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Our post last week on Extra Inning Softball’s home page titled Topical Issue: Is Club Softball Getting Too Pricey For Many Top Players & Their Families stirred up a LOT of responses as we’ve heard from all sides including players, parents, club coaches and even college coaches.
We’ll soon publish a compilation of some of the top comments and opinions, but first we’re going to run this insightful letter we got from a mother who requested anonymity and explained:
“This has been a conversation that I have been having with all of my softball friends… I don’t mind telling you that we have been part of the softball community for 12 years and we have three girls that play travel ball; two of our girls are uncommitted and I don’t want to jeopardize anything for them. I’m not sure how some people would interpret my letter, but thanks for bringing this topic to the forefront.”
With that in mind, here’s one mom’s perspective on the costs of travel ball and what to look for…
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Is travel ball expensive? Heck yes it is!
Dues range from $1,500 to $2,800 depending on the season and the organization you play for. Then there’s “stay and play” hotels that are required for the “prestigious national events.”
Minimally, a weekend at a hotel will cost you $350 to $400 for a weekend or if you think of a week-long tournament like PGF Nationals or Boulder IDT, then you are out about $1,500 and airfare can be $350 per person.
I have been doing this for 12 years and it has gotten more expensive each year with more and more hands in the pot trying to cash in. Go ahead and throw more siblings in the mix and that leads to larger credit card bills and shrinking bank accounts.
My husband and I joke that we’ll die at our desks trying to support our girls’ softball careers!
Can a deserving player get scholarships to top Power 5-quality teams if they don’t play on nationally respected teams?
I believe that if your coach has a personal relationship with the college coaches and the college coaches trust your travel coach then you have a chance. But travel ball coaches will need to have proven that they can produce or can spot talent before that trust is developed.
The On Deck and Elite Camps are great at getting you noticed, but they are ultimately another hand in your pocketbook. The college coaches that notice you at these camps will want you to attend their private camps. Now you’re investing in airfare, hotels, camp fees, and food for each school you visit.
And at the end of the visit, if your player does not have someone on their side to facilitate a conversation then you will quickly be forgotten; they are looking at far too many talented players.
The squeaky wheel will get the prize and a parent cannot be that squeaky wheel. Coaches won’t talk details with parents.
In my opinion, the rule change has made it even more important that you do your homework before jumping on any travel ball team, regardless of their reputation.
Find out the relationships they have with college coaches. Are they friends with the schools you are interested in playing for? Does your travel ball coach believe in pursuing college coaches or do they believe that the colleges should come to them?
If they believe that the colleges should come to them then I strongly believe you should find another coach. This old school philosophy doesn’t happen anymore!
If you do not have someone that can call coaches and the coaches will actually answer the call, then you are at risk of losing a potential scholarship as well as going broke.
You will find yourself going from one camp to the next and never knowing how they truly feel about you.
I have a daughter that is being pursued by top teams. She had been to many invitation-only camps, unofficial visits, and prospect camps. Lots of money and then let’s not forget the time away from friends and family.
Then the rule changed… to say things have quieted down is an understatement.
The thing is, the money being invested has not slowed down just the feedback. I appreciate the rule change because it is allowing my daughter to mature and truly figure out what she wants to do.
But this rule change has really created more of a financial burden on families too. The college coaches are so restricted on what they can say which leaves a parent and player guessing.
Reluctantly, we are paying more in traveling to camps all over the country with little or no input anymore from coaches. Where we used to hear ’she’s in our top 10’, now at most camps the coaches won’t even stick around for even a ’Thank you’ or ‘Can I get a picture?’
That is why I believe it is so important to find an organization that has a solid relationship with the schools your daughter is interested in. A simple ‘no’ or ‘yes’ is all we need to hear to know that we should move on to another school or continue our pursuit.
I don’t mind investing in a camp if I know they have interest in her. And it helps to motivate the players too.
Let’s not forget what our girls are giving up: friends’ birthday parties, homecoming dances, sleepovers, and football games. I would like to see a comparison of softball expenses verses other sports. I think providing for an above- average athlete, in general, is costly.
We all travel, rent cars, eat out, and invest in equipment. I’ve had this conversation with my husband before. If our girls were to switch sports, it would still cost money because we would be doing the same things just in a different forum.
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Agree? Disagree? If you’d like to weigh in on the topic, email us at [email protected] under the subject heading “Travel Club Costs.”
If you’d like to remain anonymous, please specify that; otherwise provide your name, city and state and any other relevant including club team, player’s year and position, etc.