This has been a very controversial topic over the last month. Should clubs be charging the parents or not? First you need to understand the point of view for each type of person within this situation. Let’s break down each perspective to give a little bit of an understanding on how everything works.
Clubs
Most clubs out there have to charge to cover fields, registration for specific events, local soccer association affiliation, and coaching expenses. Many clubs have a lot expenses, and given that soccer is not a primary sport in the United States, it is very difficult to find full financial support for the entire club. Many people have their own concerns about how the clubs also pocket money for themselves, but it’s almost to the point now that it’s normal for most organizations to pocket a certain amount of money for themselves since they are a business. Check out our How Much are Soccer Parents Willing to Pay? article, are you still comfortable with the price while having less activity with the club?
Coaches
Many coaches are being affected by this as well, a lot of them coach full-time and make a living off of coaching, whether it being within a club, private trainer, or both. It’s hard a time right now for everyone, many coaches are now going online to keep up their reputation while impacting the soccer community at the same time. Is online Zoom training worth paying for? It comes down to how much you support and appreciate that specific coach. Did you join a specific club because of the club name or because of the coach?
Parents
There is a lot of frustration with the parents, they want to keep their kids as active as possible, but could be struggling financially. From what I have analysed, it’s a 50-50 between the parents, there are parents that are very angry with the clubs charging fees, and typically those are the parents that are not financially stable right now. Then there are parents that are all in for paying the clubs fees. Sometimes it’s not about the money for them, but it’s more for the fact that they do not want to see the club die out or they want to assure that there is something for the child to come back to once group activity allowed. Can the clubs meet the demands of the parents, while keeping the club name alive financially?
Summary
This is a very difficult situation from all different angles. Everyone has their own opinion and their life circumstances to justify what he or she believes in. I personally believe that there is no right or wrong decision/answer since every club, team, coach, and parent is different. It’s not even the matter of if you can afford the club fees or not. I think it comes down to how much you truly value the club to continue paying even though the quality isn’t the same as before. If you value the club, but cannot afford the fees, then don’t hesitate to speak to the club director or administrator about the current situation, it’s likely that they would be willing to work with you, but many parents come out angry without taking a moment to think about everything from different perspectives.
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