Home Forums Long Island & Eastern New York Soccer Message Boards BOTN Main Message Board Recommendations welcome: how to deal with an incompetent HS coach

I have to agree with the post... maybe I would have been a little softer, but the info is accurate. The coach is Gil Kreiss. He works in the district (middle school teacher). I suggest to the writer that they be patient. However, they should instruct their child to play how they were taught by their qualified trainers vs listening to an incompetent coach who could put a child in dangers way with inexperience. The hardest part with anything, is dealing with someone who doesn't know what they "think" they know.

There is little you can do. AD's make hiring decisions, it isn't a Democracy run by club parents. If the team does decently he'll probably keep his job. Coaches only get fired if they are involved with a scandal or perform atrociously. Don't be one of those soccer parents that rounds up dissatisfied parents and plot to get him removed. Sit back, take a deep breath and enjoy the season for what it is. If you have a negative attitude so will your player. It's two months long and you'll be back at your club in no time.

I am looking for recommendations on how to deal with a complete incompetent Girls HS Coach.

I've watched the variety coach for the Hewlett soccer team the past few years and I am at a complete loss of how he coaches, communicates and manages the team. The team did well last year in a lower division due strictly on the Keeper they had (she has gone on to play at Northeastern).

He has a surplus of players that he moved up from 8th & 9th grade... so many kids ride the bench, while their JV can barely field a team. Most of the players he moved up are not "the same caliber" as the older players.

I am sure that for parents of higher caliber players from club teams get frustrated with their school coaches, who are mostly not qualified and are looking for just another paycheck. And then there are some (such as Hewlett's women's varsity coach) who think they know the game well, when in fact they have no clue. To worsen matters, he suffers from a Napoleon complex and thinks he's the big man on campus.

I realize that for the top club players who also play school ball, it is more of the "social" experience. However, these children are accustomed to trainers who actually know what they are doing. Now they are exposed to a buffoon... what is a parent supposed to do?

The coaches don't want to hear from the parents... and that would certainly blowup at their child's expense. When the child speaks up, they are also "shut down" and dismissed (and we all know that our experienced players know the game far more than most HS coaches).

Any input is gladly welcome

There is a simple solution to this. Just don't worry about it. HS soccer is meaningless.

my daughter is one of the captains of her high school soccer team. i can assure you, high school soccer is not meaningless.

Hewlett wins its first conference title in 21 years - and instead of priming your daughter to go for a repeat you rant and rave against the coach?

Seems they had a good group of underclassmen last season and the team should be fairly strong. Have your daughter get in there and fight for minutes - while enjoying defending the title and trying to move up from last year's #1 county seeding

(Sounds like this may be a playing time issue. The note about 8th and 9th graders was quite vague - maybe this parent feels the young kids play too much)

my daughter is one of the captains of her high school soccer team. i can assure you, high school soccer is not meaningless.

my daughter is one of the captains of her high school soccer team. i can assure you, high school soccer is not meaningless.

I am looking for recommendations on how to deal with a complete incompetent Girls HS Coach.

I've watched the variety coach for the Hewlett soccer team the past few years and I am at a complete loss of how he coaches, communicates and manages the team. The team did well last year in a lower division due strictly on the Keeper they had (she has gone on to play at Northeastern).

He has a surplus of players that he moved up from 8th & 9th grade... so many kids ride the bench, while their JV can barely field a team. Most of the players he moved up are not "the same caliber" as the older players.

I am sure that for parents of higher caliber players from club teams get frustrated with their school coaches, who are mostly not qualified and are looking for just another paycheck. And then there are some (such as Hewlett's women's varsity coach) who think they know the game well, when in fact they have no clue. To worsen matters, he suffers from a Napoleon complex and thinks he's the big man on campus.

I realize that for the top club players who also play school ball, it is more of the "social" experience. However, these children are accustomed to trainers who actually know what they are doing. Now they are exposed to a buffoon... what is a parent supposed to do?

The coaches don't want to hear from the parents... and that would certainly blowup at their child's expense. When the child speaks up, they are also "shut down" and dismissed (and we all know that our experienced players know the game far more than most HS coaches).

Any input is gladly welcome

Ok, how is it meaningful? Is your high school team going out and entering college showcases? Are the coaches calling colleges on your kids behalf? Are college coaches coming down to watch your games? For 99% of the high schools the answer is no to all of those questions. Let your kid have fun playing soccer with her friends and don't worry about the results.

OMG a high school captain!!! You must know everything!

Ok, how is it meaningful? Is your high school team going out and entering college showcases? Are the coaches calling colleges on your kids behalf? Are college coaches coming down to watch your games? For 99% of the high schools the answer is no to all of those questions. Let your kid have fun playing soccer with her friends and don't worry about the results.

it's meaningful because she gets to play the game she loves and represent her town and high school. hearing her name on the morning announcements, after a game winning goal or assist, is an absolute source of pride for my daughter. we don't depend on college coaches for meaningful experiences. i am not worried about the results, but it's always more fun watching them win than lose.

Another frustratingly common theme - HS is meaningless, HS soccer sucks, it's run by the history teacher, it's thuggish, etc. 1) it doesn't all suck; 2) many HS have qualified coaches that only coach soccer 3) it means a great deal to the kids playing it and to many of their parents as well. In fact it means a great deal to thousands and thousands yet a small group of soccer snobs feel the need to cr** all over it. Get over yourselves and accept it for what it is. No one is forcing you to watch it. No one is forcing your kid to play it. If your kid does play, be supportive and less critical. It's their experience, not yours.