Of course the system is broken. There is something fundamentally wrong with a youth soccer system in which an academy aged team in SC has to travel 75 miles or more on a regular basis to get a competitive game. Each of S.C.'s metropolitan areas is fielding a few u10-u12 teams that regularly travel regionally to play other teams at their level. Sure, there a good things about travel soccer -- family time, seeing new places, staying out of trouble, etc. -- but it doesn't mean that the system is ideal. We have this system because our schools and youth clubs (YMCAs) abdicated responsibility for training advanced players. Parents are faced with the choice between minimal rec training and the club soccer merrygoround which easily costs $2000 per year or more in training and travel.
Let's not pretend that the cost is not excluding players from the sport. Let's also be honest, that there are higher cost barriers to soccer than there are to basketball or football, sports which benefit from substantial sponsorship money. The club fees are expensive, and the travel costs even more. Sure, there are scholarships available, but how many families are simply scared off by the cost or time commitment? Are we trying to see how much sacrifice we can get out of parents, or are we trying to get as many kids involved in the sport at the highest level possible? Is it unreasonable for a young couple with a household income of around 60k to say "no" to paying $2,000 per year in training fees and travel costs for their budding young soccer player? If they do, will that kid have a realistic chance of cracking the club scene as a u14? Most probably not.
I don't have answers for all of these problems, except to swim against the tide and point to our school system as a possible solution to the problem. While our national federation seems to be trying to run away from the school system, our high schools and colleges have the infrastructure to support a true national model. They have fields, lights, coaches, etc. It seems that we should make the most of this infrastructure.
I'm not necessarily critical of club soccer. I've had great experiences with clubs and coaches. Club soccer has filled a vacuum in our country. But, without major sponsorships or public-private partnerships, I can't help but think that club soccer, as currently configured, has hit the ceiling when it comes to developing the sport.
Again, your ten year old should not have to travel out of town on a frequent basis to get a competitive game... but he/she does. It may be the best system we have now, but it is far from ideal.
