Club teams may cripple prep sports

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Club teams may cripple prep sports

Sports

Wednesday, 20 June 2012 12:18

Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

Orlando City Youth Soccer set an unfortunate precedent last week when it issued a rule that its members can no longer play for their high school teams.
The Lions, an elite-level organization that attracts many of Central Florida’s top players, said it wants to minimize “burnout” among its players because of overlapping practice and game schedules during the high school soccer season.

It was inevitable that the worlds of club and high school sports would smash together like this.
Over the past decade, club programs for soccer, baseball, softball and basketball have superseded high school as the scouting venue for college scouts.
Often, the coaching and competition at the club level is better than that found at high schools, especially when many high school athletic programs are hamstrung by tight budgets and coaching turnover.
The Florida High School Athletic Association didn’t help matters by reducing the number of regular season games that teams may play during a season. Twenty years ago, it wasn’t unusual for teams to play 28 regular season games, plus two tournaments. Many teams routinely played more than 40 games during a season.
Today, most teams are limited by the FHSAA to about 25 regular season and tournament contests.
That isn’t enough for athletes to display their skills to college scouts, especially when many regular season games are dictated by district commitments.
For example, in 7A-5, Osceola is required to play four district softball games total against Poinciana and Liberty, two struggling programs that offer no competition.
Harmony, St. Cloud and Celebration waste two 7A-6 softball dates against Oak Ridge, which can barely field a team.
The way the pendulum is swinging, it may not be long before high school athletic teams will be largely populated by JV-level athletes because those with elite talent will flee for the clubs. It could lead to a downward talent spiral that will make high school sports irrevelent.
And, what of those talented athletes whose parents don’t have the money necessary to pay club fees and travel expenses, which can easily run several thousand dollars per year? If all those disadvantaged athletes can do is to play high school sports, and high school sports in general are declining for lack of talent, scholarship opportunities could be hard to find.
The FHSAA, which recently signed a contract with Bright House sports to televise many of its playoff games, should allow its members to play a few more tournament games to make up for the deadwood on the district schedules.
And, all clubs should permit their players to remain on their high school teams. The high school coaches can spare their top athletes for a few regular season games to allow for club commitments.
Club is great for developing athletic skills, but it is mercenary. It does nothing to foster a sense of spirit and community pride the way high school sports can.
Osceola and St. Cloud high schools, and many more like them, have fielded teams for almost a century, and generations of graduates follow their programs with interest.
That should still mean something.
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Good news for local softball teams: Bartow and Lakeland George Jenkins will not be permitted to host a playoff game for three years after an FHSAA penalty.
Bartow and Jenkins moved a 7A-7 district tournament game from Friday to Monday because of weather without properly notifying the FHSAA, a violation of FHSAA policy 30.1.
Bartow is an annual obstacle at the regional level for Osceola County softball teams advancing from Districts 5 and 6. The Yellow Jackets, the state runners-up last season, blanked Osceola in the 2010 and 2011 regional playoffs.
Home field may not be a decisive factor, but it can’t hurt that future playoff games will be played locally and not an hour and change away at Bartow and George Jenkins, should those teams again advance from District 7.

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+1 #2 nipit8 2013-06-19 03:00

"Club is great for developing athletic skills, but it is mercenary. It does nothing to foster a sense of spirit and community pride the way high school sports can."--and all I have to say for this comment is.....YAAAHH go_______(fill in the blank,hhs, schs, ohs,etc.etc.)---you won districts..heres your trophy,now train hard for your job at winn-dixie.---club: you didnt win the BIG tournament, but 12 division 1 colleges and 20 d2 schools all want you to play college ball for them--mercenary?--BS!--who's feeding off who?--ITS the SMALL TOWN COACHES killing high school sports!--WAKE UP!

+1 #1 nipit8 2013-06-19 03:00

When Osceola high schools STOP treating athletes that play at club level as "equal" to the inferior players who do nothing in the OFF season, these "club" players will demand the clubs to stop this practice. As it stands, the better "club" players should'nt let their high school teams drag them BACKWARDS. I Have been to MANY high school soccer games, very low turn out, and only seen less than 10 college coaches.....Club games...over 100 coaches ..change the small town ways and the players will PLAY!!

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