SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP Lack of Diversity in Youth Soccer

It is very sad that we have so few minorities involved in youth soccer. It will be very important that we examine the barriers to entry in the very near future. We are missing out on good athletes of all races.

Agreed.......do you have suggestions as to how to address?

The difference I see today as when I played orgainized sports growing up is costs.I do not remember my parents writing checks left and right...My coaches were not paid.I guess they were giving back to the sport or community that gave so much to them...Maybe they felt a sense of responsibility..The team raised money whenever we made playoffs..the parents were not asked to flip the bill and the coaches would haul the kids that could not find a ride to away games...Soccer professionals have to draw a line somewhere on what they are going to charge for and start giving back to the game that was so good to them..I am sure there are plenty that do this but there are plenty that want to know how much they are going to make..Scholarships to play should be offered to the average kids as well as the good player whose parents do not feel they should pay because their child makes a difference on the team.

>>[coldhardtruth] Scholarships to play should be offered to the average kids as well as the good player whose parents do not feel they should pay because their child makes a difference on the team.<<

Would you give financial assistance based on financial need, gender, race, or some combination thereof?

Scholarships should be for financial needs...Parents that make a low income..Parents that have more than two children playing within a club or a single mom who trying to make ends meet..Race or gender should not matter...low income effects all races and genders...I have just seen in the past kids getting a free ride because of their ability not necessarily the families income

We have outsized and out priced the worlds simpliest game and I am willing to take a portion of the game. Many moons ago I and a coach in the upstate and a coach in the lower state got together and decided that our services were worth something. We each had successful teams and decided that if players wanted our services it was time that they paid for those services as they had recently begun doing in many other states.

That morphed into tryout fees; trainers and training fees; and expensive registrations and uniforms. Suddenly the kid with the biggest pocketbook became the MVP.

Ironically, I can now barely afford to pay for my two kids to play now. With all of the travel involved, if my two kids play at the highest level, and play ODP, and Super Y it would cost me almost $10k before taxes if I include gas to and from practice and games; hotels, registrations, uniforms, food, and other items.

That is not right.

Please help me to understand: at what clubs and on what teams does the kid with the biggest pocketbook become the MVP? I always thought it was the kid that was related to the coach.

More seriously, since you're willing to take part of the "blame" on yourself, I'd like to get your opinion on something. Recently I've thought that perhaps one way of getting more South Carolina youth involved in soccer would be to reward clubs for doing so with small, simplified grants. The club would almost "fill in the blank" for a grant application (a couple of paragraphs would probably be needed in reality -- but nothing over a page) stating what they'd do with an extra thousand dollars (or whatever) in terms of increasing the kids that they served playing recreation soccer in certain age groups (with a focus on the younger age groups).

I realize that in your last post that you're bemoaning the price to play at the highest level -- but what I see as a much bigger threat to the diversity you raised in your opening post is not enough youth of all races and both genders being attracted to the sport at a young age. So I'm trying to figure out how we can incent clubs to "promote and develop" youth soccer earlier.

What do you think? What are alternatives that you see?

A1 - I agree with a lot of what you say, but the piano teacher gets paid, the gymnastics teacher gets paid, etc. Bottom line, professionalism is worth something, but I do agree that youth soccer has become ridiculous as far as $$$ goes.

I wander how many of the great players that we followed during the World Cup had to pay thousands of dollars as youth players in order to get to the highest level of soccer in their country.

I wander how many great players that we followed in South Carolina youth soccer that has paid thousands of dollars are playing professional soccer in MLS or over seas? Don't wonder to hard...