Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How sad. Poor kids don’t even have the ability to try out for a team.

If they could try out for free, they still couldn't afford thousands of dollars to be on the team.

+1. It isn’t about the best players. It is about the ones who can afford to play.

Clubs offer aid and scholarships. Why not apply? Tryout fees do seem silly though.

The biggest issue is all the silly travel. As expensive as the fees and also requiring a huge time budget. Not aware of clubs that cover travel costs outside of the boys MLS academy teams.

Soccer is not a good activity choice for any family without a very comfortable income.

With all the good clubs in this “hotbed” of soccer, why does anyone feel the need to join a league that plays games in North Carolina and asks for commitments to tournaments in the Midwest?

PP is right: Youth soccer in America is only for wealthy suburbanites who can afford it, a model used nowhere else in the world.

But I don't give a shit if America doesn't lead the world in soccer player development.

And there is a affordable soccer for you and your kid.

Or high end. Neither will lead to world class soccer player development. Pick your poison, keep your expectations low and enjoy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How sad. Poor kids don’t even have the ability to try out for a team.

If they could try out for free, they still couldn't afford thousands of dollars to be on the team.

+1. It isn’t about the best players. It is about the ones who can afford to play.

Clubs offer aid and scholarships. Why not apply? Tryout fees do seem silly though.

The biggest issue is all the silly travel. As expensive as the fees and also requiring a huge time budget. Not aware of clubs that cover travel costs outside of the boys MLS academy teams.

Soccer is not a good activity choice for any family without a very comfortable income.

With all the good clubs in this “hotbed” of soccer, why does anyone feel the need to join a league that plays games in North Carolina and asks for commitments to tournaments in the Midwest?

PP is right: Youth soccer in America is only for wealthy suburbanites who can afford it, a model used nowhere else in the world.

But I don't give a shit if America doesn't lead the world in soccer player development.

And there is a affordable soccer for you and your kid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How sad. Poor kids don’t even have the ability to try out for a team.

If they could try out for free, they still couldn't afford thousands of dollars to be on the team.

+1. It isn’t about the best players. It is about the ones who can afford to play.

Clubs offer aid and scholarships. Why not apply? Tryout fees do seem silly though.

The biggest issue is all the silly travel. As expensive as the fees and also requiring a huge time budget. Not aware of clubs that cover travel costs outside of the boys MLS academy teams.

Soccer is not a good activity choice for any family without a very comfortable income.

With all the good clubs in this “hotbed” of soccer, why does anyone feel the need to join a league that plays games in North Carolina and asks for commitments to tournaments in the Midwest?

PP is right: Youth soccer in America is only for wealthy suburbanites who can afford it, a model used nowhere else in the world.

But I don't give a shit if America doesn't lead the world in soccer player development.

They are almost all non-profit. DC, Wash Spirit, FCV, and FCB are the only exceptions that I know of.

It is very difficult to get a field if you aren't a non-profit. County and city field allocation policies dictate that non-profit youth sports clubs get priority for field use (and reduced rates).

The for-profit clubs either partner and piggy-back (Wash Spirit with Reston-Great Falls), rent from a private facility (FCV at Evergreen), or buy land and build their own (MLS academies).

Put it this way, there is not a single club with a rec program that is not a registered non-profit.