The Dark Side of Club Travel Soccer: Borrowing Players for a Quick Win
It’s no secret that club soccer, especially at the travel level, can be a lucrative business. Clubs generate revenue through various means, including registration fees, tournament entry fees, and merchandise sales. To attract new members, clubs often emphasize their winning record. But is winning at any cost really the best way to develop young athletes?
Parents naturally want their children to play on winning teams. This desire can create a competitive environment where clubs feel pressured to field the strongest possible rosters. One way to achieve this is by borrowing players from higher-flight teams within the same organization. While this practice might seem like a clever strategy to boost a team’s chances of success, it can actually be detrimental to the development of young athletes.
When players are constantly being “helped” by older or more skilled teammates, they don’t get the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and develop their own skills. They may become reliant on their more experienced teammates, which can hinder their growth as independent players. Moreover, borrowing players can create a false sense of accomplishment. If a team consistently wins with the aid of borrowed talent, it’s difficult to assess the true level of play of the core roster.
Last year, our Orange County Surf Boys 2015 flight 3 team faced a similar situation. We played BOCA’s flight 3 team and soundly defeated them 8–0. However, in our next match against them, BOCA had borrowed two players from their flight 1 team and proceeded to win 8–0 (the flight 1 players made all the goals). While this was technically legal according to the rules of the Southern California Soccer League, it raised questions about the fairness and integrity of the competition. However, I did understand why it happened, they lost almost all their games in the fall league and this was one of their few wins.
We had a different but similar situation again happen this year with our Rangers South Boys 2015 flight 2 team playing against Strikers Orange Boys 2015 team. This is a pretty even matchup, but they chose to borrow players for the 3rd game of the season (members from their flight 1 ea2 team) and our first time we are playing against each other this year.
- The Strikers team used a player that did not check in and WAS NOT on the roster as they already have a full Roster
- He is NOT on their team or roster
- They had two number 7s on the field and he had a different jersey for the rest of the team
- He showed up AFTER the ref checked them in
- This kid is from a different league (ea2) and as far as I understand, socal league doesn’t allow players from other leagues.
- This one kid made or assisted on ALL of the other teams goals and stopped us all over the field. The other team pretty much just passed it to him and let him go. So this cheating drastically impacted the game where it would have been a totally different outcome.
- Attached the game sheet you can clearly see his name is not on there and they purposefully are not putting jersey numbers. Also the referee should be checking them in and putting numbers but he did not. But again he showed up after the referee checked them in and the referee would not check even though I was calling out he wasn’t on their team and didn’t check in.
The system encourages parents to prioritize winning over development. They are willing to pay exorbitant fees, such as the $2800 annual fee at BOCA, in the hope that their children will be part of a successful team. However, what they truly need is a program that focuses on player development and provides ample opportunities for growth.
It’s time for clubs to prioritize the long-term development of their players over short-term wins (this is what our team at Orange County Surf / Rangers South focuses on). Borrowing players may seem like an easy way to boost a team’s record, but it’s a hollow victory that ultimately undermines the true purpose of youth sports. By creating a culture that values hard work, perseverance, and individual development, clubs can help their players reach their full potential and build a lasting foundation for their soccer careers.
