By Adrienne Treado
There comes a time in every player’s soccer career when he or she needs to decide how seriously they want to pursue soccer. At some point, every youth soccer player will be asked the question: Do you want to play soccer in college? If being a collegiate student-athlete is something that a youth player wants to purse, that is when sacrifices might have to be made.
Pressures typically mount as players get older and begin high school. The tradeoff is usually between club soccer and pursuing other high school sports such as baseball, softball or track. The cost of choosing club soccer over high school sports is the sacrifice of participation in a sport that is loved. And although it can be a tough; if playing soccer at a high level in college is the ultimate goal, it is a sacrifice that might have to be considered.
There are several reasons why club soccer is important if you want to play college soccer. First, club soccer is more competitive than high school soccer and consequently athletes who play club soccer are generally better players than those who do not. Second, college coaches do most of their recruiting from tournaments which club soccer teams attend. If you are not at those tournaments, than it is hard for a coach to see you play and ultimately recruit you. And lastly, the experience gained from playing soccer at a competitive level will help mold you into a more desirable college prospect.
Not all players need to give up everything just to play club soccer; if you can balance academics, club soccer and another high school sport, then by all means don’t stop. But, playing two sports can get very time consuming, and if academics are slipping or coming in second to athletics, then it is time to reevaluate where your time is spent.
It is important to understand that you do not have to quit all other sports if you want to play soccer in college. Different coaches and teams offer various degrees of flexibility. Many current collegiate student-athletes played multiple sports in high school while still playing club soccer. But, these student-athletes may have given up playing for a more competitive club team so they could balance their other activities and in turn, were a better fit at a Division II, Division III or NAIA college.
Playing college soccer is not for everyone; do not worry about being on a competitive club team or dropping other sports if collegiate athletics isn’t for you. But, if your goal is to play college soccer, especially if it is Division I college soccer, make sure that you are maximizing all of your opportunities and getting the most out of every club season.
