By the numbers

[Unregistered]

Depends on the age group. Some of the teams will be falling apart for next year with a lot of player movement. Some will get stronger. With the amount of money the FC parents pay I would hope they would win some big tournaments. The club fees are extremely high and so is tournament travel.

How much more is FC Portland then THUSC or OSAA?

[Unregistered]

Zero

How much more is FC Portland then THUSC or OSAA?

These clubs aren't competing on dollars. It's not materially different from one to the other. They all go to tournaments and that's where the dollars add up, not on league and training fees.

[Unregistered]

How much more is FC Portland then THUSC or OSAA?

About $300 more but where it really hits you is when the team travels. I know our team tries to save the parents as much money as possible while traveling. At FC you have no say in it at all and your only job is to write a check. They do not find the best airfare or hotel rates. Not to mention the food, gatorade, etc that you HAVE to pay for upfront.

[Unregistered]

These clubs aren't competing on dollars. It's not materially different from one to the other. They all go to tournaments and that's where the dollars add up, not on league and training fees.

Zero, really?

FC U14 and up is like $1600 for club fees
OSSA is around $1200

[Unregistered]

How much more is FC Portland then THUSC or OSAA?

Travel is way more expensive at FC as if you go with your kid you pay double. If you have two kids at the same tournament it really adds up. Team managers feed the kids on the road. (You pay obviously.)

[Unregistered]

Travel is way more expensive at FC as if you go with your kid you pay double. If you have two kids at the same tournament it really adds up. Team managers feed the kids on the road. (You pay obviously.)

And isn't that the point of all this? Play other teams from other states, to improve and develop?

You don't get better by having a friendly with your 'B' every few months.

[Unregistered]

Travel is way more expensive at FC as if you go with your kid you pay double. If you have two kids at the same tournament it really adds up. Team managers feed the kids on the road. (You pay obviously.)

Agreed. I had 2 daughters at FC and when the two teams went to the same tournament I had to pay for 3 hotel rooms (1 for me, 1 for each daughter). It ended up that I was unable to attend most tournaments because I just didn't want to have to pay for 3 rooms. They have since changed clubs and at our current club I only had to pay for 1 room. It saves me a ton of money and with the savings allows me to go to the tournaments as well.

[Unregistered]

And isn't that the point of all this? Play other teams from other states, to improve and develop?

You don't get better by having a friendly with your 'B' every few months.

You missed the point entirely. The point was that travel at FC is much more expensive then travel at the rest of the clubs. Most of the clubs try to limit the amount parents have to spend on travel but FC doesn't care. WST, THUSC, and OSSA travel just as much as FC does but the cost is considerably less.

[Unregistered]

You missed the point entirely. The point was that travel at FC is much more expensive then travel at the rest of the clubs. Most of the clubs try to limit the amount parents have to spend on travel but FC doesn't care. WST, THUSC, and OSSA travel just as much as FC does but the cost is considerably less.

That entirely depends on what angle you view this from. At a previous club, I either had to travel with my child or depend upon another family to take care of my child. At FC Pdx, I don't have to travel as they are under the care of the manager. At a previous club, when I travelled, my schedule was limited to the soccer schedule and delivering my child; team meetings, training, team meals, team activities, etc. At FC Pdx, when I travel I get to see the area and do whatever I want, I just make sure to make it to the fields by game time. It's all about perspective.

[Unregistered]

That entirely depends on what angle you view this from. At a previous club, I either had to travel with my child or depend upon another family to take care of my child. At FC Pdx, I don't have to travel as they are under the care of the manager. At a previous club, when I travelled, my schedule was limited to the soccer schedule and delivering my child; team meetings, training, team meals, team activities, etc. At FC Pdx, when I travel I get to see the area and do whatever I want, I just make sure to make it to the fields by game time. It's all about perspective.

I don't see this travel information on their website. How does it work? Each kid gets their own room? The manager drives them all? Do they rent a bus or something? Is this true for the U11s too?

[Unregistered]

FC Travel

I don't see this travel information on their website. How does it work? Each kid gets their own room? The manager drives them all? Do they rent a bus or something? Is this true for the U11s too?

Typically the manager and a couple of parent chaperones travel with the teams and handle logistics. The players usually stay 4 to a room. When they're younger they are more closely chaperoned (3 players and an adult), when older, it gets a little looser (4 players). The manager, coaches usually drive. You know the costs up front and you are directly billed with an itemized statement of what you paid for. I agree with the other poster. It depends upon perspective and there is a cost. If you look at it solely from a dollars out of your wallet perspective, it's probably more expensive (assuming you go). If you value not having to do all the coordinating it's not a bad trade off.

[Unregistered]

Travel with FC PDX

That entirely depends on what angle you view this from. At a previous club, I either had to travel with my child or depend upon another family to take care of my child. At FC Pdx, I don't have to travel as they are under the care of the manager. At a previous club, when I travelled, my schedule was limited to the soccer schedule and delivering my child; team meetings, training, team meals, team activities, etc. At FC Pdx, when I travel I get to see the area and do whatever I want, I just make sure to make it to the fields by game time. It's all about perspective.

My DD switched clubs and plays with FC PDX now. I have to say that I personally appreciate their travel policies although admittedly it does cost us a bit more than when my daughter "traveled" with the prior club that our family had been with for 8+ years.

I like that FC makes all the arrangements; the kids all room together and meals are done as a group and the manager definitely keeps cost control in mind. My daughter has really liked the way this has helped with bonding with her new team and it feels more like what she will experience traveling with her college team in a few years.

With our prior club, parents were on their own. Lodging was either difficult to find or expensive because it wasn't arranged in a block. We had to get our kid to and from every game and the rare team activity. If there was a team meal it was because a parent made the arrangements and got the kids there- the coaches rarely participated in these. There was not at all a sense of the tournament being a "team" experience but much more of a family "vacation" for soccer. And we paid a small fortune for the coaches' expenses, and often there were "coaches" who never had anything to do with the team until it came time to have their travel to a tournament paid for.

Guess I had an opinion on this one!

[SodiumFan]

This is all very eye-opening and educational for me. When we were U12 we went to Hawaii. We had a great team manager who basically "taught" us how to travel on a budget. She would rent the block of rooms based on (months in advance) who was going, which players were being chaperoned, which parents were attending. Then we would tapper those down as we got closer and solidified who, indeed, was attending. We also booked airfare the same way when possible. Or, if it was cheaper to fly separate, we would. We had a group of parents plan meals (prepared in rooms or BBQ or restaurant)/activities, another handled transportation to/from fields, activities, meals. Every year since it has been a total team effort so the players could concentrate on the games and not have to worry about the details. I guess I just assumed it was pretty close to this no matter which club you were with.

Can someone be a little more detailed (no need to mane clubs) about how one club can be substantially more expensive to travel with? Is it that the players don't share rooms? Or meals? Or airfare?

I guess I'm just curious to see how other clubs do it.

[Unregistered]

This is all very eye-opening and educational for me. When we were U12 we went to Hawaii. We had a great team manager who basically "taught" us how to travel on a budget. She would rent the block of rooms based on (months in advance) who was going, which players were being chaperoned, which parents were attending. Then we would tapper those down as we got closer and solidified who, indeed, was attending. We also booked airfare the same way when possible. Or, if it was cheaper to fly separate, we would. We had a group of parents plan meals (prepared in rooms or BBQ or restaurant)/activities, another handled transportation to/from fields, activities, meals. Every year since it has been a total team effort so the players could concentrate on the games and not have to worry about the details. I guess I just assumed it was pretty close to this no matter which club you were with.

Can someone be a little more detailed (no need to mane clubs) about how one club can be substantially more expensive to travel with? Is it that the players don't share rooms? Or meals? Or airfare?

I guess I'm just curious to see how other clubs do it.

You pay the club, not the team, the total cost of trip/tournament. Everybody that travels must pay the same price and that price is set by an admin person within the club.

[Unregistered]

10 minutes work if you're good with Excel. Leads me to draw the conclusion that you can't go wrong at FC Portland :)

Can't go wrong with FC unless you are an adolescent girl. Then things can go very very wrong. If these results hold from year to year, FC would have to be recognized as the most competitive club. But at what cost?