After about 40 seasons of soccer for my kids combined, I have to say that my favorite season was my 16 yo girls recreation league team. By then, all the "good" players with their ultra-competitive parents had moved to club and/or high school teams, so it was clear to everyone that these girls just liked soccer and wanted to have fun playing it. It was a blast!

Anonymous wrote:I’m intentionally keeping my kids in a non travel league at this point- they are exceptional athletes and play many sports- I’m already seeing Kids who are 10 and dropping out of travel because they are “burned out” from three times a week practice and several games a weekend/year round soccer.

It’s nuts. We are very well off and I’m disgusted at what my peers pay for custom lax sticks for 7 year olds, private coaching, hell these folks have to buy several different PRACTICE uniforms for their kids.

People are nuts.

I have had kids in travel and rec, and the worst parent behavior I've seen has been in rec. Unfortunately rec won't save you.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones. I know hundreds of soccer parents, and not one of them is convinced their kid is getting a scholarship.

Yep! Even on the travel teams. My kid isn't.

I believe it's due to the type of people who live in wealthy, intellectual, competitive areas like ours. Once they have kids, the competitive mindset takes over, and they believe their kids have to be brilliant at something, if not everything.

My friend's husband was convinced his gymnast daughter would get a scholarship. Then she was dropped from the team, started ballet, and now he's convinced she's going to be a ballet star.

We try to avoid those subjects when he's around. He'll look you straight in the eye, and say in an awed voice: "she's REALLY talented". Oh God.

My kids are talented in some areas, but it has never occurred to me to elevate them on a pedestal and *tell other people*. If they really are, it will show, and there is no need for words!

I’m intentionally keeping my kids in a non travel league at this point- they are exceptional athletes and play many sports- I’m already seeing Kids who are 10 and dropping out of travel because they are “burned out” from three times a week practice and several games a weekend/year round soccer.

It’s nuts. We are very well off and I’m disgusted at what my peers pay for custom lax sticks for 7 year olds, private coaching, hell these folks have to buy several different PRACTICE uniforms for their kids.

People are nuts.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones. I know hundreds of soccer parents, and not one of them is convinced their kid is getting a scholarship.

I don't know any who think that either, but it doesn't stop bad coaching from the sidelines.

Anonymous wrote:It is appalling in this area the arrogance of travel soccer parents. Is it just me or does everyone think their kid is the greatest?! I'm realistic and my kid is not the best, but soccer is a team sport and seems like it's a bunch of individual mindsets. My DA plays u14 travel in va, moved here 2 years ago.

Because of Title IX it is much easier for girls to get soccer scholarships because girls' soccer gets more $ and isn't competing with Football.

However, the D1 schools get 14 scholarships at one time, compared to the boys' 9.9. Again, this is for the ENTIRE time the players are in college--so if 13 girls have scholarships and nobody is graduating--there is 1 available for the incoming Freshmen class.

Maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones. I know hundreds of soccer parents, and not one of them is convinced their kid is getting a scholarship.

I hate it when I hear parents screaming "Shoot! Shoot! Take a shot!" Nails on chalkboard.

My son played baseball for many years and at least in our experience, soccer parents were far worse, but you can find the same craziness with baseball parents, which makes less sense since at least one study a few years ago showed that Maryland produces the fewest major league players of any state (per capita), while we do have a reputation for soccer in the area at least among women's soccer.

Yes, and they think they know the rules too, but are clueless. Most don’t know what constitutes offside for instance, but are constantly screaming “offsides!”.

I agree with the PP, you get this with baseball and basketball parents too.

You should meet some baseball parents, op. Every boy in Washington is destined for MLB

My daughter was on a mid-level travel soccer team a few years ago and most of the parents thought their girls were going to get scholarships to play in college, and at least two were counting on it. This was a mid-level team mind you. Fast forward a few years, none of the girls is playing soccer in college (one is playing a sport but not soccer) and the vast majority of them stopped playing in high school, likely in part as a result of crazy parenting. My kids have done lots of sports but the soccer parents were definitely the worst, coaching too.

I pulled my older out and he just trains in an academy.

Truthfully, it’s this way in every sport. There are a million baseball, football and basketball parents that think the same. Soccer is an elite sport in this country so the level is more obnoxious because of the $$. This area is one of the wealthiest in the country so it’s even more extreme.

These parents don’t realize none of their sons are getting scholarships. D1 schools are only allowed 9.9 scholarships at any time, not each incoming year. If 8 are used by those currently enrolled/on the team—how many are left over for the incoming class???? That 1.9 will be chopped to bits to give each kid a pittance or go to 1 single player.

It’s not worth the investment. It should just be about the child’s fun, but the parents use it to boast and feel better about themselves.

It is appalling in this area the arrogance of travel soccer parents. Is it just me or does everyone think their kid is the greatest?! I'm realistic and my kid is not the best, but soccer is a team sport and seems like it's a bunch of individual mindsets. My DA plays u14 travel in va, moved here 2 years ago.