Pay-to-Play in US Youth Soccer

[@chieduchukwumah5766]

Hey Coach Rory, great video! I grew up in the youth soccer system and went on to play college soccer at the Division 1 level. My parent's financial sacrifice was ultimately worth it in my case, but that's not the case for the majority of kids who play soccer in the US. I believe the current system is broken and I'm interested in identifying alternative strategies on how to make the game more accessible to every kid that dreams of becoming a professional. I just Subscribed to your channel and I am looking forward to consuming more of your content. Well done!!

[@88balloonsonthewall70]

You gotta have local clubs with their own youth setups. Thats how its done for the majority of the world and its working. Having national and regional youth academies like the French INF Clairefontaine is also something that would be beneficial. I also believe a more competative football system with promotion and relegation would also be beneficial since it forces clubs to be more active when it comes to developing their teams, either directly through their own youth setup or indirectly by buying players from other clubs youth setups.

[@Bruhstorfer]

I'm a rec soccer coach and I work with a travel club baseball coach...we have talked ad-nauseum and agree that the biggest problem in the US is there are too many travel teams just for the prestige and take themselves too seriously. Rec programs are suffering greatly which is the first entry for many many kids

[@CoachRorySoccer]

It’s a problem for most US sports. Soccer included.

[@Bruhstorfer]

There probably is also a "cost of college" component as well for parents, and they are willing to pay obnoxious amounts to develop their kids for a scholarship

[@CoachRorySoccer]

⁠@@Bruhstorferunfortunately only 1% get a college scholarship. It’s a myth parents tell themselves

[@Nolan.Gurule]

Its that low?@@CoachRorySoccer

[@klinktastic]

Yo this is a good point. Also, what I have noticed is that at the younger ages, the "good kids" are typically children of former players who coach their kids. Those coach's kids go travel, then you remove experienced soccer players from your coaching pool.

[@kyleblessing8820]

Thanks for the video coach! I feel this in so many ways with my daughter. She's only 6 so I'm fully aware she's still extremely young But, she's been playing for several years now and has clearly been one of the best players on the field. We get feedback from other parents commenting on the skill she shows at such a young age. It's only a rec league and while I do coach her team, my wife and I don't push her to play. She has just completely fallen in love with the game. She does her team's practice each week and then immediately joins in on my older daughters teams practice(11-12yr olds) and is a full participant. The problem is that we know that one day coming up soon she's going to be ready to move beyond rec league and into a club. We honestly do not know how we'll be able to afford for her to join a club with the costs. Its a very stressful thing because as a oarent I want to provide hwr with every opportunity I can. It just feels like the system is set up for her to be disappointed simply because of her parents finances. Keep up the good work!

[@nickdejong6693]

I coach a rec team and i think our town's park district does a decent job at the younger ages to introduce the game and it isn't too expensive. However, our park district also has a competitive league which is way more expensive. It comes with optional extra certified coaches, depending on how much you pay. Sooner or later all the parents are faced with a decision to keep their kids in the rec league, or go "pro" - and for some, it just isn't affordable to do the latter.

[@djcobb74]

You could Coach at the Club as in independent contractor. Get your US Soccer Grassroots license and apply at the club. A benefit would likely result in your daughter playing for free as you are one of the coaches. -Just a thought!

[@CoachRorySoccer]

It’s a choice you shouldn’t have to make. If she is talented shouldn’t have to spend insane amounts of money. It’s the system and lack of governance by the powers that be.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Right. If you want you player to develop there isn’t really an alternative. Staying in rec or a less competitive situation won’t allow them to flourish. And of course you’ll have to pay for that.

[@djcobb74]

Agree, I see it at our clubs. After 2 years in club soccer, my daughter also wanted to go back to play rec soccer along with club soccer. The skill gap between the club (or travel) player and the rec players in just 2 years was insane. It's extremely rare for a rec player to develop in the same way. (Our national goalkeeper, Matt Turner, might be the rarest exception!) @@CoachRorySoccer

[@groo1887]

AYSO is a great organization with minimal fees. In my region a season can cost between $75 to $250 and we never turn away anyone for lack of funds. It is 100% volunteer lead. There are many great coaches and players that develop in AYSO and move on to higher levels.

[@atfitzyutube]

Do you have generational involvement - you have parents that played soccer when they were younger and therefore know about the game? Our club is in a community where soccer is new to most parents and community members.

[@groo1887]

@@atfitzyutube it's a mix. Some coaches have played / still play. Some are new to soccer.

[@robertoldham3760]

In our area the level of AYSO is very poor and they put all of the teams in the same league regardless of quality

[@dougp7934]

Yeah, I had to volunteer to coach AYSO because the previous season my son's coach was so bad. I don't have much soccer background, but I can at least follow Rory's videos! lol Basically, its a crapshoot

[@groo1887]

@@robertoldham3760 My area has a fall league where they try to balance teams. There is a winter and spring select league where players must tryout and the most skilled are chosen to play.

[@MrStuartp]

Same issue here in Australia, its a pay-play system, clubs charge ridiculous fees just for U8 to kick a ball around a field. No compensation or incentive for clubs to develop players. Instead its run as as business where the more prestigious clubs train kids as young as 6 to win at all costs so it boosts profile of club, attracts more families, generates more revenue. However as far as development goes, the kids will get to older age groups and not have foundations, because they spent too much time training for wins instead of being free to explore and learn. This then also has a huge carry over affect to the national teams.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Wow! Didn’t know that. Thanks for sharing. Hate this system.

[@vaclavsvana8005]

How much do you pay for month ?

[@CoachRorySoccer]

@@vaclavsvana8005depends on club and level.

[@MrStuartp]

@vaclavsvana8005 season fees vary with lowest in u8 being about $4-500 per season right up to about $4k at some clubs. Older age groups even higher

[@muswellcreek]

Chiming in to say Australian youth soccer seems to suffer almost the exact same problems as USA. I didn't know there was a word for it (Pay-to-play) and I didn't know about solidarity payments but I'll start to ask now I know!

[@klinktastic]

First off, thank you Coach Rory for all the helpful content. I am a former travel/club player in my prime that has been coaching my son's house league team for a few years. I absolutely love working with the young kids and helping them on their soccer journey. In my town, the soccer club has 3 levels of travel teams per age and then administrates the rec program as a house program. It leverages volunteers to facilitate keeping it cost effective. The main thing I wish it did better was on-board new coaches who have no experience with soccer. One of my former assistant coaches learned a lot with a season with me and is head coaching his son. I think investing in the volunteer coaches to improve the experience of the players in the rec/house league format opens up the opportunity for more competitive play in the league.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Great point. I think many clubs resist training/helping parent coaches but at the end of the day they want what is best for their kid and often are very helpful.

[@teamswatsoftball]

Hi Coach R - I wrote about soccer (from youth to pros) for about 10 years and now I'm coaching my 8-year-old. You make a lot of great points. Thanks for this!

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Thanks!

[@craigsconner]

We are lucky to have a large soccer sports association in our community here in Texas where parents pay $200 a season and it is parent coaches. We have our own fields and the $200 covers uniforms and facilities. It’s very competitive but it gets ahead more to have fun and enjoy the game. Goes up to age 13. Great way to develop kids if they have the right coaches. We do have clubs around where it is very pricey.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Love it.

[@athleticfc8172]

Hey Coach! Thank you for speaking on everyone's behalf! We need change now! For the benefit of the sport.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Thank you! Trying. Got a video coming next week or so on lack of promotion relegation which is the root of why it’s so expensive to play soccer in us.

[@marianoguaycochea6652]

I m from La Patagonia, i m in the pay to coach sistem. What we have in Argentina is "el picado", is a non coached game, you just watch de kids play. Even the kids by them self selects the teams and get organized in the positions. Some times you see someone diferent than the others and then you see how to resolve the economic problem to bring that kid to a competition.

[@BtwnTheLines]

Great video Coach! I’m in So Cal, and as a self-taught AYSO coach now at U12 level I appreciate this breakdown and look forward to more videos like this. We need to act to fix youth soccer before it’s too late. Have friends with a talented son who just moved here from Denmark and they are, frankly, appalled by our pay-to-play system. What also stands out to them is how focused we are on using soccer (and all sports) as a ticket to college. Europe does not place this level of pressure on kids, let’s them enjoy playing to a higher degree. They explained to me the European funding system, and I was shocked at how that system placed player development first. We recently started a new club team for my younger 6-year old and other AYSO kids, so they could have more competitive play, and the pay to play is clearly a problem for some on the team. Thankful that we have been lucky to receive a few large $ donations to the team for uniforms and other costly items. Without this we would have already lost two or more kids due to cost. Side note: our entire club org is under new management due to embezzlement of funds by prior leaders (so disheartening). As much as I love AYSO, all volunteer organizations are NOT the answer to this systemic problem as they appear from my view to have a bias towards players whose parents have two-parent families. Want to add that your videos have been a huge help over the last 3 years. THANK YOU

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Great insight. Your 💯 right that it can’t just be volunteer organizations. We need entire system to change.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

Development of kids in soccer/football takes $$$. Paying liability insurance, renting fields, paying coaches & refs costs $$. In Europe it is primarily funded by an established club, transfer fees, and government funding. The USA has clubs that have only recently been in existence, loses entire organizations (3 USL teams folded in 2024) every year, has not had enough development for transfer fees, and absolutely will NOT get ANY state funding. Without those sources of $$$ you get Pay-to-Play.

[@femiadewale6828]

Pay to play is BS, the system needs a new perspective, tbh what US lacks is street football, that’s the only way to develop and find talented players at a very young age.

[@bigmomocontents5432]

Agree with you. In order to have street football you need it in the culture, and unfortunately it is not there.

[@stevenecheverria5032]

The thing is cities in the USA for the most part are not walkable so that spontaneous pick up element at your local park like you have in SA and EU or Africa is not there kids have to ask their busy parents to drive them to games

[@Contextualiser16-tn8nd]

Somewhere like Atlanta or Chicago should be a breeding ground for Street football culture.

[@yahayatawradoukijera3808]

Is the same in Spain , I don’t know why you Gus are complaining about.

[@francis8255]

It’s literally not the only way to spot and develop talent. I agree it would be good, but even just raise the baseline of game knowledge and development of technical skills is a far more effective and immediate way to improve soccer in the US. Then the culture comes around to soccer more and we get more street football

[@Coach_Jesse]

Good stuff, Coach. Thanks for putting all this together. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

[@VaporIsAllWeAre]

I have two kids and I can’t afford to have them both in travel soccer. They both love the game, and it breaks my heart to say no to travel soccer. The AYSO Tues-Thurs 6:00-to-7:30 is all I can do. That’s a drop in the bucket amount of training time if they’re to develop any significant skill. The public park system in my town frowns on any consistent use of their fields, granted tax-payer funded “public” parks. Fields’s in these parks are to be leased from the city. They lock the goals so no one can use them w/o paying the proper fees. Neighbors call the cops if kids play in the street with any frequency. Pay-to-play seems to be the gig in town for regular families.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Sad but true

[@jamied9782]

And this is why the US Men’s team, and eventually women’s team, will continue to struggle to compete against the top European nations. A great point you bring up and one I hope is addressed soon.

[@stevenygabbyperez695]

So, in your opinion, US soccer is regressing.

[@royghim8272]

Great video, thanks for raising this very important issue. Tournaments and the industry that lobbies clubs to participate in them are a part of the problem of pay-to-play. The tournaments (with some exceptions) are expensive to participate in, they inflate club "rankings" by gotsport and contribute to the arms race of pay-to-play by leaning into the perception that some clubs are 'elite' with more weighted tournament wins- ridiculous if you're talking about 10 year old players for example. European coaches coming to the US to observe look at the entire tournament apparatus as a farce. How is this developmentally good for the kids from the overload of 3-4 games packed into a weekend after traveling 3+ hours - not to mention added hotels and food expenses? Some families can afford all these and can take off from work. Many cannot. You're absolutely right that pay to play is excluding MANY from the radar who could otherwise be part of the talent pool for this country. We are shooting ourselves in the foot.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Fantastic points!

[@bretthadley2043]

Try having a kid who doesn't play on Sundays... I pay to play in half the games when I have hundreds of teams around me we could play for free!

[@SarahCanfield-v6l]

I agree with your points. Without the support of US Soccer and our State associations, we cannot expect change to be felt across the country. Locally, we have a responsibility to work for change at our own clubs. Most clubs have scholarship funds. Fully funding and promoting these opportunities for players that can't afford to pay for competitive leagues is critical. However, if we want true equity, we need D1 scouting to change. If you want to get scouted now, you need to play for ECNL or Academy. ECNL costs including travel are not well funded and cost $10K plus per year, making it out of the budget for most families in the US. You also need to live in an area that has an ECNL club - which is likely a more populated area where housing costs are higher. We have some challenges ahead, but as soccer gains popularity here, there are lots of creative ways we can solve them. Looking forward to the promotion/relegation video.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

These are great points! 100%

[@gregorybiestek3431]

LOL, what all of you don’t seem to realize is that in the USA, academies by professional teams need very special teaching exemptions from standard US law. It is ILLEGAL for any child age 10-thru-16-year-old not to be in a regular middle/high school or certified home school program. This stems from the high number of dropouts/ school truancy issues in 1980s & 1990s. The average cost of a student in a middle school is $8,778 and for a high school student is $12,756. The amount for private schools is double that amount. Now add in the additional cost for coaching, playing field maintenance, etc. and you can see that to have a soccer academy in the USA cost between $10,000 and $30,000 per player regardless of talent level. Now you can see why we have pay-to-play.

[@quinosonic82]

I'm from Argentina, just watched your episode on the differences and it left me wondering about USA youth, as I recall my cousins playing in their school's team (great facilities in SD, CA). I hadn't noticed it's a rich kids sport there 😂. Here it's the opposite (you only have to pay for the membership, the bus/train/ride, and your boots... and even that might be solved by the club if you're good enough).

[@richardloach610]

It's huge business coaching in this country. It's starting to go in a similar direction in some European countries

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Yes I’m hearing that…

[@CyberXShinobi]

Coach biggest issue i have seen is the lack of coach development. U.S. Soccer/MLS should be trying it's hardest to develop coaches in the U.S. given that soccer isn't the majority sport that most of the volunteer coaches in America grew up playing. If you want to see better player development we have to do a better job of getting volunteer parents, who sign their kids up to play only to find out that the club needs a parent to coach the team, onto the pathway to becoming better coaches. I'm sure you'll cover the outrageous cost to get your USSF license at the higher levels in your future videos. As always, thanks for the content and videos to help make me a better coach.

[@1individeo]

Brazilian coaches go to Portugal to study coaching there or level their knowledge. In Portugal there universities of football coaching.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Absolutely. Have a video planned on just this topic.

[@jedbtuck]

I don't mean to be argumentative but just want to voice a rebuttal to this approach since we've tried it for decades to no avail and there is a MUCH better way. Trying to train someone who never played the game to become an effective coach through workshops and other short-term courses is really ineffective. To be a good soccer coach IS NOT EASY. At best, the courses can minimize the obvious things volunteers often do to undermine youth development, such as wasting time trying to teach young kids the game when they can't even dribble the ball, but we will not solve the US problem of real youth development through more coach training. Rather, we need to pull into the universe of youth soccer all the incredible actual players in every community across America -- believe me they are there -- and find the ones who connect to youth naturally, and SUPPORT THEIR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Kids needs to be able to see a real player move like a player, not hear about if from someone who read it in a manual. good luck!

[@werzeldamage4014]

I am completely against parent coaches! Have you heard them in the stands? They carry that horrid energy to the team and then there is a kid who is brainwashed into believing that they 'deserve' to be on the field. That sense of entitlement is rampant in US athletics and is the biggest reason that they have a ceiling for how far they can go internationally. Ask Gio Reyna.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

@@werzeldamage4014 LOL, what all of you don’t seem to realize is that in the USA, academies by professional teams need very special teaching exemptions from standard US law. It is ILLEGAL for any child age 10-thru-16-year-old not to be in a regular middle/high school or certified home school program. This stems from the high number of dropouts/ school truancy issues in 1980s & 1990s. Therefore, US sport academies cost a LOT of money to operate to meet the school standards. No one in the US is going to pay for a bunch of kids to attend without getting something in return - hence pay-to-play!

[@joeyjojo5]

Thanks for posting this, Rory, and for bringing to light the inequalities in the US soccer system. I coach U10 in a town that has a wide diversity of incomes supporting our players. We have a handful of highly skilled players that are currently receiving scholarships from our town program to keep them involved, and to support their growth. As these players grow, I foresee, and worry, that these players will become disadvantaged and fall behind to players who have parents with deeper pockets to pay for offseason indoor soccer, and club teams. I have tried to quietly "sponsor" these the disadvantaged players, paying for their indoor fees, and offered to pay for tourney entry fees etc. The best player on our team cannot afford to play club. It saddens me that there isn't a better support system for these players. She'll continue to play, but it could easily be a case of "what could have been" given her likely inability to enter the the pay-to-play system. To be clear, I am not against pay-to-play. I think club teams are filling a need to provide players an opportunity to develop and grow, but your video highlights the inequities of the system, and reasons to be wishful for a change. The current system benefits those "who can pay the most", and I hope things will change over time. P.S. Thanks for all your content. It has been a wonderful resource for my coaching.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

That’s the issue. Players with potential also need $$ in most cases to further development. I also am not against clubs and coaches getting paid. It’s just the mechanisms here are not aligned with player development.

[@eg_c]

Agree! US Youth Futbol is deeply entrenched in the “Pay-to-Play” model across various clubs, even at dominant regional ones. There’s no way around it, as these clubs operate like businesses, heavily relying on academy fees from their players for survival. For instance, if a player has been with a particular club since an early age (around 5-6 years old), it becomes challenging for the club to demote them to a lower tier due to their subpar skills later on. Interestingly, the least skilled or new players often end up having their parents as the team managers, leading to team politics within the club. This reality extends to US Futbol at all levels, ultimately rolling up to the US Women’s National Team. While this issue wasn’t as prominent during the years of USWNT dominance, the global rise in women’s Futbol popularity necessitates a shift away from the “Pay-to-Play” model for competitive play moving forward.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

💯

[@duncan61]

Ultimately, I think it comes down to the lack of a strong soccer culture in the US. The sport isn't engrained in our society like it is pretty much everywhere else in the world. A lot of that has to do with all of the other sporting options that are more established in this country. Some fans in this country live and die by results of their football, baseball, Hockey, soccer team, etc. but the sports fandom is spread out and not concentrated like many other countries. In order to get rid of pay-to-play we need more local professional football clubs to provide the infrastructure for free youth soccer. As you highlighted in your video this is where the majority of funding for youth soccer comes from. These clubs get their revenue from support (ticket sales, merch), player transfers, and league profit sharing. Without soccer being a major cultural sport, the support is just not there in this country to be able to maintain the thousands of local professional football clubs that we would need to support a free soccer infrastructure for the youth. Pro/Rel would help grow the professional soccer club landscape but ultimately soccer isn't popular enough to support the large amount of clubs we would need. I think almost everyone agrees that pay-to-play is not ideal but we need unique solutions to solve it. We won't be able to just implement systems used in other countries because the US setup is unique. We are unique because we have other more popular sports in this country, soccer isn't intertwined with the country's culture, we don't have a consistent professional system that's been around for over 100 years and our country is way larger than most we would be comparing too which adds so much complexity. On top of this, MLS stifles growth of other professional clubs as they are set up as a single entity system, they lack pro-rel and they essentially they silo themselves off from a healthy soccer system so that their system only benefits them. I think the best way to start fixing this is for FIFA and US Soccer to pressure MLS to change their ways and get away from this single entity league they have. Obviously, this means adding in pro-rel. THere also needs to be more outreach to lower income areas that don't typically play the game and get them involved with free or nearly free teams. Grow the game outside of where it currently sits. Then it's going to take time for all of this to organically grow.

[@nicolasminazzi7984]

Clubs are run as non profit associations in many countries I know of with basically volunteers running things, free access to fields given by towns, etc… You also have way less clubs thus probably more players per club. Here in NJ it is not uncommon to have 3/4 different clubs practice in the same facilities and they are all run as independent ´businesses’ when they really should all be merged. The many different leagues that have nothing to do with each other don’t make it any easier…

[@kvne71x]

Thank you, very informative and accurate video about the youth soccer development in this country.

[@chrisgarty]

Great subject! Looking forward to the follow-ups!

[@master-tez8459]

Thank you for taking time make these videos! Very informative and clear presentation.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Thanks!

[@thomasromano385]

Our local Police athletic league just started a program. The only fees that are charged is for uniform and to help cover very specific fees. It ends up like $200 to $300. Thousands less then the local travel teams. We are part of something called Suffolk Soccer interleague which is the kind of program I think more of the country needs. My sons specific team is made of some very talented kids with parents that cant afford much. You look at the soccer academies here that are pay to get in and you notice a very big difference. Our program Just started this month and already has more kids than coaches. The Head police officer got more kids than he thought.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Wow. Fantastic!!

[@pdpandion4931]

A local program here in Maryland costs over $10k/year to play on the 2nd and 3rd tier travel teams. That’s just for the fees and doesn’t include travel.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

That’s insane. What age?

[@k.p.8955]

Terrific video. I don't have kids so I'm not sure of the fees but I have heard about this play-to-play issue and feel like you gave me more information on that. Thanks

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Thanks!

[@Mississippi91]

Baseball and basketball have taken this route as well. And with the emergence of 7v7 travel, football is headed this way as well.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Terrible. I’ve heard that as well.

[@nikitay6527]

I really enjoyed your video coach Rory. I lived most of my life in Europe, but now I'm raising a kid in California. I gotta say, the US system feels a bit weird. I think it's a lot more complicated than you made it seem in the video. I'd like to hear your thoughts on a few things: 1. Since the US women's national soccer team has been so dominant over the last decade, while the men's team is average, it might not be that you're losing your talent pool to higher fees. It might just be that you're losing your talented male athletes to other sports. (Unfortunately, soccer isn't the number one sport in the US as it is in Europe.) 2. The US has a unique athletic system through middle schools, high schools, and colleges. I haven't had any experience with that yet, but I'm interested to hear your thoughts on how those systems should co-exist with club football. Can they be used to solve the "fees" problem? 3. Finally, a lot of clubs in California that I've had the chance to deal with do offer financial aid for low-income families. And it might not be totally accurate to compare the fees of Europe vs. the US. Income and cost of living are different in the two areas. (For example, $100 in Croatia and California are completely different amounts of money.)

[@CoachRorySoccer]

There are several reasons why our men’s national team is behind and IMO will remain that way. Pay to play is just one of them. I’m hoping to highlight some other areas in future videos. The women have already come back to the rest of the world and they had a 40 year head start. I’m not really comparing the fees but more so how clubs generate revenue. That’s great that your experience has been that clubs look to help those who can’t pay. Unfortunately that has not been my experience. I’m seen good players turned away because of inability to pay.

[@klinktastic]

@@CoachRorySoccer good points. also, I think in the US, athletic men have many avenues for success: football, basketball, baseball to name a few. Where for women, soccer is the most likely path to a pro career for many years. Thus the top talent of the US women were playing soccer.

[@ericpearson2431]

I think maybe other sports compete for soccer athletes but I don't think that's the main reason for the historical success of the USWNT. I think title 9 creating a development system in the NCAA, and more US girls competing in soccer is the main reason. Now that the rest of the world cares about soccer the NCAA is no longer much of an advantage for the US as other countries apply best practices for male soccer development to female. Also, I would contend that the US men have a deeper talent pool than the women given that Latin American immigrants are so much less likely to put their daughters in sports than they are their sons. Compare the USWNT team roster to the USMNT and you'll see much more diversity for the men.

[@klinktastic]

@@ericpearson2431 valid points!

[@SilverDollar6]

There are some very important points made in this thread that were not covered in @CoachRorySoccer video. The most significant is talent pool which I attribute to culture. The USA is not a soccer culture YET. Our boys choose football, baseball and basketball because of culture, not mom and dads ability to pay. I think if coach Rory used graphs comparing Soccer to Hockey, volleyball, or gymnastics we would see that pay to play is the rule in the US (probably everywhere) and football, basketball and baseball are the exception. What outcomes are we trying to achieve? If we are looking for Gold metals or World Cups then pay to play is not the issue. The USWNT has nullified that argument. What we need is a change of culture. Our most athletic men need to choose soccer instead of a sport that will pay them more if they become professionals. That will only happen when the MLS starts generating more revenue, which will not happen until they become more competitive, which will not happen until they implement a Promotion/Relegation system. If the desired outcome is a D1 college scholarship then you pursuing an unrealistic expectation if your child is a male. Female scholarships abound so this doesn’t really apply to them but there are ZERO available to US men. Statistically speaking, ALL D1 men’s soccer scholarships go to foreigners so using the Middle/High/University school model will not work. IMO if we made two changes to our current model, soccer in America will explode. 1. Institute a Promotion/Relegation system at the professional level 2. Demand that no taxpayer funded Division 1 College scholarships go to foreigners.

[@peoriaos6627]

Nice video. Our travel teams are mediocre because most of our talent sits in the rec program because of the high travel costs and we can barely make our rosters. Competing clubs whose parents have much more money, have a much larger pool to play from. This also causes players who start travel later to not be up to par for lack of experience. It also causes great offensive players to be forced into defensive roles to keep them from being slaughtered. Rec coaches may have two kids that are good and five who have never kicked a ball before. This also leads good players to leave the game for good. Also, the rec coaches don't want to coach anymore because they have a new set of players two times per year.

[@Tusholt83]

Most of the talent is in the rec programs? Your ignorance is utterly amazing. If they are good, they will go on scholarship

[@angelobenito-aguilar503]

Compensation is called "derechos de formación" in Spain, or "development/formation rights". Some government authorities pay a section of the fees or the facilities.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Thank you!

[@Luisaused]

"Derechos de formacion" are regulated by UEFA. The club that buy the property of the player must pay to the formation club a % of the total amount.

[@BigRedSpear]

Just played in a tournament for an 11U grassroots Rec league ($300/season). I submitted our roster, W-L record and point differential and even added a comment that 3 players have never played before and nobody has played together for more than 1 season. We paid the $425 entry fee for a 3 game tournament, just so I could give the players more game experience. We were matched against 3 straight competitive select level teams ($2800/season). No referees were provided, we had to get parent volunteers. In our second match, the other team’s HC pretended to be a parent, even apologizing to me because he didn’t know the rules and would do his best. He then proceeded to coach his team on the field, called 5 penalties against us and none against his own team, despite our striker getting ran into so hard he had to come out for the rest of the game. At the end of the day, the point differential was 2-38. I didn’t understand why we weren’t playing against a couple of teams we had played before in competitive games. We reached out to those coaches and they had the same experience. We realized the whole thing was a money grab by the league and it had nothing to do with player development. I realize this is different than the issues presented in this video and that there were learning opportunities Ive tried to focus on since that day. But as a league, how do you justify that - top level vs bottom level matchups with no refs - for $425/team? Is that just the way it is in tournaments now?

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Tournaments service mostly to fund clubs operations. Some clubs use 1-2 tournaments to help fund their operations for an entire season. They are largely money grabs. Playing 3-4 games in two days isn’t about development at any age.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

Development of kids in soccer/football takes $$$. Paying liability insurance, renting fields, paying coaches & refs costs $$. In Europe it is primarily funded by an established club, transfer fees, and government funding. The USA has clubs that have only recently been in existence, loses entire organizations (3 USL teams folded in 2024) every year, has not had enough development for transfer fees, and absolutely will NOT get ANY state funding. Without those sources of $$$ you get Pay-to-Play.

[@jeremyplatt1351]

Great video!!! As coaches and club directors the changes will have to come from us at a grassroots level because it is not happening elsewhere. We are now seeing pay to play impact almost every sport played in the US. We are seeing development be trumped by the dollar. Our own sports, such as basketball, that we have historically dominated on a world stage, are now being passed. This trend will continue because of our disastrous model. You hit it on the head. Pay to play is driven by profit. We need a system driven by player development. Until this happens we will continue to see a decline in our development in all our sports. Thank you for this and all your other videos.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

💯

[@DarkJak2050]

I heard that the "Pay to Play" system we have here in the US was bad. But I did *not expect it to be this bad.* I kept on hearing that we don't have good players because they turn towards other sports in the US. Those who hear that just responded with _"Poor excuse! No matter if those 'good' players played soccer, just accept that your players suck!"_ Well, has it ever occurred why those would-be good Soccer players would instead turned towards other sports in the US?! *It's because of the "Pay to Play" system!!!!* After seeing the cost comparison of the sports, it's very easy to see *that as the real reason* why they turned towards other sports in the US. So yeah, turning towards other sports that are more affordable & accessible alternatives in the US is a "Poor excuse", right?! And don't tell me _"Just get a job!"_ Even then, some families, particularly those who're comprised of talented kids for Soccer *still can't afford it because it's too expensive for them!* If you ask me, this system in a sense, is setting our players in the USMNT up for *failure,* due to improper development.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

💯

[@char3tek]

I have a 5 year old daughter that is showing some athletic promise and this was SO helpful to hear before we start searching for clubs. We’re going to have to have the club$ try out for u$. Not sure it’s worth all that work. Might just keep her in her super-cheap wrestling program run by an Olympian or her dance academy that costs too much.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Yeah. It’s sad we are pricing kids out before they turn 6. 😕

[@char3tek]

@@CoachRorySoccer yeah, and I bet if you extended that bar graph to higher income levels you’d see a continued filtering of players in soccer. We make a good chunk more than 100K and we still have to make these decisions. Student loans, expensive housing, inflation, etc. That consistent increase in participation vs. income very clearly states “Money is the problem.”

[@marcharter839]

Great video as always coach! Its sad because some of the best talent comes from lower income families. Have to ask, are you a Leeds United fan (noticed your sicker in the background).

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Guilty as charged! MOT!!

[@nickdejong6693]

​@@CoachRorySoccer I knew there was a reason I liked you (apart from all the great coaching tips and sensible advice). MOT!

[@marcharter839]

@@nickdejong6693 MOT!

[@cameronhill4000]

MOT! Great vid. Things need to change in this country if we want to get serious.

[@jacobdennis3020]

Im very much against pay-to-play here in the states because it haltered my development when I was a kid so Im glad I coach for a club that is comparatively less to others in my league but I basically coach for free but access for the kids is whats most important but our system needs to change.

[@JT-rx1eo]

I think a way to mandate training compensation and solidarity payments is the bronze bullet to fix this stuff. But how is pro/rel to blame? People way too often invoke Pro/Rel as the silver bullet to fix everything and the kitchen sink when it isn't.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

There would still be issues. But I’ve come to the conclusion that it would fix most of the issues.

[@joso7228]

Americans always make it about money. Meanwhile here in UK, the home of football, we will ask the parents for 3 or 4 pounds a game just to cover hiring the pitch. Kits will be sponsored by a local company (usually a friendly parent's company), travel is parent car sharing, and Trainers Coaches Paperwork is simply Parent volunteers.

[@fortheloveofmusic860]

US soccer needs a strong grassroot network of clubs, not just teams. But clubs that are community based and provide for every age, ability and gender. Clubs that can offer a home ground with pitches, dressing rooms and club house. Clubs that are mainly funded by sponsors, some by local government in the form of field maintenance, some income from transfer fees and from member fees (about $150 a year). The teams of these clubs should play in leagues that are strictly organized. The leagues should be organized in districts that all contain about the same amount of clubs.

[@Michael-cb5nm]

The customers in US soccer are really the parents. On average, they know little about the game. They want to see lots of games, and they value winning today over development tomorrow. The result is typically a preference for long ball football and the exclusion of smaller, more technical players who may have great potential. Any coach who wants to actually implement a long term development plan within this system has their work cut out in the US!

[@CoachRorySoccer]

So true.

[@VincentKorta-em6vk]

Fantastic video. What is a dedicated soccer parent to do to push back against this system? Seems to be a daunting obstacle to overcome.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Thank you! It’s incredibly daunting. I’m planning a video soon on steps parents should take to give their kid best chance to develop.

[@DReinbolz]

I am in a tough position as a 2015 coach. My only options in my area are club soccer or AYSO. AYSO has no shortage of players, but in order to run an Extra (year round) team, I will have to rely on parents to volunteer. I went on to start a team with the local club because I had no drive to chase parents around to volunteer for playoff points (in the rec league) or to become certified to ref. Instead, I tried to keep costs as low as possible, and didn't charge dues for the team. We relied on a fundraiser for our first season. Now that it is coming to an end, I realize we cannot function without dues to pay for future tournaments, ref fees, etc. I wish the relationship between organizations was more collaborative rather than contentious, but that isn't my reality. Edit: I'll add that at the current age level, it is harder to recruit due to the club cost commitment. I understand parents may want their kid in multiple sports or activities, so I believe it puts a damper on my recruiting. On the other hand, AYSO has a lower point of cost entry, and I imagine it would be easier to recruit as their league had 16 local 10U teams.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Wow. Really great prospective. Totally understand

[@DReinbolz]

@@CoachRorySoccer Thank you for the great videos you have posted on your channel. It certainly helps us all!

[@CoachRorySoccer]

@@DReinbolzhey thank you!!!

[@dougp7934]

As a parent of a multi-sport 9 yearold, the other problem with club teams is a long-term commitment---its not always about money.

[@DReinbolz]

​@@dougp7934agreed, it is just one of the variables in the equation

[@ntimeproductions]

I have seen clubs that literally will create 3 or 4 academy teams and then just mix and match players on that team for each game they play. I coach my son's academy team which he is only 7 years old playing U10. I have been around the sport for 4 decades, and the way they do things have only made it worse. The only reason they have created all these various leagues is not because the level is any better but to rack in more money. My son does do the Atlanta United Regional Development School as extra training, which I have hopes that he will eventually be on the Atlanta United Youth Academy, but my wife has family in Italy, which I could also look to see if he could get into a club there. I say this as I would never put him on one of the MLS Next clubs where the cost is astronomical! The pay to play system in all youth sports is a racket and really don't do much when it comes to their progression a lot of times. Fortunately, with my years of experience and travel around the world, I take my son for free play in the parks and I am capable of giving him the individual training he needs at least at his current age and level.

[@ErikHaanVincent]

I'm grateful for you creating this video, Rory. Additional problems: 1. Parents (like me) who think their kids might have what it takes to be noticed by college coaches / MLS academies but aren't sure have to pay thousands of dollars per year to find out. The best club in our area, from what I heard, has a multi-year commitment. So if you get into it for a bit and learn your player doesn't have what it takes you're stuck for a while. 2. The fees don't end at what Rory covered in his video. In addition to club dues, kit fees, and tournament fees, there's all the EXTRA training families who are going all-in are paying for to give their kids the edge over the kids doing only what the club offers. Many of my 10-year-old son's friends play for a local club at $3,500 / year. + $300 for the kit + tournament fees + hotel stays for tournaments + the extra training the club coaches encourage. Some of the local club's coaches run a 6-week Winter futsal program which is $1,100 and a Summer tournament at $400! So, by the time we add it up for the best club in our area, it's more like $5,000 - $10,000 / year if you're going to go for it. (And why else would you pay to play unless you're going for it?) So soccer becomes even more exclusive once you get in the door. 3. The MLS academy in our area (New England Revolution) seems to be recruiting primarily from clubs. Since the clubs offer the best training, it makes sense. There are opportunities to get in front of academy coaches via camps and clinics, but those are also pay-to-play experiences and you really need to do a bunch to get on their radar and get an invite to a tryout. 4. Non-club options don't really offer a player pathway. My 10-year-old plays in a Massachusetts Youth Soccer select league of non-club players. But that league seemingly isn't scouted by college coaches and MLS academies, since they're busy at club showcases and the like. The non-club option is also pay-to-play, though for far less than club and club-related fees. There is an Olympic Development Program - which is scouted by college coaches and MLS teams for players at the highest levels - but it's also flooded with club players. 5. Having multiple children who are really into soccer compounds the problem. Let's say it's an average of $7,500 / year per player to pay to play in my area and go for it. I have to pay twice that if both of my boys go for it. If they join a club at age 8 and play for 10 years, we're going to invest somewhere between $150,000 and $200,000 of take-home pay into our kids' soccer futures. That's insane.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Wow! Fantastic points. Thank you.

[@thanhnguyentruong32]

😢

[@charlesbailey4713]

A couple of issues that we see in both rec and club soccer that I've seen as a coach are finding volunteers to either help coach or ref. Refs are abused for making calls that could go either way. Coaches struggle to get players to practices or even games. It's costing more and more to fill these positions. Another commenter said this as well, but soccer is not popularized as much as football or baseball in our country which means businesses are not as eager to sponsor teams. The Little league world series is one of THE most touted and watched sports events. Yet, soccer didn't have anything even close to that. The final issue is the way the game is played in the US is too rigid. As Americans we love to see scoring, we don't like seeing chess matches, build up play, or ties. We want to be the best and know we're the best. It's a shame to see those aspects holding American soccer from being truly great.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

All great points.

[@thomasromano385]

The league we just joins specifically has rules against abusing refs.

[@angelobenito-aguilar503]

Thanks, Coach!

[@lobachevskyyy]

This is something I've been ranting about for a while although I had no idea how they did it in europe. My guess is that top level soccer is way more profitable there than here, so you probably would have a hard time adopting the same model, but I wish we could. My club is only $130/year and that covers fall and spring. However, we are required to buy 100 dollar uniforms and if we go to competitive, the uniforms are 200 dollars. Why not just have kids wear the same color t shirts and maybe iron on numbers? In my city, most other clubs are 600 plus per year and you can even go play rush starting at 1.4k per year.😢

[@lukebignell7846]

Yes pretty much same as Spain and England. For smaller clubs and in poorer regions you can play football for as little as £150 but most clubs are charging £400 per year now in the UK. Only the top 1% of elite youth players get free training sessions and a free membership. That is only because the club can get a fee from another professional club when they sign a professional contract.

[@Nolan.Gurule]

wow that's cheap 130 a year? That's how it should be.

[@lobachevskyyy]

@@Nolan.Gurule yeah, its a small club. Hard to find enough players in it to make competitive teams though. The competitive teams we do have win lots of tournaments, but I guess its that classical marketing issue where "if something is cheap, it must not be good" mentality. Plus, they don't advertise effectively.

[@mathsobriand3981]

Pretty much like this over here in Canada. $$ I help with coaching so I get a discount. But sports-academy program are expensive !! I am looking for alternative

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Really? Didn’t realize that. Wow.

[@garyng1826]

Pay to play is bad, but the worst part is after the parents paid. The clubs only provide random amateur parents to coach. Thousands of talents are wasted by those coaches.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

It’s all about what you’re getting for your money right?

[@CesarSanchez-jk8cw]

So what do you recommend coach Roy when starting a new club? What could be some key points, specially when you have parents who are willing to pay for a better academic system? Me and another coach are partnering up to begin a new club in GA but by the looks of this it’s probably better to grow and expand to create a usl team than we could benefit from a transfer? Idk if that makes sense. Thank you for all the info.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Wow! Best of luck. I don’t know much about starting a club. I’d be happy to help you on the coaching side of things though.

[@thewirah1]

Very interesting graph at 7:24.

[@G0ALIEG0D]

If I'm not mistaken it doesn't cost anything to play for your high school team. Except for a pair of shoes and some goalie gloves.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Yes there are cheaper options but for players looking for more usually you need $$.

[@smackdatascot]

Great video and thanks for the information. Observing, it seems like the prestige and price are linked while folks are trying to grind and make money as well. So Mini-FIFAs. Unfortunately a reality that doesn't foster all kids or the growth they deserve to enjoy the sport and make a more informed call of continuing to pro levels or even involvement as an older person. :(

[@homeinspectionsmatter8291]

Well the club my daughter plays for Has our team fees subsidizing the lower league mls team with the same name. Some of our coaches went 2 months without a paycheck and were not fully invested in coaching. We had to email the owners to state our disappointment with how they are running the club and the coaches got paid. The sad thing is the club was profitable until they started using our youth program revenue to fund the pro team. It’s very upsetting to see greed take over. Needless to say many players are leaving the game due to this.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Wow! Thank you for sharing.

[@downhilldad1807]

100% agree. MLS pros themselves have said this.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Yep its holding us back big time

[@downhilldad1807]

@@CoachRorySoccer I remember there was an interview with Zlatan and he said the same thing "My kids don't have to try hard, I just have to pay and they're on the team..." or something along those lines. It's sad really. We're experiencing it with my sons club currently, and it's gotten to a weird set of politics in U9 soccer with odd backstage dealings between the coaches. The whole thing is saddening

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Crazy.

[@Brendan_Are]

When I was 14 I was selected, (through a process), to play for the U15 National Team at a tournament in Holland (PtPSA), but my family COULDN'T afford $5,000+ for me to ACTUALLY GO.

[@miguelaceves1010]

Hi coach Rory, I have my son on this type of system and I thick this clubs are abusing of the system and the parents. I decide to take the chance to get my coaching lices

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Great!

[@dbcooper6543]

As a parent of two kids in an affluent area (we are not affluent) the soccer club model is extremely frustrating. We were hesitant to put our kids in club soccer bc they are honestly not “elite” level athletes and the cost is beyond our means. However the Rec system is a complete joke since all kids with two legs and parents w a check book play at the local club. The FC allows “all kids an opportunity” which basically means they drain any and all talent. Most kids don’t belong in club, there is obvious favoritism and politics. Even when the FC is “charitable” and give the low SES kids with talent a “scholarship” they are only draining more talent from the Rec system. Basically we were stuck either giving up on soccer (and frankly many other sports with the same model). On the bright side my kids are active and have great friends. On the negative we struggle financially and write check to unscrupulous people who I have zero respect for.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Thank you for sharing!

[@francis8255]

Just a thought but I wonder if a solidarity payment system could be implemented for players that go to college on scholarship as well. Wouldnt be much but something Also, I think including more game knowledge and technical training methods into the lower level coaching licenses would help raise the baseline of American soccer culture. I got this idea bc my coach mentioned he only needed a E license to coach high school soccer. My uncle got his d license a while ago which included so much more information that literally changed the sported landscape in my area for 20 years his training was that influential and good (using old Ajax youth drills helped a lot too lol). My uncle wasn’t a coach and he always had limited time with players. On the flip side, I spent countless hours w my hs coach and didn’t learn much or improve much bc he just didn’t have the knowledge. I’ve always wondered how things would have gone if we had that amount of time with better coaching.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Might be a good first step. That’s interesting about your uncle.

[@chrispulpaneck2150]

This is great!

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Thank you!

[@AaronSiirila-r5s]

Unfortunately, this isn't just in soccer. The Washington Post did an article on money in youth sports -- "In youth sports, talent helps but money rules" -- Dec 12, 2022. And part of the problem is that paid programs eventually take over low-cost or free programs: "While 58 percent of children who participate in sports played in community-based programs this fall, three of 10 parents said their child’s community program had closed, merged with another organization or operated with less capacity than last year, according to the Aspen Institute. ... The number of kids competing in travel clubs, meanwhile, doubled to 29 percent over the past year, a reflection of some parents not only believing that their children would receive better coaching, training, competition and ultimately more exposure to college recruiters but also an overall better experience for their children than community-based programs." (From the article)

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Thank you!

[@grege5074]

we have a Canadian Premier League team in my home town (Forge FC) but I'm paying $300 for a 6 week came for my 3 1/2 year old to play at. "Little Kickers." Why doesn't Forge FC start and run these camps, we can split the cost with the club, easy way to sell merch for them, cheaper for me and it will drum up interest in the club for my kids, maybe they will want to go see a forge game or multiple games per season. Then i won't feel like the cost of my ticket is a sunk cost. Fast forward 14 years and what if my kid is awesome at soccer and has played with Forge all these years? bam, you've got local cheap talent to populate the B team and maybe even the 1st team one day.

[@FranciscoGarcia-ze5hg]

What happened to kids playing in the street or on a concrete basket ball court (not grass) with their school uniforms? We just threw sweaters to the ground to use as goals. The two best players always played in opposing sides and they alternated picking the rest of the players. The owner of the ball had to play. And we played until the sun went down, someones mother shuoted it was time for dinner or the owner of the ball left. And always...but always...no matter the score...whomever made the last goal won. I played my first real futbol game in highschool (with cleats and uniform). In my generation all kids played this way, rich or poor. How many arrived to a pro level? Obviously very few (I played for a week in the lower divisions of my home town). Parents are paying-to-play and the reality is that very, but very few will arrive to a pro level. Very few will even arrive to maybe a college level. If a kid is good he will arrive, somehow. But trying to build a structure of a payed system at so young ages makes no sense to me. Kids should play with their friends after school or in the neighborhood like it has been done always.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

100%

[@jt3055]

How does the funding of youth soccer differ from the funding of youth ice hockey, baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, etc. Don't parents pay league fees for their kids to play in every sport? Do pro teams in other sports subsidize youth leagues to any significant degree? I've never heard of that beyond the public relations level. How is soccer any different from every other sport? Does catering to a higher income crowd maybe ratchet upward what is then expected in a youth program, or what the programs think they can charge? Do youth programs in other sports offer the same level of instruction, and travel as far for games, and charge less in league fees?

[@CoachRorySoccer]

In other countries soccer (futbol) is a completely different ecosystem. And yes the pro clubs subsidize. And there are other revenue streams. The other American sports have different pathways (college football) of development. We don’t have that in soccer ecosystem in USA.

[@ronjamdio86]

Well in my opinion I dont see a problem with paying for my kids to play soccer, now i do see the problem if i pay and i dont see my child development improve because of lack of coaching experience and lack of work. I live in a small town in IL and our soccer program started about 10 years ago and its getting bigger and better every year. We only pay 30 dollars for each kid to play, that includes there jersey cost. If your a parent that coaches you get a discount. The biggest problem i see in our soccer program is the lack of knowledge of some coaches, I under we volunteer but many dont put in the effort to make the kids better and teach the fundamentals. Another thing is parents, many parents see this as a daycare and after that they dont want to be involved in practices at home or encourage there kids to get better. Back to the fees, i understand that there is other clubs in our country that charges way more than we do and if you're paying a lot of money for your kid to play then they better be getting the quality of soccer they're paying for. I wish that one day we could be like other countries that are huge in soccer and not have to pay the fees but until then lets just grow the sport here and have fun and shape these kids to be great. ⚽❤️

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Sounds like you guys are doing it right! Coaching is another big issue. I also don't mind paying etc its just where the revenue comes from and then to your point what you get for it.

[@athleticfc8172]

Best video to explain America's number one FOOTBALL problem. You want to win World Cup?, then obliterate pay-to-play TODAY!

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Thank you! Yes agreed. Working on follow up video on promotion relegation which is the root of the pay to play problem

[@odelay17]

Why does something like (American) Football cost less when seemingly you would think with equipment needs alone would cost more? What model does youth football operate on?

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Can’t speak intelligently about youth American football because I’m not in it like I am with soccer but it’s a valid point your making. Soccer shouldn’t cost anywhere near what it does or at least should be funded differently than via parents pocketbooks.

[@atfitzyutube]

I think a lot of the American Football development is supported by good quality Middle School and HS programs and decent paid coaches.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

@@atfitzyutube yes the school sports for American Football is much more supported etc vs soccer.

[@odelay17]

@atfitzyutube seems maybe it's just more motivated self-interest and just boils down to the relative popularity of Football compared to Soccer in the U.S. If we didn't pay for fancy (sponsor-plastered) jerseys, our volunteer rec program would be ~$150. The amount of work involved to run a quality coaching program is unsurprisingly high, so its no surprise that without a passionate community member, those communities immediately start to default into high pay to play models. We're one of those communities, except I'm the unqualified volunteer trying to keep the accessible option open. I have to pressure our club constantly to invest in us (they haven't once for 2 years now). How do they expect kids to sign up for their select, elite, academy programs when they haven't helped to develop any potential talent? It's absolutely wild to me.

[@Nolan.Gurule]

So what's the best route in order for my child to go pro? He's the hardest worker I know.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Probably trying to get experience out of this country TBH.

[@arcticwanderer2109]

My U11 son plays in Inter Milan academy in Toronto. Easy 8K a year if you include everything like travelling, tournament fees, gear etc. Training 4 times a week for 5 hours total, about 35 matches a year. 2-3 tournaments. Is this at par with US?

[@CoachRorySoccer]

😬. Unfortunately yes but on the very high end.

[@Nolan.Gurule]

Thing is its America everything is based off of money unfortunately, I think those clubs should hire scouts to go look at the lower income players and look for players they feel could have real potential.

[@osquiify]

This is why soccer will never grow in the US. They are trying to make it unique for a specific types of people. Specifically with those prices. Soccer all around the world is played in Barrios and most of the times for free and most of the great players come from those places. The sporting federation in the US needs a revamp. A lot of kids can't do it because they cannot afford it. Pay to play is unfair and should be addressed.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

💯

[@bds010]

Street football is nice and all, but you need club football to progress further. You can’t jump from street football straight into an academy without ever playing club football

[@laurensteakley1084]

The long term commitment clubs require make it impossible for multi-sport athletes to participate. My son plays 3 sports. I believe playing multiple sports makes a well rounded athlete and helps prevent injuries from overuse of a section of the body from playing the same sport year around. My son could very well benefit from playing for a club, but he likely never will as he doesn’t want to give up the other two sports (that he equally excels at). Pay for play is a scam and the only way to stop it is to boycott it.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

It is really difficult to play multiple sports right now with early specialization etc.

[@UHollis]

Capitalism has given us many wonderful things, yet its the main reason we have multiple leagues, people want to start business to fill gaps and make money. And given that we don't really have a governing body worth its weight to regulate and get the entire system under one umbrella. i don't think it ever will due to the former issue.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

So true.

[@damianescobar5261]

US youth soccer or pro won't be like in Europe until soccer at all levels in the US becomes vastly popular. Money (ads, sponsorships, etc) follows viewership and soccer in the US is light years away. I love soccer but unfortunately the masses in the US love to view, talk about other sports and purchase their merchandise significantly more than soccer.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

🤷🏻‍♂️ yeah I don’t know. Viewership is actually up. For me that not the issue. It’s the system of compensation and what clubs in USA prioritize

[@lukebignell7846]

@@CoachRorySoccerOnly around 1% of players get free coaching in South of England. Your perception that England has free football or heavily subsidised football is far off the mark lad Yes it’s subsidised to an extent. But only 1% of youth players get free coaching sessions and they are those associated to a professional club, where the club is only doing that because they think at some point they can sell that kid on to another professional club.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

@@lukebignell7846 not saying it’s free. Funding is different. Did you watch the video? Said nothing about England. The specific example I gave was Netherlands.

[@sebfox2194]

​@lukebignell7846 The cost in the UK is nowhere near the typical cost in the US, though. I used to pay a couple of pounds per week to play for a decent level local youth team. Whereas people are paying thousands per year to play at a similar level in the US.

[@DM48858]

I’m in CA. I wish we only paid the average of $1,400. Try more than double for an 11 year old not including travel.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Yeah it’s an average. I know families paying way way more.

[@DM48858]

@@CoachRorySoccer Thanks for replying. Great videos. Been a fan for a while now.

[@rodolfo1107]

Yeah it’s pricey, I am volunteer coach for a U-11 team

[@paulrusso1120]

Nobody should have to pay these fees, 10k-20k per yr is also a huge impact to a middle class family!

[@bretthadley2043]

Until we fix this issue US soccer will never catch up. I have 3 kids in club and I can tell you first hand most of the clubs are a joke. It is all about the money. They don't care about your kid nor his or her development! They will tell you all you want to hear. But their actions speak louder than their fake promises. I can't even tell you what I am paying for at this point. My freshman son has to share the 1 field with 8 teams! Yes 8 teams to a single field. I could go on and on.... Total joke of a system.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

This is unfortunately so common. Horrible.

[@DennisSeneca]

Coach I agree with about pay to play but you make pay to play sound bad. In reality evryone pays. Parents pay to travel to another towns, gas isnt cheap. They buy cleats and shin pads. The club has expenses. My club is lucky, we use open fields behind the HS Administration takes care of for us. We have over 275 players from 5-13. The town doesnt have space for soccer fileds.....yet😊 I can go on how the town and school and parents contribute to the success of the club. Our sponsors (business) contributions pay for players who can not afford it. We buy shin pads and take used cleats and to offer to parents. We do uiur best to keep the operational costs down. We dont pay for coaching, everyone is a volunteer that has met the USYS requirement. We home grow refs from the HS. We are all learning. Pay to play sounds harsh, I wish there was another way to say it. I think we all pay one way or another. It just depends on how much. FYI our registration costs are 65 per play wiith max family price of 165 for the family. They get a shirt and socks, and a banquet at the end if the year. I think our (pay to play) is paying off.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Oh I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t pay. I’m all for paying coaches and clubs etc. But there are a couple of issues. First how clubs are compensated. They aren’t rewarded for developing players. They are motivated to make parents happy. Which in my experience does not lead to player development. And takes clubs down a road full of false promises. The other issue is what are you getting for your money. Paying thousands of dollars is one thing. But not getting your moneys worth is another and no matter what you are still likely stuck in this American pathway despite paying so much money. The reality is unless your in an MLS academy your paying for an inferior service. Of course there are costs but how are most European counties doing it better and actually producing more talent if their parents aren’t paying thousands of dollars?

[@angelobenito-aguilar503]

Spain is not the wealthiest country in Europe (compared to England, France, Germany, Italy or the Netherlands, per capita income), but since (2010, approximately) the coaches' education hasn't stopped improving. I think that is what makes a difference in the long run. Have you seen the APFC KZbin channel? They are coaches from Spain that are working in that US. They mentioned some peculiarities about US and Europe soccer too.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

@@angelobenito-aguilar503I’ll check that channel out. Thanks!

[@angelobenito-aguilar503]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnXVkJ2robp9aassi=R3IxehpZwDFmAQ8m

[@Artie_Fufkin]

The whole pyramid gets flipped because of incentive structure. The youth club where I am just blatantly keeps expanding participation in "higher" levels. Which just so happen to cost parents thousands of dollars instead of hundreds. Then the lower and mid levels are depleted and parents are getting soaked.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Oh yes. This is a common scam among clubs. Where they push rec players to “travel” where the main difference is really just $$$

[@finzblazin]

The great thing about soccer is that all you need is a space and a ball...rest is up to parents to organize a day and time for kids to play for free. Parents are just lazy and prefer to follow the herd and spend $1k to have some local organization do all the planning and organizing....

[@Nolan.Gurule]

True but you need exposure and the club is the best way to do it.

[@davidleandro7026]

If pay to play was in Portugal , We wouldn’t have Ronaldo

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Wow! Unreal.

[@peoriaos6627]

It IS a symptom of a larger disease. But I will say this, the middle class is tired of paying for people of lesser household income. So if you're going to give advantages to lower income you need to include everyone to get discounted, not just lower income families. Well I feel we ARE paying too much for soccer, I'm okay with the higher cost as long as we're not giving discounts to some people and not others. I GIVE ENOUGH OF MY TAX MONEY AWAY TO OTHER PEOPLE.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

💯 the costs should not be offset by others paying more etc. System is broken. Incentives are misaligned

[@bananaslamma35]

As an Argentinian the entire thing is just kind of mind boggling to me. To us, Football (not calling it Soccer, we haven't called Rugby football in ages) is frequently an escape from the streets and poverty. To think that a game that's so insanely cheap to play and practice (kids in schools have been known to play with balls of rolled up paper) is an upper middle class or rich people sport in the USA is insane to us.

[@kasanj]

There is also possibly correlation without causation. Football is a game that in engrained in the lower class. Look at the behavior you see at NFL stadiums. More shocking is the behavior from parents at youth football games. Abhorrent, and consistent with lower class people. Maybe higher class people gravitate to soccer because they don’t want to subject themselves to these behaviors that we observe in the football environment. When kids are outwardly applauded for dirty hits injuring another kid. And regularly fighting other parents and shouting profanities towards 11 year old cheerleaders. If this sort of crowd found their way to the soccer fields en masse then we’re buying lacrosse gear. 😅

[@CoachRorySoccer]

You be surprised at the youth soccer crowds. They arent much better

[@RuudVanDrijver]

So if Pele had been an American, instead of representing the USA at the World Cup he’d have been totally undiscovered in a boring job!😅

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Very possible.

[@RobertRaimondi]

Capitolism at its finest

[@MikeBaas]

promotion/relegation ftw!

[@CoachRorySoccer]

100%. Planning a video on it.

[@nickdejong6693]

I was just chatting to one of my colleagues about it and we're both for it. It's a pity USL put off the discussion on that recently. There's only one way for soccer to become truly competitive in the US and that is through a promotion-relegation system. Also, if USL wants to differentiate itself from MLS that is the best and surest way to do it. It is far more entertaining to watch teams fight to the next level, fight from dropping, than the mediocre plodding along we see in the MLS (and all American sport tbh)

[@lukebignell7846]

@@nickdejong6693are you telling me you don’t have divisions with promotion and relegation in football? Is that both in professional and youth levels? Football is a competitive sport. You need that element to it to reward the better teams and better players

[@nickdejong6693]

​@@lukebignell7846that's exactly what I'm telling you. It is the weirdest way for sport to be run and works for sports that the rest of the world doesn't play. Essentially rich people buy or start a team that is guaranteed to always be in a league. Then everything is about marketing and revenue generation. But each league has certain idiosyncrasies that at times makes it better for you to lose once you realize you can't win the top spots. It makes for a long period of just boring sport

[@jasmine55000]

Great video. But on the flip side, if you are from a family that can’t come up with $1400 a year for soccer, maybe it’s best you don’t play soccer. Maybe you spend your time hitting the books. You will have a better chance of doing well through academic means than soccer.

[@nickdejong6693]

The truth is, on average everybody has a better chance of making it from academic study than sport. But this isn't about that, because it isn't an either/or situation. You can make soccer affordable and still have kids do well academically.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

This is 100% true.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Understood. Just shouldn’t have to choose. If you have a talented player it shouldn’t be a do/don’t decision.

[@brandonnorris5996]

It’s not the family that’s playing it’s the child. If a child really loves a sport and is talented he/she shouldn’t have to suffer for financial reasons that are out of if his/her control

[@Nolan.Gurule]

I have to disagree if your talented you should make it and play as long as you can. Money shoudn't stop a player@@nickdejong6693

[@ProSeedsFutbol]

Hi Coach Rory, I think I have a solution to this problem, what is the best way to contact you, email or phone? Thank you

[@CoachRorySoccer]

You have a solution to pay to play? Fee free to email me. I have a video coming out about lack of promotion relegation in the US which is the root of the problem.

[@Luisaused]

In spain there is promotion/relegation in all levels, from 10 to 18 years-old. Competitivity is the key to create first level players. Including competirivity al training.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Pro/rel makes a big difference

[@lukebignell7846]

@@CoachRorySoccerIn our region we have 14 divisions and teams get promoted and relegated twice per year. Once in October and again in January. Some teams get relegated 7-8 divisions or promoted 7-8 divisions. But most go up or down 1-2 divisions. I cannot believe american football is so backward that they don’t have relegation and promotion. But they don’t have relegation and promotion for tampon ball, rounders or b ball either. It appears that it’s not a cultural thing for Americans to do promotion or relegation in any of their sports, perhaps that is they can’t compete in any other sports that the rest of the world plays?

[@CoachRorySoccer]

@@lukebignell7846 100%. It’s about exclusion. American sports owners would never want pro/rel because that would mean competition and that results on the field would actually matter. In American sports it really doesn’t matter much if you win or lose as an owner your still likely to making $.

[@Luisaused]

Good morning Im from spain. The same system, pay to play in all-no profesional clubs. From 100 hundred euros to 500 hundred euros, year. In the profesional clubs, all free, obviously.

[@CoachRorySoccer]

Interesting.