I found some open tryouts very close to me and took my U8 kid.. I instantly realized that the club I was trying out with was huge and had multiple teams of the same age group, this local team (branch) was just getting started and would take anybody within the age limits and a pulse.. the turnout was slow to say the least and since the team claimed to be flight 3 the age gap expanded drastically… long story short, my 7 year old kid was always practicing and scrimmaging with 10 year olds.. the only reason I kept taking my kid there was because it was free and 2 miles away, the convenience was undeniable and that’s all I had time for (clearly knowing the risks of playing up in age just because of physical differences) my kid actually started playing up to par with the older kids and lately dominating… then I was pressed by the club to sign him up asking for a yearly fee/contract, which to me was a bit too soon seeing how they were still doing open tryouts and different kids came in and out week after week. I noticed that a lot of crazy talented kids came to try out from rec leagues leagues like ayso and never came back after the parents saw what it would cost to play here, I tried to ask the regional director about my case about my kid being too young/small and that if I paid the yearly fee and it didn’t work out with this team/coach can I move him to another team within the club and my payment will still cover?.. the answer was basically dull and nonexistent and that I should register my kid as soon as possible anyways
I didn’t like that.. if I’m gonna pay thousands of dollars for something I at least want clarity, not just hope for the best.. also, I clearly saw the quality of players being recruited, if my 7 year old first time ever playing organized soccer dominated these 10 year olds that have been playing for 3 years, that’s a huge red flag in my eyes..
I noticed atleast in my area I don’t see any benefit in paying for club at this point given that I saw for myself that the real talent and best players are actually in rec leagues where it’s a lot cheaper and can’t play club simply because they can’t afford it… This is simply what I noticed in the first month of my life dealing with youth soccer, what a mess