It is a goal for most dedicated athletes to participate in their sport at college, whether it’s on a club team or the school’s actual team. It takes hard work and dedication and a lot of playing and practicing to get to that level depending on the school. But, can your high school sports team get you to that level? The answer for most sports is usually no.

Depending on the high school and the sport, the level of difficulty and competitiveness varies. A high school sports team only lasts one season though. The student is not playing year-round and constantly getting better unless they are on a club team. And the goal of most high school teams is to win and educate players about the game, not to get the student on a college team. Coaches focus on the team as a whole instead of specific individuals and their own goals.

Club sports teams on the other hand compete year round. Not only do the club teams constantly force practice and play upon the individual but there are usually more than three of them; their goal as a team and as coaches is to send the individual off to the next college level so they need more coaches to be more efficient.

“It’s a whole different game. The club practices and tournaments are completely different than high school sports. It’s a new level of difficulty but I wouldn’t be as good a player without it. I think it is a necessary thing if you are serious about a sport,” says junior Paige Farrell.

The biggest appeal of the club team scene is the participation in showcase tournaments; tournaments specifically designed to feature the individual player’s skills to college coaches that travel from all over for these tournaments.  Coaches have a chance to watch you play and talk to you after the game. It’s like trying out for a college team by playing with your club team. High school sports don’t do this.

Club teams focus in on the skills needed to get to the college level. They break down the athletes’ skills and work with them to perfect them, while high schools just try to educate the team as a whole. High school sports can be competitive but nothing is as competitive as a club team where you need to try out to make the team. Most schools are pay to play or don’t cut people. That means the best players may not be playing; this doesn’t benefit the good players. College coaches don’t typically travel from all over to watch one high school game.

More and more kids are starting to participate in club teams because the stats show that those are the teams that will get you to that next level. Some people and coaches say it is not even worth playing on the high school team if the individual is on a year round club team.