April equals tax time which equals a reminiscent trip through last year's expenses. I took a look at all of our expenses categorized as "athletics" and my other son, the non-soccer, non travel anything player out expensed my C team soccer player by 3. Baseball (house league): $245. equipment @$90 Hockey (house league): $2,130; equipment @$200 (most everything bought through exchange/trade) These (including the C team) are just for fun leagues with decent coaching, so why shouldn't a parent spend $1,000 on something their kid likes to do and gives them almost 9 months of sports?
Expensive AND a pretty short season all things considered. ETA: I actually take that back. I just looked up the cost of our local tackle football team (no house league, only option is travel (just local travel though, neighboring towns,etc) and it's just $345. Not bad. . .
The counter-argument is that he could probably play 9 months of house league soccer for a couple hundred. I'm not making that argument, just pointing it out. There are plenty of reasons why that might not be a more appealing option for your child.
I think Hockey takes the cake in terms of cost. Travel is much father than most sports when you really get towards the top. It's not just about traveling to games but far distances for practices in some cases. Hey nicklaino... My mother is in a nursing home and I got her this weekend. My youngest - who she loves to watch play, was on a girl scout retreat and had the weekend off from soccer. So we went to watch some of her mates play (3 kids I coaches in rec 2 years ago). My mom won't remember much - it was a really nice day out so I figured if she enjoys it then great. Anyhow my kids friends play on a D team with the rec coach from that town coaching - club paid for the F and E license (Illinois). This is one of those new hybrid programs that cost just under $1000.00. During the game the ball is bumped up to one of my old players who makes a run on the goal. The shot is no good - keeper easily gets it. While the girls turn an run back for the keeper kick, the coach yells "Hey Addi - keep doing that!!" Best moment of the weekend!
I don't know about that. They probably have to buy it after a certain point. I wouldn't let my son play football/my daughter cheer because playing football/cheerleading in my area is tantamount to a religion and even if my kids were willing to commit to that, I was not. I know people who leave their lake house empty from August 1st on for fear of repercussions of missing a practice. They will literally pull their kids out of school for a week during the football off season to go on vacation rather than miss any football. Because the school looks the other way, but football will not. No thanks. Not for an elementary school aged kid. Of course, maybe that's why my kid is on a C level soccer team . . . everyone has different priorities I guess and none are more important than any other.
Same said for football and cheer out by me. I used to get reamed about my u9 in soccer until I started conversations about all her friends in cheer and that they are practicing twice - sometimes three times as much as my kid! No thanks. My kid plays high up for u9 and our coaches would rather she misses events to be a kid. They recognize that if you take that sort of "stuff" away that eventually the kid will burn out or worse yet, start to hate the sport altogether.
I don't understand the sentament that C team is sub par, nor people looking down on rec. there is a place for everything. I think that lower stress enviornment is where kids have a chance to discover thier love for the game, or not. If they have decent coaches and enjoy what they are doing, and it's a healthy enviornment that's great. I think people should worry less about what others are doing or thinkng, and consider what is best for you and do what fits into your priorities. Tuff nut- at some point all my kids have played club soccer. After a while I learned to take a step back and decided that yes club soccer is a priority but I'm not revolving my life around it. In my expierience coaches get over it. I don't make a habit out of missing games or practices, I try to schedule around it but I'm not going to not enjoy other things too. Life is too short.
Rec is AWESOME - but it needs am overhaul led from the top down in order to educate primarily the coaches and then the parents - it has a lot of potential but where it fails is to generate a passion for players. Good coaches can do that and enjoy themselves at the same time. The problem is the rotation of coaches in and out and constantly moving up age groups because they follow their kids. It would be great if Rec programs had a Trainer (hired) for u5-u9/u10-u12 and so on. These could be high school kids who have played club soccer and would get a small fee but also a certificate from USSA that could be used on a resume. These trainers could maintain training sessions and teach parents how to train and support them while maintaining continuity for the overall program. Lots of room to improve. As far as "C" teams are concerned, I think the implied experience is that the "C" coaches are not good and that kids are pegged at that level with no opportunity to move up because of poor coaching. That coupled with a level of community inclusion - that moving from a such a com club to a super club is to expensive and there is too much commitment (which is complete BS), that ultimately keeps the C player in line. These clubs will put the C team in a third division of Nike Cup for example - where they may win but because of inclusion, the parents and players have little idea that there were 2 flights above them with far better teams. But that trophy can go pretty far I agree. It's 37 degrees and snowing here in Chicago. If the weather does not improve, I'm keeping my u9 at home and out of practice. No sense in getting sick and missing school - and me missing work.
You sure read a lot into my reply. It was rhetorical. I was telling OP not to worry about what others are saying and thinking about playing C division. Enjoy the moment. Be happy your kid is happy where they are.
Hey Johny's C team won the tournament?! How cute of you to be proud of that. You DO realize that there are two tiers above you don't you? But if your ok with that then great! There are a lot of things to consider. The general atmosphere is as important than anything else. To me anyway. Nothing like week after week sitting on the sideline listening to parents complain about the ref, or that the other team is so rough, which is true sometimes, but its the same week after week. Or being on a team with a parent who is unhappy so instead of quietly taking their kid to another club they create a negative atmosphere, making other people unhappy. Quietly recruiting half the team to play somewhere else, then leaving a few kids without a team because nobody said anything until after tryouts. Or on a team where parents cheer and clap when a kid gets fouled and injured. I have had these experiences both at the dreaded community club and a super club. A team where the kid is playing, learning a few things, and happy to show up, and no negative hostile parents on the sideline is worth its weight in gold.
This is what I don't like. You win your league title in a lower division. Then instead of moving up to the next higher division to test yourselves and see how you do playing at a higher level. You stay where you are and try to win the same division again.
I don't even know what to say to this. Neither parents nor children are stupid, they know there are multiple flights in a tournament and multiple divisions on the league. They're on the C team of their own community club, for goodness sakes - there are twenty some kids that their children go to school with every day who have been deemed "better" at soccer than their kids that year. I would absolutely be excited for my child if his team won the flight of the tournament they were slotted in. Perhaps the Nike Cup organizers should only accept 6 teams per age group so that the winners won't be watered down by other lesser pseudo winners.
At least until recently in the first round of play one of the tie breakers was goal differential. When that is a tie breaker there was no such thing as sportsmenship in tournament play even in youth tournament play at any level. You have to beat any team you play in the first round by as many goals as you can score or risk not moving on because you did not have the biggest goal differential. So you can be a C team and beat an opponent by 10 goals if you can do it. It might mean not getting out of the first round if you don't. What can you learn from that?
I would be surprised if a C team one at all. Usually if you have a bunch of C and D teams some A or B team swoops in and smashes everyone.
In the eyes of many parents and players, being on a club "C" team is far better than playing Rec, and almost as good as being on the "A" team… they may be smart enough to understand a gap exists, but may not fully grasp nor want to grasp how wide that gap actually is…they may even believe that being on the “C” team is a pathway to one day being on the “A” team… unfortunately, those beliefs rarely match reality…due, in no small part, to the stigma attached to “C” teams… This stigma is unfair, regrettable, but unfortunately somewhat grounded in reality…you know this, do you not? Isn’t that why you started this "defense" thread in the first place? All Volk was doing was trying answer what she thought was an honest confusion as to why “C” teams are considered sub-par in the eyes of some/many….she wasn’t justifying nor necessarily agreeing it, just explaining it…
That is bad - really bad. I frankly don't think I've even seen that happen before! IMO I'd rather see our u9 girls back in the boys league - getting spanked every weekend as opposed to winning some an losing some in the girls league.
Well first off - I did not say anyone is stupid. Secondly I CLEARLY stated that this environment is driven from inclusion that the club creates. And it most certainly does exist whether you care to believe it or not. Finally, my comment has nothing to do with the kids whatsoever! It's about clubs creating an environment where parents only know that the A division is the highest out there - or that winning a u14 title in the 3rd flight is all there is. What is NPL/MRL/ECNL/DA??? Clubs proclaim that they will prepare their player for college all day long and have no means to do so. But because X kid's team is playing in the A division - all the scouts will be watching. It's a false reality that many clubs cultivate and nurture. Sorry if you have not seen it but I have MANY times.