Parents should move kids from recreational AYSO soccer to competitive club play when they show genuine passion for the sport. Early skill development between ages 6 and 11 sets up high school and college opportunities. Missing this window makes catching up hard.
How do you know when it's time to switch from AYSO to club soccer? Obvious one is if your son or daughter shows a level of passion, that it's time to go. From a college soccer specific perspective, as a parent, it is your role to go, do I think my son or daughter would enjoy playing high school soccer? From a social perspective, from a learning perspective, because if they don't get good enough at 6, 7 years old, at 8, 9, 10, 11, they won't be as good as they need to be, and then they'll make the JV team Which is fine, but if you say, I want them to enjoy it, everybody loves what they're good at. Sooner you put them at a level that is a higher level that they also of course enjoy, the more likely it is they'll also one day be able to play college soccer. Now I'm the crazy person going, hey, I don't care if your kid is 6, 7, 8 years old, I want you to start thinking about college soccer. That doesn't mean you have to do anything that different, you just need to get educated. Club team should you play for? What game should you be traveling to? What video should you be taking? Because once you miss the boat, you miss the boat. There is no going backwards. Yes, you can still make up time, but once the boat has left, it is a pain. And when you come to me and you're in high school and you say, I want to play Division 1, I say, that is not realistic. That's why I'm starting this right now and explaining, hey, when you think your son or daughter is one of those people that's addicted and loves it to an extreme degree, get them out of rec soccer and get them into club soccer. You still want to find the right coach, you still want to play all the right things and find the right amount of minutes to play and find a good environment, but Mom and dad, it typically is time. If you want help playing MLS Next or ECNL, call me. Links in the bio. Talk soon. Bye.
