What age is the earliest you would start competitive soccer (next level up from Rec league)?

[Anonymous]

Just curious what people's opinions are on this.

[Anonymous]

Lol. Many on this board started their kid in travel at 6 or 7 on a u8 team so you're probably asking the wrong bunch of people.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol. Many on this board started their kid in travel at 6 or 7 on a u8 team so you're probably asking the wrong bunch of people.

But for us personally we started our kid at 7 in second grade because he was just so much better than the rest of his rec team.

[Anonymous]

Never.

[Anonymous]

We did it in 2nd and it was a bad fit because many of the kids were more mature and really into it (ours wasn't), did rec in 3rd, that was too silly/amateur hour and our kid was frustrated so back to travel in 4th/5th (not super intense, talking MSI or PPA Premiere here), pandemic, back to travel lite on a team with friends and it's working with fine.

[Anonymous]

8yo, 3rd grade for my DS.

[Anonymous]

I would find a year round futsal program as young as possible, probably 7 or 8.

[Anonymous]

U12

[Anonymous]

first kid U9 2nd kid we learned how bad rec was overall. We skipped rec started him at u7 pre travel 1 year and then u8 yr we played up on u9 team.

[Anonymous]

First kid 4th grade, second kid 3rd

3rd grade was perfect, 4th was fine, but the experience was what made the decision to move next kid a little sooner

Both are good athletes, big kids, were able to pay attention. Both chose another sport by high school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would find a year round futsal program as young as possible, probably 7 or 8.

+1. Probably better off doing Futsal and/or some additional training/camps and moving up to the meat grinder that is travel once the kid is playing year round because they WANT to be doing training and camps in winter and summer and practicing 3x per week, as opposed to because you put them on a year-round team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would find a year round futsal program as young as possible, probably 7 or 8.

+1. Probably better off doing Futsal and/or some additional training/camps and moving up to the meat grinder that is travel once the kid is playing year round because they WANT to be doing training and camps in winter and summer and practicing 3x per week, as opposed to because you put them on a year-round team.

Yes. Futsal is what matters for young players. combine it with private training and you will be so far beyond any travel player.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would find a year round futsal program as young as possible, probably 7 or 8.

+1. Probably better off doing Futsal and/or some additional training/camps and moving up to the meat grinder that is travel once the kid is playing year round because they WANT to be doing training and camps in winter and summer and practicing 3x per week, as opposed to because you put them on a year-round team.

Yes. Futsal is what matters for young players. combine it with private training and you will be so far beyond any travel player.

Why is futsal so important? Trying to understand what’s changed since I played in the 90s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just curious what people's opinions are on this.

I would say sixteen or seventeen.