Club sports can be costly, but benefits abound

Join the club.

Parents are shelling out thousands of dollars for their sons and daughters to participate in private sports clubs. They will spend hours traveling to cities and towns across the Northwest to watch their children kick, catch, throw and spike on athletic fields and in gymnasiums across North Idaho and beyond.

"We believe our girls have grown and learned so much from their teams," said Ann Wilkey, a proud mom whose daughters have been active in club sports for more than 10 years combined. "They've experienced the great highs of winning and the great lows of sitting out a season with an injury. They have more friends than I can count. The other parents have become our friends too. It's like a family."

Club sports are booming in popularity because the kids want to play, socialize and succeed. Ashley Neuberger, 14, is one of those kids.

"I like club soccer because the coaches are great and they push and challenge us to play at a higher level," Ashley said. "It's also a lot of fun to travel and play in the tournaments."

Thousands of boys and girls across Kootenai County will participate in private youth sports clubs this autumn. If you can think of a fall sport, you can pretty much guarantee there's a club team doing it. Blink and you might miss a new a club that's formed to meet demand.

"It's hard getting the gym space to practice," said Hedder Ilustre-Pascua, director of the North Idaho Thunder Volleyball club.

Private youth sports clubs are different than the city's youth recreational leagues in a number of ways - the foremost being competition. Most club organizations have tryouts, cuts, and ranking of players. Paid coaches maximize the most out of their players through intense practices and games against other highly skilled athletes. In comparison, the city allows all kids to participate regardless of skill level and winning takes a backseat to teaching from volunteer coaches.

"If kids want to go to college and play volleyball, they should play club," said Ilustre-Pascua. "College teams are looking for that. But it's also teaching them how to work hard and to work with people and share a common goal."

Volleyball is popular, but soccer is king in these parts. There are now two private soccer clubs in the Coeur d'Alene area: The Coeur d'Alene Sting and the Academy. Mike Thompson, director of the Sting Soccer Club, said the club has roughly 500 boys and girls playing soccer.

Thompson said the competitive nature of private clubs is often stereotyped.

"There's definitely a stigma about club sports," he said. "The impression is out there because it's a club, it's hyper competitive - when in fact, we're a club for every boy or girl regardless of skill level. We have multiple programs that facilitate development of all levels of play."

The bulk of Sting's players are between 8 and 14 years old. But there are programs designed for toddlers (3-4 years).

"The younger they are, the shorter the practices and the season itself is shorter," Thompson said. "As they get older, there are more opportunities to develop their skills."

Participation in club soccer is a big commitment for parents and children. Parents can expect to spend between $1,500 and $2,000 annually on tournaments, uniforms, coaches' expenses and travel expenses. Children can expect to practice two or three times a week - with each practice lasting up to two hours.

"Club sports can be a huge time and financial commitment, so ask lots of questions to make sure it's right for you," said Jody Neuberger, Ashley's mom and a veteran parent of club soccer.

"While yearly dues range from approximately $235-$500, depending on age, parents need to get clarification on what that covers," Jody Neuberger said. "Uniforms and tournament fees are normally extra, and don't forget to add in travel costs. Our daughter plays club soccer, which entails two to three practices a week, as well as regular travel for games and tournaments. We budget $2,000 a year depending on the travel."

Overall, private sports clubs contacted for this story were sensitive when asked about the money it costs to belong, acknowledging the financial burden it places on some families.

"It's certainly more expensive than recreational soccer," Thompson said. "We do offer scholarships. Our professional staff is comprised of the best coaches in the area and if you break all the costs down it's a great deal."

Still, some parents experience sticker shock as the costs add up. For example, the costs for a girl to play on a North Idaho Thunder volleyball team ranges between $1,100 and $1,600. But that doesn't cover travel expenses to matches and tournaments across the country.

"I think the dollars are overwhelming to just about everybody," said Wilkey, who took a part-time job to help pay for the costs. "Eventually, you find a way. You don't have a choice if you want to give your children the opportunity."

Some clubs go out of their way to make club affordable. Coeur d'Alene Junior Tackle football prides itself for costing only $120 to participate.

"We don't turn any kid away," said Bob Fitzgerald, president of the Coeur d'Alene Junior Tackle Board. "If a kid can't afford to play, we'll scholarship him. Sometimes there's an at-risk boy who needs football, and we've kept him from going down the wrong path."

Coeur d'Alene Junior Tackle has an estimated 700 boys playing in its program and hundreds more play on teams across Kootenai County. Most boys start playing in fifth or sixth grade and play through eighth grade. Practices are typically two hours and are held five times a week, depending on the grade level and coach.

While injuries are a concern in any sport, Fitzgerald emphasized that Junior Tackle stresses safety through equipment and proper tackling techniques.

"With 1,500 boys playing (in our league) there are a few concussions, but we've got new helmets and we're changing our tackling techniques to be head sensitive. We're using what Pete Carroll of the Seahawks teaches his players - grab for the legs. It helps the little guys not be scared."

Christine Taysan's son, Caleb, is a sixth grader and he plays on the Bucs team.

"He loves it," Taysan said. "He's very passionate about it. He goes out there and he can be free. He loves getting praise from the coaches and his confidence is through the roof now. Junior Tackle is a very good program."

Balancing parent expectations for their child's success is a challenge for sports clubs. Many parents believe their child will become a star and then earn a college scholarship. The Coeur d'Alene Sting Soccer Club is mindful of those dreams.

"Parent management is a reality in all of these sports," Thompson said. "We do our best to try and educate. We give parents a road map and we explain how hard it is to get there. We want to put kids in positions to obtain those goals, but honestly, I don't care if they play college soccer or not. My job is to give them the tools to succeed."

For some parents, there's no need to temper expectations.

"Every parent imagines their child is going to be a star, but I don't put those expectations on my son," Taysan said. "If he were to tell me he didn't want to play football anymore, I would help him discover what he is interested in."