I always found it uncomfortable when a club I worked at asked me to help with their annual fundraiser for scholarship money, knowing that they made enough by charging 3k per player to help out the tiny amount of low income families the club actually had.
Not exactly the same as parents fundraising but similar feeling.
The sole concept of that travel sport youth experience is so bizarre for rest of the world.
Especially for European soccer clubs - the clubs are seeking best youth players to find the best talent and make money of them by selling their contracts later in career to the highest bidder. That’s a business model, which doesn’t involve making money of the parents.
Yes, there are some private academies in Europe, including licensed by big clubs like Barcelona (so not all rosy here for sure!), but top tier clubs in every (or almost every) European country won’t charge parents as this is the cost of searching for the next Messi or Ronaldo.
Just wonder if that’s even ethical to charge parents for that.
Super interesting. I know a few soccer coaches in America that came up through those European academies. They can't believe our system here..even though it's how their paychecks are funded!
I always found it uncomfortable when a club I worked at asked me to help with their annual fundraiser for scholarship money, knowing that they made enough by charging 3k per player to help out the tiny amount of low income families the club actually had.
Not exactly the same as parents fundraising but similar feeling.
Yeah, I hear you. Love that clubs offer "scholarships" but there are so many other ways to endow aside from asking parents to directly donate.
The sole concept of that travel sport youth experience is so bizarre for rest of the world.
Especially for European soccer clubs - the clubs are seeking best youth players to find the best talent and make money of them by selling their contracts later in career to the highest bidder. That’s a business model, which doesn’t involve making money of the parents.
Yes, there are some private academies in Europe, including licensed by big clubs like Barcelona (so not all rosy here for sure!), but top tier clubs in every (or almost every) European country won’t charge parents as this is the cost of searching for the next Messi or Ronaldo.
Just wonder if that’s even ethical to charge parents for that.
Super interesting. I know a few soccer coaches in America that came up through those European academies. They can't believe our system here..even though it's how their paychecks are funded!