Release or not to release???

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I personally believe that is a player is not happy that they should be released from the roster so she may find a team that she will be happy. I hear and have seen firsthand about coaches that refuse to release a player from their roster. I have never held a kid hostage by refusing to release them. Coaches that do this should not be allowed to coach the following season. You are only hurting an innocent girl that want to play the sport they love.

Coaches need to keep personal feelings aside and remember it is for the girls not for the glory of boasting a ranking on the almighty OFC weekly polls. Coaches if you have a solid program and treat people with respect you don?t have to worry about who want to leave your team. I have made my share of mistakes on and off the field but forcing a player to stay that wants to leave for whatever the reason is something that I have never done nor will I.

If you have an overabundance of players that ask to be release year after year then you need to reflect and ask yourself what am I doing to chase these players a way.

Also ?coaches? and I use that term loosely how would you like it if a pro manager wantabe stopped your daughter from playing one summer. It would **** trust me.

Just sounding off and starting a hot topic?.]

 

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Well I certainly agree with you about releasing unhappy players/families. I am guessing there is some story behind it. It strikes me a little funny that you mention the "almighty OFC weekly polls" which I have seen some coaches use to try to pick up players for their team. I've expressed my opinion in the past on the poll threads that I'm not a big fan of polls for 10-12 year olds ... if those are somehow coming into the equation and impacting whether players get released, then its just another reason to not be a fan.

 

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Well I certainly agree with you about releasing unhappy players/families. I am guessing there is some story behind it. It strikes me a little funny that you mention the "almighty OFC weekly polls" which I have seen some coaches use to try to pick up players for their team. I've expressed my opinion in the past on the poll threads that I'm not a big fan of polls for 10-12 year olds ... if those are somehow coming into the equation and impacting whether players get released, then its just another reason to not be a fan.

There is always a backstory. It is not a big deal a girl is not going t play for a certain coach and asked to join a different team and the first coach is refusing to release her. I just think it is stupid and selfish to ruin a girls season because they cannot/ willnot get along.

I had a player leave a few seasons ago just didn't get along with other families. I released them that day. I have also heard allot of this happening this season. So I was realy hoping that the "coaches" that do this read this and remember it is about the girls.

Matt.

 

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There is always a backstory. It is not a big deal a girl is not going t play for a certain coach and asked to join a different team and the first coach is refusing to release her. I just think it is stupid and selfish to ruin a girls season because they cannot/ willnot get along.

I had a player leave a few seasons ago just didn't get along with other families. I released them that day. I have also heard allot of this happening this season. So I was realy hoping that the "coaches" that do this read this and remember it is about the girls.

Matt.

Maybe you'll have to pick her up during tryouts in the Fall versus mid-season.

 

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Release... who has the "right" to own a player. Get over yourself... egoooooooo

 

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Last I checked it is the parents of the girl who fork out the 600 or whatever dollars for their daughter to play not to mention whatever time and money it costs to travel all over creation to support them. If the girl really is not happy then I think it is their right to go wherever makes them happy. After all they are the ones who are out time and money. Losing a player doesn't cost the team money. As far as I know if you leave mid season you don't get your money back because it is already spent on tournament fees/uniforms etc. It is not the kids fault. Sometimes situations are not good for the player or team. Why prolong the inevitable and harm the child. At the end of the day it is 100% about the kids. I think we all get too caught up in the winning/losing/bragging rights etc.

 

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Release... who has the "right" to own a player. Get over yourself... egoooooooo

Yes...

 

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Maybe you'll have to pick her up during tryouts in the Fall versus mid-season.

I think we found a "coach"

 

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Last I checked it is the parents of the girl who fork out the 600 or whatever dollars for their daughter to play not to mention whatever time and money it costs to travel all over creation to support them. If the girl really is not happy then I think it is their right to go wherever makes them happy. After all they are the ones who are out time and money. Losing a player doesn't cost the team money. As far as I know if you leave mid season you don't get your money back because it is already spent on tournament fees/uniforms etc. It is not the kids fault. Sometimes situations are not good for the player or team. Why prolong the inevitable and harm the child. At the end of the day it is 100% about the kids. I think we all get too caught up in the winning/losing/bragging rights etc.

Well said...

 

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Although I come down on the side of releasing because there would be too much drama associated with not releasing and I am willing to imagine that the player has a good reason to leave that might include personality or playing time differences with the coaching staff, Run26 has a point. Players leaving after they have committed to a team create a lot of headaches for coaches. And if they are leaving because another coach has aggressively recruited them after said commitment, insult is added to injury. Because of our experience last year with existing players leaving after having made pre-tryout commitments, I am going to recommend that in the future we require at least 1/2 of the next season team fees with the commitment. We don't advertise tryout positions for which we already have an existing player who has committed, but we in turn suffer a lot of time and lost opportunity costs when the existing player reneges after the tryout season is over. Whether the head guy will adopt this recommendation, I don't know.

But I certainly wouldn't refund any paid fees if the player wants a release to join another team once the season is upon us.

 

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With the word release, once a girl and parent has signed an ASA (and presumably the other bodies) roster for the year, she is in a sense a property of that team for ASA purposes. She does in fact need a release from the manager of that team to legally play for other ASA teams.

Although I agree that a team might as well release anyone who wants a release, the notion of it being about the girls is also true for the girls on the team a player is leaving. If 12 players agree in August to all play together and three want a release in December, what about the nine who remain? Their team has been damaged and the team they agreed to play with has now changed. It's not just about the three who bolted, it's also about the nine who remain.

 

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I don't know this player or situation, but I could possibly see a situation where a team is left with not enough players to compete. If this was the case I would release the player as soon as the roster spot was filled. If you choose to leave a team unable play, because you change your mind, I would keep you from playing too. Team before individual. There maybe 8 others that paid their fees too, that you are leaving behind. Again possibility.

 

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With the word release, once a girl and parent has signed an ASA (and presumably the other bodies) roster for the year, she is in a sense a property of that team for ASA purposes. She does in fact need a release from the manager of that team to legally play for other ASA teams.

Although I agree that a team might as well release anyone who wants a release, the notion of it being about the girls is also true for the girls on the team a player is leaving. If 12 players agree in August to all play together and three want a release in December, what about the nine who remain? Their team has been damaged and the team they agreed to play with has now changed. It's not just about the three who bolted, it's also about the nine who remain.

Very true. I am not saying people should just leave for the heck of it. There really should be a good reason. There will always be some that have good reason and others that just do it to do it.

 

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The entire "release" system is flawed to begin with. I have had 3 players leave this year for various reasons that had nothing to do with the team, all are playing elsewhere yet I was only aksed to sign 1 player release form. So how are the other 2 on 2 different rosters? For me I don't really care as long as the kid is playing somewhere and happy.This game is about the girls! I would never hold a player on my team who didn't want to be here.

 

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On the other side there are coaches that will say whatever to get you to commit in the fall. Come spring you find out they were full of shot but should they think that they have you on the hook? You paid your fees and it's too late to find another team so you are stuck or maybe you find another team but are out of luck with your fees? Just some thoughts. Probably too many possibilities to say one way or another in this thread. Joe is right, it should be about all the girls.

 

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@musty:

Would you agree that your argument doesn't apply to existing players who have had an experience with their team and the coaches and leave after committing before tryouts to return to the team?

 

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During or before tryouts, yes. School ball players should know before school ball starts...There will always be gray area, coaches and players despite their differences need to make there decisions respectfully. Sportsmanship, period.

 

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If a player decides they need to leave the team because it is best for them so be it. If they end up on another team maybe it was just a better fit. Coaches need to realize this is about the players and not them. They also need to think if my DD was not happy playing for so and so what would I do. I would hope he would do what he thought was best for his DD just as these parents want to do. However I have heard girls being stuck on a team because the team qualified for Nationals/ World Series.

 

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@musty:

Would you agree that your argument doesn't apply to existing players who have had an experience with their team and the coaches and leaves after committing before tryouts to return to the team?

Could. What if the team changed course. Say they always traveled and played a strong schedule and that was the plan in the fall but because of finances in the spring they decided to change and play only local tournaments? Or maybe in the past they played only ASA, said in the fall that was the plan then in the spring they decided to only play USSSA. Or what if they always carried a roster of 12 and said that was the plan for next year but come spring they said they will carry 20. I would say these are good reasons to split.

But to change teams after committing without a strong compelling reason would be wrong. Finding a better team or closer team or maybe a team that plays a particular tournament not on your schedule, that sort of thing is wrong.

My point is there are a lot of different scenarios to keep one from saying carte blanche leaving a team is wrong. Me thinks but I'm not talking about any particular situation or experience.

 

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Why keep an unhappy player/family? They will just spread that unhappiness.