By Kelly Paterson & Kevin McGinniss
(February 10, 2022)

There are both advantages and disadvantages to the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) softball system serving as a recruiting generator for college coaches. Ninety-five percent of players on a collegiate roster played AAU softball prior to college softball (Scholarship Stats, 2020). This opportunity is not affordable to everyone; depending on the district, tuition and fees to participate in one year of AAU travel softball can run close to $10,000 per player, on average (Scholarship Stats, 2020). To put this cost into perspective, if an athlete plays AAU softball for eight years, that’s a total of $80,000 coming out of the family’s pocket. The binding question for families and prospective student-athletes to ask themselves when deciding which AAU programs they would like to join is: How much money am I willing to spend on AAU tuition and additional fees to increase my chances of earning an athletic scholarship at the Division I or II levels? 

These costs are further complicated by how few softball athletes play professionally. There are only six professional teams in the U.S., whose players make, on average, $20,000 a year (Thomas, 2011). This information should be taken into consideration as well as families decide how to proceed with AAU softball.

Historically, research and examination on the effect of participation (and money spent) at the AAU level in general (not just softball, but all sports) has not been identified as a direct correlate to collegiate scholarship opportunities, specifically at Division I or Division II. To better understand the importance of AAU softball exposure specifically, we recruited past, present, and future female collegiate softball student-athletes to answer 15 questions about their softball experiences.

Our 110 total participants represented 38 different colleges and universities. All but five played AAU travel softball prior to college. The data, and full demographics, are summarized in Table 1.

As of 2020, the average (M) money spent annually in AAU softball at Division I/II was $4,136.11, while at the Division III level it was $3,086.96. This is important for a few reasons. First, AAU softball tuition (or the cost of one season of play) varies not only throughout Connecticut but throughout New England and the country. AAU softball organizations that have built up their programs over the last 30 years tend to have higher tuition prices compared to newly formed ones. Large organizations contain close to 15 teams (ranging from the 10u to the 18u levels), while newer and younger AAU softball programs only have a handful. When an AAU softball program has 15 teams to manage, tuition tends to be higher to cover the costs for all players in the organization (Putnam, 2017). For example, the CT Eliminators is an AAU softball program established almost 30 years ago. In the 2020-2021 season, there were 14 different teams in their organization. Their tuition is $2,500 per student-athlete. Newly formed teams, like the CT Diamond Zone (which has only three teams), have a tuition of $1,250. Secondly, another important note to make is that programs like the CT Eliminators and other prestigious AAU softball teams have college coaches and recruiters flocking to their games.

College coaches and recruiters know that these organizations bring in a larger talent pool of prospective student-athletes. Families who want their daughters to receive athletics scholarships in college need to enroll them not only into an AAU softball organization but the right one. Lastly, for AAU softball programs with higher tuition prices, there are more opportunities to travel throughout the country. With this comes additional fees and expenses like hotel accommodations and airfare. This is an important, however easily overlooked, expense that could prove prohibitive to some.

In the next category of athletic scholarships received at Division I/II levels, 62 student-athletes of the total 65 received athletics scholarships. The average athletics scholarship received by the student-athletes covered 41.2% of school tuition. Eight student-athletes surveyed received full covered tuition (100%) via athletics scholarship. For these eight student-athletes, the money spent (tuition and additional fees) of one AAU softball season averaged at $4,525. Though this sample size is small, and therefore may not be generalizable, it does suggest that there is a direct relationship between softball expenditures and the chances of an athlete receiving a DI or DII scholarship. As discussed earlier, the average (M) money spent annually in AAU softball at Division I/II levels was $4,136.11, while at the Division III level it was $3,086.96. For these eight student-athletes who received a full scholarship, the full expenditures they averaged paying at the AAU level ($4,525) in a year is financially equitable in the long run for both themselves and their families in receiving a scholarship at the collegiate level.

Applying the Research to Coaching Practice

To apply this research to practice, AAU coaches, collegiate coaches (of all levels), families, and prospective student-athletes should examine the advantages and disadvantages of the cost of participation in AAU softball programs. These programs have different tuition fees and additional expenses due to the intensity and demands of the AAU program (Sullivan, 2015). Student-athletes who want to earn an athletics scholarship at the collegiate level must choose an AAU program that best fits their needs—essentially the higher rate of tuition and additional fees. Families and student-athletes should do their research on AAU Softball programs, including a cost-benefit analysis, to make sure they are choosing the program that aligns with their collegiate softball aspirations. It’s also important for collegiate coaches to take cost into consideration as well, due to the fact that prospective student-athletes may want to play at specific divisions. Therefore, from the recruiting aspect, college coaches should consider a few of the following points:

1. Explore and investigate your prospective student-athletes. Although it can be very easy for a coach to evaluate a player based simply off of her skills, it’s important to know the player off of the field. Asking questions such as:  What AAU program does she play for? Has she been loyal to this AAU program for multiple years? How much commitment (and funding) has she put forward to be a part of this AAU program? What has she done to market herself in the recruiting process? By answering these questions, a coach can evaluate the player and decide her potential commitment level, as well as whether or not she would be a fit for their team.
2. Realize the student-athlete’s potential and be practical. If a prospective student-athlete has not invested a lot of time and commitment towards a high elite AAU program or any AAU program in general, she may not be fit for a high level of competition. Playing softball at any collegiate level can be demanding, compared to AAU. It’s important to assist your prospective student-athletes and set them up for success.
3. Create relationships with AAU softball program managers and coaches. As a collegiate coach, you will meet many AAU softball program managers and coaches throughout the years. It’s very important to develop a rapport with these individuals as they will help you in the recruiting process. This will make the conversation and communications about players both easier and honest.

In all, examining the advantages and disadvantages of AAU participation will optimize all parties involved for success in identifying a realistic approach to their softball future.

References

Putnam, B. (2017, August 11). Softball scholarships a pricey pursuit for elite travel teams. Tampa Bay Times: https://www.tampabay.com/sports/softballpreps/softball-scholarships-a-pricey-pursuit-for-elite-travel-teams/2333442/

Scholarship Stats. (2020). Softball scholarships & college links.https://scholarshipstats.com/softball

Sullivan, P. (2015, January 16). The rising costs of youth sports, in money and emotion. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/17/your-money/rising-costs-of-youth-sports.html

Thomas, K. (2011, January 20). Softball players choose pro league over U.S. team. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/20/sports/20softball.html