By Jillian Jackson

Panther’s Tale

According to an article published by VarsityKansas.com, Wichita FC-Union soccer coach Brandon Bleakley offered his players the choice of training exclusively with his club. Some of the players accepted the offer, ending their high school eligibility.

This begs the question of whether competitive soccer is more important than high school soccer.

Competitive soccer is great to do, and local organizations like the Sedgwick County Soccer Association provide a place to do it. That’s all well and good unless the goal is to get recognized by college scouts.

From my experiences only the well-known league teams attract any scouts, and those that aren’t as well known scramble to get to tournaments in order to get the attention. There are some college showcase tournaments that teams can elect to go to, but if the team simply stays at the league complex, the likelihood of their players being seen by scouts is little to none.

High school soccer allows for a more open playing field.

Although it may not be as smooth as competitive soccer, it does attract more scouts. If a scout is at a game looking at the graduating seniors, they will see the other players and be able to take them into consideration over the years.