I am the granddaddy in this discussion. I played in the first organized youth soccer game in SC in 1972 and have been involved continously in youth soccer since that time. In 1972 there were more working class families involved in youth soccer than today. Youth soccer has become a sport of the elite and there is no problem with that. Until we create a venue for the "every man" to play we will not be able to compete at the level that we all want.
Club soccer is a great experience. As one of the first coaches in this state that was paid to coach a team I have no problem with acknowledging that people should be paid for the work that they do. Unfortunately, without corporate sponsorship we have allowed well heel parents to dictate who plays on our best teams. Good players without money need not apply.
The ethnic leagues may be the future. More and more high schools will be forced to look to those leagues to find their next prospects. These leagues provide quality affordable play without the expense of travel and other ancillary expenses.
Colleges coaches who used to look exclusively at club teams are recognizing that the high schools now have experienced coaches that we did not have a decade ago. As a result more and more college coaches are taking a hard look at quality high school programs.
