Organization question

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Oct 18, 2016
6
1
I have a question and just wondering if anyone could help me understand. In the area where I live we have some pretty big organizations that have a good rep about getting kids in good schools. They have good coach's that go out and teach the girls what it means to play as a team and be competitive and not play daddy ball. My question is why would these organizations start letting coach's and teams in that have bad reps either from poor sportsmanship or just all around terrible coaching? Its seems like there is so many teams popping up how do you ever find a fit that will teach, work and provide your kid what they need to succeed at the next level.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
I have a question and just wondering if anyone could help me understand. In the area where I live we have some pretty big organizations that have a good rep about getting kids in good schools. They have good coach's that go out and teach the girls what it means to play as a team and be competitive and not play daddy ball. My question is why would these organizations start letting coach's and teams in that have bad reps either from poor sportsmanship or just all around terrible coaching? Its seems like there is so many teams popping up how do you ever find a fit that will teach, work and provide your kid what they need to succeed at the next level.

Homework to find a fit... Spending time at tourneys, watching coaches coach and teams play.... The main problem is the dilution of talent as these teams cannibalize each other for players.

Right now it is a HUGE arms race out there. Every 'BIG' org is trying to expand to get bigger faster to keep their players and teams from moving to greener pastures. In the past 36 months it has gone from 'I can't believe Intensity and Firecrackers are starting teams in Florida' to having Batbusters, Atlanta Vipers, Diamond Hotshots, Texas Glory, Velocity, Impact and several others enter the market - which has also forced the other local orgs such as Tampa Mustangs, Gold Coast, Inferno and others to expand to teams they previously probably wouldn't have considered.

There is nothing more stupid that playing a team with another city's name in it from a different state...
 
Oct 18, 2016
6
1
We have been doing a lot of homework over the past 4 or so months to try to find the right fit. I just cant figure out why these organizations would bring on teams and coach's that no one wants to play because of all the drama they bring to the field. When you have a hard time filling your roster because no one wants to play with you i mean that should be a pretty good idea that there is a problem somewhere. Just seems like a big risk to ruin these organizations reps but then again maybe they care maybe its all about the money more teams will bring in.
 
Nov 29, 2009
2,975
83
In short, it's about the Benjamin's. The Firecrackers started doing it a while back, charging a fee per player to a team authorizing them to wear their name on the front of the jersey. They have lost any input about the quality of the teams and the coaching that now wear their name. The quality of the organization name has been diluted.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
Just seems like a big risk to ruin these organizations reps but then again maybe they care maybe its all about the money more teams will bring in.

Money is part of it and for some orgs is at the heart of it - but for others it is a matter of survival and keeping up. If all your parents are being sold on the 'big org' capabilities and you are losing your players then it can be a spiral down quickly. Even if the parents realize they were sold a bill of goods, they may not come back or it may be too late as your teams disband (because the #1 player to go are pitchers).

And every parent sees their kid on the 'top' team in the org and see the lower teams in the org as a 'gateway' into it (i.e. I will have DD play on crappy org team because eventually she will play for non-crappy big-org team as they realize how awesome she is)

To be fair, I have been part of a couple of these now. There are some great big orgs built on some core principles and values they truly believe and that you want to be part of (and my DD is part of this right now) - so they are not all bad.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
In short, it's about the Benjamin's. The Firecrackers started doing it a while back, charging a fee per player to a team authorizing them to wear their name on the front of the jersey. They have lost any input about the quality of the teams and the coaching that now wear their name. The quality of the organization name has been diluted.

At our last tournament there were 4 local Firecrackers teams playing in 12U.
 
Mar 1, 2015
131
0
At our last tournament there were 4 local Firecrackers teams playing in 12U.

Firecrackers is becoming more and more watered down every other week it seems. You see Firecrackers in your draw and it could be a great team, ok team, or bottom team. Impact gold is trying to move into our area, as is Texas Glory (as Georgia Glory). And Atlanta Premier seems to be competing with the Firecrackers in how many new teams they can add around here, skill level or performance not being important.
 
Apr 26, 2015
704
43
DD played for a big name org last year - it wasn't necessarily by choice. She played on a team for several years and showed up one day to be told the coach had joined this big name national org. We were very disappointed because our fees went up, but it was the same old team, same old coaching just more $$. The org that the coach left was a local one with a very good reputation (one that my sister played for 20 years ago). We were thrilled to be a part of that one because of what they stood for. DD has since left this particular team and it is so sad because being on the outside is even worse. You hear how every team in our state wants to beat DD's old big name org team. They have the worst reputation for playing mean and dirty. We are so thankful that DD chose to make a move - I know that the head of the big name org would be beside himself if he knew some of the stuff that had gone down with DD's old coach - and now he "represents" that big name org.

So yeah - the big names really mean nothing around here...
 
Jun 11, 2013
2,619
113
It used to be that if you saw the firecrackers or one of the other big names on the schedule you would know you were going to play a great team. Now you know you are going to play a team.
 

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