Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

US soccer and the continued failure of its pay-to-play model

Collapse
X
  •  
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    US soccer and the continued failure of its pay-to-play model

    http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...814-story.html

    Why do parents feel they "need" to pay this kind of money for their kid to play soccer? The more they pay the better a player their kid will be. That's how it works, isn't it?


    This should be an inexpensive game!

    #2
    The guy is right

    Comment


      #3
      Article doesn't talk about the tips and donations behind the scenes.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
        http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...814-story.html

        Why do parents feel they "need" to pay this kind of money for their kid to play soccer? The more they pay the better a player their kid will be. That's how it works, isn't it?


        This should be an inexpensive game!
        Sounds like a great opportunity exists for you to start an inexpensive club and league. Keep us posted as to what the exact plan is and where we sign up.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
          http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...814-story.html

          Why do parents feel they "need" to pay this kind of money for their kid to play soccer? The more they pay the better a player their kid will be. That's how it works, isn't it?


          This should be an inexpensive game!
          It is cheap but not to play at a competitive level. High level play requires high level dollars.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
            http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...814-story.html

            Why do parents feel they "need" to pay this kind of money for their kid to play soccer? The more they pay the better a player their kid will be. That's how it works, isn't it?


            This should be an inexpensive game!
            From a compensation standpoint, what should the ideal model be for a soccer coach?

            Should they have a regular 9-5p job and then coach on the side for a small or should they be professional coaches?

            Which model will service and advance the soccer community in the United States?

            Comment


              #7
              I agree generally with the article, but need to call bs on the "playground basketball myth":

              "It’s the opposite of how basketball players are bred in this country – in rec centers and rutted outdoor courts with frayed nets, without coaches or parents, without uniforms or referees, in pick-up games where kids hone one-on-one skills without the fear of adult disapproval, with freedom and creativity. Sound familiar? Ask Brazilian soccer stars where they got their start."

              Yes, that is how basketball players were once developed, not anymore. AAU, camps, leagues and early scouting are now the normal path to college basketball, and the game has lost creativity, spontaneity and entertainment-value because of it. Drive around Boston and look at empty basketball courts. No more playground culture.

              Maybe cheap/free soccer can fill this void?

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                I agree generally with the article, but need to call bs on the "playground basketball myth":

                "It’s the opposite of how basketball players are bred in this country – in rec centers and rutted outdoor courts with frayed nets, without coaches or parents, without uniforms or referees, in pick-up games where kids hone one-on-one skills without the fear of adult disapproval, with freedom and creativity. Sound familiar? Ask Brazilian soccer stars where they got their start."

                Yes, that is how basketball players were once developed, not anymore. AAU, camps, leagues and early scouting are now the normal path to college basketball, and the game has lost creativity, spontaneity and entertainment-value because of it. Drive around Boston and look at empty basketball courts. No more playground culture.

                Maybe cheap/free soccer can fill this void?
                You are crazy! So many of the top D1 players are from inner cities. While some certainly played AAU (for free) they honed their skills on local black top courts. Same with so many top soccer players from south america and africa ..... they may have been picked up later but got great kicking tattered balls, rocks, and rolled socks in alleys, on dirt and on pavement. Not all but many.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                  It is cheap but not to play at a competitive level. High level play requires high level dollars.
                  In our system of extensive cross country travel and tournaments, yes it is expensive to "play at a high level". My D's team last year was good, but not great. Ranked in the top 10 in MA... we won some games and lost some games. Given there was plenty of competition locally, why on earth did the team need to travel to NJ, VA, MD, FL, etc, for tournaments, especially when the team wasn't even at an age where college recruiting was the priority?

                  Money. It's built into the system.

                  I will also add that I am a licensed coach and have been around a number of clubs and numerous coaches. The disparity of coaching quality, understanding of the game, and more importantly understanding of how to teach the game to your audience whatever age that might be is all over the map. Very little consistancy and a general lack of ability. I wasn't a good coach when I started, but after years of practice and self-improvement through continuing education and licensing, I can tell you I know more about teaching this game well than 80% of coaches I have met, and those guys are getting paid to do a poor job.

                  Bottom line, we have a multi-pronged problem of pay-to-play, lack of soccer culture, and poor coaching at the ages of u8-16, as well as a screwed up college game in the 18-22 age group that works against us developing professionals and national teams. Add in poor financial prospects for domestic pros in the US and there is no one way to address our failures at the NT level. Take each point individually and come up with answers and maybe we will get on the right track in 20 years.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                    In our system of extensive cross country travel and tournaments, yes it is expensive to "play at a high level". My D's team last year was good, but not great. Ranked in the top 10 in MA... we won some games and lost some games. Given there was plenty of competition locally, why on earth did the team need to travel to NJ, VA, MD, FL, etc, for tournaments, especially when the team wasn't even at an age where college recruiting was the priority?

                    Money. It's built into the system.

                    I will also add that I am a licensed coach and have been around a number of clubs and numerous coaches. The disparity of coaching quality, understanding of the game, and more importantly understanding of how to teach the game to your audience whatever age that might be is all over the map. Very little consistancy and a general lack of ability. I wasn't a good coach when I started, but after years of practice and self-improvement through continuing education and licensing, I can tell you I know more about teaching this game well than 80% of coaches I have met, and those guys are getting paid to do a poor job.

                    Bottom line, we have a multi-pronged problem of pay-to-play, lack of soccer culture, and poor coaching at the ages of u8-16, as well as a screwed up college game in the 18-22 age group that works against us developing professionals and national teams. Add in poor financial prospects for domestic pros in the US and there is no one way to address our failures at the NT level. Take each point individually and come up with answers and maybe we will get on the right track in 20 years.
                    As long as we dont beat ourselves up over not winning international competitions, there is nothing wrong with our system. If world cups are the goal, forget it.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      I agree generally with the article, but need to call bs on the "playground basketball myth":

                      "It’s the opposite of how basketball players are bred in this country – in rec centers and rutted outdoor courts with frayed nets, without coaches or parents, without uniforms or referees, in pick-up games where kids hone one-on-one skills without the fear of adult disapproval, with freedom and creativity. Sound familiar? Ask Brazilian soccer stars where they got their start."

                      Yes, that is how basketball players were once developed, not anymore. AAU, camps, leagues and early scouting are now the normal path to college basketball, and the game has lost creativity, spontaneity and entertainment-value because of it. Drive around Boston and look at empty basketball courts. No more playground culture.

                      Maybe cheap/free soccer can fill this void?
                      Exactly. the idea that there's all these ballers out there in schoolyards is pure fiction. AAU dominates by the time any kid, urban, white, black whatever is 13. It is all money, whether the participant is the one paying or not just like top soccer kids here don't actually pay, either.

                      As for pointing at how things work in Brazil - this is absurd. Kids like neymar, costa, marcello are found as little kids and signed by clubs who will ultimately sell them in what is a glorified version of child labor/trafficking. These kids are signed by clubs like Santos by the time they're 9 or 10, to be sold to the Europeans teams for $20-30 million a few years later. Is soccer glory so important that we want to copy that system?

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                        Exactly. the idea that there's all these ballers out there in schoolyards is pure fiction. AAU dominates by the time any kid, urban, white, black whatever is 13. It is all money, whether the participant is the one paying or not just like top soccer kids here don't actually pay, either.

                        As for pointing at how things work in Brazil - this is absurd. Kids like neymar, costa, marcello are found as little kids and signed by clubs who will ultimately sell them in what is a glorified version of child labor/trafficking. These kids are signed by clubs like Santos by the time they're 9 or 10, to be sold to the Europeans teams for $20-30 million a few years later. Is soccer glory so important that we want to copy that system?
                        Many have said we cannot reproduce what happens everywhere in the world for many reasons (culture, focus on education here, not enough pro clubs here, geography, pay to play isn'tgoing away). The question is how can the system be reworked under the limitations?

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                          As long as we dont beat ourselves up over not winning international competitions, there is nothing wrong with our system. If world cups are the goal, forget it.
                          That's the rub... our system is fine for college and high school. If our goal is to win world cups and international competition and/or for MLS to be a destination league on par with the other top leagues in the world, we're woefully inadequate. It starts with better coaching, which means more educated and adequately licensed coaches (see Iceland) and ends with a smaller, more regional system of high level play. Somewhere in there, MLS and NWSL needs to play a bigger role in reducing fees and the pay-to-play model.

                          If all we care about is upper middle class families paying through the nose for a chance at a college acholarship, we deserve the system we have.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                            It is cheap but not to play at a competitive level. High level play requires high level dollars.
                            Please substantiate this claim.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                              Many have said we cannot reproduce what happens everywhere in the world for many reasons (culture, focus on education here, not enough pro clubs here, geography, pay to play isn'tgoing away). The question is how can the system be reworked under the limitations?
                              We can rework until the cows come home. We can't compete against that system which is very financially incentivized to find real talent, develop it and sell it. That system makes soccer talent very valuable so it is found and developed regardless of the income level of the player. But that is ok. The costs are too high in that system for the ones that don't make it.

                              Comment

                              Previously entered content was automatically saved. Restore or Discard.
                              Auto-Saved
                              x
                              Insert: Thumbnail Small Medium Large Fullsize Remove  
                              x
                              Working...
                              X