Why does it seem that 10 & 12 U are missing from ASA tournaments?

or am I missing something? Do those ages play different organizations?

 

So they are playing in NSA or what?

 

Not trophy hunting at all - these teams play where the competition is playing. ASA is getting out worked in these age groups.

ASA shows up once high school is over and by this time, the younger ages have played 8 - 10 tournaments.

What has ASA done to promote these age groups? What tournaments did they promote? What locations?

Our team tried to play in the tournament this weekend but it was cancelled for the younger age groups due to a lack of interest.

These teams are playing in AAU, NSA, IFA and WFC - in tournaments that are conveniently located and have been playing since March.

Now would be the perfect time to push for younger age groups - NSA is down, WFC has its issues and AAU is primarily in Concord only. There is a lot of unhappiness with the current sanctioning bodies in these age groups.

I would announce a full tournament schedule beginning in March. I would go recruit the top 3 or 4 organizations in NC, SC, VA and GA and give them free entry into every tournament. The rest of the quality teams will follow and you would have a bunch of great tournaments.

 

If they are begging and no one comes, they need to look at when they are being played and where they are being played. Multiple sanctioning bodies are offering free entries to ensure quality teams - are they doing that?

Do you think teams would rather play AAU or WFC as compared to ASA? The answer is no - ASA has the quality and reputation behind it. So - ASA needs to look in other areas with an eye only toward 10U and 12U to find their answer.

My point is - they are being out worked and out - marketed. A quality organization like ASA can get the 10U and 12U age groups if they go about it the right way - and it takes more than just begging!

 

They have their tournaments in SC where they're based, and they're sanctioned by SC ASA. Others have their tournaments in their own back yards.

While these tournaments are being done for the kids benefit, it's still a business. Fields and Umpires must be paid for. Gate receipts won't usually cover all of that.

In my experience, teams this age don't much care what the sanction is. They're looking mainly for convenience, competition and then cost.

An earlier poster made the point quite well. The players for 14U and up are just not available until mid-May... except in Georgia. I don't know how well their spring tournaments have done, was too busy with school ball.

 

14U

Well, it really doens't seem like there is that much 14U play in ASA either. 9 teams in the State Championship? Maybe the later summer tournaments will be more attended by the 14U's.

 

Too many 14U's playing up maybe??

Back to my question....
I was just wondering if the number of 10 & 12U's were dropping maybe signally a future problem in the sport. I did not look at the other organizations, only the ASA state tourney and saw that the 10 and 12 was canceled... Thought it might be worth asking about.

 

10U / 12U is cyclical with our local tournaments

I also heard I was priced too high for the 10s and 12s in the ASA State. Most all of our tournamernts are at quality venues. Springwood, Walnut Creek, ect...
The berth is the big draw for most teams that play with us.
Some of the other sanctioning bodies have lots of gimmicks from what I have seen when I've checked them out.
We just offer ball.
The real appeal for us has been the 16s and 18s because of the level of competition and the attraction of college coaches. We have a hard time breaking into the "local team" draw. No one likes to play more that an hour or so away.

 

And what is wrong with that. Much more fun than scholarship hunting which "most" of the girls end up not wanting or using in the end anyway. They have much more fun winning those little trophies

 

.....because to play in a national ASA, a team has to play their way in not pay their way in.

My DDs 12u team, way back some 8 years ago, played in the NC ASA state championship, ....3 teams. We won, and BTW, I'll bet a dollar to a doughnut that that team was the best or certainly in the "best" equation of any 12u team, ok, nuff about the braggin, (wait, before ya'll sling some snot at your buddy Fish, I've got the knockout punch waiting for ya when the kids went to 14u).....anyway, we won, over the 2 other teams, then we had to go back to back weekends to Georgia to qualify for the big dog tourney.......BAM!!!!!!


Let me tell ya, AWESOME experience!!!!!!!!!!!! It made me realize two things, one was that our NC kids, all of them from our team and the teams we played around here, could flat out play! #2 was that the game at the 10 or 12u gig was a trophy hunting thing to some degree and there was nothing wrong with that... BUT we in NC had badass competition right here at home! So stepping out of our area to play the bigs from Cal. etc. helped us raise the bar.

We finished tied for like 9ish, and lost to the winner 4-1 and lost to the runner up 1-0.


No slander to the USSSA, NSA, etc. (played in all of them) but the ASA nats rock!......

It cost $, and its worth every dime!

"Survive and advance" Jim Valvano NCSU RIP

Fish