Club vs High School

[OwlsGK30]

Club soccer's competition and skill level is extremely higher than high school soccer. Although high school soccer gets more local/state media attention, club soccer is where the skill and national recognition is.

[coachof3]

In small rural towns I would say high school has an advantage just simply for the fact that so few players play select ( even that is changing) but around larger cities due to the quality of play and the exposure you gain I would give club soccer the advantage.

[SocBlue4]

I would have to say that winning a State Championship in your high school would proababley be better. Just because you are doing it with the people that you have played with, more than likely, your whole lives.

[Readthefield]

As an observer, I know that the level of play for club ball is much higher than on the HS level. I would say that there is a very good chance that the state champions at the u-16 or u-17 level would probably win in a competition with any of the HS state champions. That is freshmen/sophs or sophs/juniors winning over the mix in HS. It could even be at the u-15 level some years. I think that the difference may be that the select teams have coaches that for the most part are "real soccer coachs" vs coaches that may coach multiple sports or just be the math or english teacher that said that they would coach the team. I think that the club teams play together more and for a longer period of time (potentially) which makes a huge difference in matches.

[17TNFC89]

Most club players have played together their whole lives so i wouldnt say that winning highschool is better because u have played wiht those people longer. Club is MUCH faster i just got back and it is a huge difference in it and school ball.

[Seldon]

i'm not sure if the "die hard clubs teams" are the problem or the parents that start pushing their kids. there are kids that thrive on the year round playing and enjoy the tourney's.but it is a choice that the kids should make.parents should provide the choices then support the player be it ayso or div 1 club. as for college if you can get a college coach to come to a high school game you've worked a minor miracle.they don't have the resources to travel alot so their best "bang for the buck" is gonna be club tourney's like raleigh and tampa.ok kids the part you hate to hear  there are more academic scholarships than athletic scholarships. but if you can get academic money the coaches can save money and may be more apt to help you get in to a better program.

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Not sure I concur with you on this zaphod, old pal. By "die hard club teams" I can insert ""die hard club team coaches" who demand an excessive amount of a player's time and are really indifferent to anything in a kid's life that isn't directly related to the "club". You either go along with what they demand or you don't play. You know as well as I do that the list of very talented players who simple quit playing later on in their teens since they have had essentially NO break from playing soccer for several years is very long. Even professional athletes have more breaks than teenage club soccer players in the U.S. There is also a huge difference between training (i.e. conditioning) in the off-season and actually playing soccer year round.

 

As for the question of club vs team, I think that question is best answered by those who have experienced the upper levels of both club and school. A player on a Div.1 club team who plays on a mediocre school team does not have an equivalent comparison. As for my personal experience, having a son who has won both club and school state championships and has played against the best school competition around, I would have to say this: winning the club state was satisfying on a personal because of the skill level of every other team in the state, but winning the TSSAA was satisfying from the perspective of pride in representing his school and community (and besides, his school team was as darn near as good as his club and better than most). Ask him which one is most "important" to him and he will say without hesitation, winning the TSSAA championship.

[mack6]

HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS IS THE MOST FUN BECAUSE OF THE MEDIA EXPOSURE!

 

CLUB IS PRIDE AROUND THE STATE!

 

AND ODP IS A JOKE......ITS ALL POLITICS!

 

BUT THE BEST SOCCER/PLAYERS IS IN THE DIV 1 CLUB TEAMS!