What Club is Best For My Player?!?

We are 100% Club neutral at Own Touch and do not condone or recommend any soccer club over another outside of professional academy programs linked to pro 1st teams in the US or abroad. That being said, every new tryout season we are asked by dozens of parents about where they should put their kids and which are the “best” around. Below are the answers. If you have to read one soccer article this year, MAKE IT THIS ONE, compiled with the wonderful folks at A-Game Soccer.

Every club in the state has players going to division one colleges. Some players who play in the EDP will go D1. Some players who play in the ECNL will go D2. Every club in the state will be able to offer a good league to play in or a high level tournament to be accepted into. You should be asking or seeing what they are able to do for your child’s engagement and growth. There are a lot of good coaches who coach for top programs in the states but the BADGES, the LEAGUES, the RANKINGS, the COLLEGE COMMITMENTS can get parents caught up in the bright lights.

Before committing to something. Before paying a heavy fee. Before you drive 1-2 hours to training 3x a week. Before you board a plane as a 11 year old. Before you spend the next 9 months out of the year committing most your life to a soccer team, do your research. You will be amazed at what you will find.

So… what club is best for my player?

Start with this:

How many times does that coach/team cancel training?
Ask around.

How many players are on the current roster?
Ask around.

How much is tuition? What does that cover?
Ask around.

Do they charge you extra money for side programs?
Ask around.

Do they take players on mid season?
Ask around.

Do they ban you from outside training?
Ask around.

What is their turnover ratio every year in regards to new players and cuts?
Ask around.

Do they have a rule where they change coaches every year or two years?
Ask around.

What is that one coach has one style and the other coach has another?
Ask around.

Have you reached out to past parents who took part in that club or coach to give you an idea of how things ran?
Ask around.

Do they rotate player positions? Do they have equal playing time? Best players will play?
Ask around.

Do they talk about their league status more than their player development?
Ask around.

Do they promote tryouts non stop?
Ask around.

Did they poach you or reach out to you to join the team? Why would they do so if they are good at what they do?
Ask around.