SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Girls Varsity Soccer Effect of ECNL on Viking Cup

HARRY, Check your math.
Dues,training fees,uniforms,boots,plane tickets,hotels,food,odp,camps,gas,etc..Traveling with your child to each event, taking off from work 15-20 days maybe $10,000 is on the low side.

I've edited this post as I thought twice about putting the specifics out there. For those of you who missed it, I detailed this year for my family and came in well under $5k. It wasn't even close.

I'd be curious to see what a non-CESA person thinks dues/training fees are. Have you done the research? Or have you just drawn a number out of the air, or heard one of the haters say 'thousands of dollars'?

I just rechecked mine:

2 weeks of camp $675.00, $560.00
ODP training and camp $400.00
Mine happens to like those fancy boots 3@ 299.00
Plane tickets 3 events X 2 people $2,580.00
Days off from work for ODP,Regionals,ECNL.Premier League driving to camps.. N/C
Uniform ? again, mine wanted the fancy warm-up.
Nights in hotels ? lost count
Since you brought up CFO mine allows me to charge .55 per mile, just saying.
My point is club soccer at the highest level is expensive. And yes in my opinion worth every penny I have ever spent. Did I forget to throw in the extra $3,000.00 each year for the Disney trip.

The reason that I know how much it costs is because I referee at a high level. I chat with the parents and coaches, and it has come up how much it costs to play at a high level. I referee the regional ODP camps, academy games, state cup games, some college games, high school, etc....I talk to a lot of people that have kids playing at these different levels, and it flat out costs a lot of money.

You can get away with $4,000 or less a year playing for a very good team, but not a top tier team. There is no way that I can see that happening. Your cost of living might be cheaper in SC, than where I live too, so that could play into things also.

Chicago Fire Academy is over 6K a year for training and tournaments....not including travel, uniforms, etc...

Chicago Soccers Academy is a little less coming in about 5K not including travel, uniforms etc....

Local clubs here that are ok....they cost about 2K-3K a year not including travel and tournaments...but they are only ok.

It is not like i am pulling these numbers from my backside.....these are real numbers. I just find it amazing that people drop this much money on this. I make plenty of money, but don't wish to spend 3-4% of my income on soccer for one child. If that is what you want to do, feel free to drive the economy.

Again, I'll say to do the research here. Call CESA and ask what the club dues are. Then as the follow up: what other fees are involved. "Local clubs here that are ok....they cost about 2K-3K a year not including travel and tournaments" is just misleading and if you're talking about CESA (which in my opinion is more than ok) it's just plain inaccurate.

I actually appreciate the one person on here who private messaged me and said 'this is how much it cost me'. What I'll never understand is how people on here say they 'know how much it costs' yet they're not the one paying the money. You know because you're a referee and you talk to people? Come on! Therefore, you're in a position to tell me how much I've paid and how much I haven't? The parent you talked to after a match knows more about my bank account than I do? Wow!

HOW LONG IS THIS THREAD?