u/Admirable_Gold7141

My kid is a goalkeeper and has been playing in goal for three years in club soccer. They weren't put there by a coach because the team needed a keeper—they are genuinely passionate about the position. Like, wake up and work out at 6 a.m. to their own alarm during summer break before it gets hot passionate.

This year, they switched club teams because they wanted the opportunity to play in higher flights during league. They had been stuck on a B team in Flight 3 and really wanted a chance to challenge themselves.

When we joined the new club, the coach told us the team was going to play Flight 2. We just found out that the team was actually registered for Flight 3 back in June and the coach didn't say anything.

We've been playing Flight 2 tournaments and have won some and lost some, no blow out losses primarily keeping it within 1-2 points. We just played a Flight 3 tournament with several teams we would potentially see in league, and honestly, we dominated the other teams.

My kid didn't even enter their own 18 for the majority of the first two games, playing mostly on the upper part of the pitch, and only had to use their hands maybe 4–5 times the entire weekend. They were bored and came away feeling like the weekend wasn't worth it.

They've already been offered starting goalkeeper spots on more competitive teams that are going Flight 1, but they didn't want to leave their current team stranded in Flight 2. They felt like they had made a commitment to them.

Now that we know the team is actually going Flight 3, though, I'm seriously questioning whether staying is the right decision. If they're rarely going to see the ball, how much are they really going to develop as a goalkeeper?

I've seen talented young keepers lose their passion or stall development because they weren't being challenged. At the same time, I don't want to teach my kid that commitments don't matter or that you should leave a team the second a better opportunity comes along. But I also don't want to teach them that when someone misleads you, you still owe them your loyalty.

The team manager sent me a pretty lengthy message saying that they need to honor their commitment, and I understand that perspective. But I also feel like the circumstances are different from what we originally committed to. We were told Flight 2, and that's what they agreed to.

So, am I completely out of line for considering leaving and taking the Flight 1 starting goalkeeper opportunity?

I'm genuinely looking for perspective from coaches, parents, and especially goalkeepers. What would you do?

My daughter is going to a soccer camp, she’s a goalkeeper. Since it’s overnight for a week, I thought of getting her hair braided professionally. I do cornrows and braids in her hair but they tend to frizz quickly. She has a silk pillow and bonnet and we deep condition before we braid, but she’s a pretty dedicated athlete and goes about 5-6 days a week so I find I’m always braiding her hair every couple days. When I don’t braid her hair, the salt from the sweat tends to dry it out badly.

Any suggestions on athlete hair upkeep?