There are many reasons why players play the game and those reasons are different for each player. Soccer offers so many awesome things for kids to experience and learn as they are growing up, just like other sports, and many will continue to play the game as they get older and for the rest of their lives. Many go from playing in their local recreational leagues, to more competitive teams, to high school, and then a small percentage head off to college or beyond (a very small percentage). Eventually, all of us become weekend warriors playing in “competitive” adult leagues with friends for fun. Ironically, we begin playing the game because it is fun, and it is how we finish playing the game until we can no longer run.
So why will your child keep playing soccer as the years pass? It is the relationship kids build with the game through their experiences that keeps them playing. Here are some reasons kids stick with soccer when they are young and continue playing throughout their adult lives.
1. Love the Game – When you truly love something, it is extremely difficult to walk away from it. When you like it, enjoy it, or it is just something that you do, it is much easier to leave the game behind. A love, a passionate joy, to play the game is the key ingredient to keep kids playing. The player must develop this love for the game to continue to play it. It is not just about their experiences on the field, but also their investment in the game away from the field. By that I mean, they watch soccer on TV, have a favorite team or player, play soccer video games, and create their own pick-up games with friends. This is where the love of the game begins, but it is where it grows and flourishes over the years. If kids really love the game, a bad practice, a bad game, a bad coach, or other negative events that will happen overtime, will never be enough to push a player away from the game. It will always be a part of their lives (to some capacity).
2. You Love the Game – Kids love when you love what they do. Kids know when going to their games or practices is a hassle or something you really do not want to do. As much as adults try to hide it, our poker faces are no match for a kid’s intuition. The child will pick up quickly on the fact that you would rather be doing other things. When a child knows that their involvement in soccer makes you happy, that you love to go watch them play and be part of their soccer experience, the more likely the child will want to continue to play. There may be no greater motivator for a young child than the look of a proud parent. It has been said before… one of the best things you can ever say to your child is, “I love to watch you play.”
3. No Stress on Family – The game cannot be a point of stress in the relationship between a parent and child. When the game seems to drive a wedge between the two and is a reason for tension in the house, it is very likely the child will eventually stop playing the game. At some point, it will not be worth the issues away from the field at home. I think deep down any child would rather have a great relationship with their parents than anything else. If they feel playing the game is a reason why “mom or dad is mad at me” then it will not be long till they try to make you happy and stop playing.
4. Friends & Social Network – There is no better social network than sports. When the social aspect stays an important component of sports, the kids continue to play the game longer. When you get to go play the sport you love, with some of your closest friends, it is very hard to step away as you would not get to see your best friends every day. With that, the team practices and the events outside of the practices have to be geared towards creating a strong relationship and family type of culture among the players. Time spent away from the field can be even more important than time spent at the field among teammates. Even at the highest competitive levels, I think many players will tell you that it is the friendships and relationships formed over their time playing that mean the most to them in the end.
5. Getting Better – It is important for kids to be in an environment where they can improve their level of play. By this, I do not mean that kids are moving up teams or getting more playing time based on their performance. Simply, the kids need to see improvement in themselves, but not in relation to other players. If they notice the things that they can do now, that they could not do yesterday or a year ago, they will continue to play. This is a critical responsibility of the parents and coaches of youth players. They need to make sure players are focused on their improvement in relation to themselves, not others, and recognize when there has been growth in their ability, no matter how small. Important note to this, “false praise” will have the exact opposite effect. Kids know when you are praising things that are not really deserved. When kids pick up on adults doing this, they will feel they are not doing anything of real importance or your expectations for them are very low.
6. Self-worth – Being part of a team and being counted on by others gives kids a sense of self-worth. It tells them there are others that need them and rely on them. Their efforts have a positive effect on, not just themselves, but on the other people around them (their teammates). It is recognized when something is done well, and the player can see a tangible outcome that would not have happened without their hard work, and it makes others happy. This sense of self-worth gives the kids the confidence to take on hard tasks and challenges, on and off the field, because they feel they have something to offer. They can make a difference when they put the effort into something.
7. Stay in Shape – Many players point to this as a reason for playing soccer. Soccer requires a higher level of fitness than many other sports kids play. It is great feeling to be fit and healthy, and it is a physical fitness level that most people want to hold on to for as long as possible. This is a great ancillary benefit of playing the game they love. Not only is it a lot of fun, but it keeps their body in peak form. With this in mind, this is one important reason why a kid getting to play in games and during practice is necessary. If a player is watching the game on the bench or is sitting/standing in training more than they are running around, the player is not getting that fitness benefit from playing the game. Kids love to leave the field with a good sweat after running around on the field. The sweat and some soreness is a reminder of all the effort expended on the field and that they are working towards an achievement.
8. Scoring Goals – Scoring a goal is one of the best feelings in sports. There is nothing more exciting for a soccer player than to score a goal for your team, especially in a close game or to give your team the win. With that said, it is just as much fun scoring in practice or in a pick up game with friends. No matter what the circumstances, the satisfaction felt when you strike the ball into the net is indescribable. This is part of why young kids should have many opportunities to score goals when they begin playing. It makes the game more fun. Scoring goals in training and in games keeps kids coming back to play the game. Coaches of young kids need to give all players the opportunity to be around the goal to score throughout the season, not just one or two players.
Obviously this is not an extensive list of reasons why kids continue to play the game as they get older, but I think it hits on a couple key areas. Soccer, like other sports and hobbies, is not life. It is just something done in addition to living life. If kids are going to stick with it, or any sport for that matter, it needs add to their quality of life, not take away from it. The longer your child is involved in sports, or other activities, I think it has a HUGE positive impact on their lives as adults in too many ways to describe.
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