Is Division 1 really a worthwhile goal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love this question. It's a good one.

And without taking it in an entirely different direction, I want to augment it with suggesting that we reflect on a question that lies even further beneath the surface:

For what percentage of players does D1 or professional play reflect a real possibility for being a content person?

Even within D1 play, there is a high percentage of players who are unhappy. Unhappy because they are not getting the playing time that they worked on getting since they were 8 years old. Unhappy because their injuries render them a shadow of their aptitude. Unhappy because they decided to attend a school that isn't at all what they hoped for (academics, demographics, team dynamics, coaching, etc.) Unhappy because life is bigger than soccer and they are stressing over the fact that as soon as they finish their senior year, here may be an identity crisis they face wherein they realize that soccer is over and the job market is unkind. Unhappy because...

Well, you get the idea.

I realize that this is a dream that enriches the life of motivated and exceptional athletes, but I wonder if it isn't fool's gold for the majority.

Thank you for writing this. We are in a different travel sport, but I have been thinking about the end game a lot recently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our kids were terrible at sports and we were so thrilled about it. No travel teams etc to ruin our weekends. We were quite happy to full pay for the elite colleges that they all went to, we could easily afford it, and it was all so stress free. We always felt sorry for parents whose lives revolved around their kids' athletic pursuits. It's all so fleeting for the vast majority, then what?

Both of my kids play high level club sports (soccer and hockey). I have no preconceived notion as to whether they will continue down this path through high school or beyond. As far as my weekends--I enjoy watching my children do something they love. Don't feel sorry for me....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our kids were terrible at sports and we were so thrilled about it. No travel teams etc to ruin our weekends. We were quite happy to full pay for the elite colleges that they all went to, we could easily afford it, and it was all so stress free. We always felt sorry for parents whose lives revolved around their kids' athletic pursuits. It's all so fleeting for the vast majority, then what?

Out of curiosity, why are you reading, and posting to, a soccer blog if your kids were terrible at sports and did not play, thus freeing up your weekends?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love this question. It's a good one.

And without taking it in an entirely different direction, I want to augment it with suggesting that we reflect on a question that lies even further beneath the surface:

For what percentage of players does D1 or professional play reflect a real possibility for being a content person?

Even within D1 play, there is a high percentage of players who are unhappy. Unhappy because they are not getting the playing time that they worked on getting since they were 8 years old. Unhappy because their injuries render them a shadow of their aptitude. Unhappy because they decided to attend a school that isn't at all what they hoped for (academics, demographics, team dynamics, coaching, etc.) Unhappy because life is bigger than soccer and they are stressing over the fact that as soon as they finish their senior year, here may be an identity crisis they face wherein they realize that soccer is over and the job market is unkind. Unhappy because...

Well, you get the idea.

I realize that this is a dream that enriches the life of motivated and exceptional athletes, but I wonder if it isn't fool's gold for the majority.

Thank you for writing this. We are in a different travel sport, but I have been thinking about the end game a lot recently.

You're welcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:d1 soccer should be used to get into a better collrge. It's a hook.

A lot of the best universities don't play D1, especially for males.

Most elite universities have men's D1 soccer, including all of the ivies, Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Georgetown, the California flagships (Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, etc.), Michigan, Wisconsisn, UVA, and so on. There are a few D3 schools in the USNWR top 20, but of the Universities that have D1 programs, I think Vanderbilt and Rice are the only ones with no men's soccer programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love this question. It's a good one.

And without taking it in an entirely different direction, I want to augment it with suggesting that we reflect on a question that lies even further beneath the surface:

For what percentage of players does D1 or professional play reflect a real possibility for being a content person?

Even within D1 play, there is a high percentage of players who are unhappy. Unhappy because they are not getting the playing time that they worked on getting since they were 8 years old. Unhappy because their injuries render them a shadow of their aptitude. Unhappy because they decided to attend a school that isn't at all what they hoped for (academics, demographics, team dynamics, coaching, etc.) Unhappy because life is bigger than soccer and they are stressing over the fact that as soon as they finish their senior year, here may be an identity crisis they face wherein they realize that soccer is over and the job market is unkind. Unhappy because...

Well, you get the idea.

I realize that this is a dream that enriches the life of motivated and exceptional athletes, but I wonder if it isn't fool's gold for the majority.

Thank you for writing this. We are in a different travel sport, but I have been thinking about the end game a lot recently.

Here is the problem.... Too many parents focus on "the end game". They look at youth sports as in "investment". It's not.

[Anonymous]

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD is aiming higher right now, however its hard to find a community that pushes similarly. Usually its college based

Don’t even care that women’s $ sucks for most.

Curious how old your daughter is and what level she is playing at currently. I'm assuming she is already getting called in to YNT camps or has played for the YNT at her age group? My daughter (U12) plays for a club that has 3 players on YNT rosters currently and 2 others that were part of multiple camps this year. I can tell you that all of those kids are going the D1 college route.

Good call. Let's take a look at rosters ...

U14 summer camp -- no metro DC players: https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2018/07/17/19/48/20180717-news-u14gnt-roster-fort-collins-third-2018-camp

U15 CONCACAF tournament -- no metro DC players: https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2018/07/30/21/26/20180730-news-u15gnt-usa-roster-named-for-2018-concacaf-u15-girls-championship

U16 summer camp w/U17 -- one from FCV: https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2018/09/07/17/37/20180906-news-u17wnt-heads-to-training-camp-in-san-diego-u16gnt

U17 summer camp w/U16 -- one from Bethesda (same link as above)

U18 winter camp -- one from McLean, but she committed to UNC: https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2018/10/08/23/00/20181005-news-u18wnt-heads-to-bradenton-for-last-domestic-camp-of-2018

Combined U18/U19 summer camp -- one lives in Herndon but goes to Georgetown already: https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2018/05/04/22/29/20180504-news-u18wnt-u19wnt-48-player-roster-to-san-diego-for-training-camp

So to the PP -- shall I meet you in out in western Fairfax County or in Bethesda? I'm sure I could pitch on a story on the next Lindsey Horan or Mallory Pugh.

Just to clarify my comment above this post about players from my daughter's club--we are not from the DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love this question. It's a good one.

And without taking it in an entirely different direction, I want to augment it with suggesting that we reflect on a question that lies even further beneath the surface:

For what percentage of players does D1 or professional play reflect a real possibility for being a content person?

Even within D1 play, there is a high percentage of players who are unhappy. Unhappy because they are not getting the playing time that they worked on getting since they were 8 years old. Unhappy because their injuries render them a shadow of their aptitude. Unhappy because they decided to attend a school that isn't at all what they hoped for (academics, demographics, team dynamics, coaching, etc.) Unhappy because life is bigger than soccer and they are stressing over the fact that as soon as they finish their senior year, here may be an identity crisis they face wherein they realize that soccer is over and the job market is unkind. Unhappy because...

Well, you get the idea.

I realize that this is a dream that enriches the life of motivated and exceptional athletes, but I wonder if it isn't fool's gold for the majority.

Thank you for writing this. We are in a different travel sport, but I have been thinking about the end game a lot recently.

Yes, thank you. I have a soccer playing DS, on the top team in his club, and he is at a college showcase weekend right now. We've been talking lately about the end game, what his goals are, what soccer means to him, etc. He's not interested in playing D1 soccer, but it's still a good conversation.

[Anonymous]

College soccer is something some kids can do. But, it depends greatly on their own goals and aspirations for college and beyond.

My daughter played 4 years in college. I would guess that if you checked team rosters from Div I through Div III and NAIA you would find something like 30% of the kids actually play 4 years. She mostly enjoyed it -- although her sophomore year when she only played in about half the games was particularly tough.

Want to see the drop off? Go to the website for any school that you think your kid might be interested in. Check out the roster for the current team and count up the seniors. Then go look at the roster from 4 years earlier. How many of those freshman 4 years earlier were still on the team last Fall? Playing in college is a ton of work. It is what you are, and what you do, when you are not in class or studying. For lots of the kids; they love it. But, that love can disappear when you are injured, or when you are not getting any playing time.

One thing I do strongly encourage is versatility. My kid played defense almost exclusively from age 12. Every college coach she talked to saw her as a forward because she was fast and small. Ultimately, she played about 30 minutes in 4 years as a defender. She played forward and right mid, off and on, but ultimately did well filling in for an injured player mid-way through her junior year as a defensive center mid, and kept that position through her senior year. No one wants to see anyone get injured, but every kid on the bench will be happy for the chance to play.

[Anonymous]

One thing that 18 and 19 year olds also do is instead of playing on a college team they just start playing in an adult league there freshman year locally that is competitive

[Anonymous]

We really need more clubs with u23s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our kids were terrible at sports and we were so thrilled about it. No travel teams etc to ruin our weekends. We were quite happy to full pay for the elite colleges that they all went to, we could easily afford it, and it was all so stress free. We always felt sorry for parents whose lives revolved around their kids' athletic pursuits. It's all so fleeting for the vast majority, then what?

The vast majority of the kids play travel because they really like to play soccer. That’s the ends, not the means. And it keeps kids off their screens and actually gives kids more time with their parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We really need more clubs with u23s.

+1000. The whole structure should run through U23.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD is aiming higher right now, however its hard to find a community that pushes similarly. Usually its college based

Don’t even care that women’s $ sucks for most.

I agree. My DD is also aiming higher, but the US system isn't set up for that. It doesn't matter if you are in DA or not, play for NWSL or not. I suggest looking abroad. There is broader community support. The money isn't fantastic of course, but money isn't everything. I'd rather see her happy following her dreams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:d1 soccer should be used to get into a better collrge. It's a hook.

A lot of the best universities don't play D1, especially for males.

That’s just wrong. All Iveys have D1 teams. Chicago, NYU, Williams and other elite smaller schools play D3. All have men’s teams. Where you see no men’s soccer is a place like the SEC where football (American) is king and they drop the men’s side to fit with Title IX. Those schools are inferior academically.