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Post by ilove8amgames on Jun 1, 2018 3:56:56 GMT -5
Yes, agreed. Except I would change one word in your post from “most” to “95%”. Yes, only 5% of players go on to play in NCAA (D1-3).
That means, statistically, only 1 kid on a team of 20. Obviously, the higher up the ranks you go, that may change (a boys DA team may have 2 or 3), but that means, statistically, teams below DA will have much fewer.
Point is, chill and make sure your kid does his summer reading before doing that soccer camp.
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Post by Soccerhouse on Jun 1, 2018 7:55:22 GMT -5
Girls are are a little different - but your point is so dead on.
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Post by zizou on Jun 1, 2018 9:12:34 GMT -5
The effective percentage is totally a function of the league in which a kid plays. Need to consider conditional probabilities. Regardless, what a person can do with their brain will most likely outlast what they can do with their brawn. Two thumbs up for brains. Way up.
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Post by trilion on Jun 1, 2018 13:05:31 GMT -5
I’m glad this topic came up… My son recently graduated from high school, and I’m proud to say he graduated with honors, and received an academic scholarship to the university of his choice. I’ve been a member of the Georgia soccer community since the early 70s as a player, coach, referee, and parent. To say I’m passionate about the game is an understatement. My son loves the game too, I would consider him an accomplished player (2 years DA, SRPL, NL, winner of top bracket U-18 Disney and Jefferson Cup). I never pushed him to play, and always gave him the opportunity to play other sports, which he took advantage of (3 years American football, 5 years basketball, and now golf). Playing other sports helped develop him into a better, well-rounded athlete, but more importantly he gained hundreds of friends with different backgrounds and interest.
Guess how many players from my son’s U-14 DA team are still in the DA program as a U-18? Only 1. Take that info for what its worth.
At the end of the 2017 season he said he no longer wanted to play club soccer. I could see it coming, with 3-4 practices / week, and the years of weekend road trips took their toll, etc…He was tired of missing out and wanted to enjoy his senior year with his friends. I’m so happy he made the decision for himself, he had a great senior year, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him happier.
I know many parents on this forum share in their kid’s dreams to play soccer in college, or even play professionally. Someone above mentioned 5% of players may earn a soccer scholarship. The truth is it’s actually less than 1%, and there are no full rides (college men’s programs have 9.9 scholarships to share for the entire team). Scholarship money is very competitive, needless to say grades matter! Don’t fool yourself into thinking youth soccer is an investment, far from it.
My 2 cents…. Listen to your kids, provide a variety of opportunities, don’t push, keep it light, have fun, and enjoy this time with your kids! There is life after youth soccer and it can be great too!
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Post by infoguy on Jun 1, 2018 13:41:24 GMT -5
I definitely agree. But, as a parent, I've had to "play the game" and navigate this crazy system that I didn't create. And I have to create opportunities for my son, so he has options like other kids his age. It all seems a bit crazy and puts pressure on him, but I have to do these things so he's playing the best youth soccer he can. I don't think he would've enjoyed these years if I hadn't inserted myself in the process.
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