Advice on whether young small player should accept invitation for 9u Travel
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Anonymous
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It's up to him. If he is frustrated with his rec team and teammates because of lack of challenge or lack of focus etc then it is probably best to make the jump. If he is happy where he is but is also really passionate about soccer then maybe he should go maybe stay. If he is happy with his rec team and this is totally the coach or you thinking of then he should probably stay where he is. Most local clubs have some kind of bridge or pre-travel supplemental program for more competitive U8 players, maybe look into joining that if he decides to stay in rec for now. Also if he decides to stay rec for now talk to the coach about setting up opportunities to train some with the team and maybe guest play with them and then he can get a taste for it and switch over at any point if he decides that's what he wants.
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Anonymous
Bad advice, especially if the kid (a) lives the game, (2) is competitive (and good, as you say he is and the invite proves), and (c) is willing to learn and not be discouraged if he struggles at points with older/bigger kids. The extra year of top coaching (compared to parent coaching in rec) plus the extra year of having to play against much tough competition will make the kid exponentially better. At some point a few years down the line he will probably repeat a year to allow the players his age to catch up. But again, he will have the leg up from those years getting the better coaching and much better competition. Sign him up (and sign him for rec too, if allowed— more touches and can (re)gain confidence by dominating against the smaller kids his age (inform the rec Coach that he will have conflicts and they will probably be fine with that)) |
Anonymous
| ^^^ *(a) LOVES the game. Oops! |
Anonymous
| This is very common to play up a year. Most will do u9 twice and be on the top 1-2 teams on the second year. NBD. |
Anonymous
| Above all else....DO NOT worry about his size. This is a problem in U.S. youth soccer that the big kids are pushed to the front at the younger ages. And, it's a huge detriment to individual kids as well as the competitiveness of youth soccer in general. You're not playing American football or rugby, you're playing soccer. Any pro soccer roster has at least 4 guys 5'8" or under...often 5'5" or under. Giving into the "bigger is better" mentality only feeds the wrong mindsets and hurts all involved. The sooner your son realizes size has little to do with soccer, the more confidence he'll have. |
Anonymous
this is all true, but boys U9 still bears too much of a resemblance to football. There is contact because the kids don't have strong enough legs to really space the field effectively. Your kid will be fine, but they will also get pushed around |
Anonymous
The kid isn’t even 7 yet. Sign him up for rec. do summer camps or individual training if want but the ego boost of travel isn’t worth the burnout factor At 7 you can’t tel if he’ll ever want to be really good let alone be good Let a kid be a kid for 1 more year |
Anonymous
True, but he'll hopefully learn that it's not the size of the dog in the fight...it's the size of the fight in the dog. |
Anonymous
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My DD is 8 and an August bday and has played in the U10 team this year, although she practices with her age group. I was nervous to let her due to maturity issues as she’s currently playing against 10 year olds. But she really enjoys the level of play. I’m happy they kept her with her age group for practices because that’s where her friends are and that’s what she really cared about.
However - and this is a big one for me as I have another child in sports I have to schedule around - the time commitment was the same for both teams. I would not let her play up if it meant another day of practice. She likes soccer and I wouldn’t want to burn out an 8 year old. |
Anonymous
Same here. I was going to mention the older brothers more because it was important to me that he understood the time commitment and felt ready for it. The choice for us was between U9 and a pre-travel program and my son felt very strongly that he preferred going to U9. He's a late summer birthday. No regrets. |
Anonymous
An 8 year old with august bday is u9. So she's playing up 1 year. |
Anonymous
Yes. One year up. I don’t think I stated otherwise?? She practices with u9, plays with u10. I know not the same years as op, but situation is similar (size and maturity concerns that don’t exist in later years). |
Anonymous
Dumb answer. Kids can get bored very quickly if not challenged appropriately. At this age fun is certainly a primary concern but it is never a good habit to sell kids short on their ability or potential. It is low risk to give it a try through the fall and see where he stands. You can always move down if it is to much. But if the kid loves playing then travel will offer him more opportunities to play than rec will. More practice, more games which usually means more fun. People build up this image of what travel is and frankly, at this young age it is the same soccer with more focused kids and more time on training and games. He will get significantly better in travel than he will in Rec alone. Don't give it a second thought. Accept the offer and re-evaluate in November and again in May next season. |
Anonymous
No, but the way you worded it was weird, misleading. "My 8 year old plays with 10 year olds". As if that's how you say it to a non travel friends. LOL. |
Anonymous
+1 There is a value in playing with friends enjoy it while you can Make decisions to develop people not soccer players |