What is to be expected with select?

I know many of you have been through this and I was wondering what we should expect. What are usual kit costs? What are the dues? What other things should we expect. Thanks to everyone who takes the serious.

Expect double to 3 times the cost of academy. As a parent that just attended a select meeting for cost explanation of next year (and new fees have not been published)... Academy is around 950-1200 for the year. Select will be around 2900-3600 depending on club. Kits run 300-450 depending on club. Practice time SHOULD increase. 3 times per week for upper level squads.

Mo money!
$3500-$5000 more on the upper end if your team travels.

soccerdad4life wrote:I know many of you have been through this and I was wondering what we should expect. What are usual kit costs? What are the dues? What other things should we expect. Thanks to everyone who takes the serious.

For my daughter's team, things settled down once we went to select. During the months leading up to signing, life was a bit crazy. We were a relatively new team in the '03 age group (team had started with 7 or 8 players less than a year before July 1st). Every practice and tournament felt important in terms of recruiting more quality players. Once July 1st hit and we had our team signed, we were able to focus on the squad we had. So in my opinion, select is easier on the nerves assuming you are with a team you like (until May rolls around and the madness begins again!).

I can tell you what a lot of people experience after going select: Buyer's Remorse.  

That contract goes for a year and you are stuck in it.  Those promises you were sold on signing day seem to slowly disappear as soon as that ink starts to dry.

Welcome to txsoccer.net!  Your local home for snarky comments and horror stories about girls' select soccer in NTX!!!   ...and I'm certainly responsible for plenty of both.

However, as evidenced by the number of users logged on to this page at any one time, there's plenty of us with DD's still in the system, so it can't be all bad.

Cost estimates given previously are pretty accurate.  $3500 +/- a few hundred probably covers 80% of the teams in NTX.  Different clubs have different ways of splitting things up when it comes to what is covered in "standard dues" vs. what is extra out of pocket, but when you add dues, tournaments, uniforms, field fees, etc., all together, most of the clubs/teams come out in the range above.  Unless you are playing for a very small club and/or and independent team with a non-paid parent coach, you will have a very hard time getting away with a year of select soccer for <$2500.  On the other end, the closer your DD's team is to the top of the food chain, the more you can expect travel to out-of-town/out-of-state tournaments, and that is where you can quickly get North of $5k a year.

90 min, 2x-3x per week for practices probably covers 90% of the teams out there.

With regards to the horror stories you hear about contracts, buyer's remorse, and releases, I have 3 pieces of advice:

1)  EDUCATE YOURSELF.  You're about to invest upwards of $3k on this...  do your homework. Go to the NTSSA and LHGCL/PPL/APL websites and read up on the bylaws and rules.  Understand how the contract works, how releases work, how QT works, how CPP works, promotion/relegation, and so on, and so on...  Seek out a manager from one of the select teams in your prospective club and ask questions about how club fees are structured, what kind of payment plans are offered, how tournament fees are handled, etc.  It will lower your stress level significantly, and you will be far less likely to be surprised by anything leading up to, or after signing day.

2)  BE OBSERVANT, and COMMUNICATE.  Watch the dynamics that are going on between the coach and girls at practices and games as it leads up to signing day.  Avoid panicking and/or over-reacting, but make sure what you are observing paints a consistent picture of an environment that you will be comfortable with.  Don't avoid talking to the coach or the team manager, but also don't be the parent that gets a concussion if someone kicks either one in the a$$.  Make sure the verbal and non-verbal messages you get from the coach and manager are consistent, and that you are comfortable with them.

3)  BE OBJECTIVE when it comes to your DD, and her place in the pecking order on any team you are looking to join. The time leading up to July 1st is time for you to be her PARENT.  There will be plenty of time after July 1st for you to be her #1 cheerleader.  If you can truly be objective about your DD's abilities, your success rate at finding a team that is a good fit goes up dramatically.  Act in your DD's best interest.  Most of time, you will truly be the only person doing so, despite what anyone else says.

Borrowed this from a wise parent on another forum hope it helps

A Little Advice to GU11-12 parents
Here is a little advice that might help you and more importantly your daughter survive this long journey and still love it like she is 10. U12 was the key year for my player deciding that she wanted to be a player that played in college.

1. Celebrate the victories with her, console her after the losses but never forget it's just fun. You won't remember that many game scores but she will remember that you were on her side.

2. Start skills training no later than this year. No matter what position she plays now or whether she is the best player on her team or the worst to play at the highest level requires a good first touch and skill on the ball.

3. Watch women's and men's soccer with her. It gives you another thing to bond over and she can see what is possible.

4. Make sure she plays multiple positions. This one is simple. Versatility is valuable and the position she plays at 11 might be significantly different than what she plays at 16 or what she is recruited to play.

5. Pick the coach first and the club second. Certain coaches will focus on improving your player and projecting what they will turn into. Some coaches only care about winning and/or their resume. Certain clubs get kids into college. It is as simple as that.

6. Ask your kid every year if she really wants to play. This one sounds weird but it reminds them and you that this whole thing is about them.

7. Make sure school is number 1. Having good grades opens up more college options for your player and allows them the ability to get additional money.

8. Focus on your player getting better every week not on the wins and losses. Not once was my daughter asked about how good her team was at U12 or how many tournaments she won. Don't lose focus on your players development.

9. Get her in a position to be showcased at U16. Whether that means a team team change at U15 or U12. Make sure that the club she is on when most of the action happens has a record of putting players in college.

10. Once she is committed the hard work really starts. Most coaches are committing kids based upon a projection of where they will be at 18-23 years old. Kids that get committed and stop working usually end up quitting soccer because they end up riding the pine.

Two caveats to the excellent advice above.

U16 may be a little late for some of the D1 Colleges (if that's the goal). Several coaches are looking to commit at Sophomore and are starting conversations (which your kid needs to initiate) before then. Don't panic though since no matter what College is not about Soccer.

Ask your DD what she's enjoying about what she's doing fairly regularly. "What's fun for you?". It's always a good question and has some surprising answers.

I think the coaches and clubs are in a business but I also think they truly care about what they're doing and are invested in the kids they teach. This region is lucky to have the folks engaged that we do.

Our family kind of backed into this process and are still on the journey but it's a good one - ups and downs but generally worth the price of admission. So make sure the journey is worth it rather than enduring it for a destination. That would not be a good way to spend several years of a childhood.

Do your research!!!!!!!!