How we rate clubs
Every club in the Club Finder is rated by Queen City Soccer Lab using two sources: our own research, and surveys of parents whose kids play there.
- 12
- factors per club
- 2
- sources: research + parents
- 1–5
- score on each factor
- [N]
- surveys before a club is rated
What goes into a rating
Our research
The facts we can check ourselves, gathered the same way for every club.
- Published fees, uniform costs, and payment options
- Leagues and team levels the club fields
- Coach licensing and staff information
- Fields, lights, and winter training space
- Conversations with club directors
Parent surveys
What it’s actually like, from the families who live it every week.
- Parents score the club 1–5 on the same factors we do
- Open questions about coaching, culture, and communication
- Open to families with a player at the club in [the last 2 years]
- [Anonymous: we never publish names]
- At least [N] surveys before a club gets a rating
How a rating comes together
Some factors lean on one source. Facilities come mostly from our research; team culture comes mostly from parents. The list below shows which source drives each one.
The 12 things we rate
Ratings are the same for everyone. Fit is yours.
A club’s ratings don’t change based on who’s looking. Your fit score does: it weights each rating by how important you said it was. Your #1 pick counts 5×, #2 counts 4×, and so on.
That’s why we don’t publish an overall “best club” list. The right club for one family can be the wrong club for another.
| YOUR PRIORITY | RATING | WEIGHT | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 Drive time | 4.4 | × 5 | 22 |
| #2 Coaching quality | 4 | × 4 | 16 |
| #3 Cost | 4 | × 3 | 12 |
| #4 Playing time | 4 | × 2 | 8 |
| Total | of 70 possible | 58 |
Drive time is the only rating that changes by family: it’s estimated from your ZIP, from 5 (10 minutes or less) down to 0 (an hour or more).
Our commitments
Independence
[Your policy on sponsorships, advertising, and whether clubs can ever pay for placement.]
Corrections
[How clubs and parents can flag an error, and how quickly you review it.]
Updates
[How often ratings refresh, e.g. before each tryout season.] Every profile shows its last update date.
Common questions
- Why doesn’t my club have a rating yet?
- A club needs at least [N] parent surveys before we publish a rating. Until then it shows as “Not yet rated,” and you can help by taking the survey.
- Who can take the parent survey?
- Any parent or guardian with a player at the club in [the last 2 years]. One survey per family, per club.
- Does a higher rating mean a better club?
- Not necessarily. A club that’s perfect for one family may not fit another. That’s why the Club Finder ranks clubs by your priorities instead of an overall score.
- I work for a club. Can I update our profile?
- You can send us updated facts like fees, fields, and tryout dates. [Clubs don’t set their own ratings.]
Your experience helps the next family.
Tell us about your club. It takes about [X] minutes.