The 4 C’s of Club Lacrosse

Communication, Coaching, Competition, Cost

Choosing the right club can be a difficult decision for players and parents to make.  A few factors that can drive this decision are location, friend groups, or lack of options.  When there is only one option, the only decision is to play or not to play, but when there are options, these few things should matter less than the Four C’s.

Ask these questions:

Communication

Does the director or coach of the program host a planning meeting pre or post tryout?

How will the director of the program communicate with players and families?... Email?...TeamSnap?...GroupMe?

How will team selections be made?... has that been communicated?

Does the director or coach handle all communication or does the program utilize an administrative assistant?

Coaching

Does the director have the ability to build a qualified staff?

What is the director or coach’s experience in lacrosse as a 1. Coach and 2. Player…This is important to consider because great players do not always make great coaches.  

What is the coaching philosophy of the program?... Are they Coach’s coaches, Player’s coaches, or a hybrid?

What is the training style?.. Some clubs host multiple day camps leading into tournaments, while others host 1-3 days/week  10-14 week long training programs.

Are there foundational values of the program that are taught that can be applied off the lacrosse field?

Competition

Where does your child fit into this club on a competitive level?

Where does this club fit in the local and national market on a competitive level?

Will my child improve as a person, teammate, and athlete with this club?

What is the competition level of the tournaments and games this program schedules for its teams?

Is winning the only outcome that this club is looking for? … at a certain point it does become more about winning and showcasing players in a club, but until that point where kids are getting recruited, it should be about improvement!

How many players will be carried on each team?

If my child wants to play at the college level or pro, how can this staff help my child get there?

Cost

How much is the fee and what does that get my child?

Is this fee for the Fall or Summer season only?.. Some clubs are seasonal with tryouts each season.

Is this fee for a year-round program?... Some programs run year-round programming.

Is the cost of the uniform included?... it should be!

Are team helmets mandatory? … they shouldn’t be!  It does look sweet when everyone matches though.

Where are tournaments?... Budgeting for out of state tournaments is very important for families!

Consider each of the Four C’s when picking which clubs you want to play with.  Communication is paramount, you need to know exactly what you are getting into.  Coaching is key because you want to know how your child will be taught and what the expectation for the teams and players will be.  Competition is important at a certain point in a player’s youth career if they want to play at the next level, but improvement should be the main goal until that point.  And lastly, Cost should be considered because you need to know exactly what you are paying for to make sure you are getting out of the program for your child as much as you put in.

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Defy Athletics

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