It\’s pretty much everywhere. Youth soccer is taking over America but we\’re fine with it. Check out your local middle school field in fall on any given Saturday and you\’re liable to see dozens of kids running around with bright jerseys and the tell-tale sign of shin guards. Youth Soccer is almost a staple in most U.S. communities and for good reason. Let\’s take a look at the soccer scene for our little ones.

The YMCA is huge sponsor of many youth soccer programs across the U.S. and they do a great job. We\’ll talk a little more about them in a separate article but let\’s look at why the participation is so high in soccer for young people compared to other sports (except maybe little league baseball) First of all, anyone can play soccer. That\’s the great aspect of the game for young kids. The game is very intuitive and incredibly tantalizing to the average 4-5 year mind. You have two nets on either side and try to kick the ball into one of them. What kid doesn\’t like kicking a ball (or anything else for that matter). Usually they\’re not allowed to kick anything and here on the soccer field, it\’s actually encouraged? The sport, in all it\’s simplicity, is very easy for little kids to get right out there and play. Basketball dribbling is tough. Football has all the plays and rules. Baseball is very skill specific. Youth Soccer is just plain fun and that translates well to youth sports,

Youth soccer usually starts the earliest of the major sports with typically first seasons available at age 4-5. It\’s actually pretty cute to see the little guys out there with oversized jerseys and chin guards. The first few years of youth soccer usually resembles a school of fish as all the players are kicking at the ball in a huddle. Every once in a while the ball breaks out of the mass of children and some one stumbles into a goal. The parents cheer on the sideline as the kid looks perplexed, yet pretty self-satisfied at his/her prowess. Skill levels and game play kick up considerably by around age 7. You now have defined positions and areas of the field. If you don\’t blink, you might even see some passing although it\’s still a pretty singular game with one person trying to run as long as possible and shoot for the goal. You now have goalies as well so the scores get personal and the your youth soccer players quickly learn the thrill of stopping a goal or agony of defeat. Like most things at age 7, the agony doesn\’t last for too long but the high stakes world of soccer goalie is now party of the kid\’s world.

By age 9 or 10, it\’s pretty legit. The game is much faster and much more coordinated. You have plays, passes, and great deal of dribbling (foot control). You even have some of the more serious kids joining traveling teams where the practices and games are much more intense. Youth soccer quickly transform into middle school and eventually you see the result of all those years on the youth soccer field…some pretty impressive high school soccer players.

Author Bio: Dennis Jarvis writes about the world of Prep Sports including high school sports such as high school football, basketball, and baseball.

Category: Sports
Keywords: youth soccer, ayso, prep soccer, high school sports, prep sports