Coaches Weigh In On Club 7v7
What was just a segment in practice, 7v7 has quickly become a sport of its own. The growth of club sports along with the increasing value of the passing game, gave club 7v7 a platform for success.
What has helped the growth of Club 7v7 is 3 things: the development, the exposure, and the competition.
Club 7v7 takes place from the late winter season to the early summer. Organizations such as Pylon, NFA, and Passing Down will hold events where all-star teams will compete against each other. Most tournaments are 2 days, with one being pool play, and the second day being the tournament based off of the pool play’s seeding’s. Game rules vary from organization to organization, but for the most part games are around 25 minutes long and play on a half sized field. Starting at the 40, teams have 3 downs to get to the 25, and then to the 10, and then to the endzone. The score is followed by a 1 point or 2 point conversion. Games are high emotion and very fast paced as one big play or big mistake could determine the outcome of the game.
Giving an opportunity for athletes to develop is one of the main reasons for Club 7v7. Rob Thompson, Club Director for Team Texas Elite, say he values 7v7 “to improve timing and speed in the passing game. At the club level of 7v7, everything is faster because you are playing against the best of the best. This is where 7v7 begins to prepare student-athletes for the next level.” With only the most serious of athletes playing, it allows coaches to teach advanced levels of technique that requires a lot of focus. Wide Receiver release techniques, Defensive Back jamming techniques, Quarterback coverage sight adjustments, and Linebackers playing in space. Those and much more are focused on in the Spring.
“The sport increases a players skill level and confidence for the Fall with their school team. Plus, the talent they will compete against will likely be better than anything they will see in the Fall”, says Harvey Scruggs, founder of Preps To Prospects.
On the flip side, you have the exposure component of the 7v7 tournaments and events that is offered through the teams and the tournament organizers. College coaches are targeting prospects earlier than ever before and athletes are committing to their college earlier than ever before. With that said, colleges are looking for outside recourses beyond just game film to target qualified student-athletes. Recruiting media such as Rivals, Scout, and 24/7 are most always filling the sidelines at these events. “If Scout and 24/7 Sports are writing about you every weekend, that is a greater chance for college coaches to read about you” Scruggs says. You also have scouts hired by the colleges to attend the events since the NCAA has yet to allow college coaches to do so.
“Recruiting now starts in January. This past FIRE tryout a kid picked up 6 offers after dominating tryouts”, said Dennis Marroquin, founder of Florida Fire.
Tournaments are now starting to live feed the event as well. “We had nearly 100 college coaches tune in to our May Elite 7evens Invitational last year” Scruggs said.
Along with exposure, Club 7v7 coaches assist student athletes in the recruiting process. According to Thompson, “Your High School Coach is not responsible for your recruitment. That is not in his job description. We help step in and fill that void.” Club teams also paired tournament visits with club exclusive college visits. B2G, a program based out of Los Angeles, attended the IMG Midwest Regional recently in Chicago Illinois. They visited both Michigan and Notre Dame on their trip where multiple athletes were offered scholarships.
Beyond development and exposure, is the competition aspect of Club 7v7. Events like Pylon Las Vegas will have a couple hundred athletes with Division 1 scholarships all competing on the same playing fields. Club 7v7 gives athletes the closest feel to college football that they will have until they step foot on their campus for the first time as a freshman. Most high school games will have only a handful of Division 1 prospects at each game. In Club 7v7, you only have a handful on non-Division 1 prospects. This increases the demand of technique, speed, reaction, and thought processing for the athlete.
With the explosion of Club 7v7 also came the naysayers. Some high school coaches’ love that their athletes are out getting better during the Spring, some hate it. “Some HS Coaches feel they are losing "control" of the players that we helped develop since little league football. They view us as a distraction vs. seeing us helping them to assist the players they coach achieve their goals of playing at the next level” says Thompson. The fear that “3rd parties are involved in a top players recruitment” is the main concern says Marroquin. Scruggs’ response to the criticism is this: “7on7 is its own sport. It's not like AAU, because a lot of players and college coaches replaced high school basketball with AAU in terms of evaluating kids. 7on7 can not replace American Tackle Football. Parent's are seeing 7on7 as a safer alternative to tackle football for their younger children.”
All coaches agree though, the growth of 7v7 has been exponential. “In South Florida at one point there was just 2 Teams participating now its like 15 Teams after the 6 years 7v7 will continue to grow. FIRE has 3 HS teams in Dade Broward and Palm Beach County. Talk about growing” says Marroquin.
“When we started P2P we were the only program in Central Indiana that participated in travel club ball. Five years later, we have as many as 6 clubs in the same city and more across the state” says Scruggs.
What is in store for the future of Club 7v7? “Give it 3 years and you will have the major shoe companies supporting a 7v7 circuit. Nike, Adidas and Under Armour will have nationally sponsored teams competing at their venues with their media backing. Already done in other sports. Football is the last frontier” says Thompson. Some also feel that it is only a matter of time where college coaches will be allowed to attend 7v7 events like they can other club sports. Hosted by Pylon, this is also the first year 7v7 will be a AAU Junior Olympic sport.
Our take of Club 7v7? With such a short high school season, athletes need other avenues to develop their skills and their will to compete. Playing under pressure is a skill just like speed and agility that needs to be developed. Club 7v7 is a great way not only to get more reps in during the spring, but to compete against the best in the nation. This allows the game to be easier in the fall. The exposure component is just an extra bonus. Athletes have the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of hundreds to stand out amongst their peers. While others are busy in the weight room or do not see the value of 7v7, this is their chance to get noticed and get someone’s attention that could lead to an athletic scholarship.
