I think year round club drains kids that would otherwise "love" soccer.
My player that just quit her college team said that she was beginning to HATE the game because it had become nothing but conditioning, weightlifting, etc. Kids need soccer to be fun.
When I was in high school, our Challenge Club season in the fall ran concurrently with the Aiken Rec. League's soccer season. I could play against Hungryneck and CMSA on the weekend, and then play 1 or 2 lighthearted games with/against kids I grew up with, and we could all talk about the games at school. The fact that Aiken had leagues all the way through the U-18 age group allowed me to compete at the highest level available (back in the mid 90s that was Challenge) and also play simply for fun against people I knew.
Kids today have NO rec option anywhere in the upstate. Not a true, $45 dollar, low key, rec at least.
Adding that element back into kids lives would put a lot of the joy back in soccer, rather than make it so structured like it has become today.
Last edited by Former Ram; 03/04/11 02:19 PM.
