Why play in college

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:All of which will still be fully attainable via club sports at each college if the future of the NCAA goes the way people are thinking.

College soccer is going nowhere. On the women's side I can say that as an absolute. But most likely on the men's side as well. While there could be changes -- all will be navigated. Schools do not want to give up sports. Title IX will also still require women's sports to match men's.

Define going nowhere. Pro? What percentage of college players also have the ambition to play pro? Club sports can be high performing, but not all schools have club sports that are. I think a player that is good enough for college would be bored/unmotivated by a vast majority of club soccer programs. Again the common theme I am seeing is that folks feel like there is only one pathway or one reason to continue playing in college. For those interested in the pro route, then yes college soccer might not be the best pathway. But it should be noted that there are MANY reasons to play in college. It should also be noted what pathway you are talking about when you say college soccer isn't going anywhere. Clarity here is key.

Almost no college soccer players have interest playing pro. Maybe 60-80 a year have any interest and less than half of that will play. What I was saying is that College soccer is here to stay and nothing about court cases or anything else will change that. As a pathway to the pros? Who cares? Women's pro soccer is great. Just went to the Spirit game. But I am not sure that there are many that want to play pro.

Thank you for your feedback coach pay to play.

However most young girls do dream about playing professionally. At least until you ruin it for them.

Is coach pay to play supposed to coach for free?

False premise. Read Michael Lewis on the cancer that is travel sports. It started with soccer but has moved to other sports like softball because pure profit drives this more than player development. Much like American football it should be the high school where soccer players get recruited for soccer not club. College coaches are the driver. If they recruited more from high school - particularly for DIii travel would die.

It is ridiculous situation currently where real athletes must compete with Daddy Deep pockets for space on club teams.

com'on some of the daddy deep pockets kids are real athletes and also have platinum cards

college coaches don't need to go to high schools, because if you're playing in high school and good enough for college, you're also playing on a travel team

Fact. If college soccer coaches recruited out of high schools - like basketball, baseball and football - club would die on vine. Good riddance!

Fact. Basketball and baseball recruiting is done on the AAU/Travel/Showcase circuit mostly. Football is through the high schools mostly.

[Anonymous]

There's little to no scholarship monies to be had in college soccer

Really?? There is definitely LESS money than football or basketball, but I didn’t think it was “little to none.” That makes me think of squash or cricket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

There's little to no scholarship monies to be had in college soccer

Really?? There is definitely LESS money than football or basketball, but I didn’t think it was “little to none.” That makes me think of squash or cricket.

There is money if you are going somewhere as a top 3 recruit in that class (girls soccer).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

There's little to no scholarship monies to be had in college soccer

Really?? There is definitely LESS money than football or basketball, but I didn’t think it was “little to none.” That makes me think of squash or cricket.

Yes. Really. Verifiable and known fact.
Soccer scholarships are limited and thin.

[Anonymous]

NCAA Division I men’s Soccer teams have an average roster size of 32 players but only a maximum of 9.9 athletic scholarships to award per team. This means the average award covers only about 30% of a typical athlete’s annual college costs – and this assumes the sport is fully funded at the sponsoring school. Full rides are rare in college soccer.

[Anonymous]

Besides the very few who are good enough to play high level and maybe even get some scholarship money, for the most part it’s so the parents can justify the money spent (wasted) on years of travel soccer and - probably more importantly - so the parents can brag to their friends about it, not knowing that most people don’t care.

[Anonymous]

I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Besides the very few who are good enough to play high level and maybe even get some scholarship money, for the most part it’s so the parents can justify the money spent (wasted) on years of travel soccer and - probably more importantly - so the parents can brag to their friends about it, not knowing that most people don’t care.

Bitter much? It has nothing to do with justifying the money spent on travel soccer in our house. I would have supported my student in anything they had a passion for - it happened to be soccer. If you do your research early on you would realize that getting a D1 athletic scholarship is pretty slim. When you are realistic about the ROI, and let your student follow their passion - there is nothing else to consider. We didn't do it to brag, we didn't do it because we were going to get a reduction in college costs (that's what the 529 and working hard at our jobs was for). So many bitter, short-sighted folks on here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: NCAA Division I men’s Soccer teams have an average roster size of 32 players but only a maximum of 9.9 athletic scholarships to award per team. This means the average award covers only about 30% of a typical athlete’s annual college costs – and this assumes the sport is fully funded at the sponsoring school. Full rides are rare in college soccer.

Not to mention for the men's side, the amount of international players that come to the states. Some rosters have close to half, a handful have more than half.

https://x.com/imcollegesoccer/status/1724762780358660455?s=46&t=jPTvzXlcxTo5CMOdcSvPVA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

This. I am so baffled by the limited worldview of those who seem to think that if a player will not get a scholarship or go pro, it's not worth doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

Because people don't want to say their kid plays rec. Parent's egos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

Said by someone who has never enjoyed high level sports. By about age 12 many rec programs are filled with kids whose parents make them play a sport they aren’t interested in. The level of play is average at best and many kids will skip for multiple reasons.

The flip side is why not play in college? If the STUDENT, is attending a college they want to attend, playing a sport they love and has a built in social network of similarly driven people, who cares? It’s not as if they are impacting any students who have no interest in sports. By the time it gets to being good enough to play in college, the student is the one leading the charge, not the parents. As another PP mentioned, most collegiate athletes are driven in all areas, including their studies. They can juggle multiple priorities and love the amount of exercise. It’s not for everyone for sure. But for those who have the talent and desire, why not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

I love that the person talking about mediocrity doesn't know how to spell "arguing." Nice self-own!