Club Soccer for the Poor

[Unregistered]

Wow--coming to TS for some friendly advice doesn't really reflect well on your ability to talk to real people, but then you probably know that. Sorry. Anyway, let me show you how to get welfare benefits for the luxury item that is Club Soccer. First, assuming your kid actually plays town and you are not a troll, find out if any of the townie kids play club. Checking out their backpacks and club gear is one way to do this, especially if you passed down the Asperger gene and your kid is too socially awkward to actually speak to the other kids. Looking at the window decals and car magnets in the lot can also identify your club targets--er--parents. (Also, make note of the make/year of the vehicles. That will be important later.) Once you figure out which kids are with which clubs you are ready for the next step: evaluating the talent level. You should probably invest in a clipboard and some lined paper here. Rank the talent level of the Club kids, and with a dispassionate eye, assign your child an honest ranking. Draw a line where your kid falls in the pecking list, and DISREGARD all those below him or her. This may not immediately make sense to you, and I can hear you ask "Wouldn't the Club want to scholarship a kid who is better than their average?" NO NO NO. If your player was going to get any charity based on his ABILITY someone at the Club would have already recognized his talent and you wouldn't be here trying to game the system. It is not the Club we are targeting: It is the Pocket of the other Parents that we are trying to Pick, and the LAST thing any of these suckers--I mean parents--want to do is bring in anyone better than their Little Landon. You don't want to alienate your sources of largess.
NEXT TIME: ZEROING IN ON THE TARGETS.

Tool of the Day Award Nominee. Congratulations.

So many to choose from typically, and Monday is always the most highly contested. I had reservations if we'd see a great one with some on vacation this week, but even though it's not 2:00 pm, you already set the bar so high. Well done.

Still have some time left...can anyone top it???

[Unregistered]

Wow--coming to TS for some friendly advice doesn't really reflect well on your ability to talk to real people, but then you probably know that. Sorry. Anyway, let me show you how to get welfare benefits for the luxury item that is Club Soccer. First, assuming your kid actually plays town and you are not a troll, find out if any of the townie kids play club. Checking out their backpacks and club gear is one way to do this, especially if you passed down the Asperger gene and your kid is too socially awkward to actually speak to the other kids. Looking at the window decals and car magnets in the lot can also identify your club targets--er--parents. (Also, make note of the make/year of the vehicles. That will be important later.) Once you figure out which kids are with which clubs you are ready for the next step: evaluating the talent level. You should probably invest in a clipboard and some lined paper here. Rank the talent level of the Club kids, and with a dispassionate eye, assign your child an honest ranking. Draw a line where your kid falls in the pecking list, and DISREGARD all those below him or her. This may not immediately make sense to you, and I can hear you ask "Wouldn't the Club want to scholarship a kid who is better than their average?" NO NO NO. If your player was going to get any charity based on his ABILITY someone at the Club would have already recognized his talent and you wouldn't be here trying to game the system. It is not the Club we are targeting: It is the Pocket of the other Parents that we are trying to Pick, and the LAST thing any of these suckers--I mean parents--want to do is bring in anyone better than their Little Landon. You don't want to alienate your sources of largess.
NEXT TIME: ZEROING IN ON THE TARGETS.

Wow. Please let us not forget some of the greatest athletes have not been born with silver spoons in their mouths. Some of you have all the money and resources in the world but your kids are no good and it is nothing more than a waste.

[Unregistered]

2 other clubs that cost more than 3k? Which ones?

Previous thread mentioned only a handful of clubs that are north of 2k:
Stars, NEFC, CSU, Best, Abby Villa. And FC Boston approaching 2k.

3k is a highly inaccurate number. Like...doubled.

That's the point.

[Unregistered]

What area do you live in?

[Unregistered]

3k is a highly inaccurate number. Like...doubled.

That's the point.

I paid $3K per year to then-MPS about 3 years ago. I think the uniform was beyond even that. Only did one-half year (did not make second half payment of $1500). Awful experience, and am still irritated about it. 2 squads practicing together (meaning no small-sided games) on tiny section of field in Woburn. No footskills taught. First tournament, 4 games with 4 different coaches. Had 2 different coaches in the half-year. Liked the second one, but the coach's work visa was ending before the Spring season was to end. Of all the clubs my kids have played for (numbering 5 different clubs), without a doubt the worst experience.

[Unregistered]

I paid $3K per year to then-MPS about 3 years ago. I think the uniform was beyond even that. Only did one-half year (did not make second half payment of $1500). Awful experience, and am still irritated about it. 2 squads practicing together (meaning no small-sided games) on tiny section of field in Woburn. No footskills taught. First tournament, 4 games with 4 different coaches. Had 2 different coaches in the half-year. Liked the second one, but the coach's work visa was ending before the Spring season was to end. Of all the clubs my kids have played for (numbering 5 different clubs), without a doubt the worst experience.

My daughter is a Sophomore in college now, but back about the same time you paid MPS, I was paying NEFC Metro North which is what Grasshopper was called after merger.

Would TS readers find that experience relevant?
Does that experience make me an expert on NEFC today?
Far more interesting to me is the "my kid has played for 5 clubs". What are you searching for?

[Unregistered]

Club soccer is strictly for two types:
Type A: way beyond average
Type B: average to downright stinks

Type A typically plays for free or next to nothing, gets top coaches, starts every game, gets lots of play time, and is offered supplemental opportunities to advance their skill. Type B pays top dollar, gets bumped around, has inferior coaches, rarely starts, rides the bench plays in low quality tournaments, gets very little opportunity to advance their skill, and most importantly funds the cost of Type A players without ever complaining. So if you happen to be in need and a type B player better just find another activity. Club soccer is a business like any other.

Please ignore this post. The author has no idea what he/she is talking about.

[Unregistered]

My daughter is a Sophomore in college now, but back about the same time you paid MPS, I was paying NEFC Metro North which is what Grasshopper was called after merger.

Would TS readers find that experience relevant?
Does that experience make me an expert on NEFC today?
Far more interesting to me is the "my kid has played for 5 clubs". What are you searching for?

Poster said "kids" not kid. And if you have 3 kids playing club soccer over the course of middle school and high school years, 5 clubs is probably typical. Hard to find someone playing for only one club for 5-6 years. And I do think there is relevance with poster indicating paying $3,000 3 years ago. As the fees would be higher now.

[Unregistered]

Search the threads on club costs which always come up around May/June when tryouts for the next year happen.

Posted this previously, but my 2 kids play for 2 different clubs, NEFC and GPS. GPS is more expensive at u13/14 because of the summer residential camp. It also differs for different regions. NEFC is $1800-$2100 depending on region for u13 and no summer camp. GPS u13 is $3400 with the residential camp. Uniforms are an extra $350 for both clubs. NPL teams are more expensive than NEP teams. High school teams are less expensive becuase they don't play Fall. u13+ GPS teams practice and do tournaments through July. NEFC stops in May unless you qualify for various high level competitions.

I find when comparing apples to apples, GPS is just slightly more expensive than NEFC.

[Unregistered]

That's a knucklehead response. The most important consideration in club soccer is politics. Those who feed the beast get placed and played and those who don't are ignored. Has less to do with talent and more to do with politics, daddy coaches, and petty in-fighting....that's the reality of club soccer and that's why U.S. Soccer is abysmal.

Please go away then.
This is one of the most ignorant posts ever. You must be extremely bitter regarding a personal situation with a club.

[Unregistered]

That's a knucklehead response. The most important consideration in club soccer is politics. Those who feed the beast get placed and played and those who don't are ignored. Has less to do with talent and more to do with politics, daddy coaches, and petty in-fighting....that's the reality of club soccer and that's why U.S. Soccer is abysmal.

I have only seen this with one top boys club. My son switched to GPS, and it was the best decision we made. While it is expensive for people that can afford to pay, it is not for people like me that can't. The old club, a fan favorite on this site, is even worse on the girls side. Pay to play is the rule, and the more you can pay the more control you have. Friends daughter is ready to make the switch too.

[Unregistered]

I'm not sure where you are located but when I was looking around and mentioned that I wasn't sure about the cost, the folks at BEST FC said they would hate for someone not to play due to the cost. Leads me to think they would give some sort of help there. I never pursued it since we would not qualify for aid but you could inquire.

[Unregistered]

What is a good club for kids who can not afford club soccer but wish to play more soccer than town programs offer?

To answer your question. Commonwealth FC if you live in the south shore.

[Unregistered]

For what it's worth, we just moved my U16 son over to GPS this year. Iy probably costs more for the younger kids because the season is longer. We aren't receiving scholarship and we pay $2,100 plus $300 for uniform. I can't imagine that it's more than and additional 1K for the younger kids. So, I don't think this is really that different from other clubs.

[Unregistered]

Well since the OP is not saying where he lives, I assume this is fake