Year round college soccer!

[Unregistered]

The school wouldnt care as much as the coach but ultimately I think the schools would step in and stop this from happening in my opinion. If this happens, other sports would probably follow like lax, field hockey. While we are at it, lets add baseball to the fall schedule and football to the spring.

You obviously dont have a child on an athletic scholarship

[Unregistered]

You obviously dont have a child on an athletic scholarship

DING - Wrong, but thank you for playing!

My son does have an athletic scholarship. The school/coaches current policy is the spring semesters portion is reduced by a percentage. Not alot but it is reduced.

[Unregistered]

DING - Wrong, but thank you for playing!

My son does have an athletic scholarship. The school/coaches current policy is the spring semesters portion is reduced by a percentage. Not alot but it is reduced.

What school?

[Unregistered]

What school?

Not going to open that up to all the vultures in here, sorry. We expected to lose some of his scholarship but that was a choice we made with the coach fully on board and in support.

[Unregistered]

Not going to open that up to all the vultures in here, sorry. We expected to lose some of his scholarship but that was a choice we made with the coach fully on board and in support.

Wow, not saying this doesn't happen this way in some places but you would be hard pressed to convince me that this is a common thing in D1. I would imagine the implications of scholarship players ducking out on their athletic responsibilities to study abroad could be pretty far reaching. Just some questions/thoughts off the top of my head.

What level of competition in D1 is this even an option at? I can't imagine it would be option in a super competitive program.
Are we talking about an impact player with a sizable scholarship or a core player with a token one? As someone already mentioned, I can't imagine a coach allowing one their top tier players to take an entire spring season off.
I would be concerned about what happens after the semester. If the player is on a one year renewable deal, might this void the following years?

[Unregistered]

Wow, not saying this doesn't happen this way in some places but you would be hard pressed to convince me that this is a common thing in D1. I would imagine the implications of scholarship players ducking out on their athletic responsibilities to study abroad could be pretty far reaching. Just some questions/thoughts off the top of my head.

What level of competition in D1 is this even an option at? I can't imagine it would be option in a super competitive program.
Are we talking about an impact player with a sizable scholarship or a core player with a token one? As someone already mentioned, I can't imagine a coach allowing one their top tier players to take an entire spring season off.
I would be concerned about what happens after the semester. If the player is on a one year renewable deal, might this void the following years?

Well, its not ACC but its D1. Not sure how else to describe and who really knows if this is common for D1? All I can do is speak from our experience and for good or bad, the coach seems to understand the importance of the spring schedule to the reason the kids are at school to begin with. "So I have that going for me, which is nice"

[Unregistered]

Let's be serious.

This proposal for a combined spring / fall season is about only one thing - making college soccer better to somehow save it from DAP.

Before too many more years, once DAP is a little more stabilized financially and aligned with a professional pipeline to MLS and elsewhere, the DAP players will be prohibited from college soccer.

Instead, the best DAP players will get funneled elsewhere and onto professional paths. The incredibly poor training environment that college soccer represents is clearly the next "big thorn" in the side of USSF. They'll be looking to cut colleges out of the loop. (Certainly Klinnsman has zero intent on gifting talented players away to spend prime development years in the crappy college soccer environment)

This proposal is college soccer's response to try to stay relevant by expanding the training and playing season.

Of course it won't work - USSF will build a more attractive pipeline for the best players faster than colleges can ever get their act together on reaching consensus on a proposal like this. NCAA and colleges move at a snail's pace comparatively.

[Unregistered]

Well, its not ACC but its D1. Not sure how else to describe and who really knows if this is common for D1? All I can do is speak from our experience and for good or bad, the coach seems to understand the importance of the spring schedule to the reason the kids are at school to begin with. "So I have that going for me, which is nice"

Your post is pretty much proof why what the next guy is saying has some legs. At the D1 level you are supposed to doing soccer to be a soccer player not a world traveler. I actually think though what he is getting at is a little crazy though because the NCAA doesn't give a crap about US Soccer. If they really wanted to "fix' college soccer they would make it a head count sport and increase the number of scholarships so they could attract more committed players. They are not going to do that simply because college sports are about money and that proposal would cost the colleges too much. That's what they worry about, not DAP. In the end if US Soccer wants to improve the quality of their top tier soccer players they need to come up with a solution to woo them away from the colleges and get them playing at the pro level.

[Unregistered]

Ultimately, men's D1 college soccer needs to change or more top prospects are going to skip it.

[Unregistered]

Ultimately, men's D1 college soccer needs to change or more top prospects are going to skip it.

I don't agree. Every other college sport plays their "season" and that's it. Sure there are a few truly top players that leave for the pros (especially basketball, not as much football). But most players will never make the pros and playing D1 sports gives them the ability to keep playing at a very high level AND get an education. Playing all year is probably not an option from both a logistics standpoint (fields) but budgetary as well. On top of that is many athletes purposely load up on less demanding courses during the season, then more difficult ones off season.

As for the study abroad option, by junior year most students have a clear sense of what direction they are going in professionally and for most it isn't pro sports. There are so many incredible benefits in studying abroad (preferably for at least a semester, not just a few weeks) and it would be a shame if athletes would be limited to programs that are just a few weeks because of sports. And D1 athletes not staying in shape? Absurd...my athlete found a gym when abroad in no time and a group of other athletes to work out with, play pick up games, running club, etc. Plus you're talking about 20 year olds. They can get in shape in a flash. It's the 40+ year olds debating that who are envious.

[Unregistered]

I don't agree. Every other college sport plays their "season" and that's it. Sure there are a few truly top players that leave for the pros (especially basketball, not as much football). But most players will never make the pros and playing D1 sports gives them the ability to keep playing at a very high level AND get an education. Playing all year is probably not an option from both a logistics standpoint (fields) but budgetary as well. On top of that is many athletes purposely load up on less demanding courses during the season, then more difficult ones off season.

As for the study abroad option, by junior year most students have a clear sense of what direction they are going in professionally and for most it isn't pro sports. There are so many incredible benefits in studying abroad (preferably for at least a semester, not just a few weeks) and it would be a shame if athletes would be limited to programs that are just a few weeks because of sports. And D1 athletes not staying in shape? Absurd...my athlete found a gym when abroad in no time and a group of other athletes to work out with, play pick up games, running club, etc. Plus you're talking about 20 year olds. They can get in shape in a flash. It's the 40+ year olds debating that who are envious.

College athletes ALWAYS return from study abroad out of shape. 100% of the time. It's the biggest reason why they are pressured (or prohibited) from doing it.

[Unregistered]

College athletes ALWAYS return from study abroad out of shape. 100% of the time. It's the biggest reason why they are pressured (or prohibited) from doing it.

That was my point! They return 10 pounds over weight and grossly out of shape, compared to the rest of the team. Not to say some wont bust their *****, and get close, but their fitness foundation, when getting home in June isn't close to the team mates that played the spring season. What percentage do you think actually come in to preseason, at the same level as the rest? My guess is 10%. Will you loose your scholorship in your senior year? Probably not. Player had a great time, and great experience. Then in their senior year dropped the ball. Why wouldn't the coach frown on it?

[Unregistered]

Your post is pretty much proof why what the next guy is saying has some legs. At the D1 level you are supposed to doing soccer to be a soccer player not a world traveler. I actually think though what he is getting at is a little crazy though because the NCAA doesn't give a crap about US Soccer. If they really wanted to "fix' college soccer they would make it a head count sport and increase the number of scholarships so they could attract more committed players. They are not going to do that simply because college sports are about money and that proposal would cost the colleges too much. That's what they worry about, not DAP. In the end if US Soccer wants to improve the quality of their top tier soccer players they need to come up with a solution to woo them away from the colleges and get them playing at the pro level.

Can just see BTDT now in the college coach's ear telling him which girls shouldn't play because they haven't been working hard enough and don't care enough and don't understand what it takes and what the rules are to be a true D1 athlete.

[Unregistered]

That was my point! They return 10 pounds over weight and grossly out of shape, compared to the rest of the team. Not to say some wont bust their *****, and get close, but their fitness foundation, when getting home in June isn't close to the team mates that played the spring season. What percentage do you think actually come in to preseason, at the same level as the rest? My guess is 10%. Will you loose your scholorship in your senior year? Probably not. Player had a great time, and great experience. Then in their senior year dropped the ball. Why wouldn't the coach frown on it?

My D DIII coach definitely discourages study abroad. Publicly he can't say anything as that would be counter to the DIII mission but it a well known fact among the team that he doesn't like it and players face being cut or reduced playing time for the following season.

[Unregistered]

"Every other college sport plays their season and that's it."

This is wrong. Football players play all year, as do basketball, LAX, swimmers, etc. Yes, there is a regular season but they also play a less intense schedule the rest of the school year. They also return early and have scheduled workouts, practices during breaks.

I was a college athlete. We competed all year, and had a split season much like soccer proposes. I knew when I took my scholarship and joined the team, I would be giving up my junior year abroad. I knew I'd have to schedule classes to accommodate for my sport, but I wanted to compete, and I got free tuition. I got to attend a college I would never have been able to afford without the scholarship. Some of my teammates (not on scholarship) did study abroad, but it impacted them and our team. They didn't qualify (individual) for the regional or national competitions that year, and couldn't represent the team either.

Everyone will have to make choices, but don't think for 1 minute that traveling abroad or making academic choices over the team commitment won't impact individuals or the team. I made my choices, and won't judge others for doing the same, BUT keep it real. If you play a college sport, especially if it's D1, or you get scholarship money, your education will come second. That's why they pay you.

It used to be that athletes on scholarship were thrilled to be paid to play a sport they loved. Now, the entitled attitude has overshadowed this as well. If you can afford to pay for your player to attend college without taking scholarship money, then they can feel free to put other aspects of school ahead of the sport they are being paid to play. If they accept scholarship money, it's like getting a job in order to work your way to college. Do you think students who have to work at outside jobs to afford tuition get to study abroad? No, they have to keep working.