Avoiding bad organizations

[LEsoftballdad]

How do you avoid bad organizations? We recently had an experience with a terrible organization out of NJ with the initials LD. Had I known the owner was a thief and a liar, we'd have avoided the LDs like the plague, but there doesn't seem to be a database out there to help. Am I missing something here?

 

[radness]

Would not lump all teams in an organization as bad.
More so coach by coach regardless of org.

Tough thing is one person's trash is another person's treasure.

 

[Strike2]

There are bad organizations. Sometimes, they're disguised in a relatively reputable national name, but the person who runs the local version is shady or incompetent. Experience will eventually teach you who / what to avoid in your area, but there are some "tells" that will tip you off:

- Lots of teams, but few (or even none) of them are any good. Rosters change with frequent shifting of players between teams and age groups.

- The person running it might have a fairly long history, but changes team names or national organizations every year or two.

- The organization head is listed as the manager/coach for multiple teams. A good indicator that you won't know who will show up to coach on game day.

- Prices that don't match up to what you get with large up-front commitments.

The best organizations I've seen are those that adopt quality coaches along with their existing players, and allow those teams to run themselves. They support individual team efforts with organized tryouts, help with pickup players when needed, practice facilities, and a network of college coaching contacts. They don't charge teams big fees just to wear the brand. They run showcase events that attract teams from a wide geographic area that college coaches actually attend.

 

[Rolling Hard]

You could retitle your thread to "Looking for a respectable Org. in the NJ area."

 

[LEsoftballdad]

You could retitle your thread to "Looking for a respectable Org. in the NJ area."

I could, but it is better this way to also serve as a warning to anyone drinking their Kool Aid.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

There are bad organizations. Sometimes, they're disguised in a relatively reputable national name, but the person who runs the local version is shady or incompetent. Experience will eventually teach you who / what to avoid in your area, but there are some "tells" that will tip you off:

- Lots of teams, but few (or even none) of them are any good. Rosters change with frequent shifting of players between teams and age groups.

- The person running it might have a fairly long history, but changes team names or national organizations every year or two.

- The organization head is listed as the manager/coach for multiple teams. A good indicator that you won't know who will show up to coach on game day.

- Prices that don't match up to what you get with large up-front commitments.

The best organizations I've seen are those that adopt quality coaches along with their existing players, and allow those teams to run themselves. They support individual team efforts with organized tryouts, help with pickup players when needed, practice facilities, and a network of college coaching contacts. They don't charge teams big fees just to wear the brand. They run showcase events that attract teams from a wide geographic area that college coaches actually attend.

Great information!

 

[Bullseye]

There are bad organizations. Sometimes, they're disguised in a relatively reputable national name, but the person who runs the local version is shady or incompetent. Experience will eventually teach you who / what to avoid in your area, but there are some "tells" that will tip you off:

- Lots of teams, but few (or even none) of them are any good. Rosters change with frequent shifting of players between teams and age groups.

- The person running it might have a fairly long history, but changes team names or national organizations every year or two.

- The organization head is listed as the manager/coach for multiple teams. A good indicator that you won't know who will show up to coach on game day.

- Prices that don't match up to what you get with large up-front commitments.

The best organizations I've seen are those that adopt quality coaches along with their existing players, and allow those teams to run themselves. They support individual team efforts with organized tryouts, help with pickup players when needed, practice facilities, and a network of college coaching contacts. They don't charge teams big fees just to wear the brand. They run showcase events that attract teams from a wide geographic area that college coaches actually attend.

Let me sum that up.
You posted how organizations run and then your solution is everybody has to go through the trenches over time you'll figure it out. How about some detail on how to identify the bad coach since you've been through it you can tell us all.

 

[Bullseye]

How do you avoid bad organizations? We recently had an experience with a terrible organization out of NJ with the initials LD. Had I known the owner was a thief and a liar, we'd have avoided the LDs like the plague, but there doesn't seem to be a database out there to help. Am I missing something here?

Do more research befor handing over a check.
Don't just go to 1 teams try out and say yes will take a spot. Go to five different teams tryouts. Go to several practices of the teams are interested in. Go watch them play or be a guest player for at least two different weekends at least six games before making a decision. Talk to different parents in the stands for just listen you will hear what they are bitching about. There may not be the coach that fits exactly what you want somewhere you might have to be flexible decide what you want to be flexible about and what you can't handle. Since your post is obviously just a rant trying to say you've been lied to why don't you talk about what you were lied to about and how you involved yourself in it because any dispute is not one-sided there's two sides and a third that is the truth.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

Do more research befor handing over a check.
Don't just go to 1 teams try out and say yes will take a spot. Go to five different teams tryouts. Go to several practices of the teams are interested in. Go watch them play or be a guest player for at least two different weekends at least six games before making a decision. Talk to different parents in the stands for just listen you will hear what they are bitching about. There may not be the coach that fits exactly what you want somewhere you might have to be flexible decide what you want to be flexible about and what you can't handle. Since your post is obviously just a rant trying to say you've been lied to why don't you talk about what you were lied to about and how you involved yourself in it because any dispute is not one-sided there's two sides and a third that is the truth.

All fair points. Yes, there are often three sides to the story, but when you've been lied to and had money stolen and threatened bodily harm for the nerve if asking for a refund, I'm entitled to rant.

 

[Bullseye]

All fair points. Yes, there are often three sides to the story, but when you've been lied to and had money stolen and threatened bodily harm for the nerve if asking for a refund, I'm entitled to rant.

Anonymous ranting let's hear from the coach now.