Club Soccer: Best Value for Your Money in Massachusetts
Finding the right soccer club is as much about value as any other purchase families make. While many clubs may claim to have the best coaches, facilities and schedule, it takes the perfect blend of program quality and cost to make a program the best value for soccer families.
When making the value determination one must take the following into consideration:
1) Cost of program;
2) Amount of games;
3) Practice schedule;
4) How many seasons does it offer;
5) Is their scholarship money available; and
6) What alumni do the Program Have?
With all of these considerations in mind, the best value currently in Massachusetts Club Soccer is the Nor’easter Soccer Club, a program being run out of Swansea, Massachusetts.
[Go to the Nor’easter SC review and ratings!]
Cost of Program
The Nor’Easters, a 501(c) nonprofit organization offers participants an intense soccer experience for $985 for 10 to 14 year olds and $700 for 15 to 18 year olds. This cost is far less than most of its competitors.
Amount of Games
The amount of games varies based on age. For 10-14 year olds they are offered 9 games during the fall season and 7 games during the spring season. This game total does not take into account any qualifying matches they have to play to enter into specific tournaments.
The Stingers also participate in a winter indoor soccer session or futsal session, which adds an undisclosed amount of games.
SEE MORE: 5 Tips to Choosing the Best Club Soccer Team
Practice Schedule
Practices are held twice a week for all age groups.
How Many Seasons do Athletes Play?
One of the great benefits of playing for the Stingers is that they offer a three season schedule that allows athletes to continuously polish their skills, with little off time during the season. This benefit is extremely valuable to serious soccer players as it allows them to continue to improve throughout the year, a factor that will allow them to excel over their competition.
Is There Scholarship Money Available?
The Stinger’s policy states that they will not turn away players who do not have the financial means to pay the full registration fee, as they offer scholarships to deserving players. This provides one less hurdle for families who are skeptical about club soccer due to the costs associated with their children’s participation and gives the Stinger’s program an extra element of credibility in their effort to make club soccer available to all.
What Alumni does the Program Have?
One of the best ways to gauge a soccer club’s success is to see if they have any alumni who have made a name for themselves in collegiate and professional soccer. The Stinger’s have boys’ and girls’ alumni who have played at both the professional and collegiate level, an indication that players coming out of the Stinger program have developed into world class athletes, another testament to the strength of their program.
