Are "showcases" dead?

[VegasParent]

This weekend we have Surf and Silverlakes "showcase" events. Over the past 2 weeks, there have been ECNL/RL events. (Only familiar with the girls side of things)
If the path to college is via ECNL - What value do these events have?
I can't imagine college coaches like spending their Thanksgiving in a Motel 6 in Norco any more than players like getting up for an 8 am game after a day of eating at grandmas house.

I think summer Surf and Players Showcase are not the recruiting hotspots that they used to be. Surf and Silverlakes for Thanksgiving are still viable options but ECNL/GA could probably focus only on their league showcases and not miss a beat with recruiting.

 

[TeamDadJokes]

Heard the Las Vegas FIFA showcase in Feb/March had a good showing of coaches for it not being ECNL or GA event.

 

[espola]

I finally started to wonder if these "showcases" were little more than fundraisers like I.D. camps. I mean, many of these schools send their assistant coaches. Why? Is the assistant really qualified to assess talent? Some certainly would be. The majority? I began to wonder if the schools get kickbacks for sending an assistant so the tournament could put them on the attendee list and generate buzz.

In my experience, the assistant coach is usually tasked with scouting and recommendations for recruiting to the head coach.

 

[Surfref]

A certain GA club just published their commit list. It’s laughable. I think the best school on there is UC Santa Cruz. And most of these girls are going to these schools for quarter scholarships. It’s sad.

Does it really matter if they only get a quarter scholarship for soccer…..no! That soccer scholarship or non-scholarship but a spot on the roster, hopefully helped them get into a college that offered their desired major. UC Santa Cruz is a good university and an awesome location.

My DD played under a full scholarship with all of the added pressure was at an east coast D1 P5…she hated it and said it was not fun despite her being the only starting freshman. She left after 1 year, came back to SoCal, attended a JC and played her sophomore year, moved to a D1 played 1 year, then stopped playing college. She was in a 5 year Bachelors program. She had a great time playing at the JC and second D1. Most important is she was top of her major which helped land her a superior job and entrance into a Masters program for only $3000 at the university where she was employed. She now has a Masters degree, two years of work at a D1 P5 college, worked for a MiLB team, and is now working at D1 P5 college in the Bay Area and will start working on her second Master’s degree in the fall. She has a resume that personnel in her field would be envious of.

So, look at the education first and soccer as a means to achieving that education. DD has many friends that played D2, D3 and NAIA. All of them enjoyed their college soccer experience and got a great education. Remember that for most our DD, by the time they are 25 soccer will just be games in the local women’s league, soccer tournament medals from their youth hanging on a hanger in their closet, and “maybe” a soccer picture or two displayed.

 

[Goforgoal]

Does it really matter if they only get a quarter scholarship for soccer…..no! That soccer scholarship or non-scholarship but a spot on the roster, hopefully helped them get into a college that offered their desired major. UC Santa Cruz is a good university and an awesome location.

My DD played under a full scholarship with all of the added pressure was at an east coast D1 P5…she hated it and said it was not fun despite her being the only starting freshman. She left after 1 year, came back to SoCal, attended a JC and played her sophomore year, moved to a D1 played 1 year, then stopped playing college. She was in a 5 year Bachelors program. She had a great time playing at the JC and second D1. Most important is she was top of her major which helped land her a superior job and entrance into a Masters program for only $3000 at the university where she was employed. She now has a Masters degree, two years of work at a D1 P5 college, worked for a MiLB team, and is now working at D1 P5 college in the Bay Area and will start working on her second Master’s degree in the fall. She has a resume that personnel in her field would be envious of.

So, look at the education first and soccer as a means to achieving that education. DD has many friends that played D2, D3 and NAIA. All of them enjoyed their college soccer experience and got a great education. Remember that for most our DD, by the time they are 25 soccer will just be games in the local women’s league, soccer tournament medals from their youth hanging on a hanger in their closet, and “maybe” a soccer picture or two displayed.

THANK YOU! Some clowns around here need to get some perspective.

 

[pmgrant72]

From my view, much of youth soccer in the US is built on false hope. Parents being told that their kids are destined for greatness, when in reality they are just one of the better 14-year old soccer players in the local area. This is how clubs/coahes end up squeezing as much money from parents for the experience. I would rather that the clubs give realistic appraisal of a kids' potential and the majority of kids can continue to enjoy playing grassroots soccer without the charade of a "showcase" over the Thanksgiving holiday for 9th grade kids.

 

[Jamisfoes]

Does it really matter if they only get a quarter scholarship for soccer…..no! That soccer scholarship or non-scholarship but a spot on the roster, hopefully helped them get into a college that offered their desired major. UC Santa Cruz is a good university and an awesome location.

My DD played under a full scholarship with all of the added pressure was at an east coast D1 P5…she hated it and said it was not fun despite her being the only starting freshman. She left after 1 year, came back to SoCal, attended a JC and played her sophomore year, moved to a D1 played 1 year, then stopped playing college. She was in a 5 year Bachelors program. She had a great time playing at the JC and second D1. Most important is she was top of her major which helped land her a superior job and entrance into a Masters program for only $3000 at the university where she was employed. She now has a Masters degree, two years of work at a D1 P5 college, worked for a MiLB team, and is now working at D1 P5 college in the Bay Area and will start working on her second Master’s degree in the fall. She has a resume that personnel in her field would be envious of.

So, look at the education first and soccer as a means to achieving that education. DD has many friends that played D2, D3 and NAIA. All of them enjoyed their college soccer experience and got a great education. Remember that for most our DD, by the time they are 25 soccer will just be games in the local women’s league, soccer tournament medals from their youth hanging on a hanger in their closet, and “maybe” a soccer picture or two displayed.

Is it easier to get into UCLA playing soccer or is it easier to get in not playing soccer? I think we can all agree it’s much harder to get on the soccer team. It’s a big misconception that soccer will help you to get into a particular school. 90% of ecnl girls can easily get into the school they got their quarter scholarship at without playing soccer.

 

[rainbow_unicorn]

Is it easier to get into UCLA playing soccer or is it easier to get in not playing soccer? I think we can all agree it’s much harder to get on the soccer team. It’s a big misconception that soccer will help you to get into a particular school. 90% of ecnl girls can easily get into the school they got their quarter scholarship at without playing soccer.

Both are really really hard these days. Same can be said for a handful of other schools like Stanford, Duke...highly selective both soccer and academics.

 

[Sike]

It’s a big misconception that soccer will help you to get into a particular school. 90% of ecnl girls can easily get into the school they got their quarter scholarship at without playing soccer.

Depends on the school. I'd bet that 90% of the girls on the UCLA roster who got any athletic money wouldn't have been accepted to UCLA without soccer.

 

[Slobodan]

In my experience, the assistant coach is usually tasked with scouting and recommendations for recruiting to the head coach.

I think that's true in many cases. When you look at the biographies of numerous assistants, they aren't qualified. I just wonder why so many schools send assistants to big showcases.

 

[espola]

I think that's true in many cases. When you look at the biographies of numerous assistants, they aren't qualified. I just wonder why so many schools send assistants to big showcases.

Also in my experience -- most schools hire their new head coaches who had been other schools' assistants.

 

[watfly]

From my view, much of youth soccer in the US is built on false hope. Parents being told that their kids are destined for greatness, when in reality they are just one of the better 14-year old soccer players in the local area. This is how clubs/coahes end up squeezing as much money from parents for the experience. I would rather that the clubs give realistic appraisal of a kids' potential and the majority of kids can continue to enjoy playing grassroots soccer without the charade of a "showcase" over the Thanksgiving holiday for 9th grade kids.

Even if a young kid is destined for greatness, what does it mean in the long term scheme of soccer? Not much. There are a lot parents out there that are thinking about scholarships for their kid when their kid is 8-12 years old. The clubs feed right into that mentality and exploit it. There are so many variables and things that can happen after that young age that make a college scholarship, or playing pro, a very low probability. The biggest variable is high school, as many kids leave Club soccer for other pursuits. Enjoy watching your kid play soccer. If at 15-16 they're still passionate for the game and a solid player then go for that scholarship.

 

[Slobodan]

Even if a young kid is destined for greatness, what does it mean in the long term scheme of soccer? Not much. There are a lot parents out there that are thinking about scholarships for their kid when their kid is 8-12 years old. The clubs feed right into that mentality and exploit it. There are so many variables and things that can happen after that young age that make a college scholarship, or playing pro, a very low probability. The biggest variable is high school, as many kids leave Club soccer for other pursuits. Enjoy watching your kid play soccer. If at 15-16 they're still passionate for the game and a solid player then go for that scholarship.

Sage advice. Wish I had it several years ago. Looking back on it, the ones still playing, and at a high level, did a lot of extra work... futsal, personal training, etc., but many of those same kids burned out. Either because it was too much or there was too much parental pressure and drama. I look back and see a very fine line between who is playing in the Pac 12 now and who quit playing when they aged out at 18.

 

[watfly]

Sage advice. Wish I had it several years ago. Looking back on it, the ones still playing, and at a high level, did a lot of extra work... futsal, personal training, etc., but many of those same kids burned out. Either because it was too much or there was too much parental pressure and drama. I look back and see a very fine line between who is playing in the Pac 12 now and who quit playing when they aged out at 18.

I'm not saying this as an insult to soccer, or as a reason not to pursue playing soccer in college, but I watched the NCCA Men's semifinal between Oregon State and Notre Dame. As far as I could tell there were maybe a couple hundred fans in the stadium. That's sad, particularly when you consider the time, effort and quality of athlete required to play at that level. I think we do a disservice to kids (most clubs/coaches and some parents) when we talk about "pathways" in soccer like there is some eventual payoff for the sport. "Pathway" is the biggest bullshit claim in all of club soccer, yet its the sales pitch the parents are most susceptible to. Pathway to what? We need to do more to promote the love of the game and instill passion in our players. We need to encourage kids (and ourselves) to enjoy the journey and not worry about the payoff, because the odds of a payoff of $$$ and/or glory, is slim to none. In the long run, it may actually lead to better development of our players. How many coaches have your kids played for that were actually passion inducing vs. passion sucking? I know in my kids journey there were more of the latter and few of the former.

 

[focomoso]

We need to do more to promote the love of the game and instill passion in our players. We need to encourage kids (and ourselves) to enjoy the journey and not worry about the payoff, because the odds of a payoff of $$$ and/or glory, is slim to none.

We also need to encourage kids to watch local soccer: MLS, USL, NWSL and College.

 

[Slobodan]

We also need to encourage kids to watch local soccer: MLS, USL, NWSL and College.

It's getting better. I mean, NBC showing the Premier League on a Saturday morning doesn't suck. I remember, as a kid, having to watch Cruz Azul play Club America on the Spanish network or, if you were lucky, ESPN covering Koln vs. Hamburg in a giant snow storm. Today we have the PAC 12 and Big 10 Networks, etc. To quote the mighty douchebag Deion Sanders... "we comin".

 

[focomoso]

It's getting better. I mean, NBC showing the Premier League on a Saturday morning doesn't suck. I remember, as a kid, having to watch Cruz Azul play Club America on the Spanish network or, if you were lucky, ESPN covering Koln vs. Hamburg in a giant snow storm. Today we have the PAC 12 and Big 10 Networks, etc. To quote the mighty douchebag Deion Sanders... "we comin".

I remember in high school, a kid had a VIDEO TAPE of the '86 world cup final that we watched in the AV room. That was the first time I saw international soccer ever.