Popularity of soccer in the DMV. Son/daughter wants to tryout

[Anonymous]

I am hoping someone can help me understand the popularity of soccer in the DMV. My DH grew up in South America, and soccer is a big deal there. He came from a poor background but excelled in soccer and received a scholarship to play for a powerhouse university here in the United States. He graduated and went into sales for a tech company and has done very well.

We have a six-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter, and we live next to a public park with a soccer field in McLean. Every weekend during the fall, spring, and summer, the park is filled with aspiring soccer players who come either to practice or to play games. I remember seeing a banner there for Virginia Union.

I would like my son and daughter to try out soccer, but DH is totally against it. He said that everyone in his office has their kids play either golf or tennis because they are considered “lifelong” sports and are seen as “networking” sports. He also had three concussions in college and numerous concussions when he was a kid (he just didn’t realize it at the time). He thinks soccer is a dangerous sport and that he only played it because he wanted to come to the United States. He is completely against our kids playing any contact sports.

I understand why he feels that way; I just think we should approach it differently. He should at least give our children the opportunity to try it for themselves.

[Anonymous]

At the children / youth level, soccer is certainly not dangerous. If your husband is available though (totally fine if he's not), I would recommend he takes both the kids out to play at the park, especially since he's experienced at the sport. That way you'll know if your kids absolutely loathe it before paying lots of money for a club.

[Anonymous]

Listen to your husband dopey

[Anonymous]

They won't be getting concessions in your local Rec league. They'll make friends, learn how to be a good teammate and get some exercise

[Anonymous]

Soccer is not dangerous and very social when they are young. Your kids might not even like it. I just signing them up in kindergarten, for your local rec league, for the social aspect. It was so good for one of mine to get out there and run around and meet other kids in elementary school. That kid played rec soccer all through elementary school on basically the same team. It was low pressure and nothing like your husband experienced but was good exercise and a great way to meet friends. Soccer was dropped by middle school for other interests.

My other kid had no interest and found other sports more interesting. We did the same, signed up for the local rec league.

[Anonymous]

And adding to my post, at the ages of your kids, it’s not a contact sport. Have him go watch a game at those ages. They are so little.

[Anonymous]

Us youth soccer prohibits heading the ball until u-12. It's also small sided until U13. Your husband sounds dramatic.

[Anonymous]

They will probably be the best players on the field with his genetics. There's no contact at young ages. It does get competitive and kind of rough around age 10 if your kid is good and plays travel. But they can stay in rec for fun. And you can play tennis, golf, and soccer for sure.

[Anonymous]

The overwhelming majority of kids in my DC’s elementary school play soccer and the rec teams at the younger ages usually are by school. It’s definitely not dangerous at that level and is a fun, social thing to do. It does get a lot more competitive at the upper levels and there is some chance of injuries. But, I would let them play at this age and see if they even enjoy it.

[Anonymous]

Your kids are better off learning soccer from him than any of the soccer teams/coaches here (see many many many posts in the soccer sub forum) so you’re not missing out. Tennis and golf are popular here. If you want a non contact team sport, flag football has a lot of ex McLean soccer players who switched over

[Anonymous]

It is extremely popular. I’d venture to say the most popular youth sport in the DMV. Funny your husband thinks it is too dangerous, as I’ve talked to a lot of parents that think it’s the best alternative to football.

I wish I had played golf and tennis as well, and have tried to get my kids interested, but they’re not! It’s not a social sport for kids like soccer.

I just read that people who live near golf courses have double the chance of getting dementia/Alzheimers than those who don’t bc of all the pesticides. There are risks to all sports and life in general. Let your kids play and decide for themselves instead of trying to steer them so much at this young of an age.

[Anonymous]

Your husband coming from a different country and playing high level probably has seen some of the worst sides of soccer.

Honestly soccer is probably the most popular youth sport in this area.

In some, if not all rec leagues, kids are not allowed to head the ball until like 11ish? There are supposedly a lot of safety rules and protocols in place to protect youth these days.

One would think that it would be fun for parents to teach kids what they know. Where usually the kids you see that are good at a specific sports are the ones who have parents who have played it and know how to teach their kids. In one of our previous neighborhoods that had a lot of Latinos you would see dads teaching their kids how to play soccer at the local fields.

I don't even like soccer but had my kids play it because saw how everyone was doing it and saw the benefits it gave. And it is the world's most popular sport. And you see adults playing it for fun in pickup games. As well as play in some sort of leagues at some indoor fields. So I have to admit that the social aspect is probably there for soccer.

At the same time try to see your husband's point of view and maybe try to understand where he's coming from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your husband coming from a different country and playing high level probably has seen some of the worst sides of soccer.

Honestly soccer is probably the most popular youth sport in this area.

In some, if not all rec leagues, kids are not allowed to head the ball until like 11ish? There are supposedly a lot of safety rules and protocols in place to protect youth these days.

One would think that it would be fun for parents to teach kids what they know. Where usually the kids you see that are good at a specific sports are the ones who have parents who have played it and know how to teach their kids. In one of our previous neighborhoods that had a lot of Latinos you would see dads teaching their kids how to play soccer at the local fields.

I don't even like soccer but had my kids play it because saw how everyone was doing it and saw the benefits it gave. And it is the world's most popular sport. And you see adults playing it for fun in pickup games. As well as play in some sort of leagues at some indoor fields. So I have to admit that the social aspect is probably there for soccer.

At the same time try to see your husband's point of view and maybe try to understand where he's coming from.

Excellent response, seriously this area is one of the best with a passion coming from many different cultures. To unilaterally rule it out at an early age seems pretty stupid.

[Anonymous]

Omg they’re 5 and 6. Let them try a bunch of different sports. At 5 mine was doing dance and gymnastic, plus swimming lessons.
She’s done martial arts too, for a few years, and competitive swim.
Now she’s 13 she’s hard core soccer and basketball.

[Anonymous]

Contact in soccer ranges severity from Sunday afternoon patsies to full speed contact without football pads or helmets.

I find soccer in this area to be very socially hierarchical. There are those players they will protect at practice, but there are those that are relegated to playing defense on scout squads which don't seem to get much protection. My sense that this is how it works in Latin American countries, they beat up on the scout teams considerably.

There is also an awkward phase when where parents and coaches are encouraging the players to be aggressive psychopaths, but the kids don't have control over their bodies, understanding of the rules, and the few mechanisms there are in the game to regulate don't mean much. EG penalty kicks/drop kicks aren't meaningful. Soccer has a system of laws and severity (it's not like basketball where infractions are called on technical details). Also, unlike football, penalties are declined by default, and the ref gets to decide when the penalty is severe enough and if there is any benefit to award, and somehow all the coaches' kids know where an when they can get away with fouls without penalty...

The awkward phase is particularly acute when they start to have goalies and the kids. I've seen kids try to kick the ball out of others' hands while they are holding it. I've seen professional coaches having kids in goal without gloves and the kids hands getting kicked. They seemed to think nothing was wrong. My kids would have been goalie material; I opted out with my daughter about third grade. I'm not even going to bother with my son. We'll do t-ball until it's time for basketball.

People have died in and around the goal. Knees/Kicks to the head. Soccer is mostly fine, but when it's bad it's very bad. Oh a red card my petute.