The Life Of An AAU Football Parent
In Part One of our series surrounding AAU Football, we’ll touch on what the parents must deal with in terms of traveling regarding AAU Football.
It begins so innocently. Your son tries out for a team, makes the cut, and then the world changes. He’s now a part of a traveling AAU Football Team and that means normal life as you know it, is no more.
For starters, AAU is much different than High School Football. In High School, it’s mostly home and away games that may cover at least 10-30 miles in traveling. But with AAU Football, that will easily reach into other states.
As for the parents, our schedules are now screwed. Most AAU games are within state lines but then comes those tournaments where travel is a must. Two months ago, my son and his team made it to The Nationals. While we were excited, that quickly died down when the news dropped that it was in Orlando, Florida.
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Yes, the weather was good but that was maybe a cost that you were not expecting. The Nationals lasted a week. Florida looks good on paper but what if your child has never been? Now you know what that means? Every kid has dreams of going to Disney World. Just that easily, a football tournament quickly becomes a family vacation. Still doesn’t sound too bad, right? Imagine all this planning going on with only two weeks’ notice.
AAU Football is exciting. It gives kids a chance to play with their rivals on the same team. But for the parents, it can be a drain both physically and financially. So, to those parents thinking about taking that plunge, please be prepared for plenty of traveling, planning, cooking, and chaperoning. Remember, these are still young kids we’re talking about in hotels and in foreign places. They can get a bit wild…
To Be Continued… (Rules, Games, Expectations, and More)
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
