(Long Thread) I was out at a local Rec league's "Playoffs" this weekend to watch U6-U8 players and to gauge the temperature of the sport in the area. This Rec league has over 2,500 kids enrolled in it, and uses parent coaches with no coaching education whatsoever. What I saw was

(2) ...a bunch of players with talent, athleticism, and intelligence, and a bunch of coaches screaming "Kick it! Get it! Shoot it! Run harder!". The league sorts players by school, so every kid on a particular team goes to the same school, which is a big appeal to parents, as ...

(3) ...kids play with their school friends. What I saw was parents and coaches screaming as loud as possible, to the point where neither were audible to the players. Teen referees being berated by parents and parent coaches...

(4) ...kids as young as 4 (2015) years old playing 7v7 in the same league with 7 (2012) year olds who run right by them. These little 4-5 year olds rarely touched the ball. There's no development plan, no thought for "what's next". Just a whole lot of "We're 9-1...

(5) ...and in the finals of our playoffs". There are no governing bodies for these leagues, and yet they are the most popular leagues among us.

Our club has offered, at no charge, to provide some coaching education to the parents that volunteer to coach their teams, but...

(6) ...the league seems to have no interest in a partnership or our assistance. What hope do these kids have if the Rec leagues, which are promoted by the schools, don't look to improve? How will they develop if the culture around them doesn't?

It feels like a waste of talent