For athletes, club sports can be a way to improve their skills in the off-season, but it can also be a big financial and time-consuming commitment. Some student-athletes struggle to balance school and sports, leading to burnout. Participating in club sports is the most direct way to get the attention of college coaches, and outside-of-school sports give athletes an advantage in the college recruitment process. It also allows you to travel, gain exceptional experiences, and obtain leadership skills.

The majority of Boys Varsity Soccer and Girls Varsity Soccer players play club in the off-season. In addition to playing for the Boys Varsity Soccer team, Freshman Erik Bjorgvinsson plays for the St. Paul Blackhawks. He has been juggling the balance between school and club soccer since age seven. “A typical week for club soccer has four practices a week and one or two games,” he said. He explains that a lot of his development as a player is a result of his participation in club sports. He also attributes his time-management skills to his commitment to club soccer. “The only challenge with club soccer is that there is a lot of traveling involved and it sometimes gets in the way of school work, so time management is something I have gotten good at over the years,” he said.

Bjorgvinsson has had many unique experiences with club soccer, including a trip to Sweden. The Gothia Cup, which Bjorvinsson attended, is held in Sweden once a year in July and hosts 1700 teams. “I had a lot of fun outside of soccer traveling the city with my teammates,” he said. Although the trip was for soccer, he made many memories off the field.

Junior Caden Burns races for two different club skiing teams: one in Minnesota, and the other in Colorado. In the last two years, he has had the opportunity to ski in the Alps four times. He has also gotten to train on a glacier in Italy. “Seeing the scale of everything in that part of the Alps is awe-inspiring. [In Italy,] we go two weeks without seeing a single tree,” he said.

During the high school season, Burns has sometimes had to make difficult decisions between participating in SPA skiing events or higher-level club training. “While I want to help my school team have success, skiing is an individual sport, and I’ve had to make this decision many times already. I haven’t regretted it,” he said.

Club sports can be a good option for students who would like to focus on one sport, but it can be time-consuming and expensive, and athletes can miss out on high school experiences. A family’s decision regarding participation in club sports depends on the athlete and their values.