SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP It's all about the money!!!

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Sweet Feet, I do understand your point and enjoy the exchange. But, here's the part I hate about this discussion.

I've always tried to impress upon my own that you play the game for the love of the game. That's it. And, if you find the effort you put into playing the game well is based on "Will I get a scholarship" or similarly "Will mom give me a dollar for every goal I score", then you're playing for the wrong reason. If you apply your talent and hard work and are fortunate enough to accel and become successful at playing the game well that you love, other things may follow. They may not. But, you play for the love of the game.

The threshhold of what each individual family can afford differs, and when the cost exceeds affordable we either lose players or begin replacing the incentive of love for the game with "How can I make some money out of this?". That's the part I hate.

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Excellent post, I totally agree. However,I have a problem coming up with a single premier impact player who has quit due to finances. Some quit when they realize they do not have the talent to play at the next level and there parents always mention the money. News flash to parents, our children realize how costly travel soccer is, there is no need to remind them everyday and put undo pressure on them, just give positive encouragement.

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So if I'm reading correctly...the math works out great if you're one of the five receiving the scholarships, and if everybody invests a significant amount of money to create a team that enables a small percentage to get back more than the entire team invested, then that's good business for everyone.

That about sum it up?

I still remember reading the article last year about the family at a big Arizona club who estimated they had invested about $40,000 over the years in soccer training and their daughter got a $16,000 scholarship. The upside was, she enjoyed the experience and loved the sport, the people she played it with, and the lessons learned...can't crunch numbers on things like that.

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This might be why 1 club has lost their girls challenge team from last year except for the goalie. Talked to one parent from that team who's player had no interest in playing college soccer,but just liked to play. The parent told me 2 reasons they quit was the price tag was just to high, and the player wanted to enjoy their last year in high school.

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Uncle Buck,
I believe it. While others said that they knew of no Premier players to stop playing because of finances, I think with the economy the way it is, the lower levels might decide the time and expense is not worth the missed other experiences. Let's face it, at least at CESA, it seems that the elevator only goes down. In our age group, the one or two players over the last 5 years that have gone from challenge to premier were dropped back down the next year. When they (premier) want to get better, they look outside the club (my problem is there is no real development going on--in our age group anyways). Oh, and add to the cost, team camp. Now that we are not academy age, team camp is not residential. I glossed over the details because we can't afford to send our son, but it was something over $300 if paid early, over $500 after. For camp that you drop them off at the club fields in the a.m. and pick them up in the p.m.! I guess they have to pay the college coaches well--even though they are getting a free recruiting week.

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