Select Soccer Commitment and $$$

I am suffering from commitment and sticker shock of select soccer. I've been reading over these boards. Are the folks here more dedicated than the folks not posting here? Let me get this straight from the experts here.

Outcome of Parents Meeting for Academy Players to Select (U10)

1. 1 year contract and commitment
   Family vacations in June and December only
   Practice twice a week
   Practice on Saturdays during the off season
   3 v 3 or indoor during outdoor offseason
   15 minutes of practice each day on own
   Games all the way across the otherside of the metroplex
   Sometimes games on Sunday morning during church
   ~$2,300 a year with a contract
   ~$400 more for uniform
   No guarantee who you will play with
   No guarantee team will form, might stick you on another team within club if not enough players

I have a pretty talented kid, but he is 10 years old. What about family time, other sports, and do coaches prefer athiest who never go to church?

I can afford the costs, but I'm having a really hard time justifying spending that kind of money for a 10 year old to play a sport.

Most of these coaches didn't make alot of money playing soccer. It seems they are only making money now coaching this pay for play model. I wonder about some of the talented kids that don't have that kind of money.

I talked to several parents who were playing rec and academy. These parents seem very committed to the move to select. Some of their kids were not really that good on rec teams, are these paid coaches going to make them Messi? How select is it really, when there are middle of the road rec players moving to select?

One more question to experienced folks? If objectively, your kid is the best on the team would you ask for a scholarship? The team is close and other teams require a long drive. Unless they recruit some good players, they are bound for premier league.

I'm starting to think of just doing soccer camps e.g. YES, Challenge and stay in rec 1 more year. Plus Son, can continue to play with friends. I've seen some older rec soccer games, and man they are tough to watch.

Seems like you have a very good understanding. A lot of commitment and $$$ required. It is not very selective in my opinion. Lots of not very athletic/coordinated/focused kids paying lots of $$$ that should really be playing in Rec. If your kid is good they could play up in Rec but will miss likely miss out on the finer points of technique, movement and passing that a good club coach teaches. The other option is of one of the cheaper small/independent clubs/teams.

in with the Ayses plug before soccernovice!

also scholarships should be actually be for the kids who are good enough to play but really cant afford it.

Agree you have a good understanding of the situation. Finding a less expensive and more reasonable Indy team is a better option than rec. rec will set a talented kid back for a host of reasons. My older son took a year off and we learned that the world did not end and there are other things in life. Additionally, don't try to make sense of the $. There is no payback. If there was, the coach would be in professional life somewhere making better money. Again, Indy team with an unpaid coach (if you can find one) is a better option than rec.

Oh sh!t you are right...I didn't even realise...The constant soccernovice drum beat has subliminally influenced me....

omega striker wrote:in with the Ayses plug before soccernovice!

also scholarships should be actually be for the kids who are good enough to play but really cant afford it.

Why should the kids from a family that can afford it not get one?? I think the most talented, dedicated, and leader on the team regardless of their families financial standings should get it. I think if a family can't afford it, the club should offer community work towards their due. Seems harsh, but this is the soccer world right??

Soccer2001 wrote:

omega striker wrote:in with the Ayses plug before soccernovice!

also scholarships should be actually be for the kids who are good enough to play but really cant afford it.

Why should the kids from a family that can afford it not get one?? I think the most talented, dedicated, and leader on the team regardless of their families financial standings should get it. I think if a family can't afford it, the club should offer community work towards their due. Seems harsh, but this is the soccer world right??

So the poor kid has to pick up trash, mow grass and clean bathrooms to pay because the kid from a wealthier family does not have to pay because he is a star. Thus starts the star treatment for athletes that has worked so well for others. Very smart students get academic scholarshipss but even most of those are needs based. Shop your stud around for a scholarship when you don't need one and you will probably end up with what you paid for.

Playing select is not going to make your child Messi. Most coaches are going to teach him the basics.

It is about this age that academy/rec players switch to select. If you do not swith to select, it does not mean that your child is going to fall behind. You can perhaps continue with rec and perhaps supplement with other programs or/and camps for skills.

You may consider trying out for pre-academy instead of select next year as well.

If you can afford it, you need to pay and have the kids that can't pay a chance to enjoy the game as well.

Please, make sure that your son is enjoying the game and do encourage, but do not demand more than he can produce. I have seen so many good boys dropping soccer because they get burnt by the time they get to the 7th grade. If it is not fun, they are not going to play soccer for you once they have a say so on the matter.

Good luck!

The "COMMITMENT" part can be quite expensive and expansive from the perspective of "TIME". Time = money, right?

Say, you're a scholarship kid from East Dallas, Love Field, Oak Cliff, where ever. Say also, you train in Frisco at 5 or 6.

- The parent must have enough flexibility at their job to get home early, then get the kid in a car for at least a one hour commute. Sitting in traffic on the tollway is not fun.
- If the parent has other kids with their own activities, take that into account, too.
- Hopefully it's not a single parent household. Two parents have much more flexibility than one parent.
- Then pay about $8 bucks round trip on the tollway.
- Consume about $12 bucks in gasoline.
- There will be a lot of wear and tear on the vehicle. Tires aren't cheap.
- Somehow you have to fit in dinner. Usually something to eat and drink during the commute.
- Tournament fees are not free. More money spent.
- Don't forget homework and school projects. Often completed during the commute.

Say the U11 team trains 3x/week plus futsal on the weekend. One or two games on weekends.

It all adds up.

The $2,400 club tuition is cheap compared to the time commitment. Scholarship or no scholarship, you'll pay to play select. Often, scholarship kids don't have uniforms covered.

The question should be… "Will I, as a parent commit to the time needed for my son to play select?" If the answer is, no. There's your solution.

Even with a scholarship, the parents have a huge cost in time.

When your child is happy and enjoying the themselves it does not seem that expensive. The time you share and the smiles you witness make the costs very bearable. They are only young once and time flies. If they are unhappy and stressed then the costs and time invested seems huge. I feel that before its over my family will feel both. But it's the journey no? Together as a family... Just my opinion

Soccer2001 wrote:

omega striker wrote:in with the Ayses plug before soccernovice!

also scholarships should be actually be for the kids who are good enough to play but really cant afford it.

Why should the kids from a family that can afford it not get one?? I think the most talented, dedicated, and leader on the team regardless of their families financial standings should get it. I think if a family can't afford it, the club should offer community work towards their due. Seems harsh, but this is the soccer world right??

Here's why: Because in general the other parents on the team are paying for the scholarships. It is already tough on most to pay for their own kids without paying for someone elses also. I don't care how good little Johnny is, if he can afford it he should be paying. I'm not paying for a kid whose mom is dropping him off in her Range Rover on the way to her manicure. On the other hand if there is a kid with promising ability who is a good teammate, but with little financial means, I don't mind chipping in for his club dues (although I believe nobody should get a completely free ride - everyone should be paying something). JMHO.

All valid points.

At u10/11 basic technical skill is about all the 'coaching' a kid really needs anyway.

Other than that, kids are actually better off playing on their own. Maybe play up a year in rec (if he's really that good) and play indoor/futsal...alot.

if a kid is really that good he won't be missing out anyway. Don't buy into the "elite training/competition" crap.

Studies have shown that kids that age are better off with less "supervised instruction".

As they get older (u14+) they need more "deliberate practice routines" i.e. team/group structure and coaching.

With rec, you don't get the structure, but, the player has more freedom to experiment with the ball.

Even if he's scoring 10 goals a game, that's good. It makes him confident.

SilvaTheGreat wrote:I am suffering from commitment and sticker shock of select soccer. I've been reading over these boards. Are the folks here more dedicated than the folks not posting here? Let me get this straight from the experts here.

Outcome of Parents Meeting for Academy Players to Select (U10)

1. 1 year contract and commitment
   Family vacations in June and December only
   Practice twice a week
   Practice on Saturdays during the off season
   3 v 3 or indoor during outdoor offseason
   15 minutes of practice each day on own
   Games all the way across the otherside of the metroplex
   Sometimes games on Sunday morning during church
   ~$2,300 a year with a contract
   ~$400 more for uniform
   No guarantee who you will play with
   No guarantee team will form, might stick you on another team within club if not enough players

I have a pretty talented kid, but he is 10 years old. What about family time, other sports, and do coaches prefer athiest who never go to church?

I can afford the costs, but I'm having a really hard time justifying spending that kind of money for a 10 year old to play a sport.

Most of these coaches didn't make alot of money playing soccer. It seems they are only making money now coaching this pay for play model. I wonder about some of the talented kids that don't have that kind of money.

I talked to several parents who were playing rec and academy. These parents seem very committed to the move to select. Some of their kids were not really that good on rec teams, are these paid coaches going to make them Messi? How select is it really, when there are middle of the road rec players moving to select?

One more question to experienced folks? If objectively, your kid is the best on the team would you ask for a scholarship? The team is close and other teams require a long drive. Unless they recruit some good players, they are bound for premier league.

I'm starting to think of just doing soccer camps e.g. YES, Challenge and stay in rec 1 more year. Plus Son, can continue to play with friends. I've seen some older rec soccer games, and man they are tough to watch.

I think every youngester ought to be able to play a sport whether it's pay for play or not. Besides, paying early could give them an advantage over some of the others if, and when, they're able to move to high school sports.

Laimport wrote:All valid points.

At u10/11 basic technical skill is about all the 'coaching' a kid really needs anyway.

Other than that, kids are actually better off playing on their own. Maybe play up a year in rec (if he's really that good) and play indoor/futsal...alot.

if a kid is really that good he won't be missing out anyway. Don't buy into the "elite training/competition" crap.

Studies have shown that kids that age are better off with less "supervised instruction".

As they get older (u14+) they need more "deliberate practice routines" i.e. team/group structure and coaching.

With rec, you don't get the structure, but, the player has more freedom to experiment with the ball.

Even if he's scoring 10 goals a game, that's good. It makes him confident.

I will have to disagree. The quality of play in rec vs club is ENORMOUS - yes you have the occassional good player on a team here or there, but the overall speed of play and field understanding is many many notches below. I agree that the better player builds confidence, but I also see the play gets sloppy and is not at all sharp. I have one that stepped down from competitive play to rec play and he can do whatever he wants with the ball on the field. He has to use minimal skill to beat 98% of his opponents. He is an average size kid, but knows how to use his body to "rub" off a player from the ball and to gain separation without using his arms extended. He is having fun playing with his friends so that is a huge positive - he plays all the time in the yard, but doesn't like the competitive aspect (probably a maturity thing) of select soccer.

What I wish is there was an inbetween level that was much more affordable than the present club expense, but was still a big step up from the rec leagues. I drove last year 1000's of miles to and from practice plus tolls - the real dollars on fuel and tolls was $1600 plus additional wear and tear on a vehicle that got 35mpg plus uniforms and club dues. It I got 20mpg the price would have jumped to $2500. All in my vehicle expenses were probably in the $2200 range oil, tires, excess milage. Very expensive and we didn't travel for games at all. The indy clubs that are much more affordable are all far from my home where I would be spending $1200 in just transporation - sorry that is just too much.

bottomline, if your BB is a talented player, do not go the REC route, it is not good for their development as the coaching is just volunteer parents who most don't really understand the rules. If you can find an Indy team that he can grow his skills because you are hesistant on the money then do that. We have played for the small clubs and the big clubs - major pro's for each. As they get older (high school age), I believe the bigger clubs offer significantly more opportunity. Good luck to you.

I will add one "thought" to this whole thing, that as a parent of a '96 I can relate to quite a bit. One of the dad's of a 95 on the girl's forum once posted that their biggest regret was that the only family vacations they ever took were to soccer tournaments. When your kid is moving in to their first year of Select it all seems so "urgent", and "important", and those thoughts will cloud your judgment. Years down the road you will look back and think "man, we were a bit over-the-top, back then", and hopefully, by the time that epiphany hits your kid will not hate the sport. Perfect example is to just browse the '02,'01, and '00 forums, then hop over to the '96 and '95 forums.. a world of difference in tone and topics. Please do not let Club soccer overtake your life. Do not forgo true family experiences, vacations, and time away from other things because of soccer. We realized this about 3 years in and finally took our foot off the gas and relaxed. On the flip side of things the world of Club soccer can be a blast. Travel to great places, meeting cool people from all over the US. It is a true fraternity / sorority and has just as many rewards as "pitfalls".

Where I'm from, there wasn't that big of a difference between rec and select. In terms of coaching especially.

Perhaps, a happy middle ground would be forming developmental pools of talented players. Players could be moved around for friendlies and for training purposes. No offical 'league' or standings. That should eliminate some of the costs.

If you focus on the fundamentals (just like any other sport) then winning later becomes a byproduct of playing well.

The real problem is 'buyer ignorance' and apathy.

Writing a bigger check isn't going to make your child any better. Not in the grand scheme of things. As long as parents are naive enough to spend this kind of money, the clubs will still command and get these high fees.

Until then, the market demand is high and so are the costs.

Above all, be realistic about your child's ability and passion for the game.

Slakemoth wrote:I will add one "thought" to this whole thing, that as a parent of a '96 I can relate to quite a bit. One of the dad's of a 95 on the girl's forum once posted that their biggest regret was that the only family vacations they ever took were to soccer tournaments. When your kid is moving in to their first year of Select it all seems so "urgent", and "important", and those thoughts will cloud your judgment. Years down the road you will look back and think "man, we were a bit over-the-top, back then", and hopefully, by the time that epiphany hits your kid will not hate the sport. Perfect example is to just browse the '02,'01, and '00 forums, then hop over to the '96 and '95 forums.. a world of difference in tone and topics. Please do not let Club soccer overtake your life. Do not forgo true family experiences, vacations, and time away from other things because of soccer. We realized this about 3 years in and finally took our foot off the gas and relaxed. On the flip side of things the world of Club soccer can be a blast. Travel to great places, meeting cool people from all over the US. It is a true fraternity / sorority and has just as many rewards as "pitfalls".

Very well stated - I couldn't agree more. We are so much different now than we were. The urgency you mention that was so prevalent years ago are better now - especially after we took that "first" family vacation. We too have met and seen some really cool things, people and have great memories, but we are much much better with our priorities.

I'm curious about the road of independent team. Of course it would have to be close or the cost advantage would be lost driving across town 2 times a week to practice.

What are roadblocks to joining one of the big clubs later e.g. U13?

If we join a big club later and my son takes someones spot in starting lineup, what are the politics like?

Does ODP or DA or I guess this PA thing now favor players already on one of the big clubs?

Is this a bad idea? Another parent with a D coaching license on the team is thinking of starting his own team and play in Plano Premier league and skip the qualifying tournaments. He has fields he can rent for a year, but no lights. He was thinking of combining some of the best teams players still in rec. I guess is it too late to get an indy going or should I look for an established team.

I noticed this Indy team is looking for players.

Independent team with no fees beyond registration split for league and tournaments looking to add 3-4 players to core group of kids already committed to play in qualifier. Team has been 12 kids for past 2 years and has played in CAL and UAL. We are losing some 03s who will drop down after UAL is finished next weekend.

Team practices in Allen Tuesdays Celebration park 5:30-7:00.
Please email me or coach Al for more information.

Coach Al:
alan.beaney@systemware.com
214-202-3599

Jess
jltays@gmail.com

tpitty

Very tempting, but I'm over in Lewisville. It might be a little far. I'll think about it.

Oh..its not my team. I just saw the posting and was trying to help

As far as time commitments, don't forget having to volunteer at Classic League games and, depending on the club, at tournaments, etc. Having to spend all that time at soocer is one thing if I'm watching my kids and their friends, but something else if I'm watching some other teams' parents! Never thought I'd be paying thousands of dollars a year and being required to offer free labor!

With rec, you don't get the structure, but, the player has more freedom to experiment with the ball.


LMAO. what freedom? like booting it downfield? waiting for a pass that wll never come?doing moves on kids with no technical ability to counter the move? dribbling past immovable objects that dive in constantly or try to kick him in the ankle? Your good soccer player will quit when he is bored or tired of playing with such bad competition or getting kicked in the ankle 5 times a game. what a silly post

I see plenty of poor defending and ankle kicking in classic league too!

So, what's the difference? About $2500?

If rec is really "that bad"..that's one thing.

But the intense "must win" mentality of CL sure as hell isn't the answer. certainly not at u11!

A player's success is largely up to the player.

I've seen kids who didn't even play organized soccer until 14 or 15. And in many cases they were a lot better than the so-called 'top' players who had played select, had the matching backpacks and went to every f'ing camp and skills session mommy and daddy could afford.

The difference is that these kids played with older brothers and family members. They got 100 times as many touches on the ball. Consequently, they became better players in the long run.

Competition comes in many forms. besides, it is all about fundamentals at that age.

But hey, soccerisgood, if you want to keep drinking the koolaid, I don't want to get in the way of the thirsty!

Ahh, the mythical rec player who never played til 15 and schooled the select kids. Like the unicorn often talked about but never seen......