COMPETITIVE

Division I

SELECT

Division III

RECREATIONAL

Division IV

Cost

High

A typical team’s season will cost several thousand dollars. There are exceptions so make sure to ask.

Medium

A typical team’s season will cost several hundred dollars.

Low

A typical team’s season will cost under a hundred dollars.

Time Commitment

High

If the “Comp” team is serious about doing well they will play year round in a variety of leagues and tournaments (note: many of the bigger tournaments occur January through March). Travel requirements may be extensive (Southern California, Nevada and Oregon). Practice time is comparable to most Select teams (2-3x a week) however playing for a team “down the hill” (e.g. Placer United) can add extensively to travel just to get time to-and-from practices.

Medium

Tournaments and league games are driving distance (typically Auburn to Sacramento). Practices are usually 2-3x a week (same as Comp). Practices tend to be local as teams are associated with geographically based leagues.  

Low

League games are local and few “rec” teams travel to Div IV tournaments.

Competitive Level

High to Medium

Outside of ODP (Olympic Development Program teams) “Comp” tends to be the highest level of competition available. Teams are selected through tryouts. Typical Comp teams train year round and their level of play reflects this. Teams can vary in strength with the stronger programs clearly a notch above Select teams.

Medium to High

The Select season typically lasts six to seven months and the level of play reflects the added practice time. Teams are selected through tryouts. The vast majority of Select teams are clearly better than rec teams while not being as good as most Comp teams.

Low

Teams are geographically based and no child is turned away (unless the teams roster is full). Teams tend to reflect this. In addition the season is short and practice time is usually compressed within an eight week period.

Team Success

Low to Medium

Winning games at the Div I level can be a difficult task. It can take years to build a successful Div I program. In addition there are far fewer teams playing Comp which makes seeding teams difficult. for the more popular age brackets (e.g. U14) there are typically 2-3 brackets. For the less populated age brackets (e.g. U16-U19) teams are grouped into one bracket. Lack of seeding can cause a great disparity in playing levels between teams.

Medium to High

Teams are seeded, and re-seeded mid way through the season, with other comparably skilled teams. This allows teams to play other teams of comparable skill and experience. In most age groups there can be upwards of 10-15 various levels of play. The goal is that all teams enjoy some measure of success. Top teams usually take several years to build.

High to Medium

Teams are seeded, and re-seeded mid way through the season, with other comparably skilled teams. This allows teams at opposite ends of the experience and skill spectrum to be challenged while enjoying success on the field.

Playing Time

Low to High

Div I is considered a competitive league – teams are there to win. As such there are no playing time requirements. Playing time is strictly up to the coach (see “Coach”). If you’re one the best you may not come off the field. If you are not one of the stronger players your playing time may be severely limited. It is not usual to add stronger players and drop the weaker players mid way through a season. You may not join a Div III or Div IV team if this occurs. Because of the lack of player safe guards almost all leagues do not allow parents to coach their own son/daughter at the Div I level.

Medium to High

Div. III is considered a developmental league. If selected for a team (players are required to go through try-outs) you will play as all  teams are required to play all of their players unless there is a disciplinary issue or an injury. If you are on a team you will play and you will not be dropped unless there is a disciplinary issues. If you are a Div III players you may not play Div IV (rec) in that same year.

Medium to High

Div. IV is considered a fun (“recreational”) league. All players must play at least half of the game unless there is an injury. If you are on a team you will play and you will not be dropped.

Individual Improvement

High to Medium

This is dependent upon four factors. Quality of the Comp program and of their coaches (see “Coach”). The quality of the team (see “Tournaments and Teams…”). How often they practice and how much playing time the player is receiving (see “Playing Time”).

Note: As a general rule if the player is already playing at the highest levels of Select and they are one of the best players on their team then their individual improvement may best served through Div. I play. The key is playing time and the player needs to be one of the best players out there to get it (due to no playing time rules)

If the player is a good player on a good Select team then their individual improvement is probably best served through Select play (more playing time, confidence building, less likelihood of injury etc.).

High to Medium

Individual improvement is dependent upon four factors. Quality of the program and of their coaches (see “Coach”). The quality of the team (see “Tournaments and Teams…”). How often they practice and how much playing time the player is receiving (see “Playing Time”).

Note: Due to the length of the Select season and the quality of most Select coaches. Players will normally develop faster in a Select environment than on a rec team.

Low to Medium

For new players rec is a best way to learn the game in a low key environment. Once a player has mastered the basics and is serious about their game then trying out for a Select team is the next step.

Coaching

High to Medium

The Comp leagues are designed to be professional in nature and as a showcase for the top talent. In most Div I programs coaches are paid and are trying to make a living at soccer. In addition, most leagues don’t allow coaches to coach their own son/daughter at the Div I level. There are many reasons for this; the competitive nature of the league complicated by the fact that there are no playing time  requirements to guard other players from potential abuses (see “Playing Time”).

Medium to High

The Select leagues are designed to be developmental in nature while providing ample room for competition.

Like the players they coach, most Select coaches have come up through the rec ranks and have proven their coaching ability there. In addition, most leagues require their coaches to hold higher licensure requirements than their rec counter parts. Select coaches are allowed to coach their own son/daughter however strict playing time requirements guard other players from potential abuses (see “Playing Time”).

Low to Medium

Rec leagues are designed to be fun while encouraging players to develop their basic soccer skills. Coaching talent can be a “mixed bag” as most leagues are short qualified coaches. Still many excellent coaches abound. Like many of the players they coach, many of the best coaches eventually end up in the Select ranks. Most leagues are starting to require basic coaching licensure requirements. Coaches normally their own children however strict playing time requirements guard other players from potential abuses (see “Playing Time”).

Training

High to Medium

Comp teams train on average two to three times a week with many teams expecting athletes to do additional conditioning on their own. Most of the larger leagues require their Comp coaches to be paid professionals and as such they usually train their own teams. Practice sessions tend to be two to two and a half hours in length.

Medium to High

Select teams train on average two to three times a week with conditioning done, for the most part, within the confines of the practice session. Some leagues encourage teams to augment their coaching staff with a paid trainer. Practice sessions tend to be two hours in length.

Low to Medium

Rec teams train on average one to two times a week with conditioning done within the confines of the practice session. Training is done by the coaching staff and practice sessions tend to be an hour to an hour and a half in length.

College Scholarships?

Low

Getting an athletic scholarship to play soccer is difficult but not impossible. In general, college scouts scout the biggest more prestigious Comp tournaments. Unfortunately the biggest tournaments tend to only invite the top teams. Therefore if you want to be seen, you may need to play for one of the better Comp teams in the area. In addition you should be one of the better players on the roster and receiving a goodly amount of playing time as college recruiters will never see you if your on the bench. Making the ODP team is a definite plus to getting noticed by college recruiters. Remember, if you don't have the grades (C or better) you are probably not eligible for a scholarship. School always before sports.

Very Low

Getting an athletic scholarship to play soccer is difficult but not impossible. In general, college scouts will visit the top Competitive tournaments before they will scout the Select ranks. Your best bet to be seen in the Select ranks is to be a standout high school player and play in the Select District Championships (District Cup) and State Championships (Association Cup). Needless to say you will need to be clearly one if the best players out there to be seen as viable scholarship candidate.

Virtually Non Existent

Realistically getting an athletic scholarship out of the rec leagues is next to impossible unless the player is a stand out high school player who is clearly better than the other Varsity players in their area.

Travel

High

Travel can be extensive due to importance placed on tournaments (especially if the players want to be seen by college scouts), league games, training camps and potential travel to practice facilities can be extensive. It is not unusual for Comp teams to fly to some of the bigger tournaments.

Medium

Travel is required but almost always within the playing “District” the team is located in (note: District VI is quite large). All league games and most tournaments will take place within the team’s geographical location. Better more ambitious teams will venture outside of their playing district to compete in tournaments. Teams are geographically based so practices will be held close to where most of the players live.

Low

Very little travel is required as practices are located in your own city or town and league games are close by as well. Tournament play is almost non existent at the recreational level.

Variety of Opponents

Low to Medium

Comp teams are fairly uncommon. As such each age division usually has only a few teams to compete against within a particular District. This problem is exacerbated for the youngest (U11-U12) and the oldest (U16-U19) age groups.  Because of this many of the less populated age brackets group all the teams into one pool and no seeding is performed. In some cases entire age groups are skipped due to the lack of teams (e.g. U18). Offsetting the lack of teams is a robust tournament schedule that allows the better Div. I teams from different parts of the State and Country to play against one another.

High

Select teams, while not as common as rec teams compete in a much broader area than their recreational counterparts (e.g. District VI). Because of this it’s not uncommon for sixty to a hundred teams to populate a particular age group. This allows teams to be “seeded” in with other teams of similar skill and experience. In addition Select offers a large variety of tournaments, District and State Championships to compete in.

Low

Recreational teams have, by far, more players than any other division of play. In District VI alone close to 45,000 players compete at the “Division IV” (rec) level. In spite of the numbers, rec teams rarely play outside of their own geographical area and tournament participation is almost nonexistent. Because of this the total number of teams to play against is dependent on how many teams of the same age group there are in your local area.

Summary

If players have clearly maxed out their potential in the Select ranks (best player on a top team) and their families are willing to put in the time, travel and money that Comp requires then “Division I” is a good option. A good time to enter the Comp ranks is at the U13-U15 level.

If players have clearly maxed out their potential in the recreational ranks (best player on a good team) and they desire to be on a more serious team with more serious players then “Division III” is a good option. It’s important for families to understand that the season is much longer, the teams may practice more often and it is more expensive to play than Div IV (rec). A good time to enter the Select ranks is at the U12-U14 level.

If players are just learning the game or they are playing soccer for the social aspect then Division IV is a good choice. The season is short, costs are usually under a hundred dollars and practices and games are relatively close to home. A good time to enter the recreational ranks is at the U8-U10 level.