What do you do after spending a small fortune on club soccer

[Unregistered]

The above is a true statement. My kid only paid 1 year

My kid is one of the top three on her ECNL team and I have never asked for a tuition break. Do people who are not struggling financially really do that?

[Unregistered]

My kid is one of the top three on her ECNL team and I have never asked for a tuition break. Do people who are not struggling financially really do that?

Yes there are some real aholes out there. I saw it when I helped manage one club team and worked on our town board. People would ask for discounts but go on expensive vacations. I would never, ever ask knowing that I can afford it - and one of my kids has been the only keeper on one team for a few years now so I know full well they'd be toast without her. That said, when I was out of work for awhile both clubs worked with me and gave me a substantial tuition break. I did have to prove our dire financial situation with a decent amount of paperwork. But because they did help, I am forever grateful and gladly contribute to their fundraising now that I am able to.

[Unregistered]

Yes there are some real aholes out there. I saw it when I helped manage one club team and worked on our town board. People would ask for discounts but go on expensive vacations. I would never, ever ask knowing that I can afford it - and one of my kids has been the only keeper on one team for a few years now so I know full well they'd be toast without her. That said, when I was out of work for awhile both clubs worked with me and gave me a substantial tuition break. I did have to prove our dire financial situation with a decent amount of paperwork. But because they did help, I am forever grateful and gladly contribute to their fundraising now that I am able to.

Agreed I would have no issues asking for assistance if my families financial situation took a turn for the worse but if I could afford it and still asked it would just reflect poorly on our family and especially my daughter. She is a top player but I don't feel she is entitled to any money off and I find that behavior of asking for tuition discounts when you don't need them indefensible.

[Unregistered]

My kid is one of the top three on her ECNL team and I have never asked for a tuition break. Do people who are not struggling financially really do that?

This is a perfect example of naiveté. This person honestly thinks that because THEY believe that their child is one of the top 3 on some ECNL team that she is something special. First off, a parent's assessment means nothing, never has and never will. It is not even the specific club per se that really dictates who is special, what is being referred to is all based upon the cache a player carries and that is based upon general perception who are the top players in the area. The clubs all know that if they want to keep their top end talent and attract more of it, they need to be out there chasing it and kissing their parent's arses. That is what recruiting is all about. Believe it not, playing for free or at least a deeply discounted rate is just the start. It has nothing to do with a family's financial situation at all and everything to do with whether their child is perceived to be able to truly impact a soccer game so if that poster's player were even close to being special then they wouldn't have to ask for a concession, it would be offered to keep them player from jumping ship. When your child is truly a top player they come to you. Sorry, but the fact that this poster obviously hasn't had any of this brought to them by either their club or another, tells you that either they are truly oblivious to how good their child is or just delusional about their actual ability. Welcome to the business of club soccer.

[Unregistered]

C'mon....if you follow the game enough you know who are the top players and who are not. Mine is not, she's mid-level.

I know who is the top, who is near the bottom, and who makes up the rest. Don't overthink it....

[Unregistered]

C'mon....if you follow the game enough you know who are the top players and who are not. Mine is not, she's mid-level.

I know who is the top, who is near the bottom, and who makes up the rest. Don't overthink it....

Wake up call folk?

Mass girl at Virginia
Transferred to BC
Now not on roster
Where is she now?

[Unregistered]

This is a perfect example of naiveté. This person honestly thinks that because THEY believe that their child is one of the top 3 on some ECNL team that she is something special. First off, a parent's assessment means nothing, never has and never will. It is not even the specific club per se that really dictates who is special, what is being referred to is all based upon the cache a player carries and that is based upon general perception who are the top players in the area. The clubs all know that if they want to keep their top end talent and attract more of it, they need to be out there chasing it and kissing their parent's arses. That is what recruiting is all about. Believe it not, playing for free or at least a deeply discounted rate is just the start. It has nothing to do with a family's financial situation at all and everything to do with whether their child is perceived to be able to truly impact a soccer game so if that poster's player were even close to being special then they wouldn't have to ask for a concession, it would be offered to keep them player from jumping ship. When your child is truly a top player they come to you. Sorry, but the fact that this poster obviously hasn't had any of this brought to them by either their club or another, tells you that either they are truly oblivious to how good their child is or just delusional about their actual ability. Welcome to the business of club soccer.

Your version is also not entirely accurate. Clubs that NEED to keep top players will beg and plead to keep them because if a few top players abandon ship it can lead to an all out mutiny. Well run top clubs keep players by doing what's right for the players. They don't need parlor tricks to keep them.

[Unregistered]

By 13, if you aren't being offered a concession by your club it tells you that your child isn't one of the anointed ones and your job from that point forward is to pay the freight so the club can balance the books. That's when you might want to do some soul searching and evaluate what you are doing with soccer and where you think you might be going with it.

This is a total exaggeration and distortion of the facts. I have a good friend whose daughter has been a starter on a top team from one of the big 3 clubs and on a team winning league titles and top tournaments. She is also NTC, ODP Region1 and National Pool Player. She has always paid, because she can, and she's never threatened to leave as they are very happy. I suppose if she threatened to walk (she has been offered other opportunities on other teams), she might be handed a free spot, but some people are not looking to leave, nor are they looking for handouts for something they can afford on their own.

[Unregistered]

This is a total exaggeration and distortion of the facts. I have a good friend whose daughter has been a starter on a top team from one of the big 3 clubs and on a team winning league titles and top tournaments. She is also NTC, ODP Region1 and National Pool Player. She has always paid, because she can, and she's never threatened to leave as they are very happy. I suppose if she threatened to walk (she has been offered other opportunities on other teams), she might be handed a free spot, but some people are not looking to leave, nor are they looking for handouts for something they can afford on their own.

100 percent agree. My daughter is one of these people. She has 3 of the 4 accolades you listed and matches this description perfectly. I'll add she has only been with this club since she was 7 and feels she is developing every year. If I couldn't pay then I would negotiate but since I can I do. I do not think because she hasn't been offered her a free ride that means she is not a top player or a value to the club. This is just a warped perception in my view. I don't want that model to be an example for my daughter. I thought scholarships were based on need not want.

[Unregistered]

100 percent agree. My daughter is one of these people. She has 3 of the 4 accolades you listed and matches this description perfectly. I'll add she has only been with this club since she was 7 and feels she is developing every year. If I couldn't pay then I would negotiate but since I can I do. I do not think because she hasn't been offered her a free ride that means she is not a top player or a value to the club. This is just a warped perception in my view. I don't want that model to be an example for my daughter. I thought scholarships were based on need not want.

So your opinion is if you can afford it then pay the 3k per year fee. Just let the fat get fatter. Ok I like it. If I'm the doc or owner making 500k +

[Unregistered]

So your opinion is if you can afford it then pay the 3k per year fee. Just let the fat get fatter. Ok I like it. If I'm the doc or owner making 500k +

My kid loves her team, and is loyal to the coach she's had since U10. She could easily jump to another club for a lower fee, or we could use the threat of that to cut our current obligations to her current club.

Why would we do that, since we can afford the expense? Would that be a good lesson for our kid - to threaten to leave a great situation just to try to save a few dollars? We let her understand the basics of our financial situation; is it smart to show her how little we think of her commitment to her teammates by leveraging one club vs. another? She knows a couple of single-parent families on her team that need club assistance in order to play; do we teach her that potentially pulling $'s away from those teammates is the way to go?

We hear all the time that the value of club soccer (or any high-involvement extracurricular) goes well beyond fitness, skill development and playing a game. You're suggesting that the ENTIRETY of club soccer is maximizing ROI. If that's true, then good luck with your mercenary child.

[Unregistered]

So your opinion is if you can afford it then pay the 3k per year fee. Just let the fat get fatter. Ok I like it. If I'm the doc or owner making 500k +

A well run club 1) doesn't need to give offers to keep players 2) doesn't want to give offers to keep players. If you are offered/hear others are offered $ to stay and it isn't financially driven, then you better question the health of the organization and their motivation to do so. I agree fully with the poster above - it's the desperate ones that are trying to hold onto players. If a family is moving for development, poor club management or poor coaching, chances are some$ won't entice them to stay anyway. A nonprofit better be able to show why scholarships are granted. Most for profits clubs require paperwork for financial assistance, including income tax statements.

[Unregistered]

So your opinion is if you can afford it then pay the 3k per year fee. Just let the fat get fatter. Ok I like it. If I'm the doc or owner making 500k +

What the doc or owner makes has zero bearing on my decision. I don't consider it in any private institution, and won't here either.

I don't play the jealousy card.

[Unregistered]

So your opinion is if you can afford it then pay the 3k per year fee. Just let the fat get fatter. Ok I like it. If I'm the doc or owner making 500k +

Of no concern to me who is profiting what. When and only if, we feel our costs are outweighing not only our ROI (and no, I do not just mean college scholarships), but also the overall soccer experience/development, would we seek to change our current situation. Right now none of that has happened while paying the current rate. Could that change? Sure, but a lot of things could change year to year. The last thing I concern myself with is who is "getting rich." I say, good for them, if they are.

[Unregistered]

and then find out that no one is impressed with your kid enough to offer them a scholarship

Enjoy the memories and hope that was not the main reason your kid participated in club soccer for the past 6-7 years.