The ugly truth about playing college soccer

[Unregistered]

Not every college or club coach head or asst is good.

The quality of the coach doesn't matter, its the pipeline that does.

[Unregistered]

Still trying to figure out what the point is. Granted that the majority of players stay close to home and college coaches know that when recruiting, but the coaches have to have a winning program so their needs to be talent first beyond the recruit just having the right zip code. It goes back to this misconception that coaches scout whole teams rather than the best 1-2 players from a team.

The point is exactly that. The college coaches in this state and in the ones that touch it simply do not find the local talent all that appealing. Another example. Look at Umass. 28 on the roster. Only 7 players from Mass. Actually have 7 internationals.

[Unregistered]

Well done by you, but I should note getting that much is fairly unique. That equates to over $40k a year and for the most of us, that isn't a scholarship that is achievable.

Yes it is if you target properly. The question then is whether or not your kid wants to go to the school where that money is available. Problem around here is many scoff at schools like UMass where in other parts of the country the big state schools are seen as an attractive option.

[Unregistered]

Well done by you, but I should note getting that much is fairly unique. That equates to over $40k a year and for the most of us, that isn't a scholarship that is achievable.

My kid got $140,000 to attend Syracuse and she's not even an athlete. A-/B+ grades in HS, SAT of 1300. Family income of 150k. Point is that private schools very rarely charge full sticker price and there is lots of funny money out there. If you want to test it, ask the school if your kid doesn't play soccer there, what would the other aid be. You'd be surprised how close it would be to the average athletic aid.

[Unregistered]

Here are the 45 D1 women's soccer programs in the Northeast

Boston College - Chestnut Hill - Massachusetts - Private - ACC
Boston University - Boston - Massachusetts - Private - Patriot
Harvard - Cambridge - Massachusetts - Private - Ivy League
Holy Cross - Worcester - Massachusetts - Private - Patriot
Merrimack[g] - North Andover - Massachusetts - Private - Northeast
Northeastern - Boston - Massachusetts - Private - CAA
UMass - Amherst - Massachusetts - Public - Atlantic 10
UMass Lowell - Lowell - Massachusetts - Public - America East
Central Connecticut - New Britain - Connecticut - Public - Northeast
Fairfield - Fairfield - Connecticut - Private - Metro Atlantic
Hartford - West Hartford - Connecticut - Private - America East
Quinnipiac - Hamden - Connecticut - Private - Metro Atlantic
Sacred Heart - Fairfield - Connecticut - Private - Northeast
UConn - Storrs - Connecticut - Public - The American
Yale - New Haven - Connecticut - Private - Ivy League
Maine - Orono - Maine - Public - America East
Dartmouth - Hanover - New Hampshire - Private - Ivy League
New Hampshire - Durham - New Hampshire - Public - America East
Brown - Providence - Rhode Island - Private - Ivy League
Bryant - Smithfield - Rhode Island - Private - Northeast
Providence - Providence - Rhode Island - Private - Big East
Rhode Island - Kingston - Rhode Island - Public - Atlantic 10
Vermont - Burlington - Vermont - Public - America East
Albany - Albany - New York - Public - America East
Army - West Point - New York - U.S. Service Academy - Patriot
Binghamton - Binghamton - New York - Public - America East
Buffalo - Buffalo - New York - Public - MAC
Canisius - Buffalo - New York - Private - Metro Atlantic
Colgate - Hamilton - New York - Private - Patriot
Columbia - New York City - New York - Private - Ivy League
Cornell - Ithaca - New York - Private - Ivy League
Fordham - New York City - New York - Private - Atlantic 10
Hofstra - Hempstead - New York - Private - CAA
Iona - New Rochelle - New York - Private - Metro Atlantic
LIU[c] - Brookville[d] - New York - Private - Northeast[f]
Manhattan - Riverdale - New York - Private - Metro Atlantic
Marist - Poughkeepsie - New York - Private - Metro Atlantic
Niagara - Lewiston - New York - Private - Metro Atlantic
St. Bonaventure - St. Bonaventure - New York - Private - Atlantic 10
St. Francis Brooklyn - Brooklyn - New York - Private - Northeast
St. John's - Jamaica - New York - Private - Big East
Siena - Loudonville - New York - Private - Metro Atlantic
Stony Brook - Stony Brook - New York - Public - America East
Syracuse - Syracuse - New York - Private - ACC
Wagner - Staten Island - New York - Private - Northeast

[Unregistered]

My kid got $140,000 to attend Syracuse and she's not even an athlete. A-/B+ grades in HS, SAT of 1300. Family income of 150k. Point is that private schools very rarely charge full sticker price and there is lots of funny money out there. If you want to test it, ask the school if your kid doesn't play soccer there, what would the other aid be. You'd be surprised how close it would be to the average athletic aid.

The problem around here is too many scoff at a great school like Syracuse. They have everyone believing most of the D1 colleges are beneath them.

[Unregistered]

Actually, considering all of the money families are pumping into club soccer, yes it is. What are any of the local clubs really doing to market their low level D1 players to the local low level D1 programs? They should all have the coaches at those programs on speed dial.

Current AD at big NE soccer club won't even forward an email from a coach within a full months time span. Speed dial ? Laughable

[Unregistered]

Current AD at big NE soccer club won't even forward an email from a coach within a full months time span. Speed dial ? Laughable

Isn't that the point? Why is that acceptable?

[Unregistered]

It's about $15,000 a year for an ECNL team with travel. My daughter is a senior and is getting approximately $170,000 in D1 scholarship money. She has played ECNL for three years so I am getting a return on my $45-50K

Mine is a college junior. She got roughly $240,000. The big debate back in her recruiting days was NPL vs ECNL. We did NPL and even though we travelled a bit and had a lot of ancillary costs for trainers and such I would be hard pressed to think we spent more than $35-40K. I never believed the whole 'showcase" spiel. I really pushed back on the travel costs and spent a lot less than most on it. Instead we spent more on trainers than most. If your kid is good the coaches will find them.

[Unregistered]

The quality of the coach doesn't matter, its the pipeline that does.

Here is the reason the pipeline fails work if you just throw in college coaches that are not good. Pipeline of low quality kids means low probability of success in college which means those college coaches are fired eventually.

If you pick good coaches, it translates into success for all involved.

[Unregistered]

My kid got $140,000 to attend Syracuse and she's not even an athlete. A-/B+ grades in HS, SAT of 1300. Family income of 150k. Point is that private schools very rarely charge full sticker price and there is lots of funny money out there. If you want to test it, ask the school if your kid doesn't play soccer there, what would the other aid be. You'd be surprised how close it would be to the average athletic aid.

This is true but you need the grades more so now than ever. It's competitive.

[Unregistered]

The problem around here is too many scoff at a great school like Syracuse. They have everyone believing most of the D1 colleges are beneath them.

Most scoffed at Syracuse because of it's soccer record not quality of education.

[Unregistered]

Isn't that the point? Why is that acceptable?

It is absolutely not acceptable.

The only thing that comes to mind is if status quo is met to club partners/owners in terms of gross profits.............why ruffle feathers. Therefore lazy AD are allowed to stay and keep earning 100K+ per year to kick a ball around at practice.

Most parents are sheep and scared to lose a spot on "top" teams is another take.

This topic really deserves its own thread to expose this side of broken promises for the u10-12 parents. I would support you opening one with a clever title.

[Unregistered]

The point is exactly that. The college coaches in this state and in the ones that touch it simply do not find the local talent all that appealing. Another example. Look at Umass. 28 on the roster. Only 7 players from Mass. Actually have 7 internationals.

This exercise has been done already. There is a reason most top programs do not come shopping locally anymore, lack of well developed youth talent. They are going NJ, PA, MD, VA and NC.

[Unregistered]

My kid got $140,000 to attend Syracuse and she's not even an athlete. A-/B+ grades in HS, SAT of 1300. Family income of 150k. Point is that private schools very rarely charge full sticker price and there is lots of funny money out there. If you want to test it, ask the school if your kid doesn't play soccer there, what would the other aid be. You'd be surprised how close it would be to the average athletic aid.

We got about $160k for my kid to go to her private D3 up here. Agree with this poster .... do not equate total money with athletic money ... the vast majority of that money could have been attained without sports at may private schools. So, if you spent $80-90k for them to play soccer over the past 10 years (the last 4 or 5 are usually doozies), and only got 20% athletic money to a $60k school, then you actually probably lost a fair amount of money.