Forget college and club soccer; I'm focusing on high school

[Anonymous]

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So your soccer star kid who missed all the social aspects of being on the high school team gets a scholarship to a div 1 program that is average in academics but they are good at soccer

or

the pretty good soccer player who plays club and high school gets really good grades and goes to a higher academic school on either an academic or athletic scholarship or combination and because of their soccer and grades gets accepted and is very employable after graduating meanwhile the really good soccer player has a run of the mill degree and not many job prospects.

this is a no brainier, 99.9% of the kids playing soccer are not going to make any money ever at it. Those who do, it will be less than an entry level job because they are not going to be top players that make serious money.

If they're good enough to make serious money, chances are they're signing a pro contract before age 19.

Not always. But much of the time.

ok besides freddie adu, who is the Ryan leaf of soccer, who else in the metro area has had such success?

again, you would have a much better high school experience playing for your club and high school than not and many coaches will tell the kids look at the schools those kids who are not playing and look at the ones kids who do play go, very few are going to top soccer schools to make it worth it not to play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So your soccer star kid who missed all the social aspects of being on the high school team gets a scholarship to a div 1 program that is average in academics but they are good at soccer

or

the pretty good soccer player who plays club and high school gets really good grades and goes to a higher academic school on either an academic or athletic scholarship or combination and because of their soccer and grades gets accepted and is very employable after graduating meanwhile the really good soccer player has a run of the mill degree and not many job prospects.

this is a no brainier, 99.9% of the kids playing soccer are not going to make any money ever at it. Those who do, it will be less than an entry level job because they are not going to be top players that make serious money.

If they're good enough to make serious money, chances are they're signing a pro contract before age 19.

Not always. But much of the time.

ok besides freddie adu, who is the Ryan leaf of soccer, who else in the metro area has had such success?

again, you would have a much better high school experience playing for your club and high school than not and many coaches will tell the kids look at the schools those kids who are not playing and look at the ones kids who do play go, very few are going to top soccer schools to make it worth it not to play.

Are you asking if we have had any dc metro players turn pro? If so, there are quite a few. I will do a lousy job at naming them but Mia Hamm, Andi Sullivan, Ian Harkes come to mind immediately.

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of players from the DC area who have gone on to play in the USL but none name-worthy as the group you have mentioned. Most of them came up through bethesda, DC Untied youth teams, or the usual places.

[Anonymous]

ok besides freddie adu, who is the Ryan leaf of soccer, who else in the metro area has had such success?

again, you would have a much better high school experience playing for your club and high school than not and many coaches will tell the kids look at the schools those kids who are not playing and look at the ones kids who do play go, very few are going to top soccer schools to make it worth it not to play.

Are you asking if we have had any dc metro players turn pro? If so, there are quite a few. I will do a lousy job at naming them but Mia Hamm, Andi Sullivan, Ian Harkes come to mind immediately.

and how much was their first contract worth compared to a kid who played high school soccer, went to college got a degree and was employable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So your soccer star kid who missed all the social aspects of being on the high school team gets a scholarship to a div 1 program that is average in academics but they are good at soccer

or

the pretty good soccer player who plays club and high school gets really good grades and goes to a higher academic school on either an academic or athletic scholarship or combination and because of their soccer and grades gets accepted and is very employable after graduating meanwhile the really good soccer player has a run of the mill degree and not many job prospects.

this is a no brainier, 99.9% of the kids playing soccer are not going to make any money ever at it. Those who do, it will be less than an entry level job because they are not going to be top players that make serious money.

High level soccer = Bad grades?

I didn't realize that playing club AND HS soccer 5-6 times a week did not interfere with ones study time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

and how much was their first contract worth compared to a kid who played high school soccer, went to college got a degree and was employable?

It appears your argument is that everyone should play high school vs exclusively club because the odds of getting ahead financially are tiny. While that is true, I think you may have a fundamental misunderstanding of why kids play club soccer. It is not at all about money, it's about their competitiveness, college admissions and the desire to continue to play into their college years.
For most, HS soccer is not as competitive as club, poses injury risks, and does not help them achieve their college goals. Further, just because one is a college athlete does not mean they are not going to be competitive in the job market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

and how much was their first contract worth compared to a kid who played high school soccer, went to college got a degree and was employable?

And yet they are still being paid to do something they love but I'm sure being an accountant is fun too.

[Anonymous]

There is currently a young lady playing pro soccer in portugal who attended flint hill HS and left college soccer at Tennessee after 1 season

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

and how much was their first contract worth compared to a kid who played high school soccer, went to college got a degree and was employable?

It appears your argument is that everyone should play high school vs exclusively club because the odds of getting ahead financially are tiny. While that is true, I think you may have a fundamental misunderstanding of why kids play club soccer. It is not at all about money, it's about their competitiveness, college admissions and the desire to continue to play into their college years.
For most, HS soccer is not as competitive as club, poses injury risks, and does not help them achieve their college goals. Further, just because one is a college athlete does not mean they are not going to be competitive in the job market.

Could you perhaps elaborate on the injury risks posed by high school soccer? Are we talking about more frequent head clashes from the ball being in the air so much (the direct style of play) or is the refereeing just kind of weak? Very interested in the differences between club and HS, so this is a great thread. TIA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

and how much was their first contract worth compared to a kid who played high school soccer, went to college got a degree and was employable?

It appears your argument is that everyone should play high school vs exclusively club because the odds of getting ahead financially are tiny. While that is true, I think you may have a fundamental misunderstanding of why kids play club soccer. It is not at all about money, it's about their competitiveness, college admissions and the desire to continue to play into their college years.
For most, HS soccer is not as competitive as club, poses injury risks, and does not help them achieve their college goals. Further, just because one is a college athlete does not mean they are not going to be competitive in the job market.

Could you perhaps elaborate on the injury risks posed by high school soccer? Are we talking about more frequent head clashes from the ball being in the air so much (the direct style of play) or is the refereeing just kind of weak? Very interested in the differences between club and HS, so this is a great thread. TIA

There are least two factors.
If a player is playing club and HS at the same time (even ecnl teams still practice during spring hs season) there is increased injury risk due to overuse and fatigue. The HS game schedule is necessarily compact with as many as 3 games in one week. This can be managed of course but it may have to be the player who manages his/her own exposure.
HS soccer may have a greater number of unskilled players who play an aggressive style. The quality of refereeing may affect this.
Field quality may also be a factor but our area is pretty good.

[Anonymous]

I have a young rising u10 and I constantly think about if going down this travel/DA route will take away from school work and ultimately effect college options. He attends one of the top independent schools in DC and there no other kid playing travel soccer or any other sport that require all the extra camps and training. When ever practice is cancelled he gets so more school work done plus extra reading. He loves soccer and playing at the highest level so i support him but he so young and doesn't understand the kids he's competing with in the classroom are putting there time in there school work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

and how much was their first contract worth compared to a kid who played high school soccer, went to college got a degree and was employable?

It appears your argument is that everyone should play high school vs exclusively club because the odds of getting ahead financially are tiny. While that is true, I think you may have a fundamental misunderstanding of why kids play club soccer. It is not at all about money, it's about their competitiveness, college admissions and the desire to continue to play into their college years.
For most, HS soccer is not as competitive as club, poses injury risks, and does not help them achieve their college goals. Further, just because one is a college athlete does not mean they are not going to be competitive in the job market.

Could you perhaps elaborate on the injury risks posed by high school soccer? Are we talking about more frequent head clashes from the ball being in the air so much (the direct style of play) or is the refereeing just kind of weak? Very interested in the differences between club and HS, so this is a great thread. TIA

The quality of the play/players is low which invites a more physical brand of soccer which invites injuries. Other contributing factors include the greater age variance among players, the brief yet very intense game/training schedule with little rest and crappy officials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So your soccer star kid who missed all the social aspects of being on the high school team gets a scholarship to a div 1 program that is average in academics but they are good at soccer

or

the pretty good soccer player who plays club and high school gets really good grades and goes to a higher academic school on either an academic or athletic scholarship or combination and because of their soccer and grades gets accepted and is very employable after graduating meanwhile the really good soccer player has a run of the mill degree and not many job prospects.

this is a no brainier, 99.9% of the kids playing soccer are not going to make any money ever at it. Those who do, it will be less than an entry level job because they are not going to be top players that make serious money.

Yours is just one set of scenarios, and there are a million variations. It is not possible to generalize as you are trying to do to say that one avenue always works out best.

Agree. And why is it that the people who disparage the DA always make it seem like kids are leading a joyless lives and destined to go to a mediocre college at best? You don't sign a 4 year contract for DA. You can quit at any time if you are not enjoying it, and your HS coach will welcome you with open arms. Many kids who play DA are very focused on academic achievement, and it's a great way to get a boost into a top school. Bethesda's 2018 and 2019 DA classes include kids with commitments to Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Georgetown, Colgate, Wake Forest, Villanova, Tufts and Bowdoin among other great schools, and DC United's commitment list includes UPenn and UNC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a young rising u10 and I constantly think about if going down this travel/DA route will take away from school work and ultimately effect college options. He attends one of the top independent schools in DC and there no other kid playing travel soccer or any other sport that require all the extra camps and training. When ever practice is cancelled he gets so more school work done plus extra reading. He loves soccer and playing at the highest level so i support him but he so young and doesn't understand the kids he's competing with in the classroom are putting there time in there school work.

Please elaborate on how HS sports take less time away from a student than their club counterparts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a young rising u10 and I constantly think about if going down this travel/DA route will take away from school work and ultimately effect college options. He attends one of the top independent schools in DC and there no other kid playing travel soccer or any other sport that require all the extra camps and training. When ever practice is cancelled he gets so more school work done plus extra reading. He loves soccer and playing at the highest level so i support him but he so young and doesn't understand the kids he's competing with in the classroom are putting there time in there school work.

Sorry its middle school. He is not competing against anyone. The skill being learned are skill that 98% of the students will master. If you are saying that he can not do any extracurricular activities because he needs to study long division 5 hours a day you are crazy. You need balance otherwise the kid will burn out- both academically and in soccer.