Kids Can Just Play

This season I asked the players on my team to arrive at least 15 minutes before practice was scheduled to begin. When I told my players at the preseason meeting, some of the parents started to laugh. At first I got a little nervous about the request I just made, but felt pretty confident that it was not unreasonable to have the players arrive early. I hesitantly asked, “What is funny about the players arriving early?” One of the parents, while still chuckling, answered, “That will not be a problem.” On the day of our first training session, I arrived 30 minutes before the start of practice to begin setting up and getting the field organized. When I pulled into the park, I could not believe what I saw.

As I pulled into the park, two players were just getting out of their car and running towards the soccer field. Already in progress was a “game” being played and the two players were rushing to the field so they could join. I sat in my car counting all the players on the field and every player was there. It looked like the players made two goals out of bags about 15 yards from one another. There seemed to be no boundary markers and the players had no training vests or different color shirts to indicate who was on each team. As the two “late comers” arrived, they were quickly placed on a team and the game never even stopped.

Still sitting in my car taking in this spectacle, it was a very entertaining game to watch. The players were taking players on with the ball, taking shots from distance, trying to be creative and using difficult moves, and most importantly seemed to be laughing a lot. The ball would travel pretty far away from where the goals were and the play would still continue. It seemed as if rules were being made up as the game was being played, and there was very little discussion about the rules when they were made.

I finally got out of my car and approached the field with my training gear. I noticed the game start to slow down as the players turned to see “the coach” approaching the field. It seemed like they were about to end the game, but I told them, “Keep playing. I’ll call you in when practice is ready to start.” With no hesitation, “Game on!” was called and the players went right back at it.

Now being closer to the game, I could hear what was being said as the game was being played. The players were talking the entire time to each other, sometimes about what was going on in the game, but other times, just about everything and anything under the sun. They all had nicknames for each other and different moves with the ball, they continuously joked with one another, and challenged one another do try things with the ball. For example, the ball was being put back in play by one of the players, but before the player could kick the ball in (again, there were no boundaries so I am not sure how or why the ball was out), a player said, “You need to flick it up on to the field.” The player quickly lifted the ball up sending it into the middle of the group and play continued.

There is always talk about kids not playing enough “unstructured” soccer and I believe it is true. The only time the majority of kids play soccer is under the structure of a coach or some type of organized play. It is rare, if ever, kids find the opportunity to just play “pick-up” soccer with friends where no adults have influenced the rules or what type of game they play. Some people would argue that kids would not even know HOW to just play soccer if it is not organized by a coach or adult. I do not think I would go that far, but it is an interesting and possibly upsetting thought.

I have read about some coaches testing their players’ ability to play soccer without a coach’s instruction. Simply, these coaches will arrive at training, walk up to the players with a soccer ball, drop it in front of them, and then walk away. When the players ask, “What are we suppose to do?” the coach tells them, “Just play.” If you did that with your team, what do you think the reaction would be? Stunned bewilderment? Maybe… or do you think your players would be able to just start playing. My team showed me they were capable of just playing without me urging them on. Before most practices, they arrive very early and just play amongst themselves in a game with very little rules or restrictions.

What is the benefit of players playing soccer in an unstructured environment? Primarily, it allows players to be creative and express themselves without any type of fear or apprehension.  When adults are around, kids tend to do exactly what they feel is expected of them to do by the adult. When adults are not around, kids let loose and allow themselves to be more imaginative with their actions. As we know, no adult always equals more fun for the kids!

 Think about the game my team was playing before I arrived. If it was a game I was organizing, there would have been clear boundaries, players on each team would have been clearly identified, and I would stop play to make coaching points when the game did not resemble the kind of soccer I wanted to see. Without me, the game resembled the type of soccer the girls loved; free, limitless, consequence free, totally fun soccer.

In a culture that has made kids dependent on computers and video games for entertainment, it was refreshing to see kids just having fun with each other while playing outside. I firmly believe kids will always have the capacity to play without the aid of an electronic device or an organized event by adults. As parents and coaches, maybe we just need to “let go” a little more often and allow the players to just play and be kids. Sometimes, adults feel a need to always be involved to ENSURE the kids are doing what they are SUPPOSE to do at all times. There is plenty of time to coach and correct mistakes throughout a child’s development, but not as much time for a player to just be a kid with a ball playing, learning, and  having  fun with friends.

Ask anyone who has played soccer at any level, and I am sure none would say, “I started to play soccer to be a professional.” Instead, I am sure a more common response would be, “I started to play soccer because it was fun.”

Kids CAN just play, so let them!