From the Evansville Courier Press, September 20, 2010
The debate of club soccer versus school soccer tends to be a hot topic in areas of the country where high school matches are played in the fall.
The United States Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) created an elite program that has evolved into our nation's version of the UEFA Champions League for youth soccer — pitting the top 70 clubs against each other in an exclusive league. The idea (in theory) is to have the best players and teams regularly competing against each other, creating an environment where our top youth players are being challenged on a more consistent basis.
These academy teams do not participate in the traditional youth soccer leagues like the United States Youth Soccer Association and have discouraged their players from participating in the Olympic Development Program (ODP). A new wrinkle that has been rumored within closed circles is that these academy teams are going to discourage their players from playing high school soccer, too.
I think this is a huge mistake for the development of these teen-aged players. The definition of "develop" is to make bigger and to grow. A young soccer player should not just grow technically or tactically, but socially, emotionally and mentally, too.
If the many detractors of high school soccer were able to look at that setting with educated eyes, they would see that there are twice as many benefits as there are detriments.
- Being a part of something greater than themselves: This is a quality that we look for in all of our players that we recruit at the University of Evansville, and that foundation is started at the school levels. As good as the standard of a youth/club soccer match might be in comparison to a high school game, there is a large nucleus of players/parents looking at it from the standpoint of their individual investment — "because I pay so much, I should get so much" — be it playing time or a college scholarship.
Most that play school soccer do so for the opportunity to represent their school, town, community and friends. Where a club/youth game might get a handful of fans (usually parents), a school game can draw classmates, teachers and members of the community. Players get the opportunity to appreciate the fact that they are playing for more than themselves, and only the unique youth or club coaches can recreate that into their own settings.
- Playing in cup matches: The idea of a "cup match" in soccer is one that you have to win to advance. In club or youth soccer, in the day and age of college showcases, very few youth players get the opportunity to play a cup match — maybe a championship game of a travel tournament. With the rivalries between local schools, coupled with city, sectional and state championships, the high school team gets several opportunities in a year.
I like our coaching staff to see our top prospects play in a cup match setting at least once or twice prior to offering them a roster spot or scholarship, because that is where you find out what the players are made of.
- "Familiarity Breeds Contempt": This saying derives from one of Aesop's fables, and the lesson is that the fear of something is reduced through getting to know it better. I always thought it was healthy to have different teams, coaches and teammates. There is a reason why our children have different teachers every year, and for that same reason, there is nothing wrong with playing for one team/coach for 2-3 months during the school season and with their youth/club coach for the duration. My guess is that most players who leave their club setting for their school season often return refreshed and with their battery re-charged.
The reality is that there is plenty of room for both club and school soccer, and that it is healthy to participate in both settings.
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