Why travel sports when there are tons of competitors in the immediate area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bragging.

Yup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree it's dumb and this is one of many reasons we will never do travel sports. It's a scam. If you child is very talented and hard working, they can get scouted without doing travel sports, and if they are not, they can get all the benefit necessary out of local leagues. There is no compelling reason for travel sports in a place like the DMV.

I'm fairly certain that you aren't developing the technical skills practicing 1 hour once a week spring and fall to even make a high school team around here

For sports like soccer skill development is done outside of travel practice. The skill development here is horrendous specially on the girls side. It is the reason ECNL and college is so physical. The skill level and the speed of play is extremely low allowing physical play to dominate. The travel part will not allow another sport or any other activity. It’s a system set up to get about a quarter of the kids to college.

pre-ecnl most kids do multiple sports and activities. Even ecnl teams allow kids to pick up other winter and summer sports

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bragging.

Yup.

Not really. I have kids who play travel sports, because they fell in love with something and wanted to put in more time than rec provided.

At the younger ages, it’s possible to find teams that allow greater involvement with minimal actual travel. And in my experience, there are plenty of families like this out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. So why do families agree to travel, if they know they're being fleeced?

For example: my kid is not athletic, but she's an advanced violin player. She's often invited to compete in regional, national or international competitions. Most of them are purely commercial enterprises for the organizers, and after doing one which landed her at Carnegie Hall, we're not going out of our way to travel to and fro and spend our hard-earned money on many more. She'll do some in high school, for college apps, but the bulk of her playing time is already well spent in private lessons and local performances. There is no reason to get sucked into more stuff.

My 6th grader is a really good rec player who will try out for travel for next season at multiple clubs, hoping she makes a team. We know it’s pay to play and big time commitment. She just finished the fall season and they regularly had to play short or even forfeit because not enough kids showed up to games. That’s her reason for wanting to go to travel. She just wants to play and wants kids committed enough to come to the games if they join the team. It’s not a financial hardship for us so we are willing to pay it.

Just curious, why go straight to travel in that case? Or will she also try out for regional clubs that aren't as intense? I feel for her and totally can understand her desire to be on a team where everyone takes it seriously, but given the money it takes to play regionally (and also what I'm reading about clubs/regional being a better place than travel to get the attention to skills and develop vs. just playing the position you're already skilled at), in your situation I'd definitely choose regional team. Then again, if neither money nor time were issues (which they are for us and why travel is out for us) I guess I'd consider both.

Many sports don't have regional teams...its rec or travel with nothing in between.

Ok that makes sense. I immediately assumed volleyball because that's where my head is at, but totally understand now.

For basketball we only have Rec or Travel. The Rec team can barely get enough coaches each season, and it's usually parents that don't have a lot of experience. I would think that if a kid has talent they will want to play with the more serious coaches and players on a travel team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree it's dumb and this is one of many reasons we will never do travel sports. It's a scam. If you child is very talented and hard working, they can get scouted without doing travel sports, and if they are not, they can get all the benefit necessary out of local leagues. There is no compelling reason for travel sports in a place like the DMV.

For soccer, if your child is very talented and hard working, they can get onto a MLSNext/ECNL team from small local clubs (e.g., those that rarely travel to go to tournaments but play locally in EDP, even NCSL). In other words, you do not have to join any of the big clubs (e.g., those that have MLSNext, ECNL or whatever major affiliation) to develop a kid in soccer. For pre-MLSNext/ECNL ages, stay at a club that is most convenient to you and where your kid plays on a team that is at a competitive level where they are getting challenged. In other words, focus on individual development (i.e., technical skills along with game experience to develop soccer IQ, competitiveness, etc.) and not big club name/assurance or winning. Your kid may not be scouted proactively but their talent will be "seen" or stand out at tryouts/tournaments/etc.

Obviously, if commute time to practices, travel, and the expense of big clubs is not an issue for your family, then by all means, joining a big club is a great way to ensure your kids get developed well. The kid still has to have the talent and self-motivation but it's a safe way especially if you're not familiar with soccer development yourself. I'm sure it's been said and heard a lot but coaches of top teams always have their eyes open for new players with potential. I know, that's not reassuring for parents with kids on the cusp of the A/B teams but it's reality. And for parents with those talented players, don't rely on the clubs assurance of developing your player. Chances are, most clubs want your kid so it's always good to keep good relationships with all major clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree it's dumb and this is one of many reasons we will never do travel sports. It's a scam. If you child is very talented and hard working, they can get scouted without doing travel sports, and if they are not, they can get all the benefit necessary out of local leagues. There is no compelling reason for travel sports in a place like the DMV.

For soccer, if your child is very talented and hard working, they can get onto a MLSNext/ECNL team from small local clubs (e.g., those that rarely travel to go to tournaments but play locally in EDP, even NCSL). In other words, you do not have to join any of the big clubs (e.g., those that have MLSNext, ECNL or whatever major affiliation) to develop a kid in soccer. For pre-MLSNext/ECNL ages, stay at a club that is most convenient to you and where your kid plays on a team that is at a competitive level where they are getting challenged. In other words, focus on individual development (i.e., technical skills along with game experience to develop soccer IQ, competitiveness, etc.) and not big club name/assurance or winning. Your kid may not be scouted proactively but their talent will be "seen" or stand out at tryouts/tournaments/etc.

Obviously, if commute time to practices, travel, and the expense of big clubs is not an issue for your family, then by all means, joining a big club is a great way to ensure your kids get developed well. The kid still has to have the talent and self-motivation but it's a safe way especially if you're not familiar with soccer development yourself. I'm sure it's been said and heard a lot but coaches of top teams always have their eyes open for new players with potential. I know, that's not reassuring for parents with kids on the cusp of the A/B teams but it's reality. And for parents with those talented players, don't rely on the clubs assurance of developing your player. Chances are, most clubs want your kid so it's always good to keep good relationships with all major clubs.

EDP for DD's team is usually at least an hour drive and often two. I would not call that local

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree it's dumb and this is one of many reasons we will never do travel sports. It's a scam. If you child is very talented and hard working, they can get scouted without doing travel sports, and if they are not, they can get all the benefit necessary out of local leagues. There is no compelling reason for travel sports in a place like the DMV.

For soccer, if your child is very talented and hard working, they can get onto a MLSNext/ECNL team from small local clubs (e.g., those that rarely travel to go to tournaments but play locally in EDP, even NCSL). In other words, you do not have to join any of the big clubs (e.g., those that have MLSNext, ECNL or whatever major affiliation) to develop a kid in soccer. For pre-MLSNext/ECNL ages, stay at a club that is most convenient to you and where your kid plays on a team that is at a competitive level where they are getting challenged. In other words, focus on individual development (i.e., technical skills along with game experience to develop soccer IQ, competitiveness, etc.) and not big club name/assurance or winning. Your kid may not be scouted proactively but their talent will be "seen" or stand out at tryouts/tournaments/etc.

Obviously, if commute time to practices, travel, and the expense of big clubs is not an issue for your family, then by all means, joining a big club is a great way to ensure your kids get developed well. The kid still has to have the talent and self-motivation but it's a safe way especially if you're not familiar with soccer development yourself. I'm sure it's been said and heard a lot but coaches of top teams always have their eyes open for new players with potential. I know, that's not reassuring for parents with kids on the cusp of the A/B teams but it's reality. And for parents with those talented players, don't rely on the clubs assurance of developing your player. Chances are, most clubs want your kid so it's always good to keep good relationships with all major clubs.

EDP for DD's team is usually at least an hour drive and often two. I would not call that local

I hear ya. For us, it's usually a 30-45 min ride but we've had friends in other divisions where the locations were really far. Often times when they played a team from Delaware or near those borders. If EDP and NCSL is considered a lot of travel then I would disagree with the OP that for a regular middle class, upper middle class (mostly white) family in the DC area, the local soccer competition is not enough. The soccer clubs in DC borders are mostly not competitive (rec level), most of the competitive clubs play in the suburbs, hence EDP and NCSL will still require some travel in the DC area and its suburbs.

If you want high level or comparable level of competition that is truly local, you can see if your daughter's team can join a Latino league. Mostly organized by word of mouth but the clubs that play in those leagues are small latino or African clubs and all games are hosted by the organizing club at one or just a few locations. The reality is that those lamenting why there is a need for travel soccer in an urban area are not comfortable joining more local leagues or environments. And frankly, a lot of those clubs and leagues are not welcoming to outsiders (unless your kid is good).