Is Money an Obstacle to Development?

Recent writings have included topics like Winning vs Development and Thoughts on the current Development Model.  I suppose one might think there has been an overly critical lean to these writings, but that is not the intent. The purpose of these writings is to draw attention to some of the obstacles we must overcome if we are to produce better players than the current model allows for.  In response to these articles one of our readers suggested money is another obstacle that needs to be overcome.  I agree.

Children begin playing soccer in recreational leagues where a nominal fee covers a uniform, field maintenance and perhaps referees.  Soccer blue bloods tend to look down their noses at these recreational leagues, but these leagues are where the seeds of passion for the sport are planted and begin to sprout. Young children playing with and against their friends and neighbors. Yes, the quality of coaching can be found to be lacking and the level of play can be rudimentary.  However, something good is happening in recreational leagues or the sport would have died out long ago.

The next rung on the developmental ladder is to join a local club team.  If you live in a big city there will be many options to choose from. Each club might well field multiple teams for both boys and girls in each age group. If you live in a rural area there is more likely one club with one team in each age group. If your community is really small the teams might be co-ed. Regardless of how the club is constituted the fees for participation will increase over play at the recreational level. Costs to be covered begin with uniforms, field maintenance and referees but expand to include some of or all of the following: League fees, tounament fees, equipment fees, coaches pay, trainer's fee and other costs.  Sometimes the bigger the club or the more well known the club is, the more costly it is to participate "for" the club.

Suddenly a $25 - $50.00 fee for playing recreationally has exploded to $200 - $1000.00+  per season to play.  At the club soccer level the calendar year runs from August 1 through July 31st. Within that calendar year is a fall league season, winter indoor season(s) and spring league seasons.  Some teams will play in multiple leagues in a season. I know people who pay in excess of  $5,000 a year to a club for the right for their child to play soccer.  Many times the fees a club charges do not include the costs of uniforms, warmups, equipment bags, tournament fees.  When "hidden costs" such as travel, food and lodging at tournaments are factored in money certainly can become an obstacle to developing players.

The steps beyond club soccer are academies, Olympic Development Programs, State and Regional teams. Each of these come with additional expenses especially associated with travel.  When I mention travel it is important to consider the time commitment involved in transporting players to and from practices / training and competitions. If you live in a rural area and must travel to a city travel time can be 15-20 hours a week and this does not account for actual practice time.  In a sense, it's like having a second job and in some cases having a third job because a second job is required to pay for the experience.

I coach in a small rural club. I know from experience the exhausting nature of traveling 1.5 hours one way multiple times a week so my son could train with a MRL team. We were fortunate enough to be able to afford that experience. Not everyone is so fortunate. Our small club charges between $150 - $220.00/ season to particate. Our coaches do not get paid. We operate on a shoe string budget and still there are kids who cannot afford to play. We are the least expensive option available and still provide a quality experience thanks to the dedication of the volunteer coaches. I have paid for under privileged athletes to participate in addition to my own sons.  Our club leaders(s) refused to scholarship any athletes despite my repeated pleas to do so for the sake of the kids.

By now, thoughts of kids slipping through the cracks due to a lack of financial resources to play soccer should be running through your head. As a high school coach I see kids that have slipped through the cracks  all the time. They come to us in increasing numbers each fall. Players with a passion for the game who have worked largely on their own to be able to play for their high school team. Their skills are raw and underdeveloped for the most part. Many times they are really good athletes. I'm left to wonder how good they might have been if they had learned to play in a competitive team environment?

High school soccer is considered second rate by many club officials. Instead of working with the high schools many clubs set themselves up in direct competition with high schools. The academy and so-called eltite clubs are beginning to demand a 10 month committment from players that includes an exclusion from playing high school soccer. And people are buying into this nonsense.

Most high school soccer remains "free" to play. That is, your tax dollars allocated to the schools support the athletic programs as well as the classroom. There are increasing numbers of high schools charging a "participation fee" for extra-curricular activities. These can range from $25 - $250 per school year but generally cover all extra-curricular activities for a year. I know there are kids who shop for school districts where they will not have to pay to play or where there is help to pay for those costs.

It seems to me money is an ever increasing obstacle to development in soccer. When parents weigh the cost for development agains the returns it becomes obivious the quality of the general experience has to justify the monies being spent. Very few student / athletes are awarded money for college and even fewer ever make it professionally.  If neither education nor profession are returns on investment, all that is left is the experience itself, correct?