Is Club soccer the biggest SCAM in youth sports?

coachrefparent said:
So your post essentially says, you hate all the things you describe, your kid doesn't want any of it because they don't want to play in college, but you keep them on this team/ club? I'm lost.

Why not move her down a step or two where she wouldn't suffer all these evils, would still have good (if not the highest) competition, and she could be a leader and help other players get better?
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I never said that my daughter hates playing on her team or that she doesn't want any of it. I just see a huge contingent of crazy soccer parents who seem to love shelling out money for crazy stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with getting their kid a college scholarship or even a college look but because some dude who didn't even play college soccer wearing an adidas running suit tells them its in their kids best interest. So if you are good enough to play with the "premier, elite, gold, etc etc team members, but don't want to play college soccer just go down and play rec or something? Baloney. I loved the look she got a couple of times from the coach and the manager who asked how many girls had emailed college coaches before the tnmt....Coach-Why didn't you send out the letters? My DD-Cause the colleges on the list were all a bunch of liberal arts ones that I don't want to go to? Manager-Why not? DD-I want to get a degree in Marine Biology or Oceanography and none of them offered that. Coach (sarcastically)- what is your fallback plan? DD-I will probably look at going in the Navy or Air Force then go to school. Do we have to send letters to college coaches at schools that dont offer what we want to do as a major?
 
SuperNatural said:
Well this didn't make much sense other than paying more money to have someone show your kids how to play the game.


We have local hispanic leagues here that are more competitive than Silver Elite/Flight1 teams. ALL RECREATIONAL.
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My OS used to play for a hispanic league. My father grew up in a rec latino league in the old country. The initial idea when the kids got into soccer was my father promised to coach them (and their rec teams)...that quickly ended year 1....he didn't know what he was doing and of what he did know, it's was basically the same as AYSO kickball (he still yells "clear that ball" at my DYS's club matches). I reffed for a stint in the Latino league...it was a bit more aggressive than the suburban AYSO leagues we've been through and lots more fouling but other than that, the level of coaching was on par with AYSO. True, the kids are generally better (the best and the strongest tend to go more into futbal than football or baseball) and therefore they play faster running games. They also watch more on TV and their fathers may know a move or two they can show their kids. So yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if a U12 hispanic league team tore apart a suburban U12 club bronze team. They could probably tear apart my YS bronze club team (and in fact, some of us hispanics on the team have joked about it). That doesn't mean they are learning soccer, though, which leaves what do you replace it with? In the old country, the few and the best go on scholarship and get a chance to make pro (and those that enter the scholarship system but don't make it basically wash out and are out of luck because now they are off university track...why so many pros come from the barrios)...everyone else plays rec and may have a great experience and come to love the game, but again, they don't play it in college.
 
Grace T. said:
My OS used to play for a hispanic league. My father grew up in a rec latino league in the old country. The initial idea when the kids got into soccer was my father promised to coach them (and their rec teams)...that quickly ended year 1....he didn't know what he was doing and of what he did know, it's was basically the same as AYSO kickball (he still yells "clear that ball" at my DYS's club matches). I reffed for a stint in the Latino league...it was a bit more aggressive than the suburban AYSO leagues we've been through and lots more fouling but other than that, the level of coaching was on par with AYSO. True, the kids are generally better (the best and the strongest tend to go more into futbal than football or baseball) and therefore they play faster running games. They also watch more on TV and their fathers may know a move or two they can show their kids. So yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if a U12 hispanic league team tore apart a suburban U12 club bronze team. They could probably tear apart my YS bronze club team (and in fact, some of us hispanics on the team have joked about it). That doesn't mean they are learning soccer, though, which leaves what do you replace it with? In the old country, the few and the best go on scholarship and get a chance to make pro (and those that enter the scholarship system but don't make it basically wash out and are out of luck because now they are off university track...why so many pros come from the barrios)...everyone else plays rec and may have a great experience and come to love the game, but again, they don't play it in college.
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Laughable that you don't call college soccer, kickball.
 
Grace T. said:
My OS used to play for a hispanic league. My father grew up in a rec latino league in the old country. The initial idea when the kids got into soccer was my father promised to coach them (and their rec teams)...that quickly ended year 1....he didn't know what he was doing and of what he did know, it's was basically the same as AYSO kickball (he still yells "clear that ball" at my DYS's club matches). I reffed for a stint in the Latino league...it was a bit more aggressive than the suburban AYSO leagues we've been through and lots more fouling but other than that, the level of coaching was on par with AYSO. True, the kids are generally better (the best and the strongest tend to go more into futbal than football or baseball) and therefore they play faster running games. They also watch more on TV and their fathers may know a move or two they can show their kids. So yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if a U12 hispanic league team tore apart a suburban U12 club bronze team. They could probably tear apart my YS bronze club team (and in fact, some of us hispanics on the team have joked about it). That doesn't mean they are learning soccer, though, which leaves what do you replace it with? In the old country, the few and the best go on scholarship and get a chance to make pro (and those that enter the scholarship system but don't make it basically wash out and are out of luck because now they are off university track...why so many pros come from the barrios)...everyone else plays rec and may have a great experience and come to love the game, but again, they don't play it in college.
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SuperNatural said:
Well you sure made it sound like club soccer was producing anything other than recreational kickball players.
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No....you are so right....I have spent thousands of dollars on club soccer and all I have to show for it are rec level soccer players.

I bow down...you are the almighty soccer sensei.

I am going to pull all my kids from club soccer, save a ton of money, and watch them flourish in rec.
 
SoccerQ120 said:
No....you are so right....I have spent thousands of dollars on club soccer and all I have to show for it are rec level soccer players.

I bow down...you are the almighty soccer sensei.

I am going to pull all my kids from club soccer, save a ton of money, and watch them flourish in rec.
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lol@your defeatist attitude.
 
SuperNatural said:
Laughable that you don't call college soccer, kickball.
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College soccer isn't always great soccer it's true, 'tis true. And plenty of European nations can't believe we do soccer on the collegiate system (wasting 4 years of boys professional development). But it has produced great times on the girls end, though it's failed on the men's side. Good luck with getting rid of it though. You might as well say you wish for football and baseball to disappear in the US because it would be more likely.

None of the leading soccer nations though has a pure rec system...the US of the 80s/90s is the closest thing too it...maybe American Samoa (see the documentary). The fact that you are advocating for a purely rec system puts you nearly out of step with every major and moderate soccer power (and before you say "I'm not advocating that", well then fess up and say what you want).
 
Is club soccer recreational?

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SuperNatural said:
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Hahaha This is exactly how the U15 and U16 undefeated Blues teams play and the teams they play do not adjust to it or want any part of it; hence, they are undefeated. Move up the defense and we have offsides or play the jungle ball!!! I hate it - makes me want to puke that a club wants to win this bad. Looking forward to next season.
 
wildcat66 said:
I never said that my daughter hates playing on her team or that she doesn't want any of it.
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Well, great, because no one said your daughter "hates playing on her team." Where did you get this?
What I said was:
So your post essentially says, you hate all the things you describe, your kid doesn't want any of it because they don't want to play in college, but you keep them on this team/ club?[...]
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My comment was in response to your post that said:
My older daughter falls into the category that isn't serviced well within the community. [...] So I am forced to deal with the crazy, "we need to play only showcase tournaments" and travel to nor cal, Phoenix, Vegas, etc where the teams gets ranking points and seen by college coaches crowd. Not only do those tournaments cost more, they always tack on that "stay to play" crap at a 200 dollar a night hotel (kickback) and try to sell the video to show college coaches, charge 20+ dollars for a cheap tshirt etc. Of course you can't go there without three $80+ kits from a required vendor (kickback) and matching backpacks, hoodies, warmup jackets etc.....not to mention per diam for the coach. Of course then the club has 2 raffles a year where the girls are required to sell 10 tickets each at 10 bucks a ticket, Where does that money end up? The golf outing which the team is required to provide a gift basket for and supply a fousome to play....where does that money end up? All on top of the two grand basic fee and what tournament fees i got to come up with....All this because some knuckle head parents think little Sally is the next Mia Hamm. What i think is funny is how few parents who have these dreams of their kid playing college soccer have actually gone to a college soccer game and watched it. Yeah it is a scam.
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So again I ask, Why not move her down a step or two where she wouldn't suffer all these evils, would still have good (if not the highest) competition, and she could be a leader and help other players get better?
 
SuperNatural said:
Well this didn't make much sense other than paying more money to have someone show your kids how to play the game.


We have local hispanic leagues here that are more competitive than Silver Elite/Flight1 teams. ALL RECREATIONAL.
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Too bad Hispanic league don't exist in the O.C. or do they?
 
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