The Financial Costs of Youth Soccer

I suppose it has something to do with club soccer being underway or perhaps it is preparation for high school season? Maybe it is neither or both?  I get inundated with questions about soccer camps this time of year. I understand people ask me because I have worked college camps and conduct camps myself.  I do tire of repeating myself so I am just going to post some general thoughts on it all here.

And, yes, I do realize what I am about to say is akin to shooting myself in the foot.   LOL.

To go to a college skills camp you can expect to spend $500 - $750.00   What you get in exchange is room & board Sunday - Thursday and 7-8 field sessions and maybe 4 "games" played.  LOTs of dirty laundry and very tired kids. They often demonstrate noticeable improvement, especially if this is one of their first camp experiences. Commuting can lessen the cost while still providing the soccer experience.

To go to a college team camp you can expect to pay $200-$250 a player for approximately 3 days of room & board and the right to play 2-3 games a day against other teams. There is usually minimal instruction. 

To have someone come to your school / club or rec program to conduct camps you might be charged anywhere from $20 - $100 per player for 10-15 sessions of instruction. The type of instruction you receive is up to the local organization contracting with the coaches conducting the camp.

Personal Soccer Trainers or small group training can range from $20 / hour to over $100 / hour per individual player. This usually involves technical training and is often specialized - GK training, Striker training, Foot skills, shooting technique and so on.

What are my recommendations?

I struggle with this.  I have worked those college camps. They are the reason I have begun offering camps myself.  We can do it far cheaper and the players stay in their own beds & eat their own food.

Ditto for team camps.

It's the same with which club to play for.  I know people who dish out $1000 - $2500 per season so their child can play for a "prestigious" club.  That often involves a fall, winter and spring season - as much as $7500.00 per year spent of soccer.  And that fee often does not include uniforms, tournament fees, referee fees and other hidden costs.  They like to think it will lead to a college scholarship for their child. Invest the money in a savings account and you will have college paid for - a much sounder and stronger investment in your child than throwing all that money at college coaches, club coaches or personal soccer trainers.

Our local club charges $150.00 for returning players and $220.00 for new players. The $70.00 difference being the purchase of a uniform you get to keep. This is all inclusive. No hidden costs unless a team seeks more than 2 tournaments to play in.

Tournaments fees run between $450 - $750 for a team and you get a minimum of 3 games. 
Think about that for a minute... That is $25-45.00 per player on a club team.  Basically $7.50 - $15 per game or even less if your team gets a 4th game. 

Refer back to those college team camps that charge $200.00 + per player for the right to play games.  That's an entry fee of $3000 - $5000.00 per team for the right to play games at a college facility with minimal actual instruction. That equates to approximately $50.00 per player per game.  Yikes!

"I want the best possible coaching / instruction for my child."  Money is not an obstacle. "My child is going to get a college scholarship."   Um... probably not and almost certainly not a full ride to a D I school.

Read here:
http://cbasoccer.blogspot.com/2013/03/college-soccer-scholarships-facts.html

So, it comes down to spending your money wisely AND the type of experience you wish your child to have. I cannot make that decision for you.

What we do as a family is seek to get the most bang for our buck.  Our youngest son played for a local club. We paid $350 instead of standard $150.00 because his team played in two leagues and more than the allotted two tournaments.  Over 30 games total.  A little more than $10 / game and that is not including all the practices and "friendlies" or scrimmages.  Great value for the money spent. And Lance has received a partial college scholarship to supplement his academic scholarships

We sent Lance to a  high school team camp at a college last summer and felt like we were being financially raped. Over $200.00 for 3 days of playing games.  We felt compelled to do it because this is what the high school coach has dictated. I would much rather bring a camp to the high school fields, pay considerably less money and have the kids receive 20 - 30 hours of instruction than pay for the "privilege" of playing games on a college campus.

In fact, the high school team conducted a soccer camp of its own for youth in the area. I can almost guarantee you the high school kids benefitted more from instructing the youth players in proper technique than they will from playing multiple games a day on a college campus.  They were fresher, more alert and had much more fun. The middle school campers who attended the high school camp received instruction at a reasonable cost.  The camp generated some excitement within the local soccer community for the high school team. It exposed the middle school youth to the proud tradition of the high school program.

FUN.

Lost among the dollar signs and fatigue from playing too much soccer in a short period of time is the most basic and best reason for playing soccer in the first place = to have fun.

I am constantly reminded of the great Johan Cruyff's quote: "Soccer is simple, but nothing is more difficult than playing simple soccer."   We as adults, as parents, complicate what is a simple game by over spending on it.  Keep it as simple as possible and your pocketbook now and at the time your child goes off to college will appreciate it.  When it comes to soccer camps, instructions and club experiences, more (money) is does not necessarily mean better and is in fact quite often counter productive if the long term goal is paying for college.