Soccer Recruiting and High School Rules
May 19th, 2009 - bySoccer recruits often struggle with the decision to play high school soccer or on a club team. Their recruiting futures and desire to play with their friends often conflict. Many times instead of making the difficult decision players decide to try on both teams. However, the club team usually takes precedence over the high school team which can rub coaches and other players in the wrong way.
To solve this dilemma high school soccer associations are banning players from participating on both club and high school teams simultaneously. The Minnesota Youth Soccer Association recently approved this type of rule.
While the ban may clarify where a player’s priority lies, it will create a severe recruiting disadvantage for any player opting to play on their high school team. Soccer athletes that hope to play in college need to face top competition and more often than not, this occurs at the club level. Rules like this will only exasperate the talent gap.
