US Soccer is not alone in placing exclusions and restrictions on sport and soccer participation. I coach at varsity level but I am not from Michigan. I am from the UK-I was brought up immersed in playing and watching soccer and have been for the past 36 years.

I am still perplexed, and saddened, by the restrictions around sports participation for young people. I know that I can not coach travel teams with a certain number of my high school players; that I can not meet with a team before certain dates or have them practice with a ball; that players transferring in to a school are denied a chance to play sport for a while-this is due to a blanket ruling meant to stop those that swap schools for sports but actually prevents the majority of people who have moved schools for non-sporting reasons to be denied sporting opportunities. This is not an exclusive list of restrictions Michigan has on preventing young people playing or having access to good coaching.

I find all these rules and restrictions counter-intuitive to what we as adults should be providing in way of sporting opportunities. Sport provides many things from health and fitness, teamwork and leadership, raising self-esteem and providing a means of self-expression for many. We are young but a short time and children should have as much opportunity as possible, not less due to regulations that seem ill thought out.

As I said, I am not from the USA, but some of the barriers I have come up against in trying to coach seem the very opposite to a land I believed to be founded on opportunity and liberty.

I grew up playing school soccer and our version of travel soccer side by side-no restrictions placed on who and when you could be coached, and certainly no blocking of players simply due to moving schools.

I have had players having to sit out a soccer season, training but not playing, due to this rule-it is a shameful situation.

I know I can not change the mindset of how things are run here, but after three years of frustration at the status quo I felt I had to offer some feedback on my experiences as someone from overseas. I love the game and the benefit it brings to young people and don't want to see restrictions preventing them from having these experiences.

If HS soccer could serve the top soccer athletes then it wouldn't be an issue, but it can't. Don't forget you are talking about only approximately 100 (soon to be 150) players on the boys side in the entire state! And they do come from all over the state to play academy.
You are talking about such a small number of players it's not worth worrying about. Academy is where the kids who have good shots at Division I and/or National team expectations should play and get noticed. High school soccer doesn't help these kids. And no my kid is not good enough for an academy team!

I understand the frustration of having our best players recruited to play for Development Academies, but if you look at the bigger picture with U.S. soccer as the focus then I understand their reasoning. If I had players who were able to play at an academy and that is what they wanted to pursue I certainly would not try to deter them. I am one who believes that it does create a space in High School athletics for another player who may not have had that opportunity otherwise.

The players have the right to chase their dreams but this academy approach should not be a huge surprise to anyone. It is a step up from all the local premier (club) teams that have sprouted up all over our state.

Lets face it, soccer has turnerd into business and many coaches are reaping the rewards by being affiliated with some of these clubs..and also coaching at the high school level as well. Coaching a high school team makes it an easy draw for these coaches whe snare from these "Club' teams. While they enjoy the benefit financially, they are also preparing and developing their roster for the high school season by keeping them together year round. While some coaches set the main stage of high school soccer, some are coaching more than one team at their club. Some are actually doing their coaching at three of four teams in their club. Parents seem to be hungry to see their sons/daughters playing at as high a level as they can...or afford. Maybe a scholarship is the objective.

These parents shell out a lot of money to these groups, such as the Wolves, Hawks, Rush, Vardar, Waza, to name a few. Being familiar with some of these organizations, I am flabbergasted at many coaches employed by a club..and they have never played soccer before. Of course the push is on for bragging rights by some of these clubs in trying to get their coaches certified. By attending these certification classes, it is also a learning experience and beneficial to all who attend but remember that every passes..there is no testing at all.

So now, the shoe is on the other foot. These same coaches who are taking control of the local soccer players and making exceptional fees from them are begining to lose some of their choice players and of course the money that is attached to them.

My feeling is to let them make the choice but they cannot have their cake and eat it. Their decision to go for the gold, be it that they are more skilled of their family has more money.