Recruiting etiquette?

[bmakj]

In softball it is the wild west out there as someone else posted. Totally nuts with LOTS of shady BS happening.

Someone mentioned Soccer not having the issue (ice hockey doesn't either) - that is is mainly because everything is primarily played under or rolls up to one governing org (USA Soccer, USA Hockey, etc) so they can enforce things they want to happen (like tying someone to a roster through a season , roster releases.etc, etc).

Softball doesn't currently do that - and there are no signs it ever will. This is primarily good (because I think USA Softball/ASA continues to be terrible).

it might be good to have one sanctioning body though

-less chance of all sorts of bad actors (predators, swindlers, abusers) to simply hop around from one sanction to another, or to get toe in door to begin with.

-standards to be introduced for coaching, mandatory training in vital areas (concussion, heat stress)

-if everyone was under same umbrella, might force some changes for the better (instead of cutting and running to another sanction, stay and fight for what you want to see go or be added), in the very long run.

 

[uncdrew]

yup, Wild West. Anything goes.

And of course the parents are as bad as the coaches. They'll say yes to everyone and everything until it's time to write that first check.

 

[Strike2]

it might be good to have one sanctioning body though

-less chance of all sorts of bad actors (predators, swindlers, abusers) to simply hop around from one sanction to another, or to get toe in door to begin with.

-standards to be introduced for coaching, mandatory training in vital areas (concussion, heat stress)

-if everyone was under same umbrella, might force some changes for the better (instead of cutting and running to another sanction, stay and fight for what you want to see go or be added), in the very long run.

Might be, but that won't ever happen. I don't know soccer well, but a friend is a pretty successful coach, and I think he'd disagree (after he finished laughing) about how locked down soccer is. I'm not a fan of monopolies...competition is good.

The sanctions that I'm familiar with USA/USSSA require background checks, and USA requires some pretty time consuming online training. Predators and gross abusers get figured out pretty quick, but the "swindlers" exist in every sanction and their activity doesn't usually rise to the level of criminal. These guys tend switch organizations and teams, but they resurface like mold. Anyone who pays attention knows what they're about, but people keep signing up. One guy I'm aware of locally hasn't EVER put a winning team together and he gets demolished by anyone half-way decent. He cycles through literally dozens of players each year, but keeps his little org chugging along. He's on one of the local association boards, and I've even seen him interviewed on TV!

 

[Strike2]

Also, be a pitcher or catcher and you'll never worry about finding a team...

Form a reliable coaching staff with DDs who are (good) pitchers & catchers, and you'll never worry about fielding a team.

 

[Tide_will_Roll]

My younger daughter plays soccer. If a team wants a guest player her club must release her player card to to the asking club for the game/tournament. For some reason, I thought softball was similar if you already played on a team for an organization.

One of DD's assistant coaches from her former team told us a story about a girl who tried out the year before my daughter joined the team. She made the team and for whatever reason changed her mind after she was registered. I don't know the specific reason.

Thus girl wanted to simply guest play for clubs but the HC wouldn't give her "rights" to clubs for her to guest play. The girl wanted to play softball so agreed to be on the team.

HC told her the girls would have to agree to it since she "abandoned" them (no games had been played). The girls on the team voted to let this girl back into the team.

After the affirming vote the coach told the girl, and her parents,, she still couldn't be on his team because she wasn't "loyal". He then refused to "release" her card/rights/registration or whatever. The kid was stuck for the year and couldn't guest or join another club.

 

[CloudofDust]

My younger daughter plays soccer. If a team wants a guest player her club must release her player card to to the asking club for the game/tournament. For some reason, I thought softball was similar if you already played on a team for an organization.

One of DD's assistant coaches from her former team told us a story about a girl who tried out the year before my daughter joined the team. She made the team and for whatever reason changed her mind after she was registered. I don't know the specific reason.

Thus girl wanted to simply guest play for clubs but the HC wouldn't give her "rights" to clubs for her to guest play. The girl wanted to play softball so agreed to be on the team.

HC told her the girls would have to agree to it since she "abandoned" them (no games had been played). The girls on the team voted to let this girl back into the team.

After the affirming vote the coach told the girl, and her parents,, she still couldn't be on his team because she wasn't "loyal". He then refused to "release" her card/rights/registration or whatever. The kid was stuck for the year and couldn't guest or join another club.

Yeah, that's a bit extreme, but shows the other side of the recruitment fun. I've witnessed some coaches refusing to release players to other teams, but not prior to having played a tournament. Most common reasons are lack of payment or tournament commitments that would leave the team short-handed if the player was granted release.