I haven't posted in a while, but since I was in this position back at 12/13/14, I thought I'd contribute my five cents.
In 7th grade (at 12), I played both club soccer and varsity soccer for a SCISA school. It required an immense time commitment for both myself and my parents as well as both of my coaches at the time. Typically, I'd go straight to varsity practice after school (luckily, I could catch rides with juniors/seniors to the fields on Johns Island from downtown), get picked up a half hour early by my parents and driven all the way to Patriots Point to attend my full club practice (two or three times a week). Sometimes I would miss club practices on Thursdays or Mondays if I had a varsity game and, of course, my club games--and we usually played two games every Saturday or so back then--were on the weekends.
On top of that, I carried a full schedule in school including some advanced classes.
As such, it's obvious that it is perfectly possible to play for both a club and school team, but it takes an especially dedicated player to be able to juggle a competitive club schedule, a JV (or varsity) schedule, AND keep up your grades at the same time. The parents have to be fully invested in the child's play and in ensuring that they have time to and do complete their schoolwork in a timely manner. Again, it requires, for some, extensive driving (and gas).
It also requires the full understanding of both coaches. We established as a unit that club practices took precedence over the school practices, but school games trumped club practices, and club games trumped all of the above. If I missed a club practice, even for a game, I understood that I would not start the first game following the practice. Even so, my club coach ended up disliking the arrangement by the end of the season and some of my playing time suffered as a result.
Even with all the sacrifices though, I would not have given up the chance to play with a varsity team for anything. Between the rigorous training I received in club practices and the experience I got in playing with and against older, more experienced girls--several of whom had played for the Fury in Mt. Pleasant, a few years above me--I was in the best shape I had ever been in and my skills improved a great deal due to the added pressures and more exposure to skill levels. I was able to take pride not only in being on a club team and starting or playing for them, but in being an integral part of my school's team and knowing that I had an impact when I was on the field as I started or played most of the games for the team. Especially memorable was my 8th grade year when we made the playoffs for the first time in several years. I had a sense of membership and inclusion in something other than just my club team that I could relate to school and my friends there.
(In 8th grade I played up two age groups and didn't have a spring season in club...and 9th I returned to my old team under the condition that I forgo high school soccer in order to play the U14 spring season with the club)
So the rewards can be just as great as the sacrifices involved. I believe though, that it takes special consideration by the player, parents, and coaches in order to make the decision that is best for all involved. Do the parents have time to drive around? Can the student handle the work load? Can they match up against the older players in school without the risk of severe injury (whether it's skill, size, ability, etc.)? Will the club coach allow it? Will the school coach allow it? And most importantly, is it something the player wants to do?
If the die all roll out favourably, I don't see why anyone shouldn't be able to play both because the benefit can definitely be worth it. However, if there is disagreement or unsurety, it's probably best to stick with club ball as it has the highest return on investment.
