Good rec soccer programs for 3rd grade girls?
My 8 year old daughter has been playing soccer for a few years now, and really loves the sport and the social aspect of playing on a team. We want to keep her in rec soccer, but most of the kids on her current team are moving up to the competitive team next season. Thus, we are wondering what other strong rec programs are out there for girls soccer. Has anyone had a good experience with either East Bay United or the Piedmont rec leagues? We've tried ABSC and Eastshore Alliance, and found the rec programs pretty weak in both (either you don't get to practice as a team, or you don't get to compete against kids your own age). If you know of a team who needs players please let me know, my daughter and her friend would love to join! We live in South Berkeley so would be central to many different leagues. Thanks.
Parent Replies
Between two kids, we have done rec soccer with EBU, Piedmont, and Clippers (fka Montclair). Honestly the clubs are very similar (Piedmont and Clippers are run by the same parent organization) and none does an especially good job of supporting rec coaches, in my opinion. We've had great years and terrible years with each, determined largely by the coach. Our best experiences have been years when we were able to find a friend with a known team/coach and pin on to that group, but even that is often fleeting since kids and coaches change each year. If you don't have a particular team you're trying to join, I would probably consider field locations and go from there. Piedmont Rec practices primarily in Piedmont and Alameda, EBU practices at Mills or in Emeryville/West Oakland/North Oakland, and Clippers Rec practices primarily at Merritt (and sometimes Skyline or Alameda). Teams from all three clubs play each other (and also ABSC, Alameda, and other local teams) and matches are supposed to be based on age. All three have weekly practices in the fall, with games only in the spring (which I'm told is due to field availability).