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Post by bogan on Nov 15, 2022 11:46:05 GMT -5
From Derek Broadley-Technical Director at Charleston Soccer Club
“The US Youth Soccer Ponzi Scheme….
Having just watched the “FIFA Ucovered” documentary on Netflix, is it just a matter of time before we get a sequel on the US Youth Soccer industry? The amount of money that parents pay that goes out of the game is staggering. We have “Premier League ideas and prices” but third world governance and oversight. The recent Yates report was the start, but those of us that live the youth soccer journey everyday, know how corrupt the system really is. It’s corrupt because of the lack of structure and standards. The internet and social media platforms, are creating so many layered storylines that it is really difficult to spot the fraudsters! However, if FIFA can be brought to task, so can US Youth Soccer. The average family playing soccer for more than 10 years, in a club environment, will spend nearly $40k per child 👧 but they think it’s more like $8-10k? (There lies the con)
People in the youth market know this and exploit it to the max.
90% of players don’t get to the level they are striving and paying for, so therefore parents are muted as the cannot open up and say “my child failed and by the way I got ripped off on the journey” so the say nothing and the “ ponzi scheme” continues. The amount of people who work in organizations for 10-15 to even 20+ years without any form of professional development training is staggering, these people use longevity milestones as indicators of success rather than real indicators. “Most winningest coach” etc
We need a new system here in the USA……. now that the game is established, with standards for every level from grassroots to elite. A central system that has “true” reflective price points for each level. The volume of registration fees would easily allow US Soccer to put staff in place to run a central system. They only need ask! #lessismore thoughts”
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Post by rifle on Nov 15, 2022 12:59:17 GMT -5
It’s a revolving door of willing suckers.
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Post by bogan on Nov 15, 2022 13:27:08 GMT -5
I’m guilty
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Post by coffee on Nov 15, 2022 14:50:13 GMT -5
Genuine question here (not trying to be snarky): What’s the answer for the parent, here and now? …when your daughter turns to soccer to thrive, compete, belong, deal with her anxieties, and to Believe. So when they tell her that they believe in her, I should tell her, “I think it’s all a money grab. I’m not gonna pay them. You’ll be fine. Here’s some ice cream.”
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Post by bogan on Nov 15, 2022 14:59:58 GMT -5
Genuine question here (not trying to be snarky): What’s the answer for the parent, here and now? …when your daughter turns to soccer to thrive, compete, belong, deal with her anxieties, and to Believe. So when they tell her that they believe in her, I should tell her, “I think it’s all a money grab. I’m not gonna pay them. You’ll be fine. Here’s some ice cream.” I really feel like it sometimes… |
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Post by rifle on Nov 15, 2022 22:12:02 GMT -5
Genuine question here (not trying to be snarky): What’s the answer for the parent, here and now? …when your daughter turns to soccer to thrive, compete, belong, deal with her anxieties, and to Believe. So when they tell her that they believe in her, I should tell her, “I think it’s all a money grab. I’m not gonna pay them. You’ll be fine. Here’s some ice cream.” I refereed a couple local U14 girls rec soccer playoff games last weekend. A few of the girls had genuine skills that the DOC would do well to notice and sell his wares.. and overall they (obviously) weren’t as skilled as the ECNL girls but they had a good time playing. Their parents seemed a lot more chill also. Probably because it was $200 for a season and they didn’t have to purchase matching bags and plane tickets. Like many ECNL girls, many of the rec girls will likely play intramural soccer in college. |
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Post by oraclesfriend on Nov 16, 2022 12:50:40 GMT -5
Genuine question here (not trying to be snarky): What’s the answer for the parent, here and now? …when your daughter turns to soccer to thrive, compete, belong, deal with her anxieties, and to Believe. So when they tell her that they believe in her, I should tell her, “I think it’s all a money grab. I’m not gonna pay them. You’ll be fine. Here’s some ice cream.” If your child is turning to soccer for all of that and she has a coach that tells her that they believe in her then keep her right where she is. She may not get a college scholarship that pays you back but she is having a great time, making friends and memories and is HAPPY. As a parent, that is a gift beyond price! Sports keep her fit and active and have been shown to keep kids away from the bad things that many high school kids get into (on average). I do believe that pricing should be more transparent. There are places in other states that tell you it is $x and that includes uniforms, tourneys, coach's per diem and travel so the only expense is what you pay for your own travel which is independently done by each parent so can't price. Every club here should have to do that IMO. |
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Post by SoccerAtl on Nov 16, 2022 13:34:55 GMT -5
From Derek Broadley-Technical Director at Charleston Soccer Club “The US Youth Soccer Ponzi Scheme…. Having just watched the “FIFA Ucovered” documentary on Netflix, is it just a matter of time before we get a sequel on the US Youth Soccer industry? The amount of money that parents pay that goes out of the game is staggering. We have “Premier League ideas and prices” but third world governance and oversight. The recent Yates report was the start, but those of us that live the youth soccer journey everyday, know how corrupt the system really is. It’s corrupt because of the lack of structure and standards. The internet and social media platforms, are creating so many layered storylines that it is really difficult to spot the fraudsters! However, if FIFA can be brought to task, so can US Youth Soccer. The average family playing soccer for more than 10 years, in a club environment, will spend nearly $40k per child 👧 but they think it’s more like $8-10k? (There lies the con) People in the youth market know this and exploit it to the max. 90% of players don’t get to the level they are striving and paying for, so therefore parents are muted as the cannot open up and say “my child failed and by the way I got ripped off on the journey” so the say nothing and the “ ponzi scheme” continues. The amount of people who work in organizations for 10-15 to even 20+ years without any form of professional development training is staggering, these people use longevity milestones as indicators of success rather than real indicators. “Most winningest coach” etc We need a new system here in the USA……. now that the game is established, with standards for every level from grassroots to elite. A central system that has “true” reflective price points for each level. The volume of registration fees would easily allow US Soccer to put staff in place to run a central system. They only need ask! #lessismore thoughts” Not clear what is implied in post. Is it saying that parents are paying corrupted Soccer organizations beyond the regular fees so their kids can be on top? Or comment is saying that parents are paying a lot of money to subpar products and services offered by clubs? Or both? |
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Post by bogan on Nov 16, 2022 16:37:42 GMT -5
From Derek Broadley-Technical Director at Charleston Soccer Club “The US Youth Soccer Ponzi Scheme…. Having just watched the “FIFA Ucovered” documentary on Netflix, is it just a matter of time before we get a sequel on the US Youth Soccer industry? The amount of money that parents pay that goes out of the game is staggering. We have “Premier League ideas and prices” but third world governance and oversight. The recent Yates report was the start, but those of us that live the youth soccer journey everyday, know how corrupt the system really is. It’s corrupt because of the lack of structure and standards. The internet and social media platforms, are creating so many layered storylines that it is really difficult to spot the fraudsters! However, if FIFA can be brought to task, so can US Youth Soccer. The average family playing soccer for more than 10 years, in a club environment, will spend nearly $40k per child 👧 but they think it’s more like $8-10k? (There lies the con) People in the youth market know this and exploit it to the max. 90% of players don’t get to the level they are striving and paying for, so therefore parents are muted as the cannot open up and say “my child failed and by the way I got ripped off on the journey” so the say nothing and the “ ponzi scheme” continues. The amount of people who work in organizations for 10-15 to even 20+ years without any form of professional development training is staggering, these people use longevity milestones as indicators of success rather than real indicators. “Most winningest coach” etc We need a new system here in the USA……. now that the game is established, with standards for every level from grassroots to elite. A central system that has “true” reflective price points for each level. The volume of registration fees would easily allow US Soccer to put staff in place to run a central system. They only need ask! #lessismore thoughts” Not clear what is implied in post. Is it saying that parents are paying corrupted Soccer organizations beyond the regular fees so their kids can be on top? Or comment is saying that parents are paying a lot of money to subpar products and services offered by clubs? Or both? I read it as promising elite play to the masses and making them subsidize a small few with little to no accountability or oversight. Although, I do know of several cases of “we donated a lot of money to the club so I expect my kid on the top team.” |
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Post by atlsoccer123 on Nov 18, 2022 9:20:17 GMT -5
"The average family playing soccer for more than 10 years, in a club environment, will spend nearly $40k per child 👧 but they think it’s more like $8-10k? (There lies the con)
People in the youth market know this and exploit it to the max.
90% of players don’t get to the level they are striving and paying for, so therefore parents are muted as the cannot open up and say “my child failed and by the way I got ripped off on the journey” so the say nothing and the “ ponzi scheme” continues."
Yes, all of this. And at the ECNL level with travel it really amounts to about $8K per year (fees, airfare, hotels, eating out when traveling, etc).
The clubs rope parents in, make them feel great about their kid... Oh and make sure you chase that college scholarship. It's all BS and most kids quit by that time because they're tired and parents are too. By then, parents have paid thousands.
In youth soccer the politics and greed play a huge part and the only ones who win are the big guys at the clubs. Coaches and kids don't matter to them.
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Post by Futsal Gawdess on Nov 18, 2022 10:06:59 GMT -5
The perils and ills of youth soccer in this country are a double-edged sword. However, IMHO, both sides of it comes down to one group: parents! We are the real customers, we are the ones who decide to pay for whatever service (or lack thereof) these clubs dish out. We are the ones that claim our kids are elite, play up, or guest play in 14 hundred different clubs. Only we can effect real change.
We keep demanding and accepting mediocre "elite" leagues and the win at all cost mentality. We accept, bad coaching, bad referring, bad club management, and the ever-increasing costs that go with them. Why do we spend all this money, to still have Junior attend strength training, speed drills, private coaches, physical therapists, and use masseuses? Cryotherapy anyone? We have to demand a better return on our investment.
For every 100 players, only 7.2 girls or 5.5 boys will play in college(all divisions). Most will not get a full ride, many will get minimal minutes and others will quit long before graduation. These are facts. So the onus is on us to demand real systemic changes. Have US Soccer set a real pyramid. One top league for boys and one for girls. Have a unified naming system e.g. ECNL 1, 2, 3, 4... etc. So when you say I play for ECNL X we all know what that means. With one unified hierarchy, bring in sponsorships to defray travel costs, since that's the biggest expense. US Soccer pay for referees, train more scouts locally around the country to recognize talent. Compensate clubs, scouts, soccer federations for developing players that go on to the professional ranks. Tie in ODP, NTC, YNT under one umbrella to identify the late blooming kids. Build robust college recruiting teams with experienced college coaches to guide families on how to maximize their opportunities in getting into colleges, in lieu of "Coach X, knows a lot of college coaches." I may be wrong but other than AU only AFU has a real college recruitment coordinator.
The sport is here to stay, without the parents and the players, non of this exists. Expect more, ask questions and challenge the status-quo. It's okay to want to play with your friends or want to play for the national team. Let's just find a way to defray the rising costs, make it more fun and make some good friendships along the way...
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Post by bogan on Nov 18, 2022 11:02:06 GMT -5
The perils and ills of youth soccer in this country are a double-edged sword. However, IMHO, both sides of it comes down to one group: parents! We are the real customers, we are the ones who decide to pay for whatever service (or lack thereof) these clubs dish out. We are the ones that claim our kids are elite, play up, or guest play in 14 hundred different clubs. Only we can effect real change. We keep demanding and accepting mediocre "elite" leagues and the win at all cost mentality. We accept, bad coaching, bad referring, bad club management, and the ever-increasing costs that go with them. Why do we spend all this money, to still have Junior attend strength training, speed drills, private coaches, physical therapists, and use masseuses? Cryotherapy anyone? We have to demand a better return on our investment. For every 100 players, only 7.2 girls or 5.5 boys will play in college(all divisions). Most will not get a full ride, many will get minimal minutes and others will quit long before graduation. These are facts. So the onus is on us to demand real systemic changes. Have US Soccer set a real pyramid. One top league for boys and one for girls. Have a unified naming system e.g. ECNL 1, 2, 3, 4... etc. So when you say I play for ECNL X we all know what that means. With one unified hierarchy, bring in sponsorships to defray travel costs, since that's the biggest expense. US Soccer pay for referees, train more scouts locally around the country to recognize talent. Compensate clubs, scouts, soccer federations for developing players that go on to the professional ranks. Tie in ODP, NTC, YNT under one umbrella to identify the late blooming kids. Build robust college recruiting teams with experienced college coaches to guide families on how to maximize their opportunities in getting into colleges, in lieu of "Coach X, knows a lot of college coaches." I may be wrong but other than AU only AFU has a real college recruitment coordinator. The sport is here to stay, without the parents and the players, non of this exists. Expect more, ask questions and challenge the status-quo. It's okay to want to play with your friends or what to play for the national team. Let's just find a way to defray the rising costs, make it more fun and make some good friendships along the way... Spot on-perhaps there should be some consumer disclosure of the facts, Stats, etc. same reason we have APR…so we can compare rates/fees to know what we are getting from club to club. |
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Post by Soccerhouse on Nov 18, 2022 11:11:06 GMT -5
I think you also have to differentiate girls vs boys.
Just look at the past signing day and the volume of girls signing to some top schools, the boys signing was very small, and I only saw a few AU kids for example.
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Post by soccerfam404 on Nov 22, 2022 23:42:16 GMT -5
True re girls-so many more girls soccer teams especially in SEC. Boys have to learn to kick for the football team in order to do something with their soccer training if they want that type of college experience.
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