While high school athletic budgets are diminishing and college education costs are rising, students are turning to club sports to help them improve their athleticism and chances of getting into a good college. Club sports are outside teams and leagues in which the athlete pays to play and be a part of the team. It used to be an expensive alternative to teams sponsored by the school, but with the new athletic fees they can now be viewed as practical.

“If we have to pay for school sports now, it makes more sense to me to pay for a club team that will help get me into college, said junior Jessica Hotter, who plays club softball.“It’s ridiculous to have to pay the school fee and the travel team fees on top of that.”

Student athletes play club sports for a few different reasons. Some clubs offer a wider variety of sports that high schools simply do not offer, such as ice hockey and crew.

According to senior Matt Chiappane, it is just a matter of making room for new sports. “If they would consider cheerleading or gymnastics a sport, why can’ they make room for ice hockey?”

Another reason is that it is more likely for an athlete to get recruited into a college through a club sport.
College coaches don’t have the time to come to multiple high school games, but they go to club tournaments to see players from all over compete at a higher skill level, so they can evaluate hundreds of potential recruits at one location. Some athletes just want to play the same sport year round, either for fun or conditioning for the regular season.

“The tournaments that our team goes to really helps get us noticed by college coaches and they help us get better”, said junior club lacrosse player Kenzi Wright. “It gives you a head start on other people that don’t play year round.”

Cheerleaders and gymnasts can also improve their skills and condition with classes and training sessions at places like the Fairfax Gymnastics Academy.
Some coaches might suggest club sports to their players so they can maintain their skills year round,or even encourage players to register as a team. That way they can improve on their level of play and teamwork with the athletes they will be competing with during the school season.

Other coaches would rather them stick to AHS sports, like head boy’s lacrosse Coach Bill Magliscaeu.
“I would much rather my lacrosse athletes play on the AHS Basketball, Wrestling, Swim and Dive, or Winter Track teams than play box [indoor]lacrosse for an hour or two on the weekends simply because it will make them more competitive and it will more likely keep them out the trouble that comes with having free time on their hands after school.”

Club sports also have the benefit of offering teams for both boys and girls. Schools don’t always offer a sports team for both boys and girls, such as boy’s volleyball, which is surprisingly a popular and enjoyed sport to play by both sexes. There are club teams as well as co-ed and intramural leagues in which both boys and girls may participate in a sport that is not offered for their sex at school.

As far as fundraising is concerned, AHS sports programs and other high school raise money for the booster program, not the individual team members. The money from fundraisers such as gold cards and red letters for AHS fall and spring seasons are used for other useful purposes in booster funds like new equipment.
However, while the money is very much needed and appreciated, it does not really help the athletes with the new fees they are paying for school sports. Accommodations are also made for student athletes that are in difficult financial situations. Club sports fundraise as a team, but the money earned goes towards the player’s fees to participate in tournaments to decrease their expenses.

For all of these reasons, more and more student athletes are turning towards club sports to benefit themselves during both the school seasons and the off-season.