Every year, more and more young athletes are denied the opportunity to showcase their soccer skills at a high level in America, due to the substantial amount of money it costs to participate in many private leagues.

In the United States, soccer has become a “pay-to-play” for many young athletes interested in the sport.  Not only is this system unfair to kids from lower-income families who have the potential to make a career out of the sport, but it has stunted the success of the U.S. national and Olympic teams.

Ultimately, the “pay-to-play” structure means that wealthy parents spend thousands of dollars on leagues and training programs to propel their kids to the top while many of the country’s best talents are left behind through economic inequity. 

According to Project Play, a non-profit initiative that builds communities through sports,, the annual cost of playing youth soccer in the U.S. is $1,188. 

Most kids start playing soccer at 5 years old, so if they wanted to play soccer from the time they were 5-18 years old, they would have to pay $15,444.

The cost of playing soccer gets even more expensive when competing at high levels. The highest level of American youth soccer right now is MLS Next, and the annual rate for being a part of a MLS Next team ranges from $4,000-$10,000.

Few soccer players have the ability and skill to earn waivers to participate in these elite club teams, which  means that without a substantial amount of money, talented soccer players cannot play at these high levels.

All in all, this system of “pay-to-play” is hurting young prospects throughout our nation and hindering the skill level of our national team. If club soccer should be affordable to everyone, if not free.