High school athletes constantly step onto the field representing their school but many choose to take on a second team. Joining a club team, an elite private team not affiliated with a high school, has become more common especially for athletes looking to continue their sport in college.
Playing a club sport is an elevated level of competition. Elite athletes travel all over the country to play in tournaments and showcases, either to stack a recruiting resume or to propel their high school season to new heights.
However, with traveling and upgraded coaching comes a hefty price tag which can set certain athletes at a major disadvantage. According to ncsa.org, around 90 percent of athletes playing on college teams were a part of a club team during the recruiting process.
If college athletics is your goal, a club team will provide an unmatched level of coaching and exposure to college coaches that a high school team will likely never be able to offer. But, when playing a sport for enjoyment, the price tag and time commitment are not worth the investment.
This commitment also varies heavily by sport. NCSA College Recruiting found that 81 percent of female lacrosse players competing for a college program participated in a club team. Senior lacrosse captain and Marquette University commit Lucy Mineo falls within this percentile. “I think that if it wasn’t for club lacrosse, I wouldn’t have committed. By having a director of the club make connections for me and using tournaments for college coaches to watch the games, it was crucial for getting looks from schools. Also, I think that college coaches want to commit to someone who plays club as it shows how dedicated and committed you are to the sport.”
Being a part of a club team means practicing every week of the year and playing continuously, even as tournaments overlap with your high school season. It is important to completely understand the commitment before joining a club. Senior Catherine Heflin, who recently announced her commitment to play softball at Swarthmore College, felt this sacrifice throughout her high school career. Heflin said, “Playing on a club team throughout high school was extremely challenging because I was traveling all over the country on the weekends then coming back to school after a red-eye flight to make it in time for school Monday morning.”
However, she felt her sacrifice was worth it because she will continue to play softball in college, and she was able to build lifelong connections with her coaches and teammates.
According to NCAA.org, there is, on average, a 6.32 percent chance for a male high school athlete to compete at the college level and a 8.25 percent chance for a female athlete. So, even with time and investment, there is no guarantee of a collegiate spot.
Senior swim captain Charlie Jeckell chose not to swim in college, but he has had a very successful high school career. He began swimming on a club team long before high school and continues to swim for a club team today. “I did like playing on a club team, I think it definitely helped keep me in shape in the off-season from high school. It definitely takes up a lot of time, with double [practices] in-season and year-round practices, but it helps with technique and speed improvement.”
Club sports have brought a new level of competition to high school sports and have streamlined the recruiting process throughout the country for elite athletes, but they also are very costly and take up a lot of time. The choice is different for each athlete but playing at the highest level can require this sacrifice and more athletes are taking this step.
