I think what often gets lost in this dichotomy (club v. high school) is that PLAYERS benefit from playing at a high level of soccer year-round, which at the HS level in SC means club in the fall.
Year-round soccer by the players is crucial for success. Less so at A, more so at AAAA.
But to win the state, or compete for the state, those year-round players need a high quality coach and a school committed to a PROGRAM.
I began coaching high school soccer because I felt the players deserved something better than having a coach forced to coach them, or having a coach be there simply to fulfill his coaching obligations. The school wanted the same. I never played soccer and did intensive on-the-job training. But both the boys and girls teams at that high school have done better since the players have committed to year-round soccer and the school has secured a high-quality soccer coach (not me).
