isn't it true though that club teams are student run and can be disorganized and kind of well blah.

Yes they are student run but depending on the club some are taken pretty serious. They have uniforms, schedules, training sessions. Remember these students are 21, 22 years old not 15. You would imagine they are mature.

Some of the club teams, particularly those offered at NCAA Division I schools are particularly well run and scheduled.

While the program funding is a completely different animal from the varsity counterparts, the competitive landscape remains just as intense.

Note that the national college club championships have really started to gain significant momentum in all NCAA divisions over the last five years in particular with the growth of club soccer on the national scene. [To provide more evidence of the growth of club sports, has anyone noticed that "sand volleyball" (beach volleyball to most of us) now has an unofficial national club championship?]

Thank you for the insight. Do the club teams have trainers? Do club teams compete in a true league of some sort? I always thought that clubs in college were like pick up games.

While some club soccer programs might be pick-up in their approach, BOTN Industries wanted to share with you the National Campus Championship Series links.

NCCS National Soccer Championships - Women's Open Division

NCCS National Soccer Championships - Men's Open Division

NCCS National Soccer Championships - Women's Championship Division

NCCS National Soccer Championships - Men's Championship Division

This will help provide some idea on the organization and structure leading to the club soccer championship events in November 2009. As for league play, schedules typically will include two or three practices per week and a game on the weekends with competitive schools in the local area.

The Eligibility Guidelines are also available for your review to see the discussion about varsity versus club player movement.

An example league on a local basis would be the New England Collegiate Soccer League on the Men's side. In the North Division for 2008, you would find Vermont, Harvard, Boston College, Northeastern, Dartmouth, Brandeis, Tufts, and St. Anselm. The South Division for 2008 included UConn/Storrs, UMass/Amherst, Brown, Holy Cross, Yale, Wesleyan, Connecticut College, and Worchester Polytechnic (WPI).

Each league and each example requires some more detailed research than you might otherwise have for a university's varsity counterparts.

More detailed regional information is available at this link : Regions and Coordinators Details - Club Soccer

thank you.

Question; my son came home today and informed me that he is looking into renting a house off campus with a few friends. My son R/B is completely paid for by the school. Will he lose that money if he moves off campus?

The University will likely not cut a check to the landlord of the off-campus housing and definitely will not cut a check to subsidize off-campus meals and grocery bills.

Again, your son might want to do some additional homework here as some schools might not want their players living off-campus if similar accomodations are available on campus.

Would any of our U/17 (seniors now leaving) or U/18 (team coming to an end as all players head off to college) care to share some of their thoughts now that the college chase has ended and their next phase of soccer-life begins?

What does the player personally feel? How is your family experience changing with the tournaments and league play giving way to college plans?

Please share your stories so that others may benefit here on the College Board.