We had a lot if fun playing during the spring rec season of 2013. The league is well organized and…read morewell funded, the girls are very competitive, well mannered and sweet. We are moving but one thing we'll miss is this league!

We are hitting the tail-end of my daughters first season playing with the Almaden Valley Girls…read moreSoftball League. Overall, the experience has been great--and the girls on each team have fun during the games. It's ALL about the kids having a good time, but as usual, some parents are more concerned about feeding their ego. My one bit of feedback would be to spend a little bit more (happy to pay an additional $10 for registration) money to hire umpires/referees/officials for the games. Similar to soccer leagues for youth (they have middle/high-school students referee), you can most likely find a cost efficient method to hire officials for the games. Why? Well, the current system gives the coaches the responsibility to not only coach, but to officiate the games too (they call balls/strikes, outs, etc). So, what that does, is create an opportunity for five different teams (five is just an example number) to interpret the rules five different ways--and when rules are interpreted differently, it creates game-time debates about the aforementioned rules. On top of that, there are the parents/coaches who have been doing it for a while, and know how to use the rule book to their advantage against newer coaches. Should I need to make such a recommendation? No. You would think the parents of 7-8yr old kids would chill out--but if you have now, or have ever had your child enrolled in sports, you know how the cookie crumbles. You sometimes just have to shake your head. So, on behalf of the parents who don't want to hear bickering back and forth between coaches who interpret rules differently, or coaches who have other teams follow the rules, but break them two innings later, please think of getting some third party officials for the games...even if that official is another parent volunteer (not from either team).

My son played last year in the 10u team until he couldn't anymore after an injury (unassociated to…read morefootball). He loved the camaraderie and the coaches. As did I. I thought they all did an excellent job with the kids and they sure worked hard! These kids were coached 5 days a week, not including games. They also were offered conditioning classes all summer long before the season even began. I was impressed by that. The organization were always on top of the kids records and safety requirements. We will be back for another season. The teams are based out of Leigh High School and games are often played at Los Gatos High School.

This league is pretty bad. Unevenly matched teams and some stacked to the point that it's like why…read morebother. The league dumped a bunch on newbies on my sons team this year and we were highly disadvantage. What kid decided in 7th or 8th grade they want to suddenly pick up a new sport anyway? It's been a major handicap and disappoint to the few kids on the team they know the game and feel defeated. Why not run a draft system? No, they would be able to buddy up but at least you would have more evenly matched teams and some real competitive games instead of the same teams slaughtering everyone other every weekend? We will not be back again and will be telling everyone else we know to go elsewhere too.

I would never let my children play in this league knowing they could be subjected to the aggressive…read morehusky female representative that continually interrupted a conversation I was trying to conduct with a polite Man who said his name was Aaron Rogers,(not to be confused with the Pro QB, I didn't question the legitimacy-didn't care). He was representing this organization well, and as he and I were desperately trying to have a discussion, she Continued to mouth off and interrupt our conversation Right in front of my children - she made them feel very uncomfortable. She came out of nowhere and acted like she was in charge while she made an ASS out of herself, and the organization, showing her true nasty disposition that No responsible parent would trust allowing their children to be around. Unfortunately my children had to witness such moronic "adult" behavior & god forbid think she represented any sort of example of how to act or treat others just in general. Even though the polite man And I both did our best to ignore her, she kept desperately trying to engage & trigger me in the background while he and I spoke, and my children had to endure her endless, continuous rhetoric aimed at their Father who simply asked the Man a simple question that he was respectfully trying to answer. Why would she even force herself into our conversation in the first place? Even the man was desperately trying to continue our polite and calm conversation as she rambled insults and disrespectful remarks towards me in the background again, right in front of my children. Again, he and I both did our best to Ignore her so We could finish OUR calm/respectful conversation. Now this sort of asinine behavior is not uncommon unfortunately in these leagues, BUT as someone who REPRESENTS the league in whatever half-assed "role" she may have been given, what a disgrace to what I'll assume from the calm gentleman I was speaking with, is hard working Mature adults trying to give kids the best experience possible in an organized team sport. Possible name of "mary" is the poster child for the "bad apple" saying, for sure, but Irrelevant to Me at this point. Its a shame because I have a small team of kids that express interest in playing organized sports. I would ONLY allow them to engage in a safe/respectful/sportsmanship supported league, and I can guarantee I will not allow any kids I care about around an organization that allows this sort of dysfunctional adult to hold ANY position that gives them access to the members, especially impressionable children. This experience unfortunately supports other bad reports I had heard about this league, from fellow parent word of mouth and in my involvement with organized sport leagues. Our children are exposed to enough triggered anger & irresponsible adult behavior as it is in todays politically charged climate, the Last place we need to endure such irresponsible asinine behavior is out at the park / field where many mature adults take the responsibility seriously to show a positive role model attitude IFO impressionable children & young adults, and to represent examples of, and harbor the maturity to understand the importance of respect and sportsmanship etc, Remembering these kids just want to play and have fun . A HARD PASS on this league.

Great organization and planning. My 7 years old joined the pre-comp program in the weekends. The…read moreschedule is friendly to working parents. The training and tournaments are well organized and my boy really enjoys the games. The coach has well planned routines and activities. I can see great improvement in skills and interest from him in soccer.

My daughter has been part of the club for two years (recreational and then pre competitive), and we…read moretruly loved the experience! The coaches not only teach skills but also emphasize teamwork and sportsmanship. The schedule is flexible and make-up is offered if game/training is cancelled due to bad weather. Further, having an all-girls team is a huge plus for us compared to neighboring clubs and they even have girl teams at many different age group. The pricing is reasonable as well. Highly recommended!

I am so disappointed with this league. Their website is not user friendly in finding out much about…read morethe youth basketball program. Emails are not sent out consistently to former players, so myself and others have missed the registration completely. When calling them, Kathy is very nice:) To top it off, when I finally got to the registration and wait list page...the links don't work!!!!! Omg! I am going to go somewhere else where they are more competent on how to run a youth sports program. This is church, so this may not be a priority, and it shows.

My 3 grandchildren, 2 boys and a girl have been playing basketball at Calvary church for the past 5…read moreyears. This is a first rate organization for the kids. Uniforms, league refs in pin stripe shirts, and an incredible friendliness highlight this effort. I am so very committed to spreading the good word about this league. All the kids play in every game and are taught sportsmanship and good on court etiquette, yet the play remains competitive. Our family is so thankful to the Church for putting this on in their first rate gym. Oh, and you don't have to be a Church member or even a Christian to play. Just sign up and suit up the kids and don't forget your camera!

=== THE place to go to for goalie / keeper / goalie training ===…read more We have tried 5-6 different goalie trainers, and while we've had good luck with many of them, Nedin Tucakovic and his NorCal Futbol Academy are unparalleled when it comes to learning, care, professionalism, and making a difference in results. For context, my boy had played goalie in recreational leagues for a few years, and then had just started a season or two in a competitive club. He had some natural talent but no formal training. + Nedin met with us before any training to understand our context, needs, and goals. He requires that your player, no matter how young, attends the meeting so he can talk with them directly. He also uses this meeting to explain his approach and how he runs his academy. + He requires 1-2 private assessments because HE STRONGLY BELIEVES IN EACH PLAYER PLAYING WITH OTHERS AT THEIR LEVEL. You will not have your kid playing with others that are far above or below their level (which ends up being a really frustrating and counterproductive experience). Nedin has at times put my boy in his OWN level because players' abilities constantly shift and he adjusts the cohorts as each develops at their own pace. + He has a large academy which means a lot of keepers which means generally, there are other kids at your player's level. This helps because (a) training sessions are cheaper when there are more kids and (b) kids often have more fun when they're training with someone else. + Not ONCE have we had a kid with a negative attitude in my boy's cohort. And Nedin and his coaches will call it out if they see it. + Nedin coaches all the way from young kids to high schoolers. It is AWESOME for my middle schooler to see these amazing high school keepers. They have something to look up to. (And the training there is intense and pretty cool.) + Nedin has a network of college-level coaches (there's no way he can personally coach all of his 60- some keepers in the Academy). We've worked with over half a dozen of them in our 2 years with NorCal and they're all excellent: attention to detail / never let the players slip or fall into bad habits, caring, supportive. This is not by chance -- Nedin carefully selects and trains them. + Nedin himself is ALWAYS at practices, and he's always walking around, monitoring all the groups, calling out anything he sees. We joke that he has eyes in the back of his head. We ALSO see him course correcting coaches that are newer to the Academy. + Nedin calls EVERYTHING out. The kids know not to get sloppy; they know to always be paying attention, to always try their hardest. If not, Nedin does notice and encourages them. He ALSO always calls out when they've been stellar, he celebrates their wins. + Nedin and his coaches make this FUN. My boy always comes off the field exhausted but excited. + Nedin runs special camps where he brings in professional players and coaches to offer fresh perspective. These are invariably high quality and my boy always ends up learning a ton of new things. Some of these camp even include classroom sessions where they teach a lot of goalkeeping tactics. + They offer game observations (paid at private rates) where they will come to your player's game and critique / offer feedback. + It's extremely valuable that it's a club-agnostic camp. Although my kid plays with MVLA, we've met parents from Los Gatos United, Santa Cruz Breakers, Force, Sunnyvale Alliance, SJ Surf, Fremont Rush, Red Star, and other clubs. It's a great chance to learn about other clubs in the area. We recently moved clubs and the perspective from parents definitely helped. * It can be expensive. BUT honestly, we have not found another academy that is this robust, complete, and impactful. Happy to answer any questions by DM but have never met another NorCal Futbol family that wasn't happy with this training. (And no, I'm not getting paid for this review :-D)

NorCal Futbol Academy was not the first choice for my son's goalie training since it's 2.5 hours…read moredriving from us. However, the value that the academy offers in 1 hour of training surpasses weeks of training in other schools. Now we drive at last 3 times a months for training. David is exceptional at skill development and technique analysis. most of the students are top notch talents, but they still cater to the beginners. My kid loves this school.

We have truly enjoyed our experiences with Bay to Bay Volleyball Club! The coaches are positive and…read moreencouraging, the players demonstrate excellent sportsmanship, and the Directors, Matt & Arielle, are super kind, caring, and extremely efficient and organized with club communication and information. The club offers a wide range of specialized clinics and camps to teach basic and advance level techniques and skills. In addition to the indoor program, they also have a great beach and grass volleyball programs that are less intense but still highly engaging and fun! One of the highlights is to see the interactions between the older and younger players, supporting their matches, practicing together and offering tips and positive cheer. It definitely provides a big brother/mentorship environment. :) Our son enjoyed his first round of grass and beach volleyball in the spring and was thrilled to play on a summer team for the in house and SoCal tournament. It's been wonderful watching his growth and progress with the club. :) Thank you, coaches! We strongly recommend checking out Bay to Bay Volleyball Club if your son is interested in playing volleyball !

It has good players and competitive teams, but our experience was mixed. The club seems more…read morefocused on winning tournaments than developing all players. Many strong player are recruited from nearyby clubs and even out of state. The club fee is stated at $6,000-$8,000. That's only part of the travel volleyball cost. After travel, tournament fees, and other expenses, our total for the season was closer to $15,000-$20,000, which wasn't clearly explained upfront. Playing time was also very limited for many players, even during less important tournaments for -1, -2, -3 teams. It is understable that -1 team has this since -1 teams play in open division, want to win and get seen by the college recruits. -2 and -3 teams are more developmental. If players do not play, how will they improve? We heard quite a bit of frustration among middle school teams at bay to bay about this, where the focus should be really on learning and building confidence. The club might be a fit for families focused on competitive results and evetually want kids to become college players. Actually, many D1 teams have a large team roster. College players compete to even get the training time and let alone the play time on the court. So, some mental training is needed. Hoever, those looking for development, a healthy sport as life long hobby and clearer cost expectations should ask detailed questions before joining.

We've been going to Mogility clinics and camps for the past two years. Once my wife and I decided…read morethat we wanted to move our daughter from recreational soccer to competitive soccer, we felt the need to find a program that would help her improve her game. We tried several different clinics and camps throughout the South Bay, but Mogility was the only program where I truly felt my daughter was getting the individual attention she needed. Their low student-to-coach ratio, typically around 4-5 players per coach, makes a big difference. The clinics focus heavily on technique, ball movement, and developing a better understanding of the game. With that said, these camps are not designed to be babysitting services. They are structured to challenge players of all ages and skill levels. My daughter definitely wasn't a fan when she first started. She was doing drills that were completely new to her and pushed her well outside of her comfort zone. After attending a few clinics, however, she began to understand the concepts, gained confidence, and improved her overall play. If you're looking for a camp where you can simply drop your kids off and have them entertained, these camps and clinics probably aren't for you. But if you're looking for a program that will challenge your kids, develop their technical skills, build confidence, and help improve their overall game, then Mogility is definitely worth checking out.

We've had a great experience with Mogility. Since joining, we've seen a huge improvement in both…read moreskills and confidence. The coaches are knowledgeable, motivating, and truly care about helping each athlete grow. After training with Mogility, he was able to earn a spot on a higher-level team this year, and we're incredibly grateful for the support and development he received here. Highly recommend Mogility to any family looking to help their child reach the next level.