It takes more than talent and hard work to play soccer in America. You also need money.
Consider Fletcher Jones, who plays soccer in MLS Next, the premier youth soccer division in the country.
Jones' Sporting Athletic Club team holds showcases and games all over the country. They recently played in front of college and professional scouts in the US state of Arizona, about 2,000 miles from Jones' home in Delaware.
“The furthest I’m on the team from the range is 2.5 hours away and we train four days a week,” Jones said.
The dedication, time and financial support required from players prevents many experienced players from continuing to play the sport they love.
Pay-to-play model
Sam Monks is a British soccer coach in California who coached at Tatnall School in Delaware, a private college preparatory school that Jones and I attend. Monks currently coaches in California, but he says there is a big difference between playing soccer in England and the United States, and the difference isn't in the rules of the game.
“English soccer players have a more equitable path to playing at the next level than their American counterparts because it is not a pay-per-view model,” Monks said.
The rich cultural history of European football helps develop and produce talent there. But the most important difference between the opportunity to play at a high level in Europe and the United States is the cost of playing the “beautiful game.”
The cost of paying for clubs, travel, and hotels in the United States is so high that many players never fully develop their talents to the point where they can play professionally or earn scholarships to play in college.
For example, while I was a travel soccer player, my parents paid about $4,000 per year in club fees, not including $600 for uniforms and travel expenses.
Not enough scoring ability.
In 2020 Alex Golini's research; A graduate student at Liberty University in Virginia, USA, approximately 79% of youth soccer players at the club level in the United States come from households earning more than $100,000 per year.
If financially poor families can more easily afford the cost of playing soccer, more athletes may see soccer as a way to earn scholarships and attend college.
Alex Nestor played soccer in college and now coaches Tatnall's varsity soccer team, where Jones and I play. He said one of the best players in the state of Delaware is not competing at the club level. “He didn't do any clubbing because he had to go to work after school,” Nestor said. “I don’t know if he’ll look the same. He probably won't. “He’s hard to recruit if he doesn’t play in tournaments and doesn’t have a big name club to play for.”
Many children want to overcome difficult economic times through sport, but football is not a commonly used route due to lack of financial access at the top.
“The pay-to-play system has been launched because many of the coaches are from overseas,” Nestor said. “Clubs needed financial support to persuade coaches to move here from England, France or other European countries.”
coaching fee
The money needed to bring elite coaches directly to American clubs requires monetizing the sport at the club level. “In England, coaches are not paid at all except in the top teams.” Monks said.
Coaches take the time to “gain experience” and develop their systems to perfect their coaching skills. This keeps login costs low for players. Annual fees start in the thousands of dollars for U.S. travel soccer teams, so scholarships don't start until the highest levels of youth soccer.
Unless the player is one of the best in the country and needs a clear and significant amount of financial support, families are billed thousands of dollars to cover the cost of tournaments, coaches, referees and stadium space, as well as additional costs for uniforms and travel. . Recreational play is an option, but because the level of play tends to be low, few college students attend these games.
The diversity of American club soccer reflects the lack of representation of various socioeconomic groups. Jones said he sees that in his club team. “Most of them are white kids, middle or upper middle class, and some of them go to private schools,” Jones said.
Recruitment opportunities are directly related to level of play, and prices generally increase as talent increases, except for scholarships for the most elite players.
Jones' club teams have partnerships with the following organizations: First Point USAConnect players to colleges they can attend.
Nestor said that in the United States, unlike elsewhere in the world, no one talks about soccer as a way to escape poverty.
“The best players come from the poor. Because they see football as a way to get their family out of a bad situation,” Nestor said.