SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP High School vs Academy

SPOT ON!

As I've opined on many occasions, the "adults" in the room should do a much better job finding ways to accommodate EACH kid's best interests.
That said ...
One point buried fairly late in the piece is the congested high school schedule and its impact on training. If you look at SCHSL, some programs are packing as many as 26 "regular-season" matches, five playoff games and 2 full-dress scrimmages (33 events) into approximately 110 days. Eliminate most Sundays from the training equation, and consider that many coaches train "light" the day before a match, and what's left?
In short, not enough days to develop the fitness, technical competence and tactical awareness needed to maximize player development.
When a kid ends the high school season tangibly less fit, MATCH FIT, and technically sharp than when he started, there's a problem.

All classes are allowed 16 regular season games and two tournaments or 18 regular season
games and one tournament. Varsity teams are allowed two tournaments, four scrimmages and one
jamboree. JV teams are allowed 14 games, two tournaments, two scrimmages and one jamboree.
Tournaments may be pre-season and start on February 22.

The first contest is March 4th and state playoffs begin May 7th. So we get about 8 weeks to play. That's about 2 per week until you throw in a turnament. I wish we had more time to play the same number of games. But 2 per week is not bad. The possibility of playing 3 playoff matches in one week is not good. If a team did play 26 games that would mean they likely had a preseason tourn. So add another week. Then add 2 weeks for 4 scrimmages. Then add 2 more weeks for the playoffs. It is not all that bad in SC. Coaches need to schedule with care.

Agreed, and guess that's my point.
I've come to understand that high school is about competition; Academy about player development.
Ideally, they're not mutually exclusive, though practically, I suspect they are.

Not meaning to take the discussion in a different direction.

The basic reason that us soccer has pushed the academy system is to become better on the world stage. correct? This causes the conflict with HS soccer.

I contend that to be better on the world stage we need our best athletes. We dont have that. And as long as soccer continues to be an expensive sport, we will not get those players. I found out recently that a DOC of a small area club was making $25 K for that position. And he was seldom at the fields! Way to much.
US Soccer should create urban clubs with little or no cost. Follow a more European system where training is not that expensive at the young ages.

Sorry for the rant, I realize it doesnt help in the HS v. academy issue. But, in my own twisted mind, it is related.

I don't disagree with some of your concepts. I can see some progress in Academy. For the SC United side, the base cost is half of last year's, in line with a national move toward fully funded Academies.
Not sure we'll ever get to a European model, as our top domestic professional soccer league follows a much different business/ownership model than what you typically see overseas. This is one reason why we have 3 leagues -- MLS, NASL and USL Pro -- that don't really cooperate as well as they might on competitive and player development issues.
(Also one reason why we don't have a promotion/relegation system.)

It is appearing that here in Illinois there are some of the Academy players that are dropping out of the academy after they get their college scholarships and are playing high school soccer. I chatted with one the other day that I was refereeing and he said that he preffered to represent his high school. I bet that the academies will lose out on the U-18 teams as other players decide to do this.

so-parents pay $2k to $5k per season for academy and are told their son can't play HS soccer?

I understand the question, and it's nowhere near that simple.
1) Some academies are completely subsidized. Some are not.
2) Academies offer "tuition support" in cases of demonstrable need. Kids in SC United are encouraged to apply.
3) There will be exceptions allowing certain Academies' kids to play high school. SC United applied for (but did not receive) an exemption.
4) Nobody is told they can't play high school. The choice remains: Play high school for four months free, and supplement with pay-to-play club activities, OR play Academy (whatever it costs) for 10 months a year.
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Personally, I advocate compromise, with this proviso. For a handful of "elite" kids, especially upperclassmen, high school soccer is NOT an appropriate developmental venue. Fun? Yes. Good leadership training? Arguably. High school soccer can be a GREAT experience. But almost certainly NOT a developmental venue. Why? Because the training and competitive environments are not adequate to promote development, once a kid reaches a certain age.