Throughout the past few years, club sports have slowly started to take priority over high school athletics. Soccer, lacrosse, baseball and basketball club teams often compete year-round which can end up impacting their school season.

Playing for club teams means having to travel over state lines to play games or compete in national tournaments many times. In addition to the competition being oftentimes tougher, the experiences feel completely different. On a club team, there are many more opportunities to be recruited at tournaments and important games where scouts and college recruiters watch. High school athletes are still very capable of being recruited to play at the collegiate level, but clubs offer a different, and usually, easier route of playing Division I, II or III.

Club teams compete against elite competition as well as focusing heavily on individual improvement. High school sports on the other hand are focused on winning together. In high school athletics, teams play locally and athletes are alongside friends and classmates who they have grown up together with and have a strong bond with.

For some athletes, the differences between the two teams come down to individual performance and their personal growth as an athlete.

“Club lacrosse is mostly about how well you do, while playing for high school- it’s more about the whole team’s success, and playing together as a whole,” said Gian Dapi (‘28).

Dapi’s experience reflects on how club teams help you develop as a player and how individual performance is a main priority alongside winning. School athletics are focused on winning as a team.

All athletes who play for both clubs and their schools value the experiences differently.

“Playing club soccer has helped me improve with my technique and I’ve had the ability to compete against high level teams. But playing for East means that I get to represent my school, classmates and the community,” said Ben Boucher (‘28).

For Boucher, playing club soccer has helped him hone his skills, but playing soccer for East offers something that the club cannot replicate: school pride.

The disparity between club athletics and school athletics show how student-athletes navigate two different worlds of self improvement and competition at the highest level while high school is centered around tradition, belonging and shared success. Many athletes chose to balance both teams, but choosing the more important one is a decision based on their experiences.

Since club sports continue to expand, the debate between school or club athletics doesn’t have an end in sight. There is no right answer for choosing one over the other but it’s important to recognize how important both are to high school athletes.