Tere
newbie
Reged: 03/21/05
Posts: 24
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After months of looking into sports for my 4 year old twins, I finally decided to sign them up for soccer thru Allen Sports Assoc. I had signed them up very early so that I was certain they would get a placement. Turns out...I get an e-mail from the ASA telling me that there is no coach available for the team that my boys got on. Ok??? I was then informed that if no one volunteered they would refund all the money and the team would not be able to participate. My husband has rearranged his work schedule and has said that he would volunteer, however, needs some help from at least one other person. I have e-mailed the rest of players' parents twice. NO ONE has even responded!!!!! BTW-I noticed that there are only 6 kids total on my boys' team.....Is that normal? Is that even considered a team? I feel like this whole thing has fallen on my lap and I get no help or even a response from the other parents. What about uniforms? What about a team name? I have to pull for information from the ASA. Do they just collect money and leave the rest to the coaches? Is this normal? This is my first time exposed to any of this.....so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I assumed there would be alot more organization and participation. I'm waiting another day or two for someone to step up and volunteer......after that I may have no choice but to pull my boys and the team out. How is it fair that a friend of mine who signed her son up 3 weeks ago got a full team, with a coach and I get an incomplete team without a coach and no one but my husband seems even the slightest bit interested? Is this how ALL sports are handled in Allen? 
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sco
enthusiast
Reged: 10/26/02
Posts: 537
Loc: allen,TX USA
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I can't really speak to how all sports are handled. I do have a little bit of experience with soccer. All of the sports through ASA rely on volunteer coaches. It is not a factor of how early you sign them up as to how they are placed. For the spring season, the kids who played in the fall have first priority to return to the team they played on before. Any new kids are put onto empty spots on existing teams or, as probably happened with you, grouped together to make a new team. They usually try to keep kids from the same school on the same team. From within the individual schools(at least when I coached) it was a blind draw.
For 4 year olds, 6 kids is enough to form a team. They only play 3 or 4 at a time. You can check with ASA but I believe they supply the uniforms. As for the other parents, it sounds like you just got unlucky. If you make it clear to them that you are not going to handle this alone they will probably step up and volunteer. I have found that people usually respond to a call or email asking "will you do this?" as opposed to a blanket email asking "will anybody do this?" It's too easy to assume "somebody else" will respond to the latter.
All of the sports through ASA rely almost exclusively on volunteers. All of the coaches and league directors are volunteers.
Good luck,
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Susan
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denisew
enthusiast
Reged: 02/18/02
Posts: 3234
Loc: Allen, TX
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When we had our boys in soccer through ASA, we had to buy the entire uniform. If there is a business in town that wants to sponsor your team, they should at least provide the shirts which will have their business name on them in addition to the team name. But, that is something that the adult volunteer coach would have to do - solicit a business to sponsor the team.
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amanda0815
member
Reged: 05/24/05
Posts: 83
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Unfortunately, that does appear to be how sports are handled with ASA. My daughter is in her third season of soccer and at the beginning of each season they're scrambling around to get a coach. Once you have a coach that stays with you, that's great, but our problem is none of our coaches have stayed with us. Luckily, someone has always stepped up to coach but it then takes awhile to get the paperwork or background checks approved and then once the paperwork is approved, we have a week to practice, get uniforms, etc. The ASA used to provide uniforms, but they no longer do. We ordered our uniforms from A-Town last week and they won't be ready for us until late Friday (the night before our first game). So, it is a little hectic at first, but once the season actually starts things always seem to fall in place. Good luck!!
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RaymondATLucas
member
Reged: 02/26/03
Posts: 96
Loc: Lucas, TX, USA
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I would not be all that excited about sports for young kids. If I had to do it over, I would have kept both sons out and found something they really wanted to do--mashing bugs with a hammer is maybe more productive as far as social development. Oh, we had the full run...several years for one kid on both very unsuccessful (younger) and successful (older) teams. I was an assistant coach on one of the younger teams--an awful experience. Everyone--kids, parents, etc. were doped--and those were the good days. The successful older team was horrible for trouncing other teams and running up points.
Thankfully, our youngest son was able to tell us that he doesn't like team sports at a fairly young age. I think many who see these activities as positive don't really see what happens at the games or maybe just put their head in the sand. Our oldest got out at about age 12 and is glad he never looked back. It certainly taught him some things.
If it is this distressing before you are even starting, think about where it could head from here. I wish you great luck and I'm sure there are many who will dispute what I have said...but I'll stick by it. The folks above have some good advice for you if you do decide to stick it out.
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allenmom
enthusiast
Reged: 07/02/03
Posts: 117
Loc: allen
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I have a 4 year old son who we also enrolled in soccer this year. We were very disappointed to be placed on a team with only 6 players and no coach also. My husband finally stepped up to be coach but he doesn't know anything about soccer. None of the other parents are willing to help.
We've started the season and all I can say is that we won't be doing another season! It hasn't been fun like I imagined it would be.
The kids (being age 4) aren't even interested in playing.
Can't wait for the season to be over!!!!!
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civicminded
enthusiast
Reged: 04/24/02
Posts: 4406
Loc: Lone Star State
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Not being a sports person, I don't know local practices, though some in here are well versed. But I too have seen the three and four year old kids (where I attended with others), that didn't "get it" nor did they seem to want it, haha. The adults I was with...well it was more about them.
But perhaps it's like Scouts, which I am active with....if parents don't join, there can't be a program. They don't have any paid leaders.
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RedArrow
newbie
Reged: 03/14/06
Posts: 2
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The Allen Sports Association is a wonderful organization. It is well run, and they have 3 people up there that actually get paid, and they are stretched pretty thin.
All in all kids sports at the age of 4 or 5 is more about the kids having fun, and running around, hopefully in the right direction. When they hit about 7, they start to pick it up and you can teach them skills, and work on their athletic development.
It is sad that no parents would step up in your case and the team was taken out. It takes 2 hours per week. One hour for practice, and about an hour for the game on saturday's.
The most important thing to remember is if your child likes sports stay with it, and they do not want to play dont make them...nothing worse than a kid that does not want to be out there, and is only doing it because his parents think he is the next Pele, or Troy Aikman.
If Allen is not working for you, then there are 2 places in plano that also offer a great spors enviornment.
PSA and the Y
PSA- Plano SPorts association, at the Stars Center
ANd the YMCA
Good luck!
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tnl
member
Reged: 05/25/05
Posts: 47
Loc: TX
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I don't think we're talking about the same ASA. Well run and organized ASA is not. I've coached up to 3 soccer teams at a time at one point or another for the last 6 years and let me tell you if I didn't love my children and the sport of soccer I would have called it quits a long time ago. ASA is unorganized, have a pretty rude office staff, and can be the most unhelpful people I've had to deal with.
By the way, to the orginal poster, did anyone step forward and coach the team?
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Life is too short take time to smell the roses....
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MsAlyce
enthusiast
Reged: 04/03/04
Posts: 1589
Loc: Allen,Texas,USA
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One year I can think of when they were fairly well run, the year Renee' was office manager.
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Exclusively Before & After 972/390-7162
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c3lost
member
Reged: 08/24/01
Posts: 62
Loc: stow,ohio usa
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I agree ASA could use some organization. The truth is though if parents don't step up what else can they do?
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MsAlyce
enthusiast
Reged: 04/03/04
Posts: 1589
Loc: Allen,Texas,USA
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Well, maybe if they hire someone to help them organize, they should let that person organize them. Instead of getting rid of them because of all the "changes".
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Exclusively Before & After 972/390-7162
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pkstewart
enthusiast
Reged: 07/31/03
Posts: 1273
Loc: Allen Texas USa
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Sorry to hear about your bad experience. ASA has thousands of kids playing soccer, 3,000 applications during one season that I know of. Look at the enrollment in our elementary schools. A huge percentage of AISD participates in soccer, in addition to 4 and 5 year-olds. Imagine scheduling fields, refs, and games for that many kids. Don't be upset because you are forced to be involved. Be positive and don't ask for help, tell the parents what to do. Delegate! You can do it!! All you have to do with 4 year olds is point them to THEIR goal and let them go. And have fun.
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***************
At Home Academy
972-727-6279
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Tere
newbie
Reged: 03/21/05
Posts: 24
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-----"Don't be upset because you are forced to be involved. Be positive and don't ask for help, tell the parents what to do. Delegate! "----------
I wasn't upset that I was "forced " to be involved. My husband was glad to be involved. The frustrating part was that no one responded to any of my e-mails requesting help. I'm real good at delegating, but when there is no one else to delegate to ....what are you supposed to do? Here's what eventually happened...
I sent a final e-mail out stating that if I didn't get any responses by the following morning I would pull my boys out (and my husband as coach)and the team would be out as a whole. Most of the parents at that point responded and we did get some volunteers. The team is playing and doing great. All of the parents on our team are terrific and everybody helps out. It was just tough getting it started.
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