When to switch from "rec" to "travel" for a motivated player

[Anonymous]

My son didn't start until he was U9, but he's just good in an averagely good kind of way, not in any special way. He is now a U15, and has been on Alexandria's blue team for the past two years.

[Anonymous]

Stoddert has a juniors program that might be a good next step if you're not sure whether to do travel.

[Anonymous]

If he is motivated and dedicated, a good U8 academy program will be great. If he is on the fence/in it for the fun, it could suck the joy out of the game for him.

A lot of 7 year olds aren't ready for the seriousness. I have one who was dying to try out for U9 at age 6. He played up the whole year as a seven-year old. I have another who was picking daisies at that age. Another who didn't have the attention span at 7 or 8, but was laser focused on soccer at age 9. It really depends on the kid.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful and funny responses! It's all greatly appreciated.

The 8u academy approach sounds like a good next step. We will reach out to a few near where we live and see if one can be a good fit for Fall 2021.

And that's good advice about monitoring his motivation. As of now, he's super motivated and eager for the challenge to play older and bigger players

Again, I appreciate the feedback and hope you all are well!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he is interested and is willing to work hard and go against very competitive and highly skilled players (in both practice and in games vs. other teams), then there is no reason not to have him play travel as soon possible.

You probably are a bit too late for the spring, but tryouts for the fall will be here very soon.

If you are in DC, Stoddert is fine. If you are near the MD border, you would also look into Bethesda and Potomac. If you are near the VA border, take a look at Arington, McLean, and Alexandria. At this age, no need to travel past any of these clubs.

At what age would you travel past Bethesda or Arlington? And where would you go exactly?

If you spent a couple of years in those programs and didn’t enjoy it, then you should look into other (perhaps further) programs than those.

My point is that when starting out at this age go to a travel club that is closest to you.

Pp knew exactly what you meant. They were being a....(can't think of nice word....)

[Anonymous]

People will hate me but just put the kid in travel. By the time you wait until u9, he will be behind 1/3 to 1/2 of the kids who were playing higher up at 7.

My kid is great but would be excellent if we started him a little sooner.
Yes they probably all balance out in a few years

Yes this is the problem with youth soccer today.

But the fact still remains.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People will hate me but just put the kid in travel. By the time you wait until u9, he will be behind 1/3 to 1/2 of the kids who were playing higher up at 7.

My kid is great but would be excellent if we started him a little sooner.
Yes they probably all balance out in a few years

Yes this is the problem with youth soccer today.

But the fact still remains.

This x100.

If the kid has decent skills, and they are competitive and have a strong work ethic, then start them in travel ASAP. The quality of the coaching and the quality of their teammates will enable them to develop at a much faster rate.