ECNL and Scholarships

T

tjinaz

GOLD
So I am curious how much money the players typically get. I have kids in college and the most important attribute regarding scholarships is need. FASFA determines that. While the coaches and programs "can" get a player a full ride due to their athletic ability from what I am hearing the vast majority do not. There are always the unicorns. Lets not kid ourselves 95% of ECNL parents are quite wealthy compared to average families so what the school can give them is pretty limited based on need. We have ECNL players going to schools "on scholarship" but honestly they are getting the same as they would get if they didn't play soccer due to academics. Parents are so proud they have achieved "the dream" of D1 soccer scholarship but when you ask how much they really got most would have gotten it anyway due to grades. Soccer is not paying their bills.

Granted most ECNL families are able to pay for college regardless of athletics I am seeing tons of kids going to lesser academic schools so they can play and literally handicapping their future career prospects just so they can sit on a bench. On the other hand there are a select few that are very high ability that are using soccer to get to a school they would not have been able to be accepted to without soccer but those are very rare. How much of this is hype and what is the reality of ECNL helping kids get to college?
 
Not sure if this is news, but it's a terrible financial investment, and girls (or boys) that choose a school based on a sports team that they might play on is probably a bad choice for 99%+ of us (and them). Either everyone is horrifically bad at math and doesn't value the differences in the college experience between schools other than those differences that are sports-related, or we all see other benefits that make it worth the cost/investment as they are playing youth soccer.
 
RandomSoccerFan said:
Not sure if this is news, but it's a terrible financial investment, and girls (or boys) that choose a school based on a sports team that they might play on is probably a bad choice for 99%+ of us (and them). Either everyone is horrifically bad at math and doesn't value the differences in the college experience between schools other than those differences that are sports-related, or we all see other benefits that make it worth the cost/investment as they are playing youth soccer.
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Have never had a kid play in club soccer at all and just now looking at possibly making a transition. Wondering for those who had their kids spend most of their lives playing club soccer, could all that club $$ have paid for Tuition, and what would have been their alternative to club? AYSO United/Alliance, Sunday Leagues, just High School?
 
Playing club is about bragging rights. People are paying an arm and a leg to be on a certain team in a certain league.
It’s not unlike buying a luxury car or a fancy bag.

There is really no alternatives to club. If everybody is practical and logical, everyone would be driving a Toyota.
 
ElKosh106 said:
Have never had a kid play in club soccer at all and just now looking at possibly making a transition. Wondering for those who had their kids spend most of their lives playing club soccer, could all that club $$ have paid for Tuition, and what would have been their alternative to club? AYSO United/Alliance, Sunday Leagues, just High School?
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Yes - save the money for tuition. If your goal is to have your child enjoy soccer and play more then your suggestions are perfect. No need club. Unless you can find a cheap club that has minimal travel.

What do you want club soccer to do for your child?
 
tjinaz said:
So I am curious how much money the players typically get. I have kids in college and the most important attribute regarding scholarships is need. FASFA determines that. While the coaches and programs "can" get a player a full ride due to their athletic ability from what I am hearing the vast majority do not. There are always the unicorns. Lets not kid ourselves 95% of ECNL parents are quite wealthy compared to average families so what the school can give them is pretty limited based on need. We have ECNL players going to schools "on scholarship" but honestly they are getting the same as they would get if they didn't play soccer due to academics. Parents are so proud they have achieved "the dream" of D1 soccer scholarship but when you ask how much they really got most would have gotten it anyway due to grades. Soccer is not paying their bills.

Granted most ECNL families are able to pay for college regardless of athletics I am seeing tons of kids going to lesser academic schools so they can play and literally handicapping their future career prospects just so they can sit on a bench. On the other hand there are a select few that are very high ability that are using soccer to get to a school they would not have been able to be accepted to without soccer but those are very rare. How much of this is hype and what is the reality of ECNL helping kids get to college?
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I've heard the typical soccer scholarship for the premier players is 30% or lower. It has been discussed on here (I have no personal experience) that for a D1 team with a roster of 30, there are 14 scholarships. Easy to do that math. When factoring in the enormous cost of 6 years of ECNL/GA/whatever, the idea that youth soccer is a path to financing college is a fallacy. However, it might get you into a school that you otherwise wouldn't get into.
However, I disagree with the belief that a student handicaps his/her future career prospects by going to a lesser college. It's much more about how much work you put in once you get there, rather than the school you attend.
 
sockma said:
Yes - save the money for tuition. If your goal is to have your child enjoy soccer and play more then your suggestions are perfect. No need club. Unless you can find a cheap club that has minimal travel.

What do you want club soccer to do for your child?
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I could not even imagine my kid playing AYSO right now. It would be hilarious. Don't forget its not all about the money. That's where the better players go.
 
Granted most ECNL families are able to pay for college regardless of athletics
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"Pay for" like pay in full without a scholarship? I'd disagree with that, but it's totally anecdotal based on my family's experience. Girl's on my daughter's team ("big" ECNL club) come from families of different income brackets. I don't go around asking how much they make, but getting familiar with a family and their lifestyle over a period of time let's you know who probably makes what.

Yes - save the money for tuition. If your goal is to have your child enjoy soccer and play more then your suggestions are perfect. No need club. Unless you can find a cheap club that has minimal travel.
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This is the "right" answer for 99% of youth players.For kids good enough to get the "dream scenario" of competing at the highest level (e.g. ECNL for girls) from U-13 to U-18/19 and then moving on to play in college, the costs alone will put a serious dent in your wallet. I figure the bare minimum you'd spend on a high school age ECNL player is $7k/yr if you include club fees, travel, gas, and outside training. Doing the "right" thing is something that most competitive parents won't ever do because "you never know" and people think with their emotions instead of using cold hard logic.

So I am curious how much money the players typically get.
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Anywhere from 0 to 100%. Depends on how valuable the player is to the program that is recruiting them. Yes, freshmen get 100% full ride offers to Power 5 and upper level mid majors. Yes, their teammates (who are just as good as they are) may also accept $0 to go their dream school. It all depends on the family's financial circumstances and what they're looking to get out of the recruiting experience.
 
sockma said:
Yes - save the money for tuition. If your goal is to have your child enjoy soccer and play more then your suggestions are perfect. No need club. Unless you can find a cheap club that has minimal travel.

What do you want club soccer to do for your child?
Click to expand...
Appreciate your honest feedback. Having put two girls through college with 0 fin assistance, that piece is really not the biggest factor/concern, but always nice to know. My girls played AYSO through high school and they enjoyed it, were satisfied as were we. My son has been in AYSO since a tyke, he is 2010, been primary GK for 3-4 seasons now moving more and more off the field, GK position has grown on him and vice-versa, he really enjoys playing, enjoys training, and gets upset when training/games are cancelled. Some of his teammates would prob cheer at training cancelations. Has put in a lot of hard work and effort to get better, team practice and 2 hours a week GK training. Has kind of outgrown AYSO even moving from their core program to their 'EXTRA' (more completive than rec/core program) program for 2 years. Team is 14-3-2, he has allowed 6 goals. He does not enjoy wins when they come at account of unequal competition, and also dislikes that the majority of his teammates do not take it as serious as he. He would like to play at a higher level with like-minded players that would focus on putting in the same effort all of the time, not just occasionally. Like any other kid, they all dream about making it to high school, college, MLS, MNT, and all that. At this time, I would like to support his current desire to play at higher level given he's meeting his sports/personal goals and has committed himself, I would like to see how much further he can push himself. If he decides it's not for him and would prefer to go back to EXTRA or even United/Alliance I would support whatever he chooses. I don't have to be able to brag about any of it.
 
My 9 year old son was recently offered to play for such Mercedes Benz team. Mercedes Benz team is 30 min away from home. Our current Toyota team is 15 minutes from home. I asked him, “Well, are you taking the offer?” He said, “Daddy, the drive to practice is too long, we will be spending 1 hr in the car everyday. There are 3 practices a week. In one week, we could have driven to Vegas.” I countered ,”Kiddo, we are already driving to Barstow every week. You can do your homework in the car. Daddy really want that Mercedes.” True story.
 
150K for a UC school 4 years.
Play on a NPL team ages 10-14 costs 2K per year, 10K total. Switch to ECNL team ages 15-18, pay 6K per year, 24K total gives you 34K.

If they only get books, then you spent 34K for 9 years, which is the cost of a car. Your kid is in great shape, stayed out of trouble, gets accepted into a college that they wanted, priorities with classes, tutoring, and built in friends from the team. If they get 25% that is 35K, figure breakeven financially, plus all the other benefits. I figure a good amount of kids get 50%, so 75K. Good investment.

All three options are still great. My daughter didn't play ECNL, but if your kid is good enough, I highly recommend as they get older as it makes the journey to playing in college easier.
 
ElKosh106 said:
Have never had a kid play in club soccer at all and just now looking at possibly making a transition. Wondering for those who had their kids spend most of their lives playing club soccer, could all that club $$ have paid for Tuition, and what would have been their alternative to club? AYSO United/Alliance, Sunday Leagues, just High School?
Click to expand...

It certainly would have helped but your kid isn't playing ball in college without club soccer. At best, you'll get pennies on the dollar for your return on most scholarships.

But there are other 'treasures' that come with comp soccer. Tournaments and trips... both for players and families. Life lessons in terms of work ethic, sacrifice, friendships, fair vs. unfair, getting to buy brand new uniforms every year, screaming matches on the way home from a bad game, leg scars, torn ACLs, energy drinks, $60 hoodies, private training, etc.
 
socalkdg said:
150K for a UC school 4 years.
Play on a NPL team ages 10-14 costs 2K per year, 10K total. Switch to ECNL team ages 15-18, pay 6K per year, 24K total gives you 34K.

If they only get books, then you spent 34K for 9 years, which is the cost of a car. Your kid is in great shape, stayed out of trouble, gets accepted into a college that they wanted, priorities with classes, tutoring, and built in friends from the team. If they get 25% that is 35K, figure breakeven financially, plus all the other benefits. I figure a good amount of kids get 50%, so 75K. Good investment.

All three options are still great. My daughter didn't play ECNL, but if your kid is good enough, I highly recommend as they get older as it makes the journey to playing in college easier.
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The math works for those that are getting that 25% to 50% you listed. But the true ROI needs to be for all of the girls that were playing ECNL for those 4 years - not just those that are playing in college and have a significant scholarship. Looked at that way - it's not a great investment of financial resources for most. Keep in mind everyone in ECNL at age 15 is betting that a college scholarship is a sure thing, when it becomes clear in just a few years that it's a small minority of players.
 
ElKosh106 said:
Have never had a kid play in club soccer at all and just now looking at possibly making a transition. Wondering for those who had their kids spend most of their lives playing club soccer, could all that club $$ have paid for Tuition, and what would have been their alternative to club? AYSO United/Alliance, Sunday Leagues, just High School?
Click to expand...
That depends to a large degree what you mean by "tuition". There is about a 5-to-1 (or more) range in that expense depending from school to school.
 
Slobodan said:
It certainly would have helped but your kid isn't playing ball in college without club soccer. At best, you'll get pennies on the dollar for your return on most scholarships.

But there are other 'treasures' that come with comp soccer. Tournaments and trips... both for players and families. Life lessons in terms of work ethic, sacrifice, friendships, fair vs. unfair, getting to buy brand new uniforms every year, screaming matches on the way home from a bad game, leg scars, torn ACLs, energy drinks, $60 hoodies, private training, etc.
Click to expand...

"screaming matches on the way home from a bad game"? Which party is doing the screaming?
 
ElKosh106 said:
Appreciate your honest feedback. Having put two girls through college with 0 fin assistance, that piece is really not the biggest factor/concern, but always nice to know. My girls played AYSO through high school and they enjoyed it, were satisfied as were we. My son has been in AYSO since a tyke, he is 2010, been primary GK for 3-4 seasons now moving more and more off the field, GK position has grown on him and vice-versa, he really enjoys playing, enjoys training, and gets upset when training/games are cancelled. Some of his teammates would prob cheer at training cancelations. Has put in a lot of hard work and effort to get better, team practice and 2 hours a week GK training. Has kind of outgrown AYSO even moving from their core program to their 'EXTRA' (more completive than rec/core program) program for 2 years. Team is 14-3-2, he has allowed 6 goals. He does not enjoy wins when they come at account of unequal competition, and also dislikes that the majority of his teammates do not take it as serious as he. He would like to play at a higher level with like-minded players that would focus on putting in the same effort all of the time, not just occasionally. Like any other kid, they all dream about making it to high school, college, MLS, MNT, and all that. At this time, I would like to support his current desire to play at higher level given he's meeting his sports/personal goals and has committed himself, I would like to see how much further he can push himself. If he decides it's not for him and would prefer to go back to EXTRA or even United/Alliance I would support whatever he chooses. I don't have to be able to brag about any of it.
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Then try your local clubs out. Ask to practice with them and ask them which team they see him on. If possible, try out 3 clubs. See what their goalie trainings are like and how committed coaches and teams are. Club soccer, at the lower levels, can still have players that do not commit much because parents just want their kids there. He may be in the same situation but just traveling more and paying more. The coach is the most important factor. Some coaches are very committed to their teams and others will cancel practice a lot even if it's Club soccer at the highest level.

Talk to parents on the team and ask them how often they practice, how often practices are cancelled, how committed coach and players are on the team, and how many players have quit in the last year. 2-3 is normal. Anything above that is a huge red flag no matter what a few parents on the team tells you.
 
sockma said:
Then try your local clubs out. Ask to practice with them and ask them which team they see him on. If possible, try out 3 clubs. See what their goalie trainings are like and how committed coaches and teams are. Club soccer, at the lower levels, can still have players that do not commit much because parents just want their kids there. He may be in the same situation but just traveling more and paying more. The coach is the most important factor. Some coaches are very committed to their teams and others will cancel practice a lot even if it's Club soccer at the highest level.

Talk to parents on the team and ask them how often they practice, how often practices are cancelled, how committed coach and players are on the team, and how many players have quit in the last year. 2-3 is normal. Anything above that is a huge red flag no matter what a few parents on the team tells you.
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Thank you sockma! appreciate this. I have heard of stories of parents paying for kids to sit on a club bench. He hasn't sat at all for the last couple years, and only occasionally played on the field when game seemed to be resolved. So at any rate, I would not fork out any amounts of cash to see that happen. Appreciate the advice
 
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