TOCA Soccer Center Keller — Restaurant in Keller

Opinion Regarding TOCA's Recreational League for 2014 Players

After three months in TOCA's so-called recreational league for 2014 players, I must say this has been the most challenging and unfair season my team has ever experienced. The root of the problem lies in poor management by the facility’s manager, Karen. We raised red flags from the start of the season, but she always provided excuses. If it wasn’t about having new staff, it was about not having an assistant, and when she finally hired one, the assistant couldn’t start until January—an illogical delay.

The most significant issue, however, was the lack of security and adherence to the protocols TOCA claims to uphold. From the beginning, it became clear that some clubs in the recreational league were rotating their teams and players, even allowing older players to compete. This often created a dangerous imbalance of physicality during matches, resulting in injuries to our players. TOCA does not have a reliable system to verify the identity of players. They rely on the goodwill of parents and coaches to check in at the front desk, but they don’t ensure that the players on the field or bench match the roster. While this task is listed as part of the referees’ responsibilities, TOCA referees consistently failed to enforce this rule.

When we raised these concerns, Karen requested evidence. In one game, we noticed another team with about 20 players, many of whom looked older. We reported this to the on-site manager, who printed the team’s roster and verified the players after the game. As suspected, not all the players were on the roster, and some had played illegally. Other parents from different teams confirmed this had been happening consistently, with the same team bringing up to 24 players when their roster listed only 14. The on-site manager declared that this game would be forfeited due to cheating.

After this incident, Karen remained silent for a week. When I followed up, she claimed it was "under investigation." The investigation concluded, but the team in question faced no penalties, continued playing, and retained all their points. For two months, Karen sent me over 10 emails and made several phone calls pleading with me not to post reviews or comments about these issues. Now, she refuses to provide an update on the investigation via email and insists I come to the facility for a verbal explanation. This behavior makes me believe she doesn’t want to leave a written record that could expose her mismanagement. I expect she would provide a verbal excuse, blame a "system error," and brush the matter aside.

While TOCA's recent renovations have improved the facility aesthetically, the same cannot be said for its administration. The problems that existed when this facility operated as Blue Sky still persist. My parents and I leave this experience feeling deeply disappointed and disillusioned with the lack of fairness and accountability for our players’ development.

Please do not contact me unless it is to provide a clear explanation of why a team caught cheating by your own staff faced no...

Update: we have had 3 different coaches and they have all been great, especially the last one we had. He was very personable and helpful. The TOCA concept is on point in my opinion. That said, the administrative side of TOCA is lacking and not a great experience. Examples: -I have a monthly membership which they schedule out for the same time each week. In August there were 5 Sundays and I was charged an extra $75 without notice. When I asked the front desk about it, she said, “well you went to the session so there’s nothing I can do.” Yes, but I didn’t ask for an extra session??? What the heck. I didn’t even think about it, to be honest. A manager eventually refunded it, but per usual, the people working the front desk were rude and unhelpful. -Rescheduling appts is a total pain- I was texting with someone and they just disappeared without rescheduling my appt. I just gave up and thought, ”guess we’ll skip this week and reschedule later.” At my regular time, the coach calls asking where we are. so, not only did they not get my reschedule completed, they also didn’t cancel my original time after I told them I’d be gone and unable to attend. I’m sure the coach thought we just no-showed when I actually spent 2 days trying to reschedule. -I called more than a week in advance to suspend my membership for 2 months. The lady was short with me and told me to go online and submit a request, which I did. I then received an email that my request was being processed, but never confirmation it was completed, so I called before my last session to confirm I wouldn’t be charged again. Sam said to talk to the front-desk when I came in the next day and tell them she said not to schedule me out or charge me since my last session was technically a makeup. When I did this, I was told it was too late and was charged $308 anyway. I was informed I’ll just have to keep it as a credit if / when we resume sessions. We were already cutting into our session time so I just dropped and will have to call to hopefully get a refund and confirm they actually suspended my membership. Again, great concept and coaches, but the front desk / administration side is very poorly run.

Original post: My 10 year old takes private lessons with Shaun and we love it so far. The coaches are knowledgeable and professional. The facility is great; it’s basically a batting cage for soccer. He gets so many reps in each session and they track his stats over his sessions to monitor his improvement. The format also allows the coach to focus more on the players developmental needs vs having to shag balls the whole time or be part of the drill with the player. We have already noticed significant improvement in our son’s confidence and play during his games. Great set up for...

After three months in TOCA's recreational league for 2014 players, it is clear that this has been the most difficult and unfair season for this team. The main issue was poor management by the facility’s manager, Karen. Concerns were raised from the start of the season, but she always had excuses. Sometimes it was because of new staff, and other times she said she didn’t have an assistant. When she finally hired one, the assistant couldn’t start until January, which made no sense.

The biggest problem, however, was the lack of security and enforcement of TOCA’s rules. From the beginning, it was obvious that some clubs were breaking the rules by rotating players and even allowing older players to compete. This caused an imbalance during games, making it unsafe for younger players and resulting in some of them getting hurt. TOCA does not have a reliable system to check if players on the field match the roster. They expect parents and coaches to check in at the front desk, but no one verifies if the players actually belong on the team. Even though referees are supposed to handle this, they never do.

When this was brought to Karen’s attention, she asked for proof. During one game, it was noticed that a team had about 20 players, some of whom looked older. This was reported to the staff, who printed the roster and checked the players after the game. It was confirmed that not all the players were on the roster, and some had played illegally. Other parents also shared that this team had been bringing up to 24 players to games when their roster only listed 14. The staff said the game would be forfeited because of cheating.

After this, Karen stayed silent for a week. When asked for an update, she said the matter was “under investigation.” The investigation ended, but the team faced no penalties, continued playing, and kept all their points. Over the next two months, Karen sent multiple emails and made phone calls asking not to post reviews about these issues. Now, she refuses to provide updates via email and insists on discussing the matter in person. This makes it seem like she is avoiding putting anything in writing that could show her poor management. It is likely she would only give an excuse and blame it on a "system error."

Although TOCA recently renovated its facility, improving its appearance, the same cannot be said about its management. The issues that existed when it was Blue Sky still remain. Parents and players are left feeling disappointed and frustrated by the lack of fairness and accountability in what should be a supportive environment for player...