Chances are you or your son or daughter plays 'select' soccer. If not, I am sure you know someone who does. As a professional soccer coach, I often get asked about youth soccer and advice on how to choose a team, club, or academy. My advice is always similar. What do you want from the experience? If it is exercise and to have fun, then you can do that with just about any team in the area. If you are looking for something beyond that, it is first important to understand the differences in being on a TEAM, being part of a CLUB, and being a member of an ACADEMY.
This is very difficult to decipher in the youth soccer market because the terms are used very loosely. Everyone has an FC, SC, or A at the end of their name.
In order to be clear, here are the definitions of each.
TEAM – a group on the same side, as in a game. Teams can consist within a club or academy,
but can and often do stand alone. Teams
have a shared purpose and direction.
They have goals. Teams exist for
the purpose of the goal and accomplishing that goal.
CLUB - an association of two or more people united by a common interest or
goal. Athletic clubs offer one or
more recreational sports facilities to their members. Such clubs may also offer
social activities and facilities, and some members may join primarily to take
advantage of the social opportunities. Members of sports clubs that
support a team can be sports amateurs—groups who meet to practice a sport, as
for example in most cycling clubs—or
professionals -- football clubs
consist of well-paid team members and thousands of supporters. A sports club
can thus comprise participants (not necessarily competitors) or spectator fans,
or both. In soccer, clubs are usually
comprised of teams.
ACADEMY
- A school for special instruction. They are education and skill based. Academies have a philosophy on how to
educate, what they are teaching, and a long term plan (Curriculum) on how
things will be taught. In soccer,
academies are built around individuals
placed in teams. The goal of the youth soccer academy is to
develop individual players. Examples of
this are professional teams youth academies, most famously are Ajax (Holland)
and Barcelona (Spain). Both are known
for producing athletes that are capable of playing within any system or
team.
How can you recognize which is which?
Again, with these terms associated with just about every organization –
what should you look for?TEAMS are run for themselves. They usually have a single coach (and maybe an assistant). They tend to practice with only other members of the team. Decisions about competition are based solely on the goals of the team. Teams are based in a small window of ages, usually 1-2 years. The coach is often extremely influential in the success. Teams often find it difficult to gain access to upper level competition.
CLUBS are normally comprised of teams. As a result, many clubs are teams that share facilities. Some clubs are more organized than others and pull their resources together for the advantage of each team. For example, they use money from multiple teams to pay a coach to train multiple teams or to purchase/rent fields. Most of the larger clubs have their teams organized and base their competition on what is best for the teams. Clubs usually have teams in multiple age groups.
ACADEMIES are comprised of individual players that are placed on teams. Individual players often train with a variety of ages and play with different teams within the academy based on their technical, mental, and physical development. Emphasis is on individual skill and education. The goal of academies is to have players be able to play in any team. Players are the first priority, the academy is second, and the team is third. Competition is based on what is best for the individual player. Academies have a curriculum for players 5 years to 18 plus. Some Academies may limit their ages to a more defined limit (example – 8 to 14).
Each of these have their place and each of these can be successful in both terms of on field results and player development. The differences lye in how each gets their results.
Again, what do you want from the experience? I look at it the same way as I would look at choosing a school. Do you look at a school for the fall, then maybe switch in spring? Are you looking for a school that allows their teachers to teach whatever they want, whenever they want? Are the teachers a student in the class’ parent? What do they teach? Who are the teachers? How are students tested? What happens if my son or daughter is excelling? Struggling?
Let’s explore some of these. There are many things to consider…
Convenience – can I get my athlete to and from practices and games? How often do they practice?
Friends – my athlete would like to play with their friends (Parent would like to hang out with their friends).
Commitment – we want to try out a higher level from recreational/SAY. Test the waters.
Cost – how much will this cost? Ask questions up front. What do fees cover? Do uniforms cost extra? Are there additional fees for tournaments? What, if any, other fees will we incur while playing?
Curriculum – what will my athlete be learning this season, year, throughout their time here? How are they tested? Is there a report card (evaluation)?
Do they win? – I answer this very simply, Do you send your child to school to get an A? Or do you send them to school to get an education?
Each player and family will answer these differently based on their personal circumstances, commitment level, and other variables. The reason there are so many teams, clubs, and academies is because there is a need. If there weren’t players for these teams, they would not exist. When exploring your options in the soccer market, educate yourself. Compare different options and go with the situation that best fits your athlete’s needs and circumstances.
