What the COVID-19 economic slowdown could mean for youth clubs financially

The Boston Bolts & Seacoast United await kickoff during a September 2018 DA game. (Maddie Malhotra/New England Soccer Journal)

As much as the COVID-19 moratorium is forcing youth soccer clubs to get creative with remote training, it’s also testing their business resolve and could have long-term financial impacts.

When talking with sources across New England youth soccer, the general sentiment was smaller clubs will be most profoundly hurt by the recent economic downturn. They might be dependent on since-cancelled tournaments for significant cash flow, or suffer from dwindling excitement around summertime camps.

As an industry, youth soccer in America is still largely predicated on a pay-to-play model and clubs have unavoidable overhead costs.