What are the benefits?

This should be the initial question for any parent of a teen involved in a club or travel sports team who aspires to play at the college level.

Annual expenses can easily escalate to thousands of dollars—potentially as high as $10,000 or even over $20,000 for a 13-year-old.

The American system for club and travel sports has significant issues. Many parents and coaches I’ve spoken to consider it a money-making scheme.

Fortunately, we can choose clubs and travel programs that genuinely focus on the well-being of the players and avoid those that merely seek profit.

“Investing in club soccer to fund a college education is a terrible financial choice,” asserts Joel Rutherford, a youth referee for the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) with three decades of experience. He is also a parent of former players in club, recreational, and high school sports.

“The chances of securing a college scholarship are extremely low,” he adds. “If a parent is looking to cover college expenses, a much wiser move would be to save that money in a college fund or to invest in affordable ACT or SAT prep classes or tutoring for improved grades.”

According to the National College Scouting Association (NCSA), over 77 percent of college athletes surveyed across various sports indicated they participated in both club and high school sports.

However, these teams aren’t the sole path to college recruitment. It’s important to evaluate what you’re getting into and recognize there are multiple ways to attract the attention of college coaches.

Here’s a set of questions to consider when choosing a club or travel program for your athlete with aspirations for collegiate sports:

1. Will you receive adequate playing time? Your main objective should be visibility rather than merely winning tournaments.

In high school, it’s crucial to showcase your skills. The best clubs will prioritize this goal. Avoid teams that do not provide fair playing time for all members.

Don’t be swayed by joining the “top” team in your area unless the coach guarantees equal playing time. Be cautious if your child ends up with a less skilled group during tryouts while being promised a promotion to the top team later on.

2. Are you competing for attention in front of college coaches? And what about your coach’s connections?

It’s essential to know which colleges will attend your showcases, as it indicates you’ll face high-level competition.

However, college coaches often focus on a few specific players and might overlook others. Choose a team where the coach has established relationships with college coaches and will advocate for you.

Your investment in a club team should come with these types of connections. If not, you may be better off joining a more affordable team and hiring a well-connected personal coach.

3. Does your coach have a narrow perspective? Avoid those who claim that club is the only pathway to success.

James Tysz, father of a U14 soccer player in an Elite Club National League (ECNL) team in Williamsburg, Virginia, shares insights into the club and college connection. The ECNL is one pathway for ambitious players to reach collegiate opportunities.

Tysz estimates he spends around $6,000 annually in club-related expenses, including uniforms and travel. He mentions, “Club soccer seems like the sole option for college-level play. High school teams often mix players of varying skill levels, and scouts don’t have the time to sift through that.”

Many soccer parents incur even higher costs. The comments on a popular youth soccer video discuss this reality with both expensive options and more reasonable alternatives.

Other sports like volleyball, hockey, and lacrosse also face similar high fees. This system often filters out players who can’t afford it and also excludes talented players.

A former coach, who has worked with national teams and now resides in the U.S., believes that a coach insisting only on club soccer is limited in vision and primarily focused on deriving profit.

Instead, seek a coach who is keen on utilizing all available avenues—not solely their own team—to support your development.

The former Italian coach emphasizes that the critical scouting aspect in soccer is how well players fit into a system. Outstanding individual contributions, like creative passing or drawing defenders, illustrate a player’s potential. A coach who recognizes and cultivates your child’s unique strengths is invaluable.

4. Is your child proactive in seeking opportunities? Don’t spend money on teams with the assumption it will guarantee college admission.

No club coach can assure you a place on a college team. The turnover in college coaching is significant, and the transfer portal means coaches can recruit from both current college athletes and high school talent.

Your child will need to market themselves to coaches in addition to participating on a team. Create social media accounts on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram and share clips or highlights that display their skills. Include any relevant statistics they’ve achieved in their sport.

Focus on sharing videos that showcase various skills—not just points scored or games won, but footage demonstrating strengths like speed, agility, and versatility. Coaches appreciate qualities that aren’t always highlighted, like making quick movements or displaying tactical awareness. Find unique attributes that differentiate them from others.

Send brief emails to coaches introducing yourself and expressing interest in their program, paired with one or two short video clips.

Even if they don’t respond, there’s a chance coaches might follow you on social media. For instance, a few years back, forward Steve Settle told me that Howard University’s men’s basketball coach, Kenny Blakeney, offered him a position after viewing a quick 15-second clip.

5. Have you thought about your geographic location before making financial commitments?

College coaches often work with tight budgets and target areas rich in talent. A veteran high school lacrosse coach from Atlanta mentioned that playing club is usually necessary for visibility if you reside in less common areas for that sport, like Kansas or Montana.

However, certain regions in New York, Maryland, Virginia, and others provide high school settings where you regularly face top-level competition. If you demonstrate strong abilities, college scouts are likely to notice you.

Conduct thorough research. If you’re in an area known for your sport—like populous Texas, Arizona, Florida, California, or Virginia for baseball; Texas and Georgia for football; or cities like Memphis, Baltimore, Chicago, New York, or Washington, D.C., for basketball—you might not need to participate in club leagues, or at least not the highest tier.

Consider attending showcases hosted on college campuses instead, which usually cost less than joining a travel team. Ask your high school coach to contact the college coach before the showcase for insights and feedback regarding your performance.

6. Are you balancing your investments in sports with academics?

According to the NCAA, only about 2% of high school athletes receive scholarships to play in college. The likelihood of high school athletes continuing in collegiate sports ranges from 3% to 14%, depending on the specific sport.

It’s essential to balance time and financial investments between sports and academics, as your grades can significantly impact your recruitment potential and scholarship opportunities.

Having strong academic performance might be necessary for gaining admission to the school and could distinguish you from other candidates, potentially securing you scholarship funds. Don’t limit yourself to just Division 1 programs; playing at Division II, Division III, or junior college levels can provide opportunities to transfer later if you excel.

7. Is your coach accommodating regarding your schedule?

Your coach should recognize your need to miss a game or tournament (with adequate notice) to attend a showcase or prepare for exams or standardized tests.

Their goal should be to assist you in joining a college program, which enhances the club’s reputation.

Have an honest dialogue about your college aspirations with the coach before committing to their team, and if you feel that you’re not getting value for your investment after joining, don’t hesitate to revisit that conversation.

8. Are you aware of your skills and metrics? They can empower you in negotiations and clarify your limits.

Identify the key metrics and abilities in your sport that will attract recruiters, regardless of your club team affiliation. For baseball players, this might mean throwing in the low 80s or higher as a pitcher, showing accuracy, and varying pitch speeds while maintaining a batting exit velocity above 90.

In volleyball, for example, girls should aim to touch at least 10 feet, while boys should aim for 11-12 feet.

For football players, can you run the 40-yard dash in the mid-4-second range while weighing over 200 pounds?

Evan Gerish, an assistant track and field coach at the University of Dubuque in Iowa, states that these performances could catch a coach’s interest:

Gerish advises checking the performances of those who finished in eighth place and higher at the latest conference championships of schools you’re interested in and comparing those times to your own. Metrics for other sports and schools can also be assessed.

“Recruitment standards fluctuate among divisions and conferences, but there’s a lot of overlap,” Gerish tells YSL News Sports. “A prestigious D3 institution like mine is often recruiting the same caliber of athletes as a mid-tier D1 program.”

9. Have you evaluated the travel required against your commitment to improving your skills?

Select an organization that balances game play and skill development to meet those essential metrics and enhance the skills that attract attention.

If a team has excessive travel demands, consider whether it hinders your improvement. While showcases can highlight your talents, developing your skills through practice and conditioning is also crucial.

A private coach can help create a skills and strength development plan, even with just a few sessions, which you can integrate with gameplay.

Use your early high school years to build the best foundation for showcasing your skills. If you’re a freshman, this could mean taking a season off from your primary sport to engage in another one that builds your strength or speed.

10. Are you fully committed to the journey?

This past summer, I traveled to Atlanta to participate in a showcase baseball tournament with my rising junior. His younger brother, 14, came along. We shared funny moments while watching YouTube.

We enjoyed our time together during a long drive of over 10 hours, filled with clips, deeper conversations, and watching movies in hotel rooms while dining together and catching a Braves game.

If you’re a traveling athlete or parent, it’s important to make the most of the journey. While your young athlete might realize that playing sports in college demands a lot of time, they could also find a school they truly adore beyond athletics.

You may even learn more about yourselves along the way.

“Think about the time,” suggests Rutherford, a soccer dad and referee with three decades of experience. “What else can you do during evenings and weekends? It might be biking, shooting hoops in the driveway, sitting down for family dinners, going to church, taking naps, or allowing kids not into sports to enjoy their own activities.”

“Typically, kids stop participating in sports by their teenage years. Often, it’s due to the loss of enjoyment. Intense parents and coaches, shouting at players and officials, can ruin the experience. Interestingly, the more money spent doesn’t necessarily lead to better results; it can actually add pressure for everyone involved.”