you've gotta pay to play

[lilsoccersistalj]

soccer is suposed to be a simple game where all you need is a ball and your feet, and now, apparently, money. it usually costs around 1000 dollars to play on a travel soccer team and sometimes more. thats just the fee. then you have travel. theres gas for practices, games, and tournaments. sometimes travel on a plane for the really far tournaments. fees to tryout for odp. fees once you get in to odp. for a good soccer camp you usually have to shell out at least $600.
theres a couple reason why this sucks. first of all the obvious, some people cant afford it, just dont do it and are then are completely out of it. you might of just lost the next marta. second parents are the source of the funding so they feel they have a say in how the training and development is done. and lets face it a lot of those parents never saw a soccer game until their kids started playing when they were four. its better to leave the future of us young players in the hands of the nice qualified coaches who know what they are doing.
we all know all this. i have heard it so many times, but for some reason they cant seem to do something about it. its like all they do is talk about it. i know its hard cause of how big our country is and the weak support soccer gets here. i just wonder if there is going to be any free play in the near future or is this the way it will always be.
when you hear about this issue it is usually from some big top dog in in the ussf or usysa but now you got to hear it from the perspective of one of the kids that its really effecting. it kinda sucks getting excited about trying out for a certain club or going to a certain camp and then getting let down because its all just so expensive.

[Toxoman]

welcome to the world

[Bird1812]

I feel your pain and feel that we all should be a lot more cost conscious, especially when spending someone else's money (i.e. players'/parents').

I don't know where you live, but out my way there are certain clubs that cost more ($1500-2000), but what they offer is good consistent coaching and year round training, so the add-ons of ODP and camps aren't really necessary. They also offer different levels of commitment, so there are teams that will not travel as far or as often thus saving players those expensive travel costs too. Most of these clubs will offer payment plans and scholarships for those who really need it. When you break down the cost per training session, then it doesn't appear as costly and when you compare it to some other activities, like dance or gymnastics, the per session costs are actually more reasonable in comparison. IMO a kid could pay much of these fees themselves through babysitting, refereeing, raking leaves, whatever. It all depends how bad you want it.

[J-Rod]

I agree with you. It is too bad that youth soccer is a country club sport. Not sure what to do about that fact except lament it.
Sometimes it is a matter of priorities for parents and we don’t always choose wisely. I remember several years ago talking to a friend whose child was starting youth soccer at one of the area’s more expensive clubs. She was complaining about the price, about $600 at that age group. I noticed they had a large wide screen TV in their den, and they have two others elsewhere in the house. Each of those TVs cost 2 to 3 grand each. At the time, the best TV in my house cost $290 and it was 10 years old. I remember thinking that the price difference between the TVs in their house and my house would pay for 10 to 15 years of youth soccer club fees.
Sometimes it is a matter of priorities and we parents don’t always choose wisely. And you are right; it is too bad that youth soccer sometimes appears like a country club sport.

[passtheblizz]

The equipment alone for hockey costs that much... Fees for tennis clubs, court time, rackets, strings, private lessons, group lessons, tournaments and whatnot for tennis costs much more too. Golf? Forget about it. Basketball is relatively cheap because of the abundance of courts and the small amount of equipment. Football has people willing to sponsor teams left and right.

If you are going to play any sport at the "top" level, it is going to be expensive and time comsuming for you and your parents. You can cut costs by training on your own and not competing, but if you aren't an athlete like Serena Williams forget about it.

Most big clubs have scholarship programs for kids whose parents can't pay the whole deal. Usually this involves some field maintenance type work or coaching little kids in clinics.

[tjdsocc]

Scholarship programs are nice but.............what abou the travel, that is the killer

[garnetgold67]

Relatively speaking, the cost to play competitive soccer is quite inexpensive. Throwing out basketball, baseball and football for obvious reasons (better funded infrastructure), soccer is actually cheaper than most other sports. Parents of competitive cheerleaders are paying upwards of $2,000 - $3,000 per year on average. Your daughter has a dance recital, that will be $250 - $500 for the dress alone, let alone the classes. And don't get me started about golf, gymnastics, tennis, etc. I have come to the realization that I will just, well, deal with it!

[Tnarg]

Two words: Ice. Hockey.

[umbrodad]

Two words: Ice. Hockey.

Yes, Hockey is very expensive. Not uncommon for a Canadian Elite level 13 year old to pay upwards of $8k to $10k per year all in.

My U13 Elite level soccer playing daughter is no deal either. She plays in a community 45 minutes from home. 3 Practices per week and a game.

Reg Fees-
Winter $270
Summer- $400
Kits-$200
Supporting Fundraiser- $500

Gas- $2500 to $3000 per year
Mieleage...

Tournament travel- $1,500

Soccer budget for 2008- $5,000 + :eek:

I am glad she enjoys it so much.

[coverland]

I have twin daughters who play competitive tournament soccer and the prices can indeed be steep. Every thing's on the times-two scale and the only positive thing is that they're doing something that they enjoy, may take them somewhere scholarship wise, and we get a few mini-vacations in a year doing the tournaments. The downside is the year around bad weather preparation or practices, the price of gas [now], and the ongoing fund raising, volunteer work, etc. I guess one day though - we'll all look back, forget about the negatives and reminisce about the good ol' days. lol

[twinssoccerdad]

My daughters are just getting started. I have given up some of my personal hobbies to help with it a little. (ie golf) My wife is watching our grocery bill and we plan our shopping trips around training sessions. Because our club is 45 min away. Luckily we as a family enjoy the sport as spectators also.

We have not had to pay for a travel tourney yet and won't for a year or two from what I was told.

[TheLowerLevel]

Which club should a young girl new to soccer try for in the detroit area? sombody just learning about soccer.

[Gary V]

Which club should a young girl new to soccer try for in the detroit area? sombody just learning about soccer.Your local rec organization. There's a list here: http://ssl.hammerhead.net/msysareg/DisplayLeaguePresidentsnew.asp

[travelmomnew2soccer]

one word...HORSES.

i'll take a 2k or 3k academy bill any year.

[JohnCogtosin]

I understand how people get bothered by the fees. But, only in the case where they feel they aren't getting what they paid for, mainly training. Once you are locked into a Team/Club and rosters are frozen, there is nothing you can do unfortunately. You can always leave at the end of the season.

My suggestion, do your homework. Ask about the trainer, talk to parents who have been with that trainer for some time. Stay and watch training sessions before you commit. Once you find the right situation for your child, it is well worth the money... of course, if they really want to pursue the sport.

One thing that always puzzles me is most of the people who complain about the money - and I am not saying it is anyone here - tend to find ways to do everything else (multiple vacations, new cars, cigarettes, beer, golf, eating out, $200 shoes, etc)

I get that it is tough sometimes, but it usually boils down to not understanding how much you are really paying.

We are paying $1500 a year for our daughter.

She gets in addition to her Uniform and Referee Fees Paid....
Approximately 80 training sessions - (she is off in High School for 4 months) - 160 Hours
Approximately 40 games (League, League Cup, State Cup and Tournaments) - say 1 hour per game or 40 Hours

Total 200 Hours - at $1500 - I am paying about $7.50 an hour.

I don't know what kind of instruction, training, lessons, etc. I can pay $7.50 and hour?

I know people have mentioned some of them here (Hockey, Dance, Piano, etc.)

It really is worth the money, especially if your child enjoys doing it.

[Berean Todd]

This isn't an issue unique to soccer, someone else pointed out hockey, and what about baseball? If you want to be the best baseball player out there, you need to join select/travel teams, where training is maybe slightly less expensive than soccer select teams, but often not. There are expensive baseball camps, travel to baseball tournaments ... on and on.

It is the way of the world now days. You can play soccer as cheaply as you can play baseball or basketball or anything else. But if you want to be the best, then you need the profesional training and the other things that go with club ball - and it is that way for most sports now days. Welcome to the world we live in.

[Bird1812]

The unfortunate part is that in the US we are creating a youth sports culture that is based on money and not necessarily on true talent.

[Berean Todd]

The unfortunate part is that in the US we are creating a youth sports culture that is based on money and not necessarily on true talent.

Well, it takes money to fully develop the talent given today's sports/diet/athletic culture. In the old days kids would play baseball year round, anytime they weren't in school. Now days you don't see pick up games like that anywhere.

Training methods have gotten more developed and scientific. Professional coaches are needed. As for the "poorer" almost any decent club - especially in soccer, but even in other sports - offers scholarships for sufficiently talented youngsters without the financial means.

[Bird1812]

Well, it takes money to fully develop the talent given today's sports/diet/athletic culture. In the old days kids would play baseball year round, anytime they weren't in school. Now days you don't see pick up games like that anywhere.

Training methods have gotten more developed and scientific. Professional coaches are needed. As for the "poorer" almost any decent club - especially in soccer, but even in other sports - offers scholarships for sufficiently talented youngsters without the financial means.

The biggest cost though, is not the club fees as much as the travel fees and not many clubs in my area cover those types of costs. But I think what bothers me in my state is that coaches who once were coaching at the local level are now coaching "premier" teams, which are in reality local all star teams. There are lots of reasons why that is, but what happens is the coach who was coaching U10s at the local organization for $100 a year is coaching a U11 at the "premier" club for $1000 a year. I can say from personal experience that even though the athletes were better on the U11 team, the local players actually played better soccer under the same coach. So I question, what was the purpose of paying $900 more a year?

[Berean Todd]

Well, to an extent I am insulated from some problems, because I live in an area that is an absolute hotbed of soccer with plenty of clubs to choose from. 2 of the top clubs in the state - and the nation - are within 20-30 minutes, and not much further than that are several other big clubs, not to mention the various independents, etc, etc. But I have no real problem with the system, I think the sports landscape - and the cultural landscape in general - are just changing.