This question is truly from an "investment" point of view, I am not considering the desire to play, the thrill of competing, the social aspect, the experience aspect, etc. If we are to look at just scholarships and a improved chances if getting into academically competitive schools, will playing sports in college (other than football / basketball) be a benefit to kids in 5-7 years? In the past I saw soccer being a way for some kids to pay for college (even if they had to choose academically weaker school for a scholarship) or get into an IVY league school. With NCAA changes / court cases playing out, big conferences realignment / looming super league, colleges shutting down non-revenue generating programs, will it be worth it? Will non football / basketball scholarships be still around? Will it help to get into prestigious colleges? If you had a crystal ball, what would you see in it?
My child is currently going through the college recruitment process for soccer, so I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I really believe the main reason to play a sport should be because you love the game. The joy of playing, the drive to compete, and the life lessons that come from being part of a team are what make it all worth it. If the only goal is to use soccer as a way to pay for college, I think that’s a risky approach. Scholarships are limited, and when you add up the years of club fees, travel, and time, the return on investment usually doesn't make sense. If it's purely about getting into a good school or finding financial aid, academic enrichment programs or test prep might be a far better investment. But if a kid truly loves to play and wants to keep competing, college soccer can be an incredible experience. It just shouldn't be seen only as a tool to get into school or cover tuition. Play because you love it, not because you hope it will write your future for you. My 2 cents.
Yes it will still be worth it. My friend's kid is getting recruited to Northwestern and I doubt he would of even looked at that school if it were not for soccer. But that's today. In 5-7 years? I think it won't be that different in soccer. Some school will have to eliminate soccer, but I think not too many. And hopefully some will pick up soccer. Hopefully soccer will become more of a revenue generator. It looks like swimming and diving are bearing a large brunt of the cuts.
IMO, college itself is "worth it" for most kids. So the benefits of attending college are good. If soccer (any sport) helps to encourage someone to attend college, that's a benefit. However, let's look at the cost. Full scholarships (even with recent rule changes) will remain extremely hard to get unless your child is literally in the top 0.5% of soccer players in the country. Therefore the student will have to have another source of money. Is it savings? Academic scholarships? Loans? While a nice dream, the end goal of participating in any sport should NOT be a scholarship or admittance preference to a certain school. The participation should be because the child enjoys the sport. If the child is good, then you keep progressing in difficulty level. What happens, happens. Putting pressure a child to perform is NOT a good idea.
You have 2 questions. Considering scholarships only as a return on investment, this is a hard no. https://scholarshipstats.com/soccer https://nil-ncaa.com/soccer/ You are probably better off putting that $2k average in a 529 plan for a better return and at least get a tax benefit on the earnings. As for facilitating acceptance at a school with a better academic reputation, there are too many variables so it depends. But based on above one of the variables should not be an assumed reduction (or at least very little) of any difference in tuition investment based on a scholarship. This is today of course. Who knows if the situation gets better or worse 5-7 years from now? If you believe in trends it will be worse.
I echo everything @Fudrucker says, and also want to mention that, assuming your focus is "just scholarships and a improved chances if getting into academically competitive schools," then you should be focusing less on soccer and more on the sports where there are lower participation numbers in youth sports relative to the higher amount of scholarships available at elite schools. Especially when thinking 5-7 years in the future, where the future of college soccer is in a less safe space based on the impacts of NIL on Division 1 athletics departments. Sports like lacrosse, fencing, crew, girls field hockey, etc. are the better value-plays.
I agree wholeheartedly with those saying the only reason to do this is love for the sport, competing, being a part of a team, ... There are potential tangential benefits to it all, for sure, on the character side (though I've seen plenty of young players who appear to have learned some of the wrong lessons on that front). You'll spend more money than you'll ever get back in scholarships unless your child somehow lands a full ride or something close to it (and the hard truth is almost no one gets anything like that). Your odds are better on the girls' side than the boys', but they're still very, very long. The one thing I will say is that at some (maybe most?) DIIIs, the private schools seem to find some extra academic scholarship money for athletes that I suspect they wouldn't otherwise get. I'm sure the amounts vary widely by player and school, but in our experience (middle-class father of a DIII player here) it's nice and very much appreciated -- limiting borrowing so far to almost zero -- but the bills remain substantial. Some have alluded to this part above, but no one knows what college sports look like on any level in a few years. I work at a university system that includes both DI and lower-division programs. I doubt all of the sports at those schools will be there in 5-7 years. Women's sports stand a better chance of sticking around than men's, but there are no guarantees. There are just too many unknowns right now, on the NCAA/NIL/... front and in rapidly evolving federal higher ed policy.
What about going the other direction and pursuing American football where there are many scholarships? I know not everyone is cut out for football, but there are some positions that fit smaller players like kicker obviously, but also some wide receivers and cornerbacks and can be average height but must be very athletic. But this is where there is the most scholarships?
More scholarships, but more competition for those scholarships. https://scholarshipstats.com/varsityodds
The odds look decent. Not the best, but not the worst odds by far. Let's rank by best odds to worst % playing college: Lacrosse 15.1% Baseball 12.4% Ice Hockey 10.2% Football 9.4% Soccer 8% Water polo 7.9% Cross country 7.8% Swim/Dive 7.6% Track & field 6.3 Volleyball 6.1 Basketball/Golf 5.9 Wrestling 5.2 Tennis 4.0 For us, baseball, football, soccer are accessible, so that's probably what we would focus on. And those all have decent odds fortunately. Now factor in the # of scholarships per sport. Football looks the most attractive in terms of investment, or am i missing something
The 9.6% includes all levels of college football including juco. Many those are non-scholarship. If you're "investing" in sports to try to get a financial return in the form of an athletic scholarship, probably it's better to invest that money in a 529 savings plan to fund college. If you're "picking" a sport for him in pursuit of that goal, even worse, since it won't even match what he wants to do. Consider whatever you're spending on sports to be a support for his pursuit of his interests and abilities, because in pure financial terms it's near certain to be a negative.
Yeah I personally am not expecting my son to get a scholarship. If he does then great. But that was never part of the thought process. Though more practically I did view it as a way to get in conversation with college recruiters and give him a leg up in terms of getting accepted.
thank you all for your replies. Seeing my oldest start in rec in pre-school and now one year away from finishing club "career" , I agree with everything said. My oldest decided not to pursue college playing career, my youngest still has time to make that decision. Over the years I went through typical phases of a soccer parent - from totally clueless about the game and the club system, to "my kid is next Messi", to "lets just enjoy the ride" - especially the literal rides home from the games. It became more about their desire to play, the thrill of competing, the character building aspect, etc. Having said that, there is still that glimmer of hope that maybe my youngest will turn out to be if not next Messi, then at least an excellent DIII starter at a prestigious school .
Forgive me if this is too personal, but for the sake of your son reaching the best potential for acceptance the only conversations you should have would be with him. Not with recruiters and not about scholarships. His best chance for a successful college experience (whether it includes athletics or not) is entirely based on the choices HE makes. A parent's role is to listen and perhaps provide advice. Unless he is paying his own way, any cost restraints should also be discussed while ignoring possible athletic scholarship awards. There may be other gating factors but again scholarships should not be one of them. Your son's athletic future is foremost based on his level of passion and commitment. At least for soccer (can't speak to the other sports) if he is passionate there will always be a level for play, in the NCAAs or otherwise. Also young adults can change their minds quickly. His passions today may be different a few years from now. And the journey isn't over assuming he becomes a student athlete. The data shows only a small portion of high school athletes continue in the NCAA, even at the DIII level. Parents should avoid the trap of thinking since junior was probably in the best 5-10% of high school county and/or club ball this level of excellence will automatically continue in the NCAAs. It does not--there is a significant correction to the level of competitiveness. Also while junior may have excelled at his age level or even up a year or two he is now competing with 22 year old 5th or sometimes 6th year athletes. Combine a greatly concentrated and much more highly competitive athletic level with first time independence and responsibilities, entirely new social scene, more rigorous academics, new coaches and teammates, and many other shock factors decisions made today may or may not work out as planned. Either way as long as he is making the decisions the lessons in life will be invaluable. Good luck to both of you.
The parents have a role. There are a gazillion things a kid can do and the parent helps to curate the options. No one gives their kid carte blanche in their decisions when they are 10 years old. Otherwise I mostly agree with what you said.
Getting your kid into sports for scholarship won't work. The chances are so small. Even the best in certain sports do not make it worthwhile. My son plays at the highest level but to get a "full ride" he would have to go to a bottom half D1, even if then. I know a boy who played with the Reserve, or second team at an MLS Club for two years of High School, not even in the academy teams. He got 40% his freshman year at an ACC school. Soccer is not the way to free school. Only the very best out of the MLS academies usually get money Freshman year. Hear it is very similar for baseball. My brother pointed out many years ago I would never get a return on money compared to 529. But the leadership and life lessons are invaluable.