Over time, my son was pretty actively courted by several clubs other than his own. My sense was that those clubs were far more concerned about W's and L's than about high-quality training, and my son's overall welfare/future. Clubs were selling State Cups; not a high-quality, holistic approach to the club soccer experience.
Several kids bought the pitch, spent tons of hours on the road for training, or periodically trained in an un-challenging environment locally, and ultimately won a State Cup. Were they somehow better players than previously? Not that I could see. Indeed, you could make the case that some guys at their home club became better players in their absence.
So, what am I driving at?
If you're looking for "exposure" for your kid, and hoping it results in an athletic grant-in-aid, there are a bunch of clubs in the region that offer roughly the same product. The problem is, unless a player has been properly trained, that exposure is ultimately counter-productive.
When "shopping" for a club, ASK questions and PRESS for answers. Focus on the quality of the TRAINING experience and environment, as opposed to who players where and wins what.
Then, invest a few bucks in sending your kid to good, competitive college camps, where you can be SURE coaches will see and evaluate them.
Right now, some clubs (you decide who) are bottling and selling hope to unknowing parents. It's up to you to figure out which ones.
