Is club soccer worth all the money?

[Unregistered]

I guess it depends on what you expect to get out of it.
If you think you're "investing" in your kid's opportunity for a college scholarship, the answer is "Nope- you'd do better investing at the craps table"...

if the money spent gives your kid great comraderie, great memories, some fitness, and happiness (as well as you family), then absolutely it's worth it...

Spot on. But it is not worth going in to debt or sacrificing other important family needs to fund your kid's travel soccer.

[Unregistered]

Is paying the Tooth worth the money?

How much does anyone think an average coaches' expense should be for a typical 2 game weekend, say with a 2 hour travel time? I've heard quite a range from $200 to $800.

[Unregistered]

I guess it depends on what you expect to get out of it.
If you think you're "investing" in your kid's opportunity for a college scholarship, the answer is "Nope- you'd do better investing at the craps table"...

if the money spent gives your kid great comraderie, great memories, some fitness, and happiness (as well as you family), then absolutely it's worth it...

You can do the same in any high school sport, including high school soccer. Most club players actually like playing with their high school team more than their club team.

[Unregistered]

You can do the same in any high school sport, including high school soccer. Most club players actually like playing with their high school team more than their club team.

That has been our experience, as well. Two completely different environments- HS soccer is not as skilled, but lots of fun...

[Unregistered]

That has been our experience, as well. Two completely different environments- HS soccer is not as skilled, but lots of fun...

Ours too, with both our son and daughter. It's really strange--they play on top club teams on middle-of-the-road hs teams, but they really love hs.

[Unregistered]

Spot on. But it is not worth going in to debt or sacrificing other important family needs to fund your kid's travel soccer.

It is a great way to teach them discipline, fitness, teamwork and sacrifice. When the "sacrifice" starts taking too much time away from family time or starts to break the bank, it is not woth it at all. Also, lestening to parents scream at their kids or scream at the opposing team's parents is a huge waste of time. Very few of these kids will play soccer in college (and much less with "scholarships") so the end result of club soccer is developing motivated, disciplined and healthy individuals. Can it be accomplished in another sport or activity that costs you less? Certainly! Club soccer is for those that are truly passionate about the sport. Do not invest your time and money if it is not your passion!

[Unregistered]

Not with $4 gasoline and daddy coaches.

I would pay $5 for gas if it meant no Daddy coach.

[Unregistered]

It is a great way to teach them discipline, fitness, teamwork and sacrifice. When the "sacrifice" starts taking too much time away from family time or starts to break the bank, it is not woth it at all. Also, lestening to parents scream at their kids or scream at the opposing team's parents is a huge waste of time. Very few of these kids will play soccer in college (and much less with "scholarships") so the end result of club soccer is developing motivated, disciplined and healthy individuals. Can it be accomplished in another sport or activity that costs you less? Certainly! Club soccer is for those that are truly passionate about the sport. Do not invest your time and money if it is not your passion!

Agreed on this, as well... sometimes as parents we need to step back and re-prioritize. I would say most of the stress and occasional ugliness in club soccer is rooted in the "college scholarship dream". Unfortunately, just looking at the numbers demonstrates that few players reach that level.

The Clubs, however, will do nothing to dispel the "scholarship myth" among parents- that's how they market the program and fund the operations.

[Unregistered]

Really if you break it down the older teams i am talking about u13 and above. They really play all year so really if you think about it they are playing a lot of soccer for the money. Our club was around 800 dollars so over a year come on people think about it ! So many people want things for nothing these days but that is not the way it works !!! You have to pay to play....

[Unregistered]

Really if you break it down the older teams i am talking about u13 and above. They really play all year so really if you think about it they are playing a lot of soccer for the money. Our club was around 800 dollars so over a year come on people think about it ! So many people want things for nothing these days but that is not the way it works !!! You have to pay to play....

Having had my daughter in dance, soccer is a real bargain. I was so happy when she picked soccer over dance. There are a lot of other sports that are way more expensive then soccer. What makes it worth it is the passion that my child has for soccer.

[Unregistered]

Really if you break it down the older teams i am talking about u13 and above. They really play all year so really if you think about it they are playing a lot of soccer for the money. Our club was around 800 dollars so over a year come on people think about it ! So many people want things for nothing these days but that is not the way it works !!! You have to pay to play....

Having had three play high level, I can assure you the club fee (800 as you mention) is not even a factor in the real expense. My daughter played very competitive and we traveled to many out of state tournaments, often requiring a plane flight and multiple days in hotels (that were required to be booked through the tournament's booking agent) This is the real expense. We spent thousands of dollars annually. And that is where most people need to be very careful and not get caught up in the hype. You can learn all the terrific lessons the previous poster mentioned without playing the high-end game, still have a family life and not put enormous charges on your credit card...then wish you hadn't while you pay for college!

[Unregistered]

It is absolutely worth more then the $500 per month you are spending on your BMW lease

[Unregistered]

Is club soccer worth all the money?

Sure. So are properties damaged by sinkholes.

[Unregistered]

Having had three play high level, I can assure you the club fee (800 as you mention) is not even a factor in the real expense. My daughter played very competitive and we traveled to many out of state tournaments, often requiring a plane flight and multiple days in hotels (that were required to be booked through the tournament's booking agent) This is the real expense. We spent thousands of dollars annually. And that is where most people need to be very careful and not get caught up in the hype. You can learn all the terrific lessons the previous poster mentioned without playing the high-end game, still have a family life and not put enormous charges on your credit card...then wish you hadn't while you pay for college!

Good post. This is a very realistic assessment of club soccer, although I do not know of any real club that offers fees as low as $800. They must not offer "training," the bait that clubs use to make ignorant parents believe that they are receiving great value.

[Unregistered]

Really if you break it down the older teams i am talking about u13 and above. They really play all year so really if you think about it they are playing a lot of soccer for the money. Our club was around 800 dollars so over a year come on people think about it ! So many people want things for nothing these days but that is not the way it works !!! You have to pay to play....

$800 for a year of soccer would be a dream! When you factor in hotel stays, tournament fees, private training, etc it can run into thousand of dollars per year. Paying to play, paying to travel and paying for training are all fine and good. It can be a huge financial commitment for your family. Families need to understand that it is a lot of time and money and very rarely does this sacrifice come with a college scholarship at the end. It is a very expensive hobby, but the alternative of having teenagers free on the weekends and afternoons to do whatever they please is not good either. Investing in club soccer is better than investing in rehab.