He’s been on 3 different club teams and loves his current team. The coach is very positive and just a great coach, and the kids are good kids. Last year, the high school coaches all started coaching for a rival club. Several of the kids on my sons team left to play for the high school coaches club to better position themselves for the high school team. It worked. My son loved his club team so he stuck with them. He went from being a starter as a freshman to a bench player, to quitting high school soccer.

The coaches had their teams picked out before tryouts based on their club teams. He wanted to play on the high school team, but breaking into the rotation as an outsider was too much to overcome. He’s at peace with it now, and still loves playing on his club team. But the whole experience sure soured me on the club/high school politics.

So, if the goal is to have fun and play, I think it’s ok, and it offers a more competitive environment. If the goal is to play in high school and college, you’re going to have to navigate a lot of politics and unnecessary garbage, and in the unlikely event that the parents and kids can make it through all the BS without burning out, they will probably be more prepared for advanced levels of competition.