New to soccer

[Anonymous]

DS (10) has become obsessed with soccer since summer (still getting used to hearing sound of a ball bouncing everywhere all the time inside and outside of house). Put him in a rec league and took him to a couple of professional games. No one in family ever played or watches soccer. Will try to do some skills related camp over winter but I’m wondering if going to watch some local travel tournaments would be useful? Ads about local soccer tourneys and showcases have taken over insta. He is always watching highlights but the skills those players are using seem so advanced and fast. I was thinking he might benefit from seeing really good players just a few years older showcasing skills that are more in reach…I would think tickets would be cheaper than cost of going to Audi. Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Many ways to be on the scene and avoid spending a fortune. Go to the Bethesda Premier Cup next week. Brackets are posted in message string in this board. I would check out the U12 top bracket as it is close enough in age and at Maryland Soccerplex. You will have some of the best from VA and MD in one spot for the weekend. Not all, some.

Any local college games are great but the season is winding down. The Maryland vs Indiana game was epic last weekend. Maryland has a great squad and so does Georgetown.

Howard, Catholic, AU all have teams and usually free or cheap tickets.

Check out UPSL, NCSL and USL for free and inexpensive local adult leagues. We follow Loudoun and Cristos.

If you look up the schedules for EDP, you can find out the teams playing closest to your home and check them out.

You can also look up the DCU academy schedule. Games are free and at that age, he will be in awe of anything.

[Anonymous]

🙏🏻 thank you!

[Anonymous]

OP, what area do you live in? We may be able to point to some reasonable priced resources in your area.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP. Bethesda Premier Cup might be a good experience for you and your DS. Maybe try to watch a few different teams/clubs that seem close to where you live. Ask a parent or maybe a coach some questions.

If you can't do the Bethesda tournament, a lot of tournaments use "GotSport (GotSoccer)" as their schedule/results website. You can search for other upcoming tournaments here - https://home.gotsoccer.com/events.aspx

10 isn't too late to start. If you're thinking of moving beyond Rec, you just need to find the right "travel" soccer club fit (cost, level, amount of travel, etc). You can find different soccer clubs using the GotSport Rankings. The actual rankings are debatable, but the search function is helpful to see club names. Google the club's actual website and email for more information. - https://rankings.gotsport.com/

You can find a lot of posts in this blog with opinions about individual clubs, coaching, and travel soccer in general.

[Anonymous]

Look up Futsal.

Its generally indoor soccer played on basketball courts.

Much better for youger players than freezing their butt off on a field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many ways to be on the scene and avoid spending a fortune. Go to the Bethesda Premier Cup next week. Brackets are posted in message string in this board. I would check out the U12 top bracket as it is close enough in age and at Maryland Soccerplex. You will have some of the best from VA and MD in one spot for the weekend. Not all, some.

Any local college games are great but the season is winding down. The Maryland vs Indiana game was epic last weekend. Maryland has a great squad and so does Georgetown.

Howard, Catholic, AU all have teams and usually free or cheap tickets.

Check out UPSL, NCSL and USL for free and inexpensive local adult leagues. We follow Loudoun and Cristos.

If you look up the schedules for EDP, you can find out the teams playing closest to your home and check them out.

You can also look up the DCU academy schedule. Games are free and at that age, he will be in awe of anything.

Faith-based clubs exist? Pray the Lord Almighty! Where’s it at because I can’t find anything in DMV? It’s all pretty non-secular imho

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many ways to be on the scene and avoid spending a fortune. Go to the Bethesda Premier Cup next week. Brackets are posted in message string in this board. I would check out the U12 top bracket as it is close enough in age and at Maryland Soccerplex. You will have some of the best from VA and MD in one spot for the weekend. Not all, some.

Any local college games are great but the season is winding down. The Maryland vs Indiana game was epic last weekend. Maryland has a great squad and so does Georgetown.

Howard, Catholic, AU all have teams and usually free or cheap tickets.

Check out UPSL, NCSL and USL for free and inexpensive local adult leagues. We follow Loudoun and Cristos.

If you look up the schedules for EDP, you can find out the teams playing closest to your home and check them out.

You can also look up the DCU academy schedule. Games are free and at that age, he will be in awe of anything.

Faith-based clubs exist? Pray the Lord Almighty! Where’s it at because I can’t find anything in DMV? It’s all pretty non-secular imho

It was spelled wrong.

https://www.christosfc.com/

Not sure if faith-based but here you go.

[Anonymous]

Get into a false8 session asap. They will place DS into the appropriate skill alignment and if he loves it he will be inspired and begin to grow. If False8 isn't a good option try HP Elite or whatever other program works for your location.