Parents And Players Struggle - Club Soccer/High School Soccer/College Soccer.

Coaching at all levels of the game has provided an amazing opportunity that helps one better understand all possible perspectives when it comes to the game of soccer in U.S.A. My time in America started in the year 2009 after having gone through an Recruitment Agency that helped me in the process of securing a soccer scholarship to play college soccer at the NAIA level at Central Baptist College in Conway, Arkansas.

During my time in college, I began coaching at the club level and my first encounter with youth soccer players and their parents started to open my eyes at the struggles that the players were facing from club coaches. The issues I noticed included the fact that most coaches didn't know or understand the game well enough to teach it to the next generation - Problem number one(1) affecting a players development. Later in my coaching career I became a club director and this is where I started to see the issues that parents were having with youth club soccer because, expectations were different from family to family and as a result, expectations from parents to club coaches were not always being met - Problem number two(2) in player development. During this time, some of my peers had taken jobs coaching High School Soccer and while attending some of their games, I realized that they’re opponents were usually coached by an employee of the High School who knew nothing about soccer but took the job for a potential higher paycheck. So student athletes were being coached by non-soccer personnel unless the school hired outside help - Problem number three(3) in player development.

The issues here are that, College Soccer Coaches recruit from Club soccer and High School soccer too but, with regard to that, the question is, which programs choose to recruit from Club soccer? or, Which programs choose to recruit from High School Soccer? or What divisions in college soccer, recruit from what environments of the game and why?

These are questions that would need to be answered in order to help parents and players better understand where to participate and where to invest they’re time and money in order to potentially meet their desired outcome.

Some of the factors to be considered by parents and players when it comes to expectations and outcomes are, whether the player wants to play College Soccer? What level do they want to play College Soccer? How can someone be prepared or what does it take to be prepared for that level of the game? What institutions have soccer programs and the players desired degree of choice, where are those institutions located?

Once those questions are answered, I believe that expectations of Club Soccer Coaches and High School Teams start to be a lot clearer for both the parent and the player. A set direction starts to unfold and the journey to meeting their desired goals start to manifest. It is important for parents and players to know what they are looking for in the long term, but it is also equally important that they analyze, accept and understand where they currently are and what it will take to get to their preferred destination.

There are many issues that need to be tackled when it comes to soccer in the United States in general but, by better understanding the environment, It can only make things better for all parties involved. One day, this sport will be one of the most impactful in U.S.A but until then, we as a soccer community will need to help guide one another through the cracks we find and how to best mend them. - Coach Sabza