16u and up Showcase teams $$$$$

I figured instead of infringing on Mama Ducks thread I would start my own. I am curious. My daughter just started this fall in 14u. Our yearly team fee's are $400-$500. We also have fund raisers, etc. This was for 12u also. I have heard that when you go to 16U and 18u showcase teams, these yearly fees jump to $ 4000-$5000. Is this true? If so, is'nt there a chance you will lose some talented players because parents can't afford it, especially in this time (recession).

 

my idea of local showcases, for local players and local colleges sounds better and better doesn't it?

Local as in NC, SC, Va.

 

We don't pay near that much, but we are responsible for making and paying for our own travel.Co,Ga,Fla. etc.I don't even want to think about what it all adds up to,but helping my DD realize her dream makes it worth every penny.After all isn't that what this is all about?

 

Playing 16-18 Showcase TB

There is a misconception about what it costs to play TB at the 16/18 level. I'm sure there are those who are in it to make a living as some of the upper level Gold/A teams that travel all summer from coast to coast do. It is a business to them just as sports marketing folks charge for their services.
Our fees are presently $400.00 per player. This covers tournament fees, replacement helmets and uniforms, socks, small equipment and such.
Some of the larger team stuff, ie, trailer, team bats, screens, the tremendous amount of balls we go through, occasional team meals, water and gatorade by the cases, ect... is paid for by the fundraisers such as the tournaments we host. The player and their parents are responsible for travel, meals, housing, ect. It is likely they could spend in the thousands per year if you consider all that. But to say that the team receives that is actually not so in every case.

 

Rick is right...

You can have a great program without spending thousands of dollars to be on one. The Cardinals do an awesome job raising money through their tournaments and host very good ones. I have a couple HS players that play for a younger team in the organization and I know for fact they and the parents do their share of putting in time to work tournaments as well as other fundraising activities. We (CLT Cobras 18U) do our share of raising funds and our organization charges $850 for the entire year. We were $850 in 2008 and will remain there in 2009. We wear college style uniforms and put a lot into marketing the players with a top notch website and promotion materials, tournament fees, helmets, equipment, etc. Some teams limit their play in the fall, we do not. We play just as much in the fall as we do the summer and our fees cover it all. It can be done.

 

Yes it does.

 

....our 18u team fee was $400+-. That fee was paid in advance to provide $ to pay entry fees to TB tourns. for the next upcoming season. Many showcases sell out of space in Jan. As far as the remainder of the expenses for a player and her parents, well thats up to them to pay individually. e.g. hotels, food, gas, equipment, etc.
I figure that a typical weekend, say playing 150 miles from home would cost me and mrs. fish about $300-$400 max. Thats hotel, food, gas, fishwater, and parking or entry passes and maybe a t-shirt.
One thing that our team did was to try to grill out in the parking lot of the hotel as much as possible. Food cost dropped bigtime!
Also, we'd room together and 1/2 the cost of the room.
When our DD was playing 10,12,14 our team would always go to a national, Panama City and Orlando were big hits for all of us but they also could cost a family of 4 about $2k for 7-10 days.
TB is not cheap, but its worth EVERY penny!
Maybe not all of these costs can be covered by fund raising, but certainly a vast portion can be.

 

Wasn't going to post

The Blues charge $1000 a year and until a couple years ago were $500. Of course like most of the other teams, the parents and kids pay their travel. We do some fund raisers to assist parents and do our best to find hotels and flights that make sense.
There are teams that we play that charge from $5000 to $15,000 to play for them but most include the travel in that fee. At Nationals we had as many as five girls in a room and rented a 15 passenger fan for some of our team as it was cheaper than flying.
As some other coaches have pointed out, we sell our kids through e-mail, reference letters, personal contacts with college coaches, and we assist in preparation of profiles and skill videos. We attend as many major Showcase events as feasible and have attended the A nationals five years in a row and the Gold nationals once. It is not as expensive as many have stated if you plan and like Rick said provide sweat equity.