Parents of young soccer players often ask me the question: “Should I sign my child up for club soccer?” There isn’t one correct answer to this question, as everyone has a different experience with club soccer. Mine has had a lot of ups and downs. I have been playing club soccer since 6th grade, and this is the first year I have been on the same team for more than one season. On the other hand, some people have stayed at the same club for years. It is important to weigh the pros and cons of club soccer and find a team that is right for you.
“Club” soccer is open to players from across the state, while “town” soccer is comprised of kids from Brookline. It is possible to do club and town simultaneously, although that can be a lot. However, the high school soccer season is in the fall while the club season is in the winter and spring, making it easier to do both without overlap.
Club soccer, on average, costs between $2,000 to $5,000 per year, making it inaccessible to lower-income families. Those $2,000 to $5,000 don’t include the amount spent on travel either. Last season, I had tournaments in Tampa, Fla., Long Island, N.Y., New Jersey and California. It is too much to expect that everybody has the means to do that, and it is unfair that some players have to miss out on those experiences. They aren’t just missing out on the fun but also a crucial part of the college recruiting process, as tournaments are great for exposure to college coaches.
You would think you’d be getting amazing coaches for the amount of money you pay, but that is not always the case. In my experience, many coaches are just trying to get you on a team to get your money and couldn’t care less about you or your development. I’ve had coaches who have lied to me, diminished my confidence and are more interested in winning than growing the team. Once, a coach told me he was starting a new team that would be perfect for the level I was at, and if it didn’t work out, I could play with his older team. He then proceeded to leave the club. The team he had built was not at all what he had promised, and I spent that season constantly frustrated, both with the new coach, who didn’t know what he was doing, and the players, who did not match my level whatsoever.
Another annoying aspect of club soccer is that there are very few teams close to Brookline. I tried a team that was only a 20-minute drive, but the club went bankrupt and I didn’t want to follow the coach to a new club. Most teams have facilities in Taunton, Lancaster or other places around an hour from Brookline. I have finally found a team I enjoy, but on the nights I have practice, it takes about three and a half hours to drive there, practice and then drive back.
My teammates are from towns all over the state, and if not for club soccer, I would never have met them. I appreciate high school soccer for introducing me to classmates from all grades, but club allows me to form friendships with people from other towns, too.
Despite my tangent on horrible coaching, good club coaches do exist. My coach last year was excellent: he wasn’t super aggressive, but everyone respected him and took practices and games seriously. Club is very different from high school soccer because when you only have three practices a week and one game, you have to be very focused at every practice.
Club soccer has also helped me grow immensely as a player. The high school season is so short that if you don’t play club, you are only playing organized soccer until November. With the club season being so long (starting in the winter and ending in the spring), you have a genuine chance to build chemistry with your teammates and work on your skills.
If you are wondering whether to sign your kid up for club soccer, you must do what’s right for them. It might take a while to find a team that is convenient for you to get to, with teammates you like and a coach that doesn’t make you want to quit, but once you do, you will love it.
