High School Soccer Guide
Club and High School Season Overlap and Timing
The HIGH SCHOOL season and CLUB season overlap can vary between states. In some states, club training and games continue during HS season and this causes inevitable conflicts between players and coaches as both Club and High School push to have players playing in ‘their’ games. You need to manage this as best you can by communicating effectively and firmly with HS and Club coaches.
Fortunately, in many states club players do not compete with their club team during the high school soccer season. For example, a club soccer season in California runs from August until Thanksgiving and players then switch to the high school season which runs from December to February. After the high school season is over, players return to their clubs.
AYSO vs Club for High School
If you play AYSO or Recreational soccer and not Club, you can still play for your high school, however one of the issues that high school aged players face when playing AYSO or Rec soccer is that the general level of play drops off noticeably as most of the better players play Club soccer after a certain age and so playing AYSO or Rec soccer during high school years presents a challenge in terms of continued development. It’s certainly possible and some players do it but the majority of high school players play Club soccer, especially at more competitive schools.
Club and High School Coach Issues
Club coaches want you to remain with them for as much time as possible. High school coaches want you with them to prepare for the season and this often results in conflict between Club and HS coaches because the seasons have at least some overlap (even more so for HS programs that practice year-round).
As a player, you need to be strong and stand your ground. Don’t allow your Club or HS coach to pressure or bully you into training or playing too often because injury is usually the result. You have to find a way to keep your Club and HS coaches happy and this means talking to them about your physical load and what you are willing and able to do, without risking overuse and injury.
Double training sessions (during the day with HS and then in the evening with Club) are a recipe for injury, especially as your body grows so quickly during your HS years and so it is vital that you create and maintain boundaries in terms of not being forced into training twice a day over an extended period of time.
High School Experience
High school soccer is one of the most memorable times of your soccer career. Playing with friends for four years on your local/home field is an experience unlike any other. Consequently, the camaraderie and atmosphere created in high school soccer is difficult to replicate.
Depending on the size of your school, the level of competition can vary. Prestigious private schools and large public schools often have an advantage over small public schools. Private schools will often recruit players while large public schools can have a prospective field of thousands of students to choose from.
High School soccer tends to be very fast-paced with quick transitions from end-to-end. While this can sometimes impact the quality of play, the speed and intensity makes it engaging and exciting for both players and spectators.
It’s fair to say that speed, stamina and athleticism tend to dominate at high school level but players with intelligence and game understanding can still be standouts in what is a different environment to Club and AYSO or Rec soccer.
Student Responsibility & Communication
In Club or AYSO soccer, parents tend to do most of the communication with coaches. However at high school, students are expected to advocate for themselves and take care of communicating with coaches. Parents are still involved but to a much lesser extent. If you are a parent, be prepared to take a step back and let your son or daughter take on the responsibility of communicating with high school coaches.
College coaches communicate almost exclusively with student-athletes, so the high school experience is good preparation for students in terms of learning to communicate and advocate for yourself.
High School Recruiting for College
See the next module (STEP 6: College Soccer) for detailed information on the college recruitment process which begins as soon as you enter high school.