Not before the parents understand what they are getting out of being on a high level team$$$. By that I mean they have to know the coaches are developing their players. If they are more concerned about saying little Johnny plays for team X then it's probably a waste. As long you can see that your kid is progressing at the same rate as the BIG teams ,you're good. A lot of that is playing against them though. That's a lot easier in GA than MI. We have to travel to GA to play the top teams . We also have to pay for indoor practice in the winter. Up here we will play in tournaments that are a couple of age groups up. Just to be ready to come down there. The teams up here that do that are the BIG teams . It is a lot more expensive to play up here . That being said I'm sure a good portion of the money I've spent was a waste. I would say 8th grade summer . You just want to make sure they're not jumping on a running treadmill. The big teams probably have more connections with colleges and the ability to get those colleges to come watch their teams.