When is it too late to start soccer?
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Anonymous
Yes this. In rec play, anytime is fine. It might take a season or 2 to catch up, but I've watched complete beginners join my 10 year old's team each year and after a bit you can't even tell whose played "the longest". None of these players wants to do travel or higher level, just to play and have fun. |
Anonymous
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Our oldest son, who was 12 and had focused only on soccer for the past 5 years, suddenly started playing basketball with his friends a ton last summer.
We basically forced him to play basketball in a house league in winter 2023-24 (i.e., I signed him up when he said he absolutely did not have time). He loved it. He was the most athletic kid on the team (which was not the case for his top-level travel soccer team), and he picked up decent enough skills pretty quickly, for the house league level. They won the "championship" after some pretty competitive, fun playoff games. He had a blast, and I think the basketball experience actually helped his confidence with soccer. We talked to some of the "basketball families" we are friends with, and it was funny to hear them talk about problems at the top/AAU level - players "reclassing," lack of playing time, fights between parents and referees! Their kids LOVED basketball for years but had an awful year, while our kid never really played before, and had a fantastic experience. All that is to say, I think rec leagues are underrated, doing a variety of sports is valuable, and starting late is not a problem. The early-bloomers will mostly be playing at a different, more competitive level. |
Anonymous
Its never too late to start something, learn and have fun. |