Even Gianni Infantino can tell that the “pay-to-play” model in American youth soccer isn’t good for kids or the sport.
The oft-criticized FIFA boss, speaking on Monday at the 2024 Milken Institute Global Conference, called for access to come with no cost for youth players.
“One of the things which shocked me here in America is that children have to pay in order to play [soccer]. We have to stop this,” Infantino said.
Infantino cited his own experience growing up, calling on members of a given community that can afford to give back to start funding youth teams.
“I’m Italian, I grew up in a little Swiss village in the middle of the mountains,” explained Infantino. “There was a soccer team there, which played in the sixth-highest division, so it was very small, and they [still] had 23 teams.
“And this is all organized and privately funded. So, the local guy who has a restaurant gives the jerseys. The lawyer who has a little bit more money spends on shoes. Privately, you create this movement that makes sure that every kid plays.”
American soccer’s inaccessibility has been criticized for decades, with the best youth clubs often coming with fees in the thousands of dollars. While efforts have been made to subsidize or lessen those fees, top clubs and big tournaments often still come with a price tag that falls on parents.
Infantino can’t often be associated with looking out for the little guy, but on this particular topic, his position was clear.
“We need to invest in the players, because we want to show to the kids who play soccer when they are at school or when they are very young, that there is a path in soccer to glory to become one of these world stars.”
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