Club or Recreational Youth Soccer/Futbol?

[alaskanseminole]

I've been coaching rec soccer (U5-U10) for 15+ seasons across 3 different kiddos. Each have moved on to different sports/activities once hitting middle school. However, my son (who's just turning 10) is starting to show some signs of competency on the pitch. I have him signed up for a club team tryout next week, but then talked to the director and MAN-OH-MAN what a dadgum commitment. It's pretty much year-around soccer.

If you know your child has the potential to be above average, but never a collegiate-level athlete do you put that much into the sport or just try to find a better rec league than the YMCA? When I coached my daughter's team it was at least a competitive rec-league with 2x trainings per week and tourneys. The Y has one training per week and isn't even supposed to keep score.

Looking for opinions/experiences from parents who've been down the club futbol route.

 

[TennNole17]

I played club soccer growing up. It is absolutely year round. We left Dec 26th every year for a tournament in Tampa.

I saw the better part of the southeast and parts of the Midwest though, so there’s that I guess.

It impacted me, in that I almost encouraged my kids to just enjoy the weekends doing nothing because I never got to do that as a kid. It was too much, even if I did enjoy it at the time.

 

[luvmyhawks]

My oldest is in club soccer. We don't travel all over the country like some of these other crazies do as there is more than enough competition right here in the state, but it is still a huge commitment. Year round. Hell, tomorrow I have to drive 2 hours for one freaking game. But it has also been a lot of fun.

If he is showing some skills, maybe start out with the club rec teams and see how it goes from there. I will tell you this much. He might be the star of his rec team but once they make the leap into club, it is a whole other level. My son went form the best in rec to just another kid in club. The club rec teams are great next step IMO. It is not quite all balls out, but still pretty dang competitive. Think, 2, maybe 3 practices a week and 1 game per week. Lots of good players in club rec as well.

I have kept my 2 younger ones in more rec type leagues as I think enjoying their child hood doing nothing and hanging with other kids over the weekend is necessary as well. My oldest didn't have as much of that.

It is a tough decision. I mean, it is tough to make the varsity in high school if you are not playing in more competitive leagues as a middle schooler. Seeing what I see now with my oldest, I don't think my younger 2 stand a chance at making varsity when they are older.

 

[Fijimn]

We started in the Dynamo/Dash rec league which, even though Rex had some skill, she missed the window for Academy which is the level between Rex and competition. We just tried out for the competitive league which isn’t a lot of traveling. Not until they reach elite. But coaching and training is from professionals at the competitive stage.

 

[IowaPackFan]

My God, I can’t imagine having to endure watching soccer year round.

 

[alaskanseminole]

My God, I can’t imagine having to endure watching soccer year round.

Thank you for your thread contribution.

 

[IowaPackFan]

Thank you for your thread contribution.

 

[Fijimn]

I will say that I wished that I could have gotten my daughter into the Academy program. There was a definite skill difference between her (rec league player) and the kids that have been in the program.

 

[Bearhawk0505]

My kids do club baseball and basketball and they are time consuming, but at least seasonal. One of my son’s friends/teammates does club soccer, and it is year round. He has to commit to a certain number of practices and tournaments in the off season even. Youth Club sports are becoming ridiculous with the time/money invested, and soccer appears to be the worst of them.

 

[hawkedoff]

Club stuff oversells their importance. Get your kid involved but stay away from tge cult parents. They will suck you into their fantasy world. Club will help your son with his skills and put him in a position to play high school soccer. He may end up being good enough to play in college. Especially for boys all you want is skill development and playing time. Too many idiots get caught in the idea that dominance at 10-15 age groups means anything. It doesn't. You might be able to tell which highly skilled players in that age group stand a chance but even there not really. Puberty matters. Speed matters. First step quickness matters. So does durability and strength. None of which gets answered at u10-15. Clues to it but not answered

Stay separate from the cultist nature of thr parent group and remember your kid is likely not good enough. Same goes for every kid by the way

 

[Pinehawk]

In the more populated areas, there may be a couple of Club options to choose from, to find one with a commitment equivalent to what you're looking for.
But, in general, it's about what you're looking for. If it's potential college, you'll need to be with a competitive Club.
If it's to start in high school (on a good team), you'll almost certainly need to be with a competitive Club.
If you just want the kid to make the high school team and maybe be a role player, rec league might work, if the kid is a good athlete.
But, most older players that play well spent an extended period with a Club team.

 

[mnole03]

I will say that I wished that I could have gotten my daughter into the Academy program. There was a definite skill difference between her (rec league player) and the kids that have been in the program.

This is what I was wondering. I have a friend who is really into the soccer and his complaint about the rec/travel team stuff is that they’re not learning modern soccer like the academy kids are: possession, passing, control. That it’s way too much boot it down field to the biggest fastest player.

 

[Pinehawk]

This is what I was wondering. I have a friend who is really into the soccer and his complaint about the rec/travel team stuff is that they’re not learning modern soccer like the academy kids are: possession, passing, control. That it’s way too much boot it down field to the biggest fastest player.

Those teams just want to win, and place that over skill development. Ideally you do both.
But, if it's just a team that encourages long downfield passes, over possession and passing, that's probably not a quality Club or team.

 

[Fijimn]

This is what I was wondering. I have a friend who is really into the soccer and his complaint about the rec/travel team stuff is that they’re not learning modern soccer like the academy kids are: possession, passing, control. That it’s way too much boot it down field to the biggest fastest player.

Yep. She is pretty good a receiving the ball, passing and dribbling. But the Academy kids were very good. They also had a much better concept of spacing, angles and how to play the short game. The tryouts were 4 v 4 on a short field.

 

[CaboKP]

My son was on a club soccer team for two years. He enjoyed it, but isn't a natural compared to basketball and baseball.

The club allowed the team to only play in the fall until this year. It seems they weren't happy the team of athletes not committed to full year soccer being able to beat the club team that tried out and plays all year.

The experience wasn't bad, but I can't stand the sport and the club was starting to make it political. We're moving on and I am not at all sad about it.

More time to go fishing with my son!

 

[LuciousBDragon]

I've been coaching rec soccer (U5-U10) for 15+ seasons across 3 different kiddos. Each have moved on to different sports/activities once hitting middle school. However, my son (who's just turning 10) is starting to show some signs of competency on the pitch. I have him signed up for a club team next week, but then talked to the director and MAN-OH-MAN what a dadgum commitment. It's pretty much year-around soccer.

If you know your child has the potential to be above average, but never a collegiate -level athlete to you put that much into or just try to find a better rec league than the YMCA? When I coached my daughter's team it was at least a competitive rec-league with 2x trainings per week and tourneys. The Y has one training per week and isn't even supposed to keep score.

Looking for opinions/experiences from parents who've been down the club futbol route.

Going through the same thing with my son. This is try-out season for club and we have numerous options. Try-outs for each club are all at the exact same time so you have to plan which club is your priority.

My son was not challenged in the rec league and wants to develop and desires the extra coaching time from club. He set a goal that he wants to be good enough for high school varsity. However, we made it clear that traveling all the time and dozens of tournaments does not align to his strategy/goal. We were fortunate to find a club that de-emphasizes travel & tournaments and focuses more on academy style development. They also commit to no play on Sunday outside of maybe 1-2 weekends a year. That balance of development and family time was exactly what we were looking for.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

In our area it’s the same - if your kids want to play HS soccer they need to be playing competitive from that age (or earlier). The competition is just too great otherwise.

I would not rule out college soccer if they really want to do it and are good players. There are a million small DII and III schools out there that will bombard your kids with emails and fill your mailbox daily. My son chose not to play in college and just play intramurals with his fraternity buddies at a state university. I’m glad he made that choice and so is he.

It was a lot of fun but don’t make it about scholarships or going pro. Parents get so worked up about what competitive team they’re on and who’s moving up or down, etc etc. As @hawkedoff said, we saw early bloomers dominate U9-U13 and by U15 they got passed by and couldn’t make a team. And vice versa. The kids will keep moving up until they max out their abilities.

 

[alaskanseminole]

I spoke with my assistant last night and we devised a Plan B. We can move our team to a more competitive rec club (as suggested by others)--ACYSO has amazing fields, practice 2x per week with matches on Fridays--and hire a trainer to run our practices (split cost among all the parents), then just coach on game day.

Then I have another connection for private lessons and camps for my son during the summer--former Columbian National player who specializes in training kiddos.

 

[sabula]

I had five kids that played rec soccer and club soccer. And played high school soccer. I refereed high school and college soccer for 20 years. I can tell you that most of the competitive league stuff, at least where I live, is really the parents strutting round thinking their kid's going to be the next Landon Donovan. Believe me. He's not. In 20 some years I can't think of many players I saw play that actually went on to play even in college. It's really just a big ego trip for the parents in many cases.

 

[alaskanseminole]

I had five kids that played rec soccer and club soccer. And played high school soccer. I refereed high school and college soccer for 20 years. I can tell you that most of the competitive league stuff, at least where I live, is really the parents strutting round thinking their kid's going to be the next Landon Donovan. Believe me. He's not. In 20 some years I can't think of many players I saw play that actually went on to play even in college. It's really just a big ego trip for the parents in many cases.

I'm here to tell ya, my son is NOT going to be the next Landon Donovan. I just want him to play at a higher level, increase his skills, and continue loving the game! He (and other teammates) are getting bored with the Y and irritated with teammates who have absolutely zero skill.

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

I had five kids that played rec soccer and club soccer. And played high school soccer. I refereed high school and college soccer for 20 years. I can tell you that most of the competitive league stuff, at least where I live, is really the parents strutting round thinking their kid's going to be the next Landon Donovan. Believe me. He's not. In 20 some years I can't think of many players I saw play that actually went on to play even in college. It's really just a big ego trip for the parents in many cases.

THIS! I have my soccer coaching license and coached my son’s club team for two formative years of his three in club: 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. If they’re not absolute standouts by that time, just keep it to a sane schedule, and leave room for other sports and activities. He still had JUCO and small college offers (and one bad D2 program) doing just pick up, hs soccer, and ID camps.

 

[BlIIlken2]

No one’s kids are going pro. High school will get your kids scholarships. Stick to what’s cheaper and keeps you sane.

 

[TennNole17]

I don’t know - I mean the club I played for had multiple names on the national team (men’s and women’s).The one guys name I could recall.

my brother played in college for a minute. There’s loads of schools that will offer soccer scholarships (or there was) besides division I

Maybe I played for a good club when it wasn’t as popular and therefore less diluted- it’s pretty widespread now I think.

But also agree fundamentals are key before like U-15, then it all kind of changes based on growth spurts and athleticism.

Clubs have a kind of a for-profit feel to them now, so buyer beware and all

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

I don’t know - I mean the club I played for had multiple names on the national team (men’s and women’s), my brother played in college for a minute. There’s loads of schools that will offer soccer scholarships (or there was) besides division I

Maybe I played for a good club when it wasn’t as popular and therefore less diluted- it’s pretty widespread now I think.

But also agree fundamentals are key before like U-15, then it all kind of changes based on growth spurts and athleticism.

Clubs have a kind of a for-profit feel to them now, so buyer beware and all

True, and if your kid does have D1 or pro potential, they’re going to get discovered by MLS Academy teams pretty quickly now. There’s a massive incentive for them to scout middle school aged talent, when you look at the transfer fees from MLS to the most elite European teams.

 

[QChawks]

both my boys do club soccer (U10 and U12).

They love it!

It’s absolutely year round, only break is for about 4 weeks in the summer, otherwise it’s 2-3 practices a week and games indoors over the winter. We also play futsol tournaments, We only travel up to 2 hours so it can be anywhere between CR, Burlington, Peoria, etc.

They are also levels in each age ground (gold, silver) so if you’re really good you can find teams your caliber.

 

[Pinehawk]

Yes, no one is going pro. Yes, many parents have unrealistic expectations.
But, if you think your kid is going to start on a good high school team without playing Club, you’re wrong. A lot of these high school coaches are even affiliated with Clubs.
So, you’re probably not making it out of tryouts if they don’t already know you.
You think your kid is going to make the varsity team at West, City, Prairie, Ankeny, Bettendorf, etc while spending the formative years in rec league? Sorry, but that would be extremely rare.

 

[Bearhawk0505]

Soccer is great exercise. However, the reality is it is a sport few in this country care about. High school peers and communities don’t care about it either. There are few future opportunities in the sport after high school. My advice is steer your kids to other sports or activities. Soccer sucks. Let me have it.

 

[Pete Malloy]

Our kids play both club and school soccer, the HS coach knows the club comes first with our family and they will make the varsity games as time permits. If your child is really, really good they will get much more exposure to college scouts playing club than playing varsity.

 

[thewop]

Keep him well rounded. hes 10. No sense in specializing now.

Might want to get your local high school coach's take on it. Many coaches around us prefer multisport athletes to specialized kids.

 

[MepoDawg#]

Not sure my son, #1 punter in the ‘24 class, would be where he is today without playing club soccer. He played 3 years for SESA out of Burlington then we moved to FC United U13 (CR) and Sporting East U14 (Bettendorf)., but hasn’t played club since since it was too much while playing football and basketball, too.

His former teammate at FC United that he split time with at GK is down with the Sporting KC U19 team. Many of his teammates from the Sporting East team are going to be playing in college. Obviously Drew is, too, just football instead. He also played ODP for 3 years.

 

[Pinehawk]

If you put your kid in soccer, Club or Rec, and if they are good or not, they will get a lot of exercise. And, that decreases their chances of becoming a great big fat person.
And that healthy choice can lead to an improved quality of life.
Which on its own is worth it.

 

[TennNole17]

Soccer is great exercise. However, the reality is it is a sport few in this country care about. High school peers and communities don’t care about it either. There are few future opportunities in the sport after high school. My advice is steer your kids to other sports or activities. Soccer sucks. Let me have it.

Soccer may indeed suck- but there is collegiate money in there, same as other non-watched sports like track and field, tennis, cross country, etc.

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

Soccer is great exercise. However, the reality is it is a sport few in this country care about. High school peers and communities don’t care about it either. There are few future opportunities in the sport after high school. My advice is steer your kids to other sports or activities. Soccer sucks. Let me have it.

Tell us you’re old, rural, and out of touch without telling us.

 

[bdcolt45er]

My recommendation is that you should focus on living in the moment. If your kid really enjoys it then go ahead and do it but this is not an investment.

From a college perspective soccer there are about 10 scholarships for 30 guys. In terms of improvement and skill the biggest advantage of club isn't the advanced coaching skills or anything like that. The biggest benefit is that the kids simply spend a lot more time playing soccer. For young kids you want as many touches on the ball as you can get. Small sided leagues are better than 11 on 11. Non competitive reps are also critical. You need opportunities to try things in order to develop skills.

 

[alaskanseminole]

As stated in the OP, my son is likely not a future collegiate-level athlete. I just want to maximize his potential and fuel his passion w/o killing said passion. ...his college is already covered.

 

[alaskanseminole]

Well, my son completed tryouts last week and was selected this morning to a team. He's pretty excited, so we'll see how he does with a full year's commitment.

Soccer Club In San Antonio | Premier Academy

Our soccer club is the ideal place for all ages and abilities, from U3-U18, to learn, grow, and excel.

premierfasa.com

 

[Hawkfan_08]

Well, my son completed tryouts last week and was selected this morning to a team. He's pretty excited, so we'll see how he does with a full year's commitment.

Soccer Club In San Antonio | Premier Academy

Our soccer club is the ideal place for all ages and abilities, from U3-U18, to learn, grow, and excel.

premierfasa.com

That's great, congrats to him. I missed this thread earlier.

My full disclosure is that I'm a high school coach and made the decision a long time ago to not do club. I promised I would do both, especially since I wanted to coach a little basketball too (junior high).

Iowa is also in a different position for club because there are a few massive clubs that are starting to spread to other parts of the state and/or clubs from other cities are being absorbed in order to compete.

That said, I am not a fan of the direction of club soccer at the moment. It's a ton of travel, including just to go to practice with the whole team. Might be an hour and a half or two hour drive one way to train on a Wednesday night. The prices seem to be ever increasing and the demands on time are obviously increasing. I'm curious to see how the winter seasons will go now that more indoor facilities are going up.

It's also a battle for athletes. We are obviously not a big state but while our top level athletes have been increasing in number, I feel like clubs and high schools are owning these kids making it difficult to be multisport athletes. It is also leading to a lot of burnout later in high so or when kids get into college sports.

We are trying to promote club for girls in the fall, just do a winter 7v7 league or the club's indoor league and then high school season. Not many clubs will allow that to happen. Only one and we haven't been able to retain players or coaches there.

Not sure my son, #1 punter in the ‘24 class, would be where he is today without playing club soccer. He played 3 years for SESA out of Burlington then we moved to FC United U13 (CR) and Sporting East U14 (Bettendorf)., but hasn’t played club since since it was too much while playing football and basketball, too.

His former teammate at FC United that he split time with at GK is down with the Sporting KC U19 team. Many of his teammates from the Sporting East team are going to be playing in college. Obviously Drew is, too, just football instead. He also played ODP for 3 years.

Is he still playing in high school? I didn't look.

 

[Hawkfan_08]

Soccer is great exercise. However, the reality is it is a sport few in this country care about. High school peers and communities don’t care about it either. There are few future opportunities in the sport after high school. My advice is steer your kids to other sports or activities. Soccer sucks. Let me have it.

There are tons of opportunities, especially for girls. I think the narrative on soccer is slowly changing but most high school kids don't care about going to games right now anyway... unless it's football.

We had excellent crowds for our substate games this year. Shockingly good.

 

[alaskanseminole]

That's great, congrats to him. I missed this thread earlier.

My full disclosure is that I'm a high school coach and made the decision a long time ago to not do club. I promised I would do both, especially since I wanted to coach a little basketball too (junior high).

Iowa is also in a different position for club because there are a few massive clubs that are starting to spread to other parts of the state and/or clubs from other cities are being absorbed in order to compete.

That said, I am not a fan of the direction of club soccer at the moment. It's a ton of travel, including just to go to practice with the whole team. Might be an hour and a half or two hour drive one way to train on a Wednesday night. The prices seem to be ever increasing and the demands on time are obviously increasing. I'm curious to see how the winter seasons will go now that more indoor facilities are going up.

It's also a battle for athletes. We are obviously not a big state but while our top level athletes have been increasing in number, I feel like clubs and high schools are owning these kids making it difficult to be multisport athletes. It is also leading to a lot of burnout later in high so or when kids get into college sports.

We are trying to promote club for girls in the fall, just do a winter 7v7 league or the club's indoor league and then high school season. Not many clubs will allow that to happen. Only one and we haven't been able to retain players or coaches there.

Fortunately, my son's first year will be on a developmental team where the coach will enroll us in a city league. Our training is less than 5 mil away and is Tue & Thu 1.5 hours each. If he moves up to a more competative team, travel will be Austin and Corpus Christi with a possible tourney in Houston (we're in San Antonio), so I don't think it will be too bad.

Cost was $1750 ($300 deposit, 10 schedule payments after) and his uniform kit was only $250. With him being our last kid at home, this wasn't too bad at all. Heck, his Karate was $170 per month. I think it's a good bridge for him to see if this is really what he wants. If not, then he can simply try out for his Middle School team through the district and play there.

 

[Hawkfan_08]

Fortunately, my son's first year will be on a developmental team where the coach will enroll us in a city league. Our training is less than 5 mil away and is Tue & Thu 1.5 hours each. If he moves up to a more competative team, travel will be Austin and Corpus Christi with a possible tourney in Houston (we're in San Antonio), so I don't think it will be too bad.

Cost was $1750 ($300 deposit, 10 schedule payments after) and his uniform kit was only $250. With him being our last kid at home, this wasn't too bad at all. Heck, his Karate was $170 per month. I think it's a good bridge for him to see if this is really what he wants. If not, then he can simply try out for his Middle School team through the district and play there.

Right, I saw you were in San Antonio. That certainly helps. That's also less expensive than some of the clubs here.

We also have to go further to get better competition and not play the same clubs in the state.