Soccer ROI on my DD

[Larzby]

100% agree with this. They have to be pretty obsessed & self motivated or amazingly naturally gifted to be the kind of kid to get a full ride at a top D1 college. Basically the kid who is planning their own workouts/training schedules, grinding for years on their own, taking lifting and nutrition seriously. Sacrificing high school fun & hanging out with friends so they have time to train. I know this because I have one of these kids. It is a ton of sacrifice for the kid and family and is almost completely based on the kid personally wanting it bad enough and years of consistency. This wasn’t created by parents pushing or finding the right team or coach—my kid has siblings that don’t have this same drive or commitment towards sports and they were raised in the same household with the same opportunities.

In most cases, you end up basically paying for them to play in college and maybe not at a college they would otherwise or want to go to. It’s just the reality. Most of the commitments you see are getting very little athletic scholarship. Yes, there should be better education for parents and kids on this. In the end, you pay for youth soccer because your kid wants to do it and if they are recruited, you are likely paying for them to play in college also.

Feel lucky that your kid finds a thing they like. Support them as much as you can. Don’t go in with expectations. Don’t be disappointed if they want to stop or play less. Don’t ruin your relationship with your kid over sports expectations or them not being the type of kid that is crazy driven. See where the journey takes them and be realistic.

Does anyone going through the process now (or within the last year) know what revenue-sharing will look like for college soccer players at a top DI school? Or at least what promises are being made?

 

[tjinaz]

When my kid's team was weighing if/where to play in college, I was incredibly proud of the choices a lot of the girls made re: what they wanted the game to be in the next chapter of their lives. Some wanted to play at the top of DI and have the game be, basically, a job. Others wanted to play in college but have the option to do a semester abroad, to have soccer be part of their school experience but not as heavy a commitment.

So we had girls turn down DI offers to play DIII, and one girl who backed out of a commitment when she got into a school that was a better fit for her, where she wouldn't make the varsity team but could try out for an incredibly competitive club team. Which she made and loves.

The ROI is that the years of training and playing and traveling together helped make them strong, resilient young women, who still see each other every college break. And, after years of playing intense, competitive soccer, they still love the game and want it to be part of their lives in some way.

There's a lot you can't control for in youth sports--and I've been part of many necessary conversations about costs--but having soccer be a healthy, character-building experience where kids appreciate being part of a team and will spend the rest of their lives thinking, "That was a good part of my life"? That's pretty good return, to me.

I guess the question really is did you need to do 12k a year travel soccer to develop these traits? Could you simply have done NPL still gotten the positive traits you mention without the massive travel cost.

 

[Carlsbad7]

I guess the question really is did you need to do 12k a year travel soccer to develop these traits? Could you simply have done NPL still gotten the positive traits you mention without the massive travel cost.

What's interesting to consider is what if your kid played NPL and you put the difference between some super league (12k in your example) into what it costs for college recruiting camps. Assuming you're looking to cast a wide net vs targeting a specific school. I wonder how much college coaches really weigh super league participation into the decision making process. This is assuming grades and player size are the same. I also wonder how far a 10k Christmas present to the coach wrapped in a white envelope with your kids name on it would go.

 

[KJR]

Sorry, I wasn’t specifically responding to the OP’s ECNL cost breakdown; more the cost of youth soccer generally, which other people have brought up.

Our club was NPL. There were still travel costs related to being a competitive team that needed to play in showcases, nationals, etc.

So if it was $7k a year not $12k, it’s still a lot of money over time, and people have been asking the ROI question for years. And my answer has always been: if you’re looking to break even (or make a profit) on your kid’s sport, you’re almost definitely going to fail, in a lot of ways. But if you’re going to spend money on your kid’s childhood, a sport that becomes a healthy and positive part of their lives is a good investment.

Now if it’s a thread on the relative value of ECNL and GA, or whether our youth pyramid could be set up in a better way? Sure, I’ve got thoughts, probably similar to yours.

I guess the question really is did you need to do 12k a year travel soccer to develop these traits? Could you simply have done NPL still gotten the positive traits you mention without the massive travel cost.

 

[KJR]

Sorry, I wasn’t specifically responding to the OP’s ECNL cost breakdown; more the cost of youth soccer generally, which other people have brought up.

Our club was NPL. There were still travel costs related to being a competitive team that needed to play in showcases, nationals, etc.

So if it was $7k a year not $12k, it’s still a lot of money over time, and people have been asking the ROI question for years. And my answer has always been: if you’re looking to break even (or make a profit) on your kid’s sport, you’re almost definitely going to fail, in a lot of ways. But if you’re going to spend money on your kid’s childhood, a sport that becomes a healthy and positive part of their lives is a good investment.

Now if it’s a thread on the relative value of ECNL and GA, or whether our youth pyramid could be set up in a better way? Sure, I’ve got thoughts, probably similar to yours.

(I have no idea if $7k is accurate. Trying to guesstimate club dues, tournament and ref fees, gas/hotels/airfare/food for a typical year of league, showcases, and tournaments. Maybe it was less than that; other interests would have had their own costs. And not every family had to pay that, as we offered a lot of financial aid. But the basic point I agree with is: yeah, competitive club soccer can cost real money, and literal ROI should be irrelevant. Been off these boards for the last couple years, and I'll be off them again now! Have a good 2026 everyone! Check out AN AMERICAN GAME, wherever you get your podcasts https://anamericangame.buzzsprout.com )

 

[SuperSoccerStar]

Most of the commitments you see are getting very little athletic scholarship.

You're saying all these social posts were seeing of kids committing to colleges after 6/15 of their sophomore year don't have any scholarships attached to it? So they are committing to just playing soccer for these colleges 2 years early? I don't believe this.

 

[aong cangkol]

What's interesting to consider is what if your kid played NPL and you put the difference between some super league (12k in your example) into what it costs for college recruiting camps. Assuming you're looking to cast a wide net vs targeting a specific school. I wonder how much college coaches really weigh super league participation into the decision making process. This is assuming grades and player size are the same. I also wonder how far a 10k Christmas present to the coach wrapped in a white envelope with your kids name on it would go.

According to this FBI investigation, "donation" to college coach cost a lot more
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varsity_Blues_scandal.

Apparently 450k for a place in Yale's soccer team...

"In one such incident, Michael Center, the men's tennis coach at the University of Texas (UT), accepted about $100,000 to designate an applicant as a recruit for the Texas Longhorns tennis team.[7] A similar fraud occurred at Yale,[24] where the then-head coach of the women's soccer team, Rudolph "Rudy" Meredith, allegedly accepted a $450,000 bribe to falsely identify an applicant as a recruit.[58][59] USC's senior associate athletic director Donna Heinel and water polo coach Jovan Vavic allegedly received $1.3 million and $250,000, respectively, for similar frauds.[60]"

 

[Carlsbad7]

According to this FBI investigation, "donation" to college coach cost a lot more
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varsity_Blues_scandal.

Apparently 450k for a place in Yale's soccer team...

"In one such incident, Michael Center, the men's tennis coach at the University of Texas (UT), accepted about $100,000 to designate an applicant as a recruit for the Texas Longhorns tennis team.[7] A similar fraud occurred at Yale,[24] where the then-head coach of the women's soccer team, Rudolph "Rudy" Meredith, allegedly accepted a $450,000 bribe to falsely identify an applicant as a recruit.[58][59] USC's senior associate athletic director Donna Heinel and water polo coach Jovan Vavic allegedly received $1.3 million and $250,000, respectively, for similar frauds.[60]"

It's probabaly less if your kid is a viable player to recruit and has good grades.

 

[WatchthemPlay]

You're saying all these social posts were seeing of kids committing to colleges after 6/15 of their sophomore year don't have any scholarships attached to it? So they are committing to just playing soccer for these colleges 2 years early? I don't believe this.

I wouldn’t say “most” are happening right after 6/15. Those are the top top players and yes they are getting scholarships. The majority of kids don’t commit then. Even of the kids who commit early, many are going to schools that are low cost/in state/WUE eligible schools that the scholarship is literally $8k a year. And yes I know many kids who committed early who are getting a partial scholarship at very low cost schools because they want to play in college. Those situations are drastically different than a full ride at UNC out of state. All “full rides” or “scholarships” aren’t built the same and generally everyone is very hush hush. The reality would surprise you.