Estimated costs for Elite Soccer - Girls

goscore! wrote:

Coach wrote:The travel costs killed it for us.
10 out of town tournaments.
It would have been almost $1000 a month for soccer.

Whoa. That is a lot of travel. What club? Was this an ECNL team, or what? See, that's what we need to avoid! Did you know before signing, or was it sprung on you after?

It was an ECNL club and we didn't sign.
They told us about the trips ahead of time.
Florida, Denver, Midwest, Oklahoma x3, Austin x3, and 1 more.
They didn't mention buses and no hotels.
Add in club and uniform fees = $OCCER.

NotNewHere wrote:

Son_ofa_Pitch wrote:

NotNewHere wrote:You might talk with someone who played last year on the team you are looking at.

Spoke to a FCD GDA parent - $1500 was the club dues this past year (including uniform).  That did NOT include travel, additional trainer utilized during the winter when the fields were closed, travel / hotel at showcases, bus costs, etc.  He said his additional costs ran $300-500 per month in the fall as they traveled more then.  Less in the spring.

This is pretty much correct except $300-500 per month. More like $250-270 per month.

I said $300-500 per month in the fall because they traveled more then.  Less in the spring.  So $300-500 in the fall, say $200 in the spring . . . might average to $250-270 per month.  

Not sure why you crossed that out.  THEIR team hired a trainer during the winter while the fields were closed.  He provided the name of the trainer (not associated with FCD) and said that some of the girls still work with him.

Was that a FCD requirement to hire a personal trainer for that DA team? You cant associate that cost for every DA team hence the reason for the crossed out.

In this case we need to erase the cross out who will be editing.

Coach wrote:

goscore! wrote:

Coach wrote:The travel costs killed it for us.
10 out of town tournaments.
It would have been almost $1000 a month for soccer.

Whoa. That is a lot of travel. What club? Was this an ECNL team, or what? See, that's what we need to avoid! Did you know before signing, or was it sprung on you after?

It was an ECNL club and we didn't sign.
They told us about the trips ahead of time.
Florida, Denver, Midwest, Oklahoma x3, Austin x3, and 1 more.
They didn't mention buses and no hotels.
Add in club and uniform fees = $OCCER.

This info is, or rather was, totally and absolutely incorrect.  Basically this is false.

Why would an ECNL team travel to Oklahoma x3, Austin x3 whereas those locations each have only 1 ECNL Club/Team?  You play 1 game in Oklahoma and 1 in Austin, why travel 3 times to each location?

And what would a Texas ECNL team be doing in Denver and Midwest?  ECNL Showcases are usually in Florida, Texas, Phoenix and New Jersey.  Depending on the age group, you either pick one of those (U14 and U18) or three of those (U15, U16 and U17).  U13 are optional in Showcases though most of them played in one.

Theres a range but based on the facts it's definitely a decision made between the parent and the child. Those conversations happen every year. Not only costs but commitment and time to enjoy other things in life. All good life learning situations for the kids to think about and make adult decisions on what is important to them and respect for their parents. Some cases it's not the kids decision.

Son_ofa_Pitch wrote:

NotNewHere wrote:

Son_ofa_Pitch wrote:

NotNewHere wrote:You might talk with someone who played last year on the team you are looking at.

Spoke to a FCD GDA parent - $1500 was the club dues this past year (including uniform).  That did NOT include travel, additional trainer utilized during the winter when the fields were closed, travel / hotel at showcases, bus costs, etc.  He said his additional costs ran $300-500 per month in the fall as they traveled more then.  Less in the spring.

This is pretty much correct except $300-500 per month. More like $250-270 per month.

I said $300-500 per month in the fall because they traveled more then.  Less in the spring.  So $300-500 in the fall, say $200 in the spring . . . might average to $250-270 per month.  

Not sure why you crossed that out.  THEIR team hired a trainer during the winter while the fields were closed.  He provided the name of the trainer (not associated with FCD) and said that some of the girls still work with him.

Was that a FCD requirement to hire a personal trainer for that DA team? You cant associate that cost for every DA team hence the reason for the crossed out.

That's fair.

You cant associate hotel cost for every DA team, so those costs should not be included.

You cant associate bus cost for every DA team, so those costs should not be included.

You cant associate showcase costs because those can differ for each DA team.

You cant associate the cost to fly, some may elect to drive to everything.


Yep, $1500 all in.

NotNewHere wrote:

Son_ofa_Pitch wrote:

NotNewHere wrote:

Son_ofa_Pitch wrote:

NotNewHere wrote:You might talk with someone who played last year on the team you are looking at.

Spoke to a FCD GDA parent - $1500 was the club dues this past year (including uniform).  That did NOT include travel, additional trainer utilized during the winter when the fields were closed, travel / hotel at showcases, bus costs, etc.  He said his additional costs ran $300-500 per month in the fall as they traveled more then.  Less in the spring.

This is pretty much correct except $300-500 per month. More like $250-270 per month.

I said $300-500 per month in the fall because they traveled more then.  Less in the spring.  So $300-500 in the fall, say $200 in the spring . . . might average to $250-270 per month.  

Not sure why you crossed that out.  THEIR team hired a trainer during the winter while the fields were closed.  He provided the name of the trainer (not associated with FCD) and said that some of the girls still work with him.

Was that a FCD requirement to hire a personal trainer for that DA team? You cant associate that cost for every DA team hence the reason for the crossed out.

That's fair.

You cant associate hotel cost for every DA team, so those costs should not be included.

You cant associate bus cost for every DA team, so those costs should not be included.

You cant associate showcase costs because those can differ for each DA team.

You cant associate the cost to fly, some may elect to drive to everything.


Yep, $1500 all in.

Again.  FCD GDA this year ...

"$1500 dues (kits included).  ~$200/month travel costs include charter bus for day trips to Houston/Austin 2x/year, overnight bus trip to KC 1x/year, hotels at overnight trips, and 1-2 meal(s)/day for all trips.  Have to pay extra for flight to Denver 1x/year, and to the 3 Showcases flights (and playoffs for U15+ if they advance)."

Sheish.

NotNewHere wrote:

Son_ofa_Pitch wrote:

NotNewHere wrote:

Son_ofa_Pitch wrote:

NotNewHere wrote:You might talk with someone who played last year on the team you are looking at.

Spoke to a FCD GDA parent - $1500 was the club dues this past year (including uniform).  That did NOT include travel, additional trainer utilized during the winter when the fields were closed, travel / hotel at showcases, bus costs, etc.  He said his additional costs ran $300-500 per month in the fall as they traveled more then.  Less in the spring.

This is pretty much correct except $300-500 per month. More like $250-270 per month.

I said $300-500 per month in the fall because they traveled more then.  Less in the spring.  So $300-500 in the fall, say $200 in the spring . . . might average to $250-270 per month.  

Not sure why you crossed that out.  THEIR team hired a trainer during the winter while the fields were closed.  He provided the name of the trainer (not associated with FCD) and said that some of the girls still work with him.

Was that a FCD requirement to hire a personal trainer for that DA team? You cant associate that cost for every DA team hence the reason for the crossed out.

That's fair.

You cant associate hotel cost for every DA team, so those costs should not be included. - Teams stay together, same hotel, so yes..

You cant associate bus cost for every DA team, so those costs should not be included. - Teams bus together, so yes..

You cant associate showcase costs because those can differ for each DA team. - Showcases are paid for by USSF, no cost, so yes..

You cant associate the cost to fly, some may elect to drive to everything. - That's fair. The only one I will give you


Yep, $1500 all in.

My better judgement is saying not to reply but I'm giving you the - C'MON MAN!!

Son_ofa_Pitch wrote:

NotNewHere wrote:

Son_ofa_Pitch wrote:

NotNewHere wrote:

Son_ofa_Pitch wrote:

NotNewHere wrote:You might talk with someone who played last year on the team you are looking at.

Spoke to a FCD GDA parent - $1500 was the club dues this past year (including uniform).  That did NOT include travel, additional trainer utilized during the winter when the fields were closed, travel / hotel at showcases, bus costs, etc.  He said his additional costs ran $300-500 per month in the fall as they traveled more then.  Less in the spring.

This is pretty much correct except $300-500 per month. More like $250-270 per month.

I said $300-500 per month in the fall because they traveled more then.  Less in the spring.  So $300-500 in the fall, say $200 in the spring . . . might average to $250-270 per month.  

Not sure why you crossed that out.  THEIR team hired a trainer during the winter while the fields were closed.  He provided the name of the trainer (not associated with FCD) and said that some of the girls still work with him.

Was that a FCD requirement to hire a personal trainer for that DA team? You cant associate that cost for every DA team hence the reason for the crossed out.

That's fair.

You cant associate hotel cost for every DA team, so those costs should not be included. - Teams stay together, same hotel, so yes.. not all DA teams from club-to-club stay overnight, so you can't compare this cost between clubs

You cant associate bus cost for every DA team, so those costs should not be included. - Teams bus together, so yes..  not all DA teams from club-to-club take a bus, so you can't compare the travel costs between clubs

You cant associate showcase costs because those can differ for each DA team. - Showcases are paid for by USSF, no cost, so yes..  Not all clubs would pay the same travel / hotel

You cant associate the cost to fly, some may elect to drive to everything. - That's fair. The only one I will give you


Yep, $1500 all in.

My better judgement is saying not to reply but I'm giving you the - C'MON MAN!! award

Yes, it is pretty simple.

"You cant associate that cost for every DA team hence the reason for the crossed out."

The OP was being told something by an FCD coach - namely $1500 all-in, including travel costs - (which now appears to be contradicted by multiple people)

I only expressed one person's experience.  But if you want to break it down, club-by-club, team-by-team . . .

NotNewHere wrote:

Spoke to a FCD GDA parent - $1500 was the club dues this past year (including uniform).  That did NOT include travel, additional trainer utilized during the winter when the fields were closed, travel / hotel at showcases, bus costs, etc.  He said his additional costs ran $300-500 per month in the fall as they traveled more then.  Less in the spring.

Its pretty simple. Now you want to talk about every DA team or what you posted above in RED? Wasn't referring to every DA team. Only FCD as you mentioned.

Son_ofa_Pitch wrote:

NotNewHere wrote:

Spoke to a FCD GDA parent - $1500 was the club dues this past year (including uniform).  That did NOT include travel, additional trainer utilized during the winter when the fields were closed, travel / hotel at showcases, bus costs, etc.  He said his additional costs ran $300-500 per month in the fall as they traveled more then.  Less in the spring.

Its pretty simple. Now you want to talk about every DA team or what you posted above in RED? Wasn't referring to every DA team. Only FCD as you mentioned.

As I CLEARLY stated from the start, these costs were associated to one FCD GDA team.  Simple.

He listed the additional items he had to pay for, and his estimated monthly cost.  I put them out there - clearly there may be differing costs by team.  He said higher in the fall, lesser in the spring, and provided those $ estimates.  They were his additional, out-of-pocket, costs and could provide valid questions that OP could ask the FCD coach who told him $1500 all-in.  That cost doesn't seem to differ much in total from your costs, but sounds slightly more expensive than BigErn's estimate.

You scratched it out because it didn't apply to your team, (which I never said or meant to imply) or more specifically because "you cant associate that cost for every DA team" (you didn't say every FCD GDA team).  I didn't mention all FCD teams or all DA teams (as you did) - only one, the team his daughter plays for.

You can't associate many costs for - as you said - every DA team.  Since you brought "every DA team" to the table, that would require a comparison across clubs.

NotNewHere wrote:

Son_ofa_Pitch wrote:

NotNewHere wrote:

Spoke to a FCD GDA parent - $1500 was the club dues this past year (including uniform).  That did NOT include travel, additional trainer utilized during the winter when the fields were closed, travel / hotel at showcases, bus costs, etc.  He said his additional costs ran $300-500 per month in the fall as they traveled more then.  Less in the spring.

Its pretty simple. Now you want to talk about every DA team or what you posted above in RED? Wasn't referring to every DA team. Only FCD as you mentioned.

As I CLEARLY stated from the start, these costs were associated to one FCD GDA team.  Simple.

He listed the additional items he had to pay for, and his estimated monthly cost.  I put them out there - clearly there may be differing costs by team.  He said higher in the fall, lesser in the spring, and provided those $ estimates.  They were his additional, out-of-pocket, costs and could provide valid questions that OP could ask the FCD coach who told him $1500 all-in.  That cost doesn't seem to differ much in total from your costs, but sounds slightly more expensive than BigErn's estimate.

You scratched it out because it didn't apply to your team, (which I never said or meant to imply) or more specifically because "you cant associate that cost for every DA team" (you didn't say every FCD GDA team).  I didn't mention all FCD teams or all DA teams (as you did) - only one, the team his daughter plays for.

You can't associate many costs for - as you said - every DA team.  Since you brought "every DA team" to the table, that would require a comparison across clubs.

Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it "a pissing contest", which of course in German means a whale’s v@#$%.

goscore! wrote:

According to FC Dallas, 1500 is the final number. So to answer your question, correct, there should be no other expenses.

I'm trying to figure out, through all that, how this point got missed.

Someone got some 'splainin to do.

goscore! wrote:More accurate

goscore! wrote:FC Dallas GDA  $1500 + bus costs ~50/trip league games and your own travel/hotels for showcases

Solar GDA  $2500 + your own travel/hotels for league games and showcases (and uniform?)

Texans GDA - ?

You must have missed this post

But yes, we are definitely about to have a long conversation with FCD regarding the ACTUAL expenses.
I was told multiple times travel was included in the 1500, so that must have been a lie or all these people have wrong info. I certianly won't be paying someone else to train my kid after paying the signing/coaching fee, that's comical. And I do understand the showcase fees, but those must be optional, otherwise it should be spelled out when someone asks for financial commitment info.

If you play ECNL your expenses are going to vary. Obviously your expenses will vary from club to club for DA. Travel will be the biggest difference. Included or extra. Everything all in? I doubt it.
Paid total not exceeding $10,000 for soccer this past year. (Including fees, airfare, hotels, car rental, food etc.) Older DD cheerleader was probably closer to $15,000 so... lets all just keep bitchin. You know you are going to do it again this year.

Heard plenty about GDA at FCD
Solar, Texans people, where you at???

Pele98 wrote:

Coach wrote:

goscore! wrote:

Coach wrote:The travel costs killed it for us.
10 out of town tournaments.
It would have been almost $1000 a month for soccer.

Whoa. That is a lot of travel. What club? Was this an ECNL team, or what? See, that's what we need to avoid! Did you know before signing, or was it sprung on you after?

It was an ECNL club and we didn't sign.
They told us about the trips ahead of time.
Florida, Denver, Midwest, Oklahoma x3, Austin x3, and 1 more.
They didn't mention buses and no hotels.
Add in club and uniform fees = $OCCER.

This info is, or rather was, totally and absolutely incorrect.  Basically this is false.

Why would an ECNL team travel to Oklahoma x3, Austin x3 whereas those locations each have only 1 ECNL Club/Team?  You play 1 game in Oklahoma and 1 in Austin, why travel 3 times to each location?

And what would a Texas ECNL team be doing in Denver and Midwest?  ECNL Showcases are usually in Florida, Texas, Phoenix and New Jersey.  Depending on the age group, you either pick one of those (U14 and U18) or three of those (U15, U16 and U17).  U13 are optional in Showcases though most of them played in one.

You're right. I am wrong.
What they actually told me was false.
I should have known better than to post my truth without asking you first.

So, basically, you are a %#&*% piece of $@#$%# for commenting on something you know absolutely nothing about.
Nothing. Nada. Zip.
You were not there.

Carry on, my little keyboard warrior.

ECNL Dues/Fees/Uniform will run you between $3500-$4000 at any of the NTX ECNL clubs.  Travel costs will vary significantly between clubs and sometimes even between teams within the club.  3x weekend road trips (1 Houston, 1 Austin/SA, 1 Tulsa/OKC) for league matches.  1-3 Showcases depending on age group, one of which is usually to Houston (driving), the other 2 are usually Phoenix and Orlando (flying) + playoffs, which is usually a flight as well.  Figure somewhere between an extra $2k-$6k, depending on exactly how much travel, club/team travel policies (i.e. does the club/team require players to room together, or does the club/team allow players to room with parents, does the team rent "team vans" at the showcases, etc.), whether one or more family members travel in addition to the player, how much you are able to take advantage of hotel/airline points, etc.

I would bet that most fall in the $8k-$10k total range.  If you're going over $10k total, then you probably have more than just 1 parent travelling to the showcases/playoffs, and aren't really shopping very hard for low airfares, and hotel deals, and aren't using any airline/hotel points.  Or, the team made it to the final four in U15-U17 so you had to throw in another airfare road trip.

GDA - knock $1000-1500 off the dues.  Travel will still fall into the $2k-$6k per year range.  You're still talking road trips to Austin, Houston, OKC, KC/Omaha, and Denver for league matches. Plus 1-2 showcases and playoffs. Maybe FCD does a better job of keeping dues and travel costs down vs. Texans or Solar.  A kid at FCD who's parents don't travel to the away games can maybe get away for <$5k, but I'd bet most families are in for $6k-$8k for a year in GDA.

Budget at least 10K to keep up w Peggy Sue. That about 15K from your salary. College dues are a comin.

Blank77 wrote:Compared to regular select, the cost isn't much difference without the travel, it is all about the travel.  Dues are about the same, maybe a few thousand more due to number of tournaments and/or leagues, but where you get killed is the travel.  Even if you don't go to the out of town tournaments, you still are paying to fly your DD there.   You are looking at 3 weekend a month, somewhere else.   If you are going to travel with her, get your own hotels, bring some siblings, and not miss a game, I'd expect to pay upwards of $20k for ECNL.

Same info.  Club fees are the same or less depending on the club, DA or ECNL, etc.  

It is more expensive for the travel.  But you can manage it far less than $20K.  It also depends on the age and how many show case tourneys they attend.  The cost for these trips can add up.  Some people drive  to these, even though they can be far away.  You can send your kids with 1 parent, or take turns by trip with another team parent to lower costs.  Share rooms with other parents, etc.  Or even send your DD with the team on her own as they get older.  
US soccer has some travel fund assistance for DA if you apply and qualify.  

Much of the league travel is “local”, Houston, Austin, OK.  These are drivable, and may be day trips or 1 hotel night.  For DA one weekend trip to Colorado and one to KC.

There are ways to manage it.  This is our third year, and we have not spent anywhere near $20K per year on travel.  1 parent and 1 kid flying to a major showcase is usually $1400-2000 all in for a 4 day show case.  Usually 2-3 of those per year, depending on age.  The younger kids don’t attend showcases the first year or two, or at least they attend less.

I forgot to add other fees and travel costs add couple more thousand to the total...12k or so.