Money Grab $$

What has happened to and in USA Youth Soccer over the past 50 Years? With its growth from very little organized soccer with about 100,000 youth players in 1970 to about 3 million youth players depending on whom you ask and the number of girls playing from about 25% 20 years ago to almost 50% Girls today, Soccer has surely taken hold in the US. But youth soccer participation is now on the decline for a variety of reasons. I will take you on a stroll down memory lane and share some of my fondest memories and others I would like to forget; but cannot. Soccer in the America has become "All about the money." Some have forgotten it really is and needs to always be "All about the players" and to develop their lifelong love of and passion for the game. Parents are willing to pay whatever "the market will bear" as the Club and/or Coaches charge astronomical fees with the hope to have their child succeed in obtaining the holy grail of a college soccer scholarship and not let their child fall behind their peers. The problem is parents have no idea what is actually going on in America's Youth Soccer today, what they may soon face or how best to navigate any of it. The hashtag I use to describe this is #youcantmakethisstuffup. Money Grab $$ - A Parent's Guide to American Youth Soccer is an insider's view of the actual soccer player developmental lifecycle beginning with Recreational FUN then to the drama, pain points, best practice actions and costs from just starting in the sport to what it takes to make a professional soccer Team and then stay at that level. Having been involved for so long, I have heard this same cry for help and understanding over and over again, especially in the past few years. Parents who want to do the best for their children I this sport but without a clue or those that thought they had the clue only to find out otherwise, need guidance and insight into what is going on and how best to navigate it. To understand in advance the decisions they may face so that them make the correct ones given the information available. What to look for in a coach and, when to run. It will also identify all of the current methods for a variety of folks to take parent's hard-earned money out of their wallets also known as "Money Grab."