For parents of boys who play soccer
The flyer price is only the first bill for club soccer.
Club fees, tournaments, extra training, new kits every year. Everybody tells you what your son needs. Nobody tells you what it costs, or what's actually worth it.
From the first youth season through high school, recruiting and eligibility.
Sound familiar?
Everybody has advice. Get the whole bill before you pay.
Before long you've paid the club fee, bought a new kit, booked a hotel you didn't pick, and added extra training, and you still don't know if any of it is helping him get better.
Maybe you haven't signed with a club yet. Maybe you already have. Either way, you deserve straight answers before the next check goes out.
I'm not here to tell you what to do. I'm here to show you what to look at.
Inside the book
A few things you'll learn
The real odds of college soccer
About 5.9 percent of high school boys’ players go on to play NCAA soccer, and about 1.4 percent reach Division I.
Why early dominance isn’t a reliable forecast
What development research can and can’t tell you about a nine-year-old’s future.
The age-group switch
Starting with the 2026–27 season, major youth soccer organizations move from birth year to an August-to-July window. What it can change for his team, and what to confirm with your club.
When a club pressures him to skip high school soccer
The question to ask the club, and what to confirm in writing before you promise anything.
What to say in the car after a bad game
Ask whether he wants to talk first, and listen before you give your own take.
What to ask a club before signing
A few direct questions cut through most of what a club's marketing won't tell you.
Included
In the back of the book
Causes and Solutions Matrix
At-Home Drills
The Plan
Questions Parents Ask
Not ready to buy?
Get The Prime Path, free
Plain answers for sports parents, camps worth knowing about, and new books when they come out. Free, and you can leave any time.
About the author
I've been the parent who didn't know what to ask
I'm Sam Duffey, founder of Prime Path Athletics. I'm a retired Army Chief Warrant Officer 3. I coached youth football and basketball for 15 years and helped start a youth athletics program. I played junior college basketball at Navarro College and Cisco Junior College before I left school to enlist after September 11th.
My oldest son wanted to keep playing past high school. He didn't get to, and at the time I didn't know how to help him. That's a big part of why Prime Path Athletics exists.
My measure of a good season was never the record. It was whether kids kept coming back and parents trusted what I told them.
Before you buy
Is this book for you?
This is for you if
- Your son plays soccer and you're thinking about club or travel teams
- You've already joined a club and the costs keep surprising you
- You're adding extra training and aren't sure it's helping
- You've heard "he'll fall behind" and want a straight answer
This is not for you if
- You want a coaching manual. There's an at-home drill chapter, but this book is about decisions.
- You want someone to pick a club for you
- You want someone to promise a scholarship. Nobody honest can.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What exactly do I get?
A 189-page book with 16 chapters and four appendices: a causes-and-solutions matrix, at-home drills, a year-round plan, and an index of the parent questions answered in the book. Get it as an EPUB ebook ($14.99) or as a 6x9 paperback that includes the PDF ($19.99).
What ages is it for?
It starts with the first youth season and runs through high school, recruiting and eligibility. Most families get the most from it in elementary and middle school, before the big money decisions.
We already joined a club. Is it too late?
No. Most of the book is about decisions you'll keep making all season: tournaments, training, playing time and how to talk to the coach.
Are you telling me to skip club soccer?
No. Club soccer can be right for the right kid on the right team. I just want you to know what you're paying for, and what it's actually buying, before you pay it.
The Real Cost of Boys Youth Soccer
A Parent's Guide to Clubs, Recruiting, the Pro Pathway, and What's Worth Paying For
- 189 pages, 16 chapters, 4 appendices
- Exact questions to ask, and who to ask
- Plain language, no fluff
One last thing
You can make the money back. You can't get the days back.
Don't let somebody else's calendar or sales pitch make this call for you. Get the questions and the numbers first. Then decide.
P.S. Before you sign with any club, ask one thing: "What is the total we'll pay this year, including tournaments, travel and uniforms?" The answer tells you a lot. This book gives you the rest of the questions.
Good luck this season.
Sam Duffey, Prime Path Athletics
