Money question

What are the price differences between ECRL, NPL, and LH teams? One ECRL team told us that club fees were $2600, and team dues were an additional $1800-2000. Would the NPL and LH teams be less expensive due to less travel? Would club dues be cheaper b/c LH league fees are lower than ECRL league fees? Any info is appreciated!

We played NPL last year. Club dues were about the same and I do not think they included local league fees. Those were part of our team fee. Team fees were closer to $1000, but I can't remember exactly. We also did the Vegas Cup, so that was an added expense too. Last year was the first year we played for a club that did not include the local league fees in the club fee...guess they all do it a little differently.

There isn't a straight up clear answer, because there is a lot of "fine print" involved.

First, within the same club, club fees usually won't differ much, if at all, between an ECNL, NPL, or LH team. They may differ a little between clubs, but again, you need to understand the fine print of exactly what expenses each club is including in club fees.

Second, you have the right to ask, and should get a clear, detailed answer on what the ECRL "team dues" will cover. If you don't, run away, and run away fast. $1800-2000 seems a bit high if it's just covering player lodging, meal and coach travel expenses for league play. If it's also covering those expenses for 2-3 travel tournaments/showcases (especially if you are getting on plane for any of them), then it actually sounds about right.

NPL will likely have similar costs for league play to ECRL. Maybe a little less if they consolidate their play dates/locations. An LH team won't have travel expenses for league play (unless you need to get a hotel room if you ever have a game at Chinn Chapel ).

The BIG variable is how much any team will decide to travel to tournaments/showcases. An LH team could easily run their total costs up to be as high or even higher than an ECRL team depending on their tournament/showcase plans. That is where you have to do your homework and ask very direct questions about the team's plans for the year.

Also, different clubs/teams have different travel policies when it comes to the players. Some clubs/teams require that the players room together in groups of 3-4 when traveling. Some clubs/teams will allow players to room with parents while on the road.

Bottom line... do your homework and ask questions.

melashbrew wrote:We played NPL last year. Club dues were about the same and I do not think they included local league fees. Those were part of our team fee.  Team fees were closer to $1000, but I can't remember exactly. We also did the Vegas Cup, so that was an added expense too. Last year was the first year we played for a club that did not include the local league fees in the club fee...guess they all do it a little differently.

Other than Vegas trip - how often did you have out of town games that required a hotel stay for NPL?

I think just 3-4 times. Some of our "away" games were in Ft. Worth, which did not require a hotel.

Soccer_Mom_03 wrote:What are the price differences between ECRL, NPL, and LH teams? One ECRL team told us that club fees were $2600, and team dues were an additional $1800-2000. Would the NPL and LH teams be less expensive due to less travel? Would club dues be cheaper b/c LH league fees are lower than ECRL league fees? Any info is appreciated!

Outside of the few independents it is expensive to be on any of these teams. You throw in some weekend trips to Tulsa or Austin for league games, a few regional tournaments and a national tournament then it quickly adds up on top of the club/team dues.

Club fees are gonna run somewhere in the $2-3K range. For those teams who collect team fees that will generally be...lets say a grand. Then as Braz mentioned through in the non-local tournaments (depending on how your family travels) that could be an additional $2-4K. Then the bi-annual uniform kits running around $500+-

I used to tell parents expect $4-$7K spending as a general rule and we were not a NPL or ECNL team. ECNL had their own dues which were around $2,400 if I heard correctly (a year or two ago).

Indy's will be somewhat less on club dues and uniform kits most likely as they may not be serving the onerous uniform masters, Adidas, Nike, Puma, etc.

Bottom line, it will cost you more than your public education system per year.

If you can double your travel expenses and feel cool when you tell people you play in the NPL you are in good shape.