Is Club soccer the biggest SCAM in youth sports?

DOC 's making over 200k a year! They sell you on development not wins. Some clubs having 5-6 teams at an age group. DA 2, ECNL reserve and god knows what other team names will be next for marketing a third or fourth team. Blues, Surf, Legends, Slammers, Pats, Beach, Eagles, LA Galaxy, West Coast, Albion, SDSC. do any of these clubs actually care about the individual player or will it always be money first, then club, then coach, then player
 
DOC 's making over 200k a year! They sell you on development not wins. Some clubs having 5-6 teams at an age group. DA 2, ECNL reserve and god knows what other team names will be next for marketing a third or fourth team. Blues, Surf, Legends, Slammers, Pats, Beach, Eagles, LA Galaxy, West Coast, Albion, SDSC. do any of these clubs actually care about the individual player or will it always be money first, then club, then coach, then player

I know some coaches (Shannon Mac, Jose ocampo) in it for the right reasons, and put the kids first. You can find them as long as you aren't obsessed with club name and the various acronyms du jour.
 
Club volleyball is right up there. $4k for an 11 year old to play is a bit silly.
Kids can't bump, set or hit with any consistency, but you have coaches teaching intricate rotations to kids who may never be able to jump high enough to get their hand over the net.
 
I agree 100%. But the sad part is non- privileged clubs are just as bad. It's a lose lose situation.

The ego-maniac coach winning at all costs backwards mentality for mere foolish rankings. smh.
 
I don't think that the founding fathers of soccer in the US planned on "Youth Soccer Coach" becoming a full-time career.
 
what is a "non- privileged club". what is an example of a "non-privileged club" and an example of "privileged club" . ( this is a serious question, not trying to bend the thread , just want to know what that means)
 
DOC 's making over 200k a year! They sell you on development not wins. Some clubs having 5-6 teams at an age group. DA 2, ECNL reserve and god knows what other team names will be next for marketing a third or fourth team. Blues, Surf, Legends, Slammers, Pats, Beach, Eagles, LA Galaxy, West Coast, Albion, SDSC. do any of these clubs actually care about the individual player or will it always be money first, then club, then coach, then player

It's certainly buyer beware with Club soccer. My son has played for one of the clubs and currently plays on another club on your list. While the current club is not perfect, it is light years better than the previous club. In one club the DOC verbally assaulted a parent of a tier 1 player because the player wanted to tryout for another club. You would also receive the wrath if your child wanted to guest for another club, despite the fact that the club regularly brought in guest players. In contrast, in my kid's current club the relatively well known DOC has no problem coaching a U8 C team.

It's easy to blame the clubs but parents have to shoulder some of blame. Among other things, the whole scholarship mentality, particularly for kids that aren't even in high school yet, makes parents easy prey for the clubs. These clubs post all their senior college commitments (whether by athletic scholarship or not) on their website and the parents eat it up like educational crack.

Everyone has to make the value decision for themselves as to which club suits them the best. Plenty of organized sports where the cost is substantially more expensive, although on a per hour basis Club soccer maybe the most expensive particularly if you get the old school coach that still believes in laps, lines and lectures.
 
I have two in Club Soccer. Couldn't be happier for the experience. Blissfully launching my third this year.

It's about more than just getting into college or making the National Team.

If you don't like it leave or work to change the system.

Shaking my head at all the whiners.
 
I have two in Club Soccer. Couldn't be happier for the experience. Blissfully launching my third this year.

It's about more than just getting into college or making the National Team.

If you don't like it leave or work to change the system.

Shaking my head at all the whiners.

We enjoyed my daughter's games even though we realized she had no chance at college soccer as much as those of her two older brothers , who we believed at the time were destined to play in the World Cup.
 
DOC 's making over 200k a year! They sell you on development not wins. Some clubs having 5-6 teams at an age group. DA 2, ECNL reserve and god knows what other team names will be next for marketing a third or fourth team. Blues, Surf, Legends, Slammers, Pats, Beach, Eagles, LA Galaxy, West Coast, Albion, SDSC. do any of these clubs actually care about the individual player or will it always be money first, then club, then coach, then player

it is if you fall into that trap. Both of my kids wanted to stay at a smaller local club, so far, it's been the best experience. Over the last few years, my older daughter had team mates go to several of the clubs you have listed, looking for the golden ticket, some were injured, never played and others committed to schools that were OK. (Kind of like spending $$$$ for private school and going to an eh college) The kids that stayed with their team mates all committed to some very good schools and I'd dare to say great schools from an academic standpoint. Don't get me wrong, all clubs have their drama but, the things I see happening are only to draw the numbers, reduce the player pool and make smaller clubs weaker. The sad part is, after a short time, most parents realize, the drive stinks, it's not worth it as their kids not going to make the National team and may not even get into the right tournaments to be seen by college coaches....crazy!
 
Soccer is no different from other sports. Traveling teams in hockey run from $10,000 to $30,000 a year. Club teams and tournament teams in lacrosse can get up to $10k as well. Travel basketball can rack up huge costs even though it should be the cheapest sport. Pair of sneaks, a ball, put up a hoop in your driveway and you can practice all day for free, or get free pickup games at your local schoolyard.

Do you guys have any idea how much travel baseball costs? Top of the line bats are helium infused and go for $300 a pop, and once you smash out that helium, which doesn't take long, you have to buy another one.

At least soccer has relatively cheap equipment (when my kid played hockey sticks cost $200, skates $500 and it wasn't even top of the line stuff), you can practice on your own for free all year at a local park, and there's tons of options. -- Mexican leagues, AYSO, various clubs, and eventually DA.
 
DOC 's making over 200k a year! They sell you on development not wins. Some clubs having 5-6 teams at an age group. DA 2, ECNL reserve and god knows what other team names will be next for marketing a third or fourth team. Blues, Surf, Legends, Slammers, Pats, Beach, Eagles, LA Galaxy, West Coast, Albion, SDSC. do any of these clubs actually care about the individual player or will it always be money first, then club, then coach, then player

The answer is simple. Find a great coach who's willing to do it for free! Should be easy enough right?
 
my older daughter had team mates go to several of the clubs you have listed, looking for the golden ticket, some were injured, never played and others committed to schools that were OK. (Kind of like spending $$$$ for private school and going to an eh college)
Whats an eh college? What's an ok college?
 
It's a business.....just like a private school....just like any other business. Football is also beginning to shift to a club model, at least for the elite players....high school football is still a huge draw but the clubs are beginning to spread (even in Texas). Just got back from spring break vacation and was talking to a Texas dad about this.

Also got into an argument with an AYSO/Extras parent about the merits of club sports and whether they are a rip off. My son has only done 1/2 season of club so far but already I notice the improvement. He did the UK International/AYSO spring camp for a week because it had already been paid for before he got into a club team. He was put into the 9+ group (he's 8)...all I can say is that I watched them play the final tournament and DS was taking on Extras and All Star Players that were a few years older than him...they were getting so frustrated by their inability to stop him that by the end they were just blatantly fouling...and this from a kid who is GK-oriented and who is a middling field player for his bronze team. I was really impressed by the progress he's made by just the short time in club (the only real other competition on the field was a slightly older club player from a rival bronze team). So while it may be true there are rec squads out there that are equivalent to C and D teams, the two experiences are no way on par, at least from my limited experience now.
 
I don't think club soccer is a scam at all. Are there good coaches and bad coaches? Yes. Are there good clubs and bad clubs? Yes. Do some coaches/DOC's care about their players, absolutely!

It becomes a scam when the uneducated parent feels jilted by the process of spending thousands of dollars over many years and their prized child does not make a YNT or get a full ride to college.

Parents must be honest with themselves about club sports. It's going to cost a lot of money and there is no guarantee that your player will reach the top of his or her sport. In fact the vast majority do not make it to the top. On the flip side, club soccer has taught my dd so much when it comes to teamwork, commitment, time management, dealing with losing and winning, etc. The benefits far outweigh the costs.

Lastly, I suspect both gymnastics and golf are much more expensive than club soccer. Is gymnastics or golf really a sport?
 
eh is "personally" defined as - "probably not their first 10-15 choices"...Ok is "personally" defined as some where in that mid 10-15th choice, keep in mind, there's lot's of wish, plenty of "reach" and some you never thought of, just personal preference....:cool:
I guess we did it differently.

My daughter never had a list of schools 10-15 deep. What we did do is put together a list of schools who had what she wanted to major in. Then, based off of her wants (size of school, location, and graduation rate of their student athletes) she began to narrow it down.

Then she made her trips, met the coaches and the fun part about scholarship $ was discussed.

But back to the subject: all businesses need to make money. Club soccer is a business. Always remember that.
 
I guess we did it differently.

My daughter never had a list of schools 10-15 deep. What we did do is put together a list of schools who had what she wanted to major in. Then, based off of her wants (size of school, location, and graduation rate of their student athletes) she began to narrow it down.

Then she made her trips, met the coaches and the fun part about scholarship $ was discussed.

But back to the subject: all businesses need to make money. Club soccer is a business. Always remember that.

interesting method, I decided to back out when my DD was a Sophomore, going to be a Junior, it wasn't good for our relationship as we started to argue over, "did you contact this school?" or "have you followed up with insert name of school here"...wasn't good, so I hired a recruiting mentor, that's when the list jumped to almost 20! wth, she was the best thing as I no longer had to argue with my DD and the recruiter kept us in the loop. I loved it when I saw something in her game too, (like you're not getting the ball because of your angle!) I ran it by the recruiter and they dealt with it, I been able to sit and watch this last year without the drama. We ran the scholarship through her and again with the coach, worked pretty well.

but back to the subject: you're right, it is a business, parents need to know what they're doing in the process too because most clubs aren't going to do it for you and I think that's where parents feel cheated, they may of had an expectation their kid was just going to get discovered without knowing what to do...
 
While I do not think it is a scam, anyone involved in club soccer(me included) knows that there are some people getting very wealthy. Look at Cal South, their 2015 financials that are posted on line. Close to a $9,000,000 budget. $1,750,000 in salaries and wages, $837,000 in contract labor, $628,000 in professional services. That totals - $3,215,000. Dig a little deeper, and it appears that they purchased the State Cup Sweatshirts that you see every player wearing for $497,000 and sold them for $876,000, or a $379,000 profit. I am sure that the original $500,000 purchase came from a "related" party or a "related" party made a commission.

Their 2016 Financials should be posted in then next few weeks, should make for an interesting read.

The problem is the mission statement is so vague, and the vision statement is so bad that you can'e even really complain about it - what is Cal South supposed to do?

Mission - "Cal Souths mission is to advance and improve soccer"
Vision - "Our goal is to have one million players, coaches, referees and administrators by 2027. In fulfillment of our mission, we will provide opportunities for growth, development, and advancement through innovative programming and leadership, that embraces all skill levels and all formats of the game." I think they left out "and enriches those at the top"

The History of Excellence page has not been updated in at least 10 years, they talk about growing from a $25,000/year budget to a $3,000,000 budget. Well guess what, in 2010 they had more than a six million dollar budget.

Why are US Soccer/MLS and the SCDSL pretty much the only soccer organizations in the world to not follow promotion/relegation standards? To protect the investment at the top, so the big clubs can say we have all these Tier 1 teams and charge more money. The guys that originally invested in the MLS can protect their investment, make their billions. If you don't think these people are in it to make money and lots of it, you are crazy.

Why does FIFA have the 3 substitution rule? Because at the time the club owners said they were not making any money, they wanted to curb spending and an easy way to do that was limit the number of "good" players you had to pay, because if you can't sub them and get them in the game what is the use of carrying them on your roster?

As I stated at the beginning of this rant, I have a child in club soccer. She is on a competitive team, we have a great situation, with very few crazy parents, a great coach, and players that support each other. Club soccer has been a great experience for my daughter, she has developed many friendships, become a better soccer player, and has learned many life lessons. However, I know that some people are making money off that experience.
 
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