* NV Patriots Finish the 2010 Spring Season Undefeated!.

* 2010 Fall Game Schedule Updated!!!!!
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* Comstock 2009 Photos Courtesy of Greg Beattie
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Here we are again at the beginning of another season. As I spend time going through the information for the tournaments we'll go to this spring and check out the teams that would be attending, rankings, results, tournament history, quality, coaches credentials, clubs, etc. I could not help but notice the ever increasing costs for players to participate in the sport at the competitive level.

To put it all into a cohesive perspective. One must look into why is the money being spent? And what is the money really buying?

So let's look at the "why". As parents, we want to provide our kids with the opportunity to participate in an activity that will be fun, can keep them healthy, can help their development as a person, increase their self esteem, grow their character, etc. We hope that if we get them involved in sports, the chances of them getting into trouble are less likely to be present. From that point on, if our child decides to pursue a carrier in competitive youth soccer (or any other sport), then we add that to the list of reasons why we spend money for our child to do sports. Great reasons why spend money and the money is worth it (I am a parent too).

So when we talk about competitive soccer specifically, what is the money we spend really buying? Well here there are a lot of different products, but the list can be narrowed to the following: Player registration, Referee fees, Uniforms, Warm-ups, Equipment & Tournament fees. There are also for a lot of people the "Coaching and trainer Fees". And of course there is also the expense of gas, time, traveling, hotels, etc. (But we are not going to get into those).

Since we are talking about our little Northern Nevada Team, I wanted to get a real comparison on what is the money our players are paying really getting them when compared to other teams and clubs.

Last fall parents paid around $300 or so per player to be in the NV Patriots. Because we had money left over from the spring, we were able to spend it on warm ups and new uniforms without additional cost to the parents. For this amount, the players got to register in the league, participate in 3 tournaments (2 out of town), get new uniforms & new warm ups, and food for the first day of the tournaments. These are the tangibles. Then there are the "priceless" things they got for that money. They got a chance to continue to learn the sport, coaching sessions/practices 1 to 3 times per week, depending on the number of games each week, the chance to build a bond with teammates, and oh yes, they got to bring a Championship home at the end of our season to top it off.

So if you put together the complete year (last fall and this spring), the cost per player will be around $650 for the whole year. Includes registration for two seasons ($200 fall and spring), 7 tournaments (Avg. $500 each), Uniforms, Warm ups, Bags, Traveling permits for the team, food for Saturdays at tournaments, and office misc. supplies, Club Fees. (and yes, they also have 1 Championship in the bag!). All for the price of around $650 per player per year.

So what can we compare this to? Well let's look at a team with a similar situation (not to pick on them but just as comparison). Since the iceing on the cake was the Championship at Yuba City last fall, I decided to look at what the Castro Valley Team spend getting to the Championship game where they lost to us in penalty kicks (It could have gone either way).

So the Castro Valley United pays for 1 season: Registration Fees $170, Club Competition Program Fees $100, Uniforms $275, Tournament Fees (4 to 5) $200, Miscellaneous Expenses $100. This totals $845. Additionally, the Division 3 teams pay $95/month for coaching, total of $475 for a grand total of $1320 per player per season. (Click Here for the Castro Valley SC Information Literature and costs).

Of course the Castro Valley Soccer Club is one of the best in Northern California and they do have a lot of success with their teams. They do employ professional coaches to work with all their players and have a very successful organization. So all that infrastructure must be paid for by the players that want to obtain the knowledge they teach. It is also important to note that I am not making a comparison or diminishing the quality of their coaches or program (God knows as a coach I have too many short comings) and probably will never achieve the licenses their coaches hold.

I am merely making the comparison to put where the money goes into perspective. Just like Castro Valley SC, there are many other clubs and teams out there that must charge players enough money to run their program.

So with this in mind, I believe that parents should always put in perspective why they spend money on their kids soccer program. It is not to win Championships or win every game. These just come as a special prize for a very few on special occasions.

From the perspective of Coach Quin, Alicia, Linda, and myself, I can tell you that what we hope to provide to the NV Patriot players (and all the kids we coach), is a venue where the kids can flourish and where the reasons "why" parents spend money can be achieved for each child. Whatever their ultimate goal may be as soccer players and beyond.

Would we coach the players better if we were paid? Unlikely! We love to coach and it is just fun to know that we can provide quality coaching to your kids. Comparable to the "best" out there for the minimum cost of a smile from the girls!

Let's get this season Started!

Coach John

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