Premier Soccer Clubs Not For Everyone
Club soccer? As opposed to the soccer played by kids in my town? I didn’t think there was a difference…
Town soccer is usually open to just about anyone who wants to join and most larger cities and towns have multiple team at every age level. Costs may be under $100 and rarely much more than that. People running these teams are volunteers and the coaches usually have one of their kids on the team (whether they deserve to be on that team may be debatable!).
Club soccer has much more structure to it; the level of talent is greater, for the most part, than town soccer – though many kids play both.
Playing club soccer allows kids to gain greater exposure to more and better teams, as travel is usually required, and better high schools and colleges may have more of an interest in club players.
Sound snobby and elitist? Sort of but it’s really not.
Though prices range from $1,000 – $3,000; it is played year round; the coaching and staff are more professional; the experience is greater in that they play more diverse teams; facilities are usually better equipped and maintained; and most clubs don’t cut kids as they are just are placed on a team within the club that may be better suited to their skill level.
There are many valid reasons to play club soccer.
[Some critics think that playing for a premier soccer club is not worth the money and less so on the entry level teams within a club. It is believed that many clubs focus on the elite or premier teams and pay little attention to all other teams within the club; players on the non-elite teams subsidize the premier teams.
In some cases these elite players pay less.
Make sure you know of the 7 Questions to Ask Before Joining a Soccer Club.]
Playing club soccer is a commitment of time and the money will be the least of your worries as many clubs have flexible payment plans and do all they can to accommodate you.
Club soccer is not for everyone. Your child must have the passion and fire for the game; don’t push your child along the club path if they are not ready – time will tell, better yet, let them tell you the level of commitment they are willing to make.
The people running the soccer clubs can tell right away the players who want to be there and those that were dragged out of the mini-van kicking and screaming.
You, as a parent/guardian must have the passion as well, but not more than your child! There is no easy way to advance your child through the club soccer program.
Rome was not built in a day and your budding soccer star today may be tomorrow’s third string; a player’s development does not happen overnight yet occurs over many seasons of hard work and development.
Be less concerned about placing your child on a winning club/team and focus more on the big picture: what do you want for your child and where would you like to see them in the foreseeable future; then pull aside your son/daughter and ask them the same question – you may be surprised by the answer(s).
