Comments about ‘Avalanche soccer players sign letters of intent’

Very nice that these girls got scholarships. But it is still in the most boring sport in the world.

of the club teams? This should be a reality check for all those girls that are told by their club coaches that scholarships are abundant, and that soccer should rule their lives. In fact very few of them get scholarships, especially here in Utah Valley. The best athletes are those that don't put all their eggs in one basket.

Way to go ladies....nice to see the rewards for years of hard work, sacrifice, and dedication. Good luck to each in their college careers!

Soccer, or football as it is known internationally, is the #1 sport in the world. Obviously many people disagree with your opinion that it is boring. And, yes, it is nice that these girls received scholarships.

Having been through the soccer-club thing myself (one child received a soccer scholarship and played at the colleagiate level), I wonder if the investment made by these girls' parents has been worth it monetarily. Avalanche Club soccer is very expensive. The costs to travel to tournaments such as Surf Cup is exorbitant. These girls have been doing these things since about the age of 9 or 10. What kind of financial return did they get on their investment? Was the scholarship money they received more than what they have spent over the past 8-10 years to put themselves in a position to be considered for these scholarships?

I know there is more to it than the $$$, e.g. the joy of playing the game, recognition and self-actualization, being physically fit, getting into colleges they might not otherwise get into, etc.

But I am curious how the dollar return compares with the dollars invested.

Great article, great bunch of girls that enjoy and work hard together to achieve their goals. Soccer is only boring to those who do not understand the sport or are too "into" the usual sports to recognize there are others who enjoy all sports and the teams that deserve recognition for their accomplishments.

If you think the most played sport in the world is boring, then you haven't watched soccer enough to understand it or appreciate it. Soccer is as exciting as any other sport and takes incredible individual and team skill. Although there is not a full appreciation in the US yet, those who have experienced it understand how exciting it really is. These girls have accomplished more than any other team in the history of Utah girl's youth soccer. This has taken their whole lives of playing dedicated soccer along with talent and perserverance to get there. Their accomplishments are no small thing and A BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO THEM! WAY TO GO 18 yr old AVALANCHE!

Well my daughters scholarship will total well over what we paid over all the years in club fees and travel. And she has had life experiences that you can not buy or replace.

To "what about the rest". College scholarships are abundant for girls. This one team received 18 of them. These players have to put themselves in position to be seen by college coaches and no club in Utah teaches girls how this process works better than Avalanche. This is a wonderful group of girls who have not only exceled on the soccer field but also in the classroom and everything else they do. Let's be happy for them rather than critical of their accoplishments.

Congrats girls. What an exciting accomplishment for you all. Please continue to play hard and represent Utah well. As a parent of a player who played for Avalanche in the past and received a scholarship, I couldn't agree more with the previous post regarding the cost of club. The fees are out of control, and in the case of Avalanche where costs could be cut they aren't. Staying in expensive hotels, paying for multiple coaches to attend out of state tournaments. Even one of the leaders of the club having her wedding in Hawaii after having the parents paid her way to get there for Regionals. It is so wrong. I am no stranger to multiple competitive sports, but I have never seen things so out of control has I did with this club. Yes some receive scholarships (usually not the whole team) however its all about the leader of the club's egos and resumes. They things I've seen done to young girls makes my stomach turn. And some parents are as bad. I'm sure some will disagree, but I know how it was and I'm sticking to my opinion. GOOD JOB GIRLS!!!!!

Great club...Great coaches...Amazing players!
Congratulations!!!

4 years at BYU will cost $130,000 and $125,000 at Utah. A 4 year degree at little ol UVU will cost $100,000. So if these families paid over that to play for Avalanche then it wasn't a good investment. I believe what they paid is penny's on the dollar. Great job Ladies.

I'm glad things have worked out for you and your daughter. Your daughter's scholarship must be phenomenal because the club fees/dues and travel costs are more than $10,000 each year. Other parents I have talked to, especially those who go to out-of-state schools, are faced with out-of-state tuition and the scholarship doesn't cover all of it. I guess it depends what kind of package one gets. I would imagine that Ohai's scholarship at North Carolina is sweet.

Again, most of the parents I have talked with who have had children go on to play collegiate soccer actually have to ask themselves, "How much more am I willing to pay for my child to play?"

I would agree that some of these players have life experiences that are wonderful.

I would be curious as to what the net again monetarily actually is. All of those club dues and travel expenses are an "investment." I'm just curious as to what the actual return is. What is "well over" what was paid throughout the club experience?

There are many other girls who go on to receive college scholarships, who do not play for the above club. If you work hard and play for a travel team to expose your talents to college coaches. I believe there is a scholarship out there for you! I personally know of hundreds players in the past 5 years playing at colleges various levels. For all the girls working hard to make your dreams come true. Remember its you who make dreams come true.

Not sure where the $130K and $125K are coming from. I have 2 children at BYU, and I am not paying $32.5K each per year. I know that you were trying to make a point, but John or Jane Doe pay nowhere near that amount, and yes I am including Tuition/Books/room and Board.

According to the College Board, college costs at the three schools you mentioned are as follows:

Note--These estimates include annual tuition & fees, room & board, books, supplies, personal expenses, and transportation costs, and represent 8 semesters of college or essentially what you refer to as 4 years of college...

BYU for LDS students: $60,560
BYU for non-LDS students: $77,680

U of U for in-state students: $69,184
U of U for out-of-state students: $118,528

UVU for in-state students: $40,824
UVU for out-of-state students: $71,976

Since these girls are in-state students, the in-state costs for UofU and UVU would apply. For those going to BYU, their cost would depend on whether they are LDS or not.

The College Board estimates are updated annually and are available for all universities across the nation. Your numbers would appear to be out of line.

Given the College Board estimates of actual costs, I again ask my question: What is the payoff for the investment made in dollars? It's a legitimate question for those considering committing to club soccer.

I go to UVU and graduate this semester after paying only $12,000 without scholarships or government grants. Over $100,000 ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

I wonder what out of state tuition might be. I happen to know that the 3 going to the east coast are getting full to almost full scholarships. Including, Tuition, Room and board and books. That seems pretty substantial to me. My daughter plays on a younger avalanche team and we travel out of state 3 to 4 times a year and we pay no where near 10,000 per year, not even half that. Sounds like a pretty good investment to me. And i would be will in to bet that the 4 going to Santa Clara and UNLV are full or close to full scholarships.

Congratulations to the Avalanche! That is quite the achievement although not unexpected for an exceptionally talented group.
La Roca "93 (H.S. juniors) hope to accomplish the same feat with 13 girls verbally committed so far.

Looking forward to seeing them play in college. Women's college soccer is the best sport ever.

Having experienced the soccer club situation on a premier team of a premier club, the costs are very high...especially when everything is added in:

---Club dues each year
---Uniform costs
---Player's travel costs to multiple tournaments each year
---Players/parents cover the travel costs of coaches (minimum of two coaches per tournament)
---Players/parents cover the travel costs for the parents who travel with the team to chaperone
---Tournament registration fees (around $1,500 for the older divisions of Surf cup)
---Equipment costs for each team
---NCAA Registration fees
---Transporation costs to practices
---Indoor facilities practice fees
---ODP fees and travel costs

These costs are particularly high in the older age divisions because the older teams travel to several tournaments. I added up what we spent on ALL of these items during the last four years of our club experience, and it averaged just over $10,000 per year about 4 years ago. $40,000 goes a long ways towards covering 4 years of college at an in-state school.

What percentage of the girl soccer players get scholarships that cover ALL of their school costs?