Soccer ROI on my DD

[Bay-tastic]

Investment:

• $8,000/year × 6 years = $48,000 (club fees, travel, training, equipment, etc.)
• If invested in S&P 500 at 17% avg. annual return → ~$75,000 after 6 years

Path Scenarios

Path	Focus	Trajectory	ROI	Probability
1	Pro career	ECNL → Power 4 D1 → Full scholarship → Play D1 → Successful pro career	Good	0.1%
2	Pro career	ECNL → Power 4 D1 → Partial scholarship → Bench/transfer D1 → Mediocre pro career	Medium	3%
3	Academics	ECNL → Ivy‑caliber D1 → No or minimum scholarship → Play/bench with heavy travel D1 → Reputable degree	Medium	5% (~160 recruits/year at top 20 ranked schools – 8 per school)
4	Athletic scholarship	ECNL → Most scholarship at lower D1 level → Good playing time as valued roster player	Low	Medium (~$12K/year tops, though awarded by need-based regardless)
5	Extracurricular	ECNL → High school soccer → One line on college application	Low	High

My good enjoyment might offset the poor ROI, but it’s all gone when I’m driving 2–3 hours for less than 30 minutes of my DD’s playtime. Time to sit down with a financial advisor and get my priorities straight. Need one? Call 1‑800‑FOMO-ECNL.

 

[Scrub It Kook]

Investment:

• $8,000/year × 6 years = $48,000 (club fees, travel, training, equipment, etc.)
• If invested in S&P 500 at 17% avg. annual return → ~$75,000 after 6 years

Path Scenarios

Path	Focus	Trajectory	ROI	Probability
1	Pro career	ECNL → Power 4 D1 → Full scholarship → Play D1 → Successful pro career	Good	0.1%
2	Pro career	ECNL → Power 4 D1 → Partial scholarship → Bench/transfer D1 → Mediocre pro career	Medium	3%
3	Academics	ECNL → Ivy‑caliber D1 → No or minimum scholarship → Play/bench with heavy travel D1 → Reputable degree	Medium	5% (~160 recruits/year at top 20 ranked schools – 8 per school)
4	Athletic scholarship	ECNL → Most scholarship at lower D1 level → Good playing time as valued roster player	Low	Medium (~$12K/year tops, though awarded by need-based regardless)
5	Extracurricular	ECNL → High school soccer → One line on college application	Low	High

My good enjoyment might offset the poor ROI, but it’s all gone when I’m driving 2–3 hours for less than 30 minutes of my DD’s playtime. Time to sit down with a financial advisor and get my priorities straight. Need one? Call 1‑800‑FOMO-ECNL.

Hmm...there are probably a couple more options between 3 and 5 if open to consideration. DII or DIII schools with mixed potential for scholarship but good academics could equate to a successful career off the field in soccer or out outside of sport altogether.

 

[socalkdg]

1. People would find something else to spend there money on, not invest. Probability - Medium
2. Not every ECNL club costs $8000
3. You can get D1 with GA, ECRL, DPL, NPL.
4. No need to play all the years at ECRL or ECNL
5. You underestimate the D1 scholarships. Even a low D1 school might still be $20000 per year at 50%, or $40000 per year at 100%
6. You aren't including the money at D2 and NAIA schools.

I miss driving an hour every day with my kid for practice. I just drove to PSP airport to pick her up, had a great 2 hour conversation with her, would do it every week. I flew multiple places to watch her play in college this past year.

Some day it will be over. Retire one year later to recover spent soccer money. Worth the time to be there with your kid.

 

[Messi>CR7]

1. People would find something else to spend there money on, not invest. Probability - Medium
2. Not every ECNL club costs $8000
3. You can get D1 with GA, ECRL, DPL, NPL.
4. No need to play all the years at ECRL or ECNL
5. You underestimate the D1 scholarships. Even a low D1 school might still be $20000 per year at 50%, or $40000 per year at 100%
6. You aren't including the money at D2 and NAIA schools.

I miss driving an hour every day with my kid for practice. I just drove to PSP airport to pick her up, had a great 2 hour conversation with her, would do it every week. I flew multiple places to watch her play in college this past year.

Some day it will be over. Retire one year later to recover spent soccer money. Worth the time to be there with your kid.

Your post reminded me of those classic Mastercard "priceless" commercials.

 

[Bay-tastic]

1. People would find something else to spend there money on, not invest. Probability - Medium
2. Not every ECNL club costs $8000
3. You can get D1 with GA, ECRL, DPL, NPL.
4. No need to play all the years at ECRL or ECNL
5. You underestimate the D1 scholarships. Even a low D1 school might still be $20000 per year at 50%, or $40000 per year at 100%
6. You aren't including the money at D2 and NAIA schools.

I miss driving an hour every day with my kid for practice. I just drove to PSP airport to pick her up, had a great 2 hour conversation with her, would do it every week. I flew multiple places to watch her play in college this past year.

Some day it will be over. Retire one year later to recover spent soccer money. Worth the time to be there with your kid.

The question is whether to be pragmatic or sentimental. I recognized the intangibles like family bonding and shared experiences that can’t be captured in ROI. Yet, handing my DD nearly $75K after college graduation in her 20s may have far greater impact than years of costly commitments.

As for bonding, there are endless alternatives: playing video games together, watching sports/events, running 5Ks, fishing, exploring hobbies, and more… all without spending anywhere near that kind of money. So… exactly for what? Maybe it’s time to start an A.A. for youth soccer parents. We can call it Y.S.A.

 

[crush]

The question is whether to be pragmatic or sentimental. I recognized the intangibles like family bonding and shared experiences that can’t be captured in ROI. Yet, handing my DD nearly $75K after college graduation in her 20s may have far greater impact than years of costly commitments.

As for bonding, there are endless alternatives: playing video games together, watching sports/events, running 5Ks, fishing, exploring hobbies, and more… all without spending anywhere near that kind of money. So… exactly for what? Maybe it’s time to start an A.A. for youth soccer parents. We can call it Y.S.A.

Bonding with dear child (DC) in the car was not fun, but it was a place where we could talk for 3+ hours day and get to know each other. By the way, I drove all over SoCal, No Cal, AZ and NV to help my kid win medals and championships and that was the only reason I paid my hard earn money. If you invest with the right DC, you can skip the college part. Trinity Rodman was just offered $1,000,000 a year. She got torched on here when she decided to skip the college grind and went right to the pros. The more I learn from friends with DC in college, the more I respect the college soccer player. It's not easy with their schedule, studies and all the travel. To get in the top schools you got to be a top player with top grades and amazing attitude and just overall amazing human. Also, my pal spent $15K in 2022 and his 6-year investment was around $70K.

 

[tjinaz]

1. People would find something else to spend there money on, not invest. Probability - Medium
2. Not every ECNL club costs $8000
3. You can get D1 with GA, ECRL, DPL, NPL.
4. No need to play all the years at ECRL or ECNL
5. You underestimate the D1 scholarships. Even a low D1 school might still be $20000 per year at 50%, or $40000 per year at 100%
6. You aren't including the money at D2 and NAIA schools.

I miss driving an hour every day with my kid for practice. I just drove to PSP airport to pick her up, had a great 2 hour conversation with her, would do it every week. I flew multiple places to watch her play in college this past year.

Some day it will be over. Retire one year later to recover spent soccer money. Worth the time to be there with your kid.

Lol 8k for ECNL. Not in AZ its closer to 12 with near multiple trips a month, out of state events and GA, ECRL cost pretty much the same with DPL slightly lower. Nail on the head as far as switching to letter leagues at around their freshman or sophomore year of HS. Those are the only years that matter.

With the new NIL roster spots and scholarships are reducing not sure any will get a full ride anymore, if they are that good then go straight to NWSL. Also how much would they have gotten without soccer? Most of these girls would get academic money regardless so soccer isn't likely financially benefitting them.

Don't know what the importance of D1 is other than the brag. Plenty of D2 and even D3 schools are better academically than the lower tier D1. 99.9% of these girls will stop playing after and sometimes during college so the dream will end you are just extending it. For those 99.9% the point of college is not to play sports but to get a degree that will get them a career where they can live comfortably. The difference between a degree from UCSD, UC Irvine, ASU, or NAU is much more marketable and will prepare them much better than some obscure Midwest or eastern D1 school. Plus staying in state reduces your travel and moving costs every year. Not to mention the stats of college students settling where they get their degree from. (hint its nearly 70%) If they can play at a school that has a great program in the degree field they are aspiring to great that works, you have hit the soccer jackpot. If not why are you handicapping their future career by getting a degree from a school you that would never have been on your radar if not for soccer. Sunk cost fallacy is crazy strong in youth soccer.

 

[rainbow_unicorn]

If you're playing ECNL and looking for a ROI then you're doing it all wrong and setting yourself up for disappointment. Your kid has to love the sport in order to make ECNL/RL/GA worthwhile. If they do then you will get things you in return you can't put a price tag on (time to bond w/ kids, life lessons development, establishing healthy lifestyle, memories). Any scholarship or college placement is just a bonus at that point. If you want ROI, have your kid play AYSO United and invest the rest in QQQ.

 

[crush]

Youth Soccer in a nutshell

 

[Zeke]

1. People would find something else to spend there money on, not invest. Probability - Medium
2. Not every ECNL club costs $8000
3. You can get D1 with GA, ECRL, DPL, NPL.
4. No need to play all the years at ECRL or ECNL
5. You underestimate the D1 scholarships. Even a low D1 school might still be $20000 per year at 50%, or $40000 per year at 100%
6. You aren't including the money at D2 and NAIA schools.

I miss driving an hour every day with my kid for practice. I just drove to PSP airport to pick her up, had a great 2 hour conversation with her, would do it every week. I flew multiple places to watch her play in college this past year.

Some day it will be over. Retire one year later to recover spent soccer money. Worth the time to be there with your kid.

I don't see a lot of ECRL, DPL, or NPL kids going D1. Seems to be 75% ECNL, 20% GA, and 5% other.

So, if your kid really thinks D1 is the only way to go, you probably want ECNL or a strong GA.



( Flip side, if they're open to D2, D3, NAIA, and college club soccer, they've got a ton of options. )

 

[JeterwastheBEST]

I don't see a lot of ECRL, DPL, or NPL kids going D1. Seems to be 75% ECNL, 20% GA, and 5% other.

So, if your kid really thinks D1 is the only way to go, you probably want ECNL or a strong GA.



( Flip side, if they're open to D2, D3, NAIA, and college club soccer, they've got a ton of options. )

1. People would find something else to spend there money on, not invest. Probability - Medium
2. Not every ECNL club costs $8000
3. You can get D1 with GA, ECRL, DPL, NPL.
4. No need to play all the years at ECRL or ECNL
5. You underestimate the D1 scholarships. Even a low D1 school might still be $20000 per year at 50%, or $40000 per year at 100%
6. You aren't including the money at D2 and NAIA schools.

I miss driving an hour every day with my kid for practice. I just drove to PSP airport to pick her up, had a great 2 hour conversation with her, would do it every week. I flew multiple places to watch her play in college this past year.

Some day it will be over. Retire one year later to recover spent soccer money. Worth the time to be there with your kid.

DD could study hard, get a good tutor, get involved socially and come out way ahead with need and merit-based scholarships... Invariably soccer will detract from DD studies in college... USC & Pepperdine cost $90k+- not $40k... +girls dumb down their college choice to shoehorn in a soccer school...

 

[Slobodan]

Youth Soccer in a nutshell

View attachment 33582

Ah yes... the ultimate judges in talent... 90% of whom will be wearing a different quarter zip in 3 years when they're fired.

 

[Socal-Soccer-Dad]

Investment:

• $8,000/year × 6 years = $48,000 (club fees, travel, training, equipment, etc.)
• If invested in S&P 500 at 17% avg. annual return → ~$75,000 after 6 years

I'm a finance guy so I've ran those numbers. And admittedly, it's a little depressing. Especially if the $48,000 went into Nvidia 5 years ago (looking at around 10x return).

However, this calculation requires that the kid instead of doing club soccer would stay at home and not do anything.

Likely, the kid will do something else. And it could eat into much of that $8000 a year or quite possibly - if he or she wants to pursue it at a high level - much higher (i.e. violin, golf).

You could say "won't do any extracurriculars at all and simply study at home and go all in on academics".

You could say that. But I have a family member running a tutoring center and they don't live in a $2m house for no reason... Elite tutoring is going to run you $100-150/hr. And it is possible your kid is a genius and don't need any of that and still beat a kid with 1600 SAT and 4.0 GPA and 5's on 12 AP's. But likely not.

 

[MochaRulz]

The biggest question i have in your numbers and options are why they are limited to ONLY ECNL/US College apps . You do realize there is more to the world than the US?

 

[Bay-tastic]

The biggest question i have in your numbers and options are why they are limited to ONLY ECNL/US College apps . You do realize there is more to the world than the US?

For girls, ECNL is the top league, so the numbers and paths are focused from that. But cost-wise, ECRL and GA feel pretty much the same, as others have already pointed out here. Outside the U.S., youth soccer just doesn’t seem nearly as expensive or has Y.S.A. vibe like US. But, if you know something outside of US and ECNL (not mentioned here already), let's hear it...

 

[MochaRulz]

For girls, ECNL is the top league, so the numbers and paths are focused from that. But cost-wise, ECRL and GA feel pretty much the same, as others have already pointed out here. Outside the U.S., youth soccer just doesn’t seem nearly as expensive or has Y.S.A. vibe like US. But, if you know something outside of US and ECNL (not mentioned here already), let's hear it...

Look at any boarding school in the UK as an example. They all offer scholarships for kids starting at age 9 and not just soccer but also combo academic/sport ones. Most of the top schools in the UK (middle and high school) have better academy setups than most of the MLS teams here with multiple A licensed coaches, dedicated nutritionist, sports psychologists and their own fields and more. These programs are for both boys and girls and offer more access to top US college and EU/UK college sports programs.

Here is a link to one with which i have personal experience:

Millfield Football

Millfield Football

online.flipbuilder.com

Outside of the above, colleges in the rest of the world offer just as good, if not better education than a lot of "D1" colleges alongwith scholarships and the ability to play at just as high a level of soccer.

Hope that helps. However, my basic point, akin to what @Socal-Soccer-Dad was pointing out is your calculations appear to be missing the forest for the trees.

 

[Bay-tastic]

Look at any boarding school in the UK as an example. They all offer scholarships for kids starting at age 9 and not just soccer but also combo academic/sport ones. Most of the top schools in the UK (middle and high school) have better academy setups than most of the MLS teams here with multiple A licensed coaches, dedicated nutritionist, sports psychologists and their own fields and more. These programs are for both boys and girls and offer more access to top US college and EU/UK college sports programs.

Here is a link to one with which i have personal experience:

Millfield Football

Millfield Football

online.flipbuilder.com

Outside of the above, colleges in the rest of the world offer just as good, if not better education than a lot of "D1" colleges alongwith scholarships and the ability to play at just as high a level of soccer.

Hope that helps. However, my basic point, akin to what @Socal-Soccer-Dad was pointing out is your calculations appear to be missing the forest for the trees.

I’m not very familiar with UK boarding schools, but I assume they’re similar to those in the US, essentially a college experience in high school, with high tuition and only partial scholarships for standout athletes. For me, this feels like the worst option with my DD would be away with no shared experiences, the costs would be higher, and I wouldn’t be able to watch her play in person.

People here mentioned other possible paths in D2 and D3, but D2 is like the Path 4 of Athletic scholarships in my aforementioned list. Just replace "lower D1" with "D2" in the wording, and they have pretty much similar trajectory. And D3 is like the Path 3 of Academics and just replace "Ivy-caliber D1" with "Ivy-caliber D3" in the wording, which will have less travels but zero athletic scholarship in D3 (only need-based).

 

[MochaRulz]

I’m not very familiar with UK boarding schools, but I assume they’re similar to those in the US, essentially a college experience in high school, with high tuition and only partial scholarships for standout athletes. For me, this feels like the worst option with my DD would be away with no shared experiences, the costs would be higher, and I wouldn’t be able to watch her play in person.

People here mentioned other possible paths in D2 and D3, but D2 is like the Path 4 of Athletic scholarships in my aforementioned list. Just replace "lower D1" with "D2" in the wording, and they have pretty much similar trajectory. And D3 is like the Path 3 of Academics and just replace "Ivy-caliber D1" with "Ivy-caliber D3" in the wording, which will have less travels but zero athletic scholarship in D3 (only need-based).

Instead of making assumptions research would help.

I personally went to boarding school in the UK on a full scholarship and have helped several students over the years gain admission with up to full scholarships. Boarding schools in the UK/EU are very different than those in the US. There are a select few that compare in the US however not the same. The educational system is completely different. On average a decent student graduating 6th form (high school in the UK) taking admission into a US college for undergraduate would come in with up to a full years worth a credits. This in itself can be a significant saving on college costs.

Also based on your statements it appears you are more interested in helicopter parenting your child than giving them the best options to grow.

Apologies ahead of time if my last sentence seems inflammatory, no ill-will intended.

I would highly recommend you do extensive research on all your options and dont limit yourself to just what you see in the US.

 

[Bay-tastic]

Instead of making assumptions research would help.

I personally went to boarding school in the UK on a full scholarship and have helped several students over the years gain admission with up to full scholarships. Boarding schools in the UK/EU are very different than those in the US. There are a select few that compare in the US however not the same. The educational system is completely different. On average a decent student graduating 6th form (high school in the UK) taking admission into a US college for undergraduate would come in with up to a full years worth a credits. This in itself can be a significant saving on college costs.

Also based on your statements it appears you are more interested in helicopter parenting your child than giving them the best options to grow.

Apologies ahead of time if my last sentence seems inflammatory, no ill-will intended.

I would highly recommend you do extensive research on all your options and dont limit yourself to just what you see in the US.

None taken. It's easy to make false assumptions reading messages here. Me too... briefly, I wondered if you were marketing a UK boarding school soccer/tour here. If true, why not... this is a new concept. This could be one venue to do it.

But not for me, personally. I want my DD to play locally, so I can at least spend the money to see her play.

 

[MochaRulz]

None taken. It's easy to make false assumptions reading messages here. Me too... briefly, I wondered if you were marketing a UK boarding school soccer/tour here. If true, why not... this is a new concept. This could be one venue to do it.

But not for me, personally. I want my DD to play locally, so I can at least spend the money to see her play.

Its refreshing to see not everyone on here gets their panties twisted after reading messages!

Not promoting / marketing any place or school in particular just citing personal experience.

I occasionally work as a mentor and guidance counsellor for students that are gifted athletes and scholars.

If you have questions feel free to PM. Happy to help.

 

[Messi>CR7]

None taken. It's easy to make false assumptions reading messages here. Me too... briefly, I wondered if you were marketing a UK boarding school soccer/tour here. If true, why not... this is a new concept. This could be one venue to do it.

But not for me, personally. I want my DD to play locally, so I can at least spend the money to see her play.

Many schools have club/intramural soccer as well if she simply loves to play. These are all former good club players who got into UCLA on their own academic merit. I was told the competition is quite tough. Supposedly >70 ladies showed up to the tryout for 8 spots.

2025-2026 Women's Soccer Roster - UCLA Club Sports

The official 2025-2026 Women's Soccer Roster for the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins

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