Fsa

[Unregistered]

I hope this Fsa mom is found safe
https://nypost.com/2019/05/28/connec...tious-divorce/

I hope you weren't trying to make a joke. Statistically we know where that is likely to end up.

[Unregistered]

Premier soccer is waste of $ for 85-95% of kids/families FSA or otherwise. Most will spend $40k on one kid (fees, hotels, travel, etc) if the start him/her at 8 or 9 yrs old. Good luck.

[Unregistered]

Premier soccer is waste of $ for 85-95% of kids/families FSA or otherwise. Most will spend $40k on one kid (fees, hotels, travel, etc) if the start him/her at 8 or 9 yrs old. Good luck.

Great, I wish you told me this before I wrote my 23rd check to Cfc

[Unregistered]

Premier soccer is waste of $ for 85-95% of kids/families FSA or otherwise. Most will spend $40k on one kid (fees, hotels, travel, etc) if the start him/her at 8 or 9 yrs old. Good luck.

No different than many other youth activities, be it sports (hockey? Holy sh××) piano, etc. However participation rates are dropping quickly for youth soccer, driven by the high cost and absurd travel. The insanity is reaching a tipping point.

[Unregistered]

No different than many other youth activities, be it sports (hockey? Holy sh××) piano, etc. However participation rates are dropping quickly for youth soccer, driven by the high cost and absurd travel. The insanity is reaching a tipping point.

Yes. But most can play travel soccer and get same level of coaching at a fraction of the cost and then can afford to play multiple sports or multiple activities. I mean if you do a quick math at just FSA (and I'm sure others are similar), lets say you have two kids who play premier beginning at 9 years old. Let's just say its $3K/year per kid all-in and that includes uniforms. So you are 6K per year until 17 years old. That's 54K for two kids. Think about that. I did not factor in hotels, travel/gas, cleats, etc. Now considering at each age group there are probably 5 kids who have a chance - a chance! - at D1. And that doesn't mean scholarship. And that doesn't mean top D1. That's a lot of change. In that time, many kids have given up lots of other things - piano, ballet, basketball, etc. Not all have, but many. And then many burn out and decide to not play in college. Participations rates will continue to drop at premier. It's just not sustainable given what most get. 2/3 of every age group are not on elite roster. Which is fine. But for many of the "second and third" teams the benefits do not even come close to the costs when compared to travel. Now some kids are into it at whatever level and can afford it. No knocking them. Go for it. People think that unless they are playing premier soccer that there are no options. That's not true in my view. If I'm wrong and it is true, then I think there is a market for a level beneath premier, but above rec where the emphasis is on competition and fun as opposed to trying to identify a couple of "elite" kids. I'm sure the same could be said of other sports, but since this is a soccer forum and I only know that angle I'll stick to that. And I'm guilty as charged of paying. If I had to do over again, I wouldn't do it. Coaches were ok for most part, competition good for most part, but could have just as well served playing travel, pickup, basketball, tennis, and life balance. At some point the pendulum will swing back I hope.

[Unregistered]

Yes. But most can play travel soccer and get same level of coaching at a fraction of the cost and then can afford to play multiple sports or multiple activities. I mean if you do a quick math at just FSA (and I'm sure others are similar), lets say you have two kids who play premier beginning at 9 years old. Let's just say its $3K/year per kid all-in and that includes uniforms. So you are 6K per year until 17 years old. That's 54K for two kids. Think about that. I did not factor in hotels, travel/gas, cleats, etc. Now considering at each age group there are probably 5 kids who have a chance - a chance! - at D1. And that doesn't mean scholarship. And that doesn't mean top D1. That's a lot of change. In that time, many kids have given up lots of other things - piano, ballet, basketball, etc. Not all have, but many. And then many burn out and decide to not play in college. Participations rates will continue to drop at premier. It's just not sustainable given what most get. 2/3 of every age group are not on elite roster. Which is fine. But for many of the "second and third" teams the benefits do not even come close to the costs when compared to travel. Now some kids are into it at whatever level and can afford it. No knocking them. Go for it. People think that unless they are playing premier soccer that there are no options. That's not true in my view. If I'm wrong and it is true, then I think there is a market for a level beneath premier, but above rec where the emphasis is on competition and fun as opposed to trying to identify a couple of "elite" kids. I'm sure the same could be said of other sports, but since this is a soccer forum and I only know that angle I'll stick to that. And I'm guilty as charged of paying. If I had to do over again, I wouldn't do it. Coaches were ok for most part, competition good for most part, but could have just as well served playing travel, pickup, basketball, tennis, and life balance. At some point the pendulum will swing back I hope.

Yup waste of time at places like FSA

[Unregistered]

Yes. But most can play travel soccer and get same level of coaching at a fraction of the cost and then can afford to play multiple sports or multiple activities. I mean if you do a quick math at just FSA (and I'm sure others are similar), lets say you have two kids who play premier beginning at 9 years old. Let's just say its $3K/year per kid all-in and that includes uniforms. So you are 6K per year until 17 years old. That's 54K for two kids. Think about that. I did not factor in hotels, travel/gas, cleats, etc. Now considering at each age group there are probably 5 kids who have a chance - a chance! - at D1. And that doesn't mean scholarship. And that doesn't mean top D1. That's a lot of change. In that time, many kids have given up lots of other things - piano, ballet, basketball, etc. Not all have, but many. And then many burn out and decide to not play in college. Participations rates will continue to drop at premier. It's just not sustainable given what most get. 2/3 of every age group are not on elite roster. Which is fine. But for many of the "second and third" teams the benefits do not even come close to the costs when compared to travel. Now some kids are into it at whatever level and can afford it. No knocking them. Go for it. People think that unless they are playing premier soccer that there are no options. That's not true in my view. If I'm wrong and it is true, then I think there is a market for a level beneath premier, but above rec where the emphasis is on competition and fun as opposed to trying to identify a couple of "elite" kids. I'm sure the same could be said of other sports, but since this is a soccer forum and I only know that angle I'll stick to that. And I'm guilty as charged of paying. If I had to do over again, I wouldn't do it. Coaches were ok for most part, competition good for most part, but could have just as well served playing travel, pickup, basketball, tennis, and life balance. At some point the pendulum will swing back I hope.

It already is staring to swing back, unfortunately with participation rates dropping 15% in the last three years. I think more would stay in if it weren't for the crazy travel and costs and the mentality that if you can't make "the top league" (whatever that is) you shouldn't bother. Lots of kids would like to play decent soccer locally at a lower cost. That's how you keep them playing but not with how the landscape is set up now.

[Unregistered]

It already is staring to swing back, unfortunately with participation rates dropping 15% in the last three years. I think more would stay in if it weren't for the crazy travel and costs and the mentality that if you can't make "the top league" (whatever that is) you shouldn't bother. Lots of kids would like to play decent soccer locally at a lower cost. That's how you keep them playing but not with how the landscape is set up now.

Go cry to Bernie! Free healthcare! Free school! Free soccer! Everyone should donate their time for free and pool their paychecks together! Socialism rocks!

[Unregistered]

Go cry to Bernie! Free healthcare! Free school! Free soccer! Everyone should donate their time for free and pool their paychecks together! Socialism rocks!

Don't be an idiot. Did I say free soccer? No. More reasonably priced for what you get is what is needed. Less travel too. That's how we can keep kids playing. Soccer is increasingly a sport for the well to do, especially on the women's side where it's all pay to play.

[Unregistered]

Don't be an idiot. Did I say free soccer? No. More reasonably priced for what you get is what is needed. Less travel too. That's how we can keep kids playing. Soccer is increasingly a sport for the well to do, especially on the women's side where it's all pay to play.

If YOU build it they will come. Don't sit back and cry because someone else isn't providing something you want. Go out and do it yourself.

[Unregistered]

If YOU build it they will come. Don't sit back and cry because someone else isn't providing something you want. Go out and do it yourself.

Tell that to the clubs that are shrinking and losing players and teams. Read the market and you'll find success, but these aren't Wharton MBA types

[Unregistered]

Pop-up premier killed Classic Travel (town travel). The availability of CCSL, EDP, NPL, etc., hurt because we don't have the numbers of kids to support all of that dreck. Sure, Classic Travel used daddy and mommy coaches, increasingly they were daddy and mommy coaches who had high school and/or college playing experienced. With CJSA, these coaches got D and C licenses. But, pop-up premier killed that. Too many parents thought throwing cash at some slick guy who had his own boutique club would lead to collegiate glory. F#ck that. Everything has become so diluted that even FSA and OW use daddy and mommy coaches.

The pendulum won't swing back anytime soon. There are a lot of kids to be lost from youth soccer before that happens. Leadership matters, and U.S. Soccer isn't leading. Our youth system must be restructured, and that can only happen from the top down. Good luck with all of that.

Yeah I coach. Didn't coach my kid who plays D3 college. Do coach the other who is less into the sport. FWIW, it would have been better to work with the CJSA than go this expensive, uncoordinated, ridiculous, scattered route we have chosen. Did I mention, parents suck?

[Unregistered]

Pop-up premier killed Classic Travel (town travel). The availability of CCSL, EDP, NPL, etc., hurt because we don't have the numbers of kids to support all of that dreck. Sure, Classic Travel used daddy and mommy coaches, increasingly they were daddy and mommy coaches who had high school and/or college playing experienced. With CJSA, these coaches got D and C licenses. But, pop-up premier killed that. Too many parents thought throwing cash at some slick guy who had his own boutique club would lead to collegiate glory. F#ck that. Everything has become so diluted that even FSA and OW use daddy and mommy coaches.

The pendulum won't swing back anytime soon. There are a lot of kids to be lost from youth soccer before that happens. Leadership matters, and U.S. Soccer isn't leading. Our youth system must be restructured, and that can only happen from the top down. Good luck with all of that.

Yeah I coach. Didn't coach my kid who plays D3 college. Do coach the other who is less into the sport. FWIW, it would have been better to work with the CJSA than go this expensive, uncoordinated, ridiculous, scattered route we have chosen. Did I mention, parents suck?

Totally agree. There's too much money to be made by all these leagues and clubs so a complete system overhaul isn't coming any time soon. Doesn't help that USSF is clueless and plays a big role is the problems

[Unregistered]

Totally agree. There's too much money to be made by all these leagues and clubs so a complete system overhaul isn't coming any time soon. Doesn't help that USSF is clueless and plays a big role is the problems

Yeah, just look at our national teams. The USMNT still sucks, can barely beat Caribbean island teams, and the USWNT has lost all advantage over European teams. More than that, the European teams are younger, so the USWNT is aging out and the latest crop of Europeans are better than the players being "developed" by the U.S.

[Unregistered]

Yeah, just look at our national teams. The USMNT still sucks, can barely beat Caribbean island teams, and the USWNT has lost all advantage over European teams. More than that, the European teams are younger, so the USWNT is aging out and the latest crop of Europeans are better than the players being "developed" by the U.S.

To their credit they're trying to fix it, a little too late of course. But GDA isn't going to fix it.