FC Napoli
FC Napoli
Background
FC Napoli has its roots going back to 2003 with a small group of twenty players in a small gym in Worcester, Massachusetts. As the club became more established they started to play other premier soccer clubs; by 2003 they had more than sixty players.
FC Napoli has a unique style for developing and teaching young soccer players that set itself apart from other premier soccer clubs by modelling itself on successful European methods. They a pure possession attacking style, with emphasising team ball control, team defense and skilled team striker play. The club believes that building a strong solid soccer foundation, focused on fundamentals, creates higher quality soccer players.
Their premier teams hold open tryouts sessions in June with individual tryouts throughout the year for players interested in competing at the premier level. FC Napoli plays in NSL (Northeast Soccer League), participate in the Massachusetts State Cup tournament, and position themselves for Regional and National Cup tournaments.
Camps/Clinics
For information on the FC Napoli winter clinics please see their website for some great information.
Facilities
Fields include:
Nichols College
30 Center Rd.
Dudley, MA 01571
St. Peter-Marian HS
781 Grove Street
Worcester, MA
Farber Field
Marianapolis
Marianapolis Sports Fields
Thompson, CT
Hillside School [NSL home games]
404 Robin Hill Street
Marlborough, MA 01752
Website
- The FC Napoli website does a good job highlighting team stats.
- The site has just about all you need such as contact information, club history, etc.
- Has a “Search” field.
- No fee structure on the FC Napoli site.
I wish I had seen these comments four years ago. I was told two years into it that the owner does not live up to his promises, but I thought they were just not getting their way. But I found out it is true. I have not seen one player whose development was due to this team. What I have seen is the crushing of spirits and confidence. Anyone who has improved while we were a part of this team did so on their own or with the help of a Rec coach.
This “team” only wants to work with players who are already at their peak, they do not know to take a kid with raw talent and make them better. My child is not the most talented but was willing to put in the work to get better. These coaches just are not interested. They obviously saw something the previous four years, but now without even a word, just a number on a website it’s see you later.
Make no mistake, this is not about being cut, it is about the lack of desire to work with the kids that need a little more help and the lack of respect after four years, countless hours and thousands of dollars invested in this team. Would it have killed them to talk with us during the season and say that our child is in danger of not going forward, here is what we need to see…. I don’t think that would have taken to much energy. But that is not how this “team” works.
I’ve been involved with a few soccer leagues, having multiple children play. I have to say, my daughter played for a larger club for awhile and I couldn’t handle the negativity from parents living through their children and obsessed with winning. In the 18 months she played there, and several coaches later, I don’t think I ever met the owner and coaches were still calling my daughter the wrong name. I looked for a smaller club where the owner would actually know who I was if he saw me at a game, but more importantly who my child was. I found Napoli and gave it a try. Three years later we are still a member of this club. I have been very pleased with her development under Esad Darmen. This man knows what he is doing and I truly believe he cares about these kids as individuals. He works with each of them on what they need to do to improve. He doesn’t care if they get the win every game as long as they play well and are growing. (Division 1 I may add) he has dedicated himself to get these girls to where they need to be come high school and college age. Out of 60 girls trying out for my daughters high school last year ( many play premier in different leagues) mine was the only one to make varsity as a freshman and half way though that season be a starter! I was thrilled and thank Darmen and Joe personally for that! Their coaching and her hard work got her there. Would recommend this club to anyone. The negative comments here are from parents who probably are never happy with anything and feel sorry they didn’t get the family feeling I get from this club with wonderful results on the field.
My daughter is currently playing in the club. She plays most of the game, works well with her teammates, her team is very good, her particular coach is excellent…ect…
I put this so that you can’t write “probably got cut” and all those excuses.
She has been with the club for over 3 years. This is her last season with the club and it is a shame. We are forced to leave because of the lack of organization paired with the arrogance of the club’s leadership. The VP is excellent but he is getting less and less involved as he gets older.
My daughter learned a great deal while with the club, only because of her teammates and her team’s coaching staff.
The team was trying to keep the team together but alas, the club’s leadership keeps pushing out the top players. It really seems they don’t want to support the young teams with potential. I do thank her current team for helping develop my daughter’s skills and love for the sport. It is really just a shame how one or two people in the wrong position can ruin a real good thing.
As far as the ratings below:
Coaching – 5 for my daughter’s team and 5 for the U13 team. It would be unfair for me to judge the other team’s coaching as I have not been introduced to it.
Players development – As far as skills, same as above. As far as Club morale and management interest in teams – 0 stars
Camps/Clinics – 2 years ago they were 4 stars – now with lack of sign ups, they have U7 training with U15 – trying to teach a U7 to bend the ball.
Tournaments – They don’t have them and they participate in low level ones.
Facilities – They only provide facilities for U13 and above – outside of that – say hello to left field of a free baseball field
Website – they advertise who they want – The older teams and the fact that they had a D1 college player play for them over a year ago. This team was successful but implemented a kick and run style offense based around that one player.
Again – If you get lucky enough to run into the right team ith the right coach, you could really have your child develop. If not you are screwed…unless you like hearing stories about how good someone used to be 30 years ago at soccer.
Not impressed. Very poor management. The owner doesn’t have a clue how to run a soccer club. A few parents have been fooled in thinking their kids have benefitted from playing here – just think of how good they would be on a really good club with knowledgeable coaching. This club is like fools gold, might look good at first glance but it’s worthless.
They also like to steal from other clubs. They can’t develope players so they make promises that they can’t keep. Telling a player that you will get them into college to get them to play for them and make the training look like it is working.
That is a false and inaccurate statement. Maybe some of the other local clubs do that but Napoli runs clinics in the winter and many come from other clubs and I have witnesses first hand Darman tell people once he knew they were involved with another club that he could not talk to them until tryout time. Also have seen him release players in between season for them to go play at a different club when that player committed to playing for the year under the contract. Also if the player is serious then they will develop. Most things happen development wise in practice not in games. My daughter went from a average player to a good player because of the training from Joe and Darman and her work ethic so don’t blame your child’s lack of development on the coaching because the tools are there and it is up to her to build herself up with those tools.
My children play for them and we have been involved with the club for over 6 years. They have learned so much and have turned into great soccer players thanks to FC Napoli! It is apparent to me that most of these negative comments have come from parents who child was probably cut from the club. Jack says their teams are non existing after U15 and to look at there state cup/presidents cup records. Well Jack I do believe a couple years ago their U15 team went all the way to the finals in Presidents cup and was and incredible team. That team went until they were u17 and then disbanded because a lot of them graduated. Look at Emma D. on that team. Her senior year she was the leading scorer for central mass and got a scholarship to a division 1 college!! Also take a look at their current U15 and U16 players that are playing for high school now. All you have to do is look at the T&G several of them are constantly in the paper for leading scorers. As far as the owner he is incredible and I wish there were more coaches like him!! FC Napoli is a smaller club and I love that because we are a family and not just a number!!!
Club is small which is nice. Development of clinics works better than development on the team. Coach for U12(now U13) team makes kids feel inadequite and defleats their selfesteem. They say club is about development and not winning the game. At U12 it became all about winning the game and not player development. How can a kid develop if they are not played execept for 10 minitues out of the game. The coach would refer to the the 4 subs as bench warmers. Tell me how that is helping to develop the kids.
I will agree that Napoli is a small club. I don’t feel that the size of the club or the facilities are the most important aspect. The coaching that my child has received has been great. the coaches have been very involved with the development of all the players on my daughters team. the coach said to us upfront that on the younger team the focus is development and not results. as far as I know the older teams play in very competitive tournaments and do well. big clubs with fancy uniforms and facilities does not always make a better team.
Totally agee with Jack. The winter clinic is good but as far as developing players during the season that doesn’t happen. They tend to have players who they play for the entire game except to sub out for a few minutes at a time. They make the girls who are the subs feel infearior to the starting players. This is not how players are developed. They cut players from the team without an explanation of any kind. Most likely political. According to the Maple ‘Coaches conduct’ – “if a player can not be given a reason to cut them from the team, then they have not given them a fair look”. When my daughter was cut from the team after spending a year on it they cut her with out a phone call or real reason. Only response was from Owner was “not my decision” The coach never called or answered a email asking why. My daughter was never given a fair look. They tend to let parents run the team and tell the coach who to play and who is good etc… I would not recommend this club. There are better clubs in the area.
still happening. I guess some things will never change. They absolutely do not develop players. they may not poach them, but you are not going to get any better playing for them alone. Unbelievable to cut someone after 4 years without even a word. And worse yet to not work with them during the season to help them get better, it is like they just couldn’t wait until try outs to cut bait and run…
Thanks for NOTHING. and please tell me how someone who was asked to come back for a second tryout can show anything when they are sitting on the sideline during a scrimmage? Shouldnt the call backs be the ones playing and those who already made it sit out? These cowards had their minds made up and did not have the spine to speak to the player or parents. Good Riddance to bad rubbish.
The Napoli Club really has nothing to offer. Don’t be fooled by the clown who owns the club. He is not what he appears to be. No real coaching experience as to how to develop young players. They clam to develop players but in reality they take players who are already established and try to build a roster around one or two players. Does work and hence Napoli is a failed club.
The key at looking at any Club is to take a good hard look at the older teams U15-U18. How do they do in the league, what MAPLE division are they in (consistently in D1 or not), how do they compare in keeping the teams together for many years. That will tell you if players and parents are happy or not. If they are short lived after U15 that tells you everything.
The other thing to look at when selecting a club how did they do in State Cup. How many of their team make it to the State Cup round robin rounds (as any team can play in State Cup they just need to pay the entry fee, the question how do they do?). Is it consistent or sporadic? Is their good balance of strong boys team and strong girls teams. Don’t be fooled by clubs such as Napoli that enter very low level Tournaments then pretend to be big winners. That isa smoke and mirror ploy. As far as quality coaching Napoli doesn’t even come close to most other premier clubs. Facilities are poor and the management is awful. If you or your child is at all serious about playing competitive soccer this is not the club.
Have not been around the club long, but have been impressed with the coaches and the parent involvement. The small club feel helps to give the kids a more comfortable relationship with the coaches. Facilities are fine. My daughter loves it.
Small club with decent results, facility in Conn is deplorable, my daughter used to play on the club and she liked it thouht I think there are better ones in the area.
Thanks.