have a reasonable chance to compete in the Division I State League or even get into the tournaments and showcases that college coaches will attend.

 

There are other considerations. Maybe you are insinuating that some teams want to win a State Championship, so they are dropping into a lower division?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some possibe considerations that you might not have taken into account.

 

1) Players could have left a team and the team is no longer able to compete at the Division I level.

 

2) The team might have decided that they didn't have enough players interested in pursuing soccer after high school.

 

3) Talent tends to pool after a certain age and many teams no longer have a reasonable chance to compete in the Division I State League or even get into the tournaments and showcases that college coaches will attend.

 

There are other considerations. Maybe you are insinuating that some teams want to win a State Championship, so they are dropping into a lower division?

 

I had considered that, but to see so many is a little concerning ?...and I am sure it may have been a thought for some to 'win' a championship....just makes the whole division I and II separation and league play a joke to even bother with in division I....

 

Kinda wish the state would allow last minute division changes to allow some to reconsider...a lot less competition (regarding # of teams) it seems at the top.....

 

I invite any team that dropped to division II to give individual and specific explanations to support their desire or need to change...

 

D :thumb:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IMO, Tennessee needs to follow GA or some other state, because what has been done so far doesn't seem to work very well. I don't have the answer, but TN is certainly not considered a 'hot bed' for tallent. I don't know if it is because the state is so football/basketball crazy to the point nothing else matters, or simply the lack of population and #of participants, but it does seem that we are behind the curve. I see plenty of girls from other states going to D1 programs with similar talent, while girls from TN struggle to get noticed, most with certainly the same degree of talent, but just not marketed as well. Even at the ODP level, the numbers are down, political influence, etc. keep girls out of the high visibility markets. Also, the parents and players need to educated on how the college recruiting process works. And how little money is really out there for athletics. Case in point, it takes a lot of hard work and luck, just to come up with 50% rides. Teams dropping down just to win a division is certainly no way to increase ones exposure for the next level, and TN still has a lot of growing to do; this is a step backwards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bean,

 

You have to realize that Metro Atlanta is probably larger than the 4 largest Metro areas in Tennessee; thus more potential players to draw from in the Atlanta area alone.

 

Some players in Tennessee that could have played at a higher level when they were older were the young players that played on club teams that emphasized winning now, more than developing the player in all components of the game. If you go to one of these coaches training sessions you will see them spend a lot of time running and involved in sessions that are drills and do not resemble the game. If you are at their games, you will hear the coach tell the players what to do constantly, and often demeaning the players.

 

I believe the ODP numbers are actually up and more and more players are making regional and national pools and team(s).

 

I believe that in most cases, clubs mergers will probably be the best way to get the best players together to compete, train in better environments, and get the exposure you mention. I am not sure why there is a reduction in teams playing Division I. That might be a case by case question. I think the recent mergers probably have a contributing affect on the number of teams still competing in Division I. Many of the girls not on the teams that merged probably leave teams to join more competitive teams to get a chance to be seen and compete at a higher level.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gol.....the math is easy with the Metro areas, but I'm saying the top players in TN are very similar in skill as the top players in other states, there just aren't as many of them to go around to several teams vs. one or two or three here in TN. In part, the lack of emphasis in soccer statewide contributes to that problem, especially as girls drop out as they get older. ODP wise, I don't know the numbers, but I don't think you can see a substantial increase in TN Regional players vs. the other states. Very small number overall. Plus, very few of the top TN players get involved in ODP.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gol.....the math is easy with the Metro areas, but I'm saying the top players in TN are very similar in skill as the top players in other states, there just aren't as many of them to go around to several teams vs. one or two or three here in TN. In part, the lack of emphasis in soccer statewide contributes to that problem, especially as girls drop out as they get older. ODP wise, I don't know the numbers, but I don't think you can see a substantial increase in TN Regional players vs. the other states. Very small number overall. Plus, very few of the top TN players get involved in ODP.

 

Bean, you raise two good points:

1) I agree the Tennessee system is in need of some reconsideration, which is my original point as to self-declarations of division choice. Georgias tiered system, if I understand it, takes, for example, the 30 u-15 teams, divides it into top,middle, and bottom levels, and these teams compete within their tier..Although it can obviously have some flaws, it has the top teams playing at the highest level, and not having over-qualified teams playing at a lower level.

 

2) Geography is to me a major influence on ODP in Tennessee...Although I am not sure my daughter could truly be a competitive 94, we never even tried her out...just not worth the hassle for the drive to Middle Tennessee for everything (Maybe I am an exception though)...In that regards, Middle Tennessee players have a distinct advantage being so close. (I would be interested in what the statistics of girls on ODP teams and home towns) That being said, I have not been that impressed with the need for ODP...given like you said, the limited exposure and limited athletic scholarships out there....the cost (time/money)-benefit ratio to me is very questionable.....again, just this East Tennesseers opinion...

 

D :thumb:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a comparison of states, in Georgia, there were 77,000 players registered in 2007 from the ages of U6 through U19. Contrast that with the numbers in Tennessee for 2006, in which there were 37,238 players registered from U5 through U19. As a general rule you will find higher level players and teams in larger population areas. It would probably be a better comparison to use a state that has similar players enrolled in youth soccer because Georgia has more than double the numbers of players as Tennessee.

 

Ones definition of a top player can be a lot different than what a college coach at an SEC or ACC team, let alone a State, Regional, and National Team coach is looking for in players. Often, a player that one might think of as a top player is exposed in other environments because they are simply not good enough at a certain level. There are various reasons for this; however, for a player to compete at the higher levels they will need to be very good in all 4 of the components of the game relatively speaking. Of the 4 components of the game: Technical, Tactical, Physical, and Psychological; the players that don't make it to the higher levels usually all come up short in the technical and tactical component to compete with the top players in the region.

 

In regards to the ODP program, of the 5 girls that made the regional team or above on the girls side, I don't believe any live in Middle Tennessee. There were 3 players on the 94 team and 2 players on the 95 team. I believe the 96 group will be pretty strong too, but there is no regional team selected at that age. As far as exposure, I think one would have to look at the coaching staff and recognize that there are a number of college coaches involved in ODP in many states. If we are still using Georgia for comparison, the state training for ODP is in the Atlanta area because it is where most of the players live and it's centrally located. Middle TN is also centrally located and cuts down on the need for someone in East or West Tennessee to drive 5-6 hours.

 

When one talks about top players, which players went to nationally ranked soccer schools in Division I that play consistently, that were not involved in ODP?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are a lot of soccer players in TN, as well as other states that are very good, that don't play ODP, some for the reason Champ pointed out. It is very easy to get caught up in the rip-tide of soccer, not understanding that in the end, 99.9% will be ex-soccer players after 4 years of college, no matter where they go. It depends on the individual's goals, and whether life really does revolve around soccer, or soccer is just part of life. I see plenty of lower division schools beat upper division, or at least play very closely with them. Guess which ones may actually enjoy college life a little more? I have talked to more than one athlete that has played at different college levels for that answer. A very individual question, no doubt. There is a lot of pressure on these kids to secure the coaches job at the highest levels. The kids, for the most part are expendable. I do feel that ODP, if gotten into by one's Freshman year, can be valuable in maximizing one's exposure, and also the top clubs in any state, that play in showcase tournaments get a lot of exposure as well. Also, don't ignore the opportunity for combines. Also the coaches' network is huge, if he works it. All of this, knowing that the NCAA allows D1 schools a max of 14 scholarships. The kicker is that not all schools will fund all 14. Some do 7, 9, some more, some less. Now fiqure, partial scholarships vs. tuition /yr. Bottom line, play it because you love it, and play at the level you are willing to sacrifice other things for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

Announcements


×
  • Create New...