Am I making a mistake?
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Anonymous
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I'm signing up my 10 year old son for soccer. He has never played before and he is not athletic.
He says he want to try it, but am I making a mistake by signing him up? After reading through this forum, it seems that all boys start soccer at 5 years old and are very competitive. Will he end up making a fool of himself? What is the culture like for boys soccer in a recreational league? He is my only child and we have no experience with soccer. Thank you for any help! |
Anonymous
| Just tell the rec league that he is a new player and ask to be put on a team with some friends |
Anonymous
| You are not making a mistake. You sound like a wonderful parent. Your child is asking to play and you’re giving him an opportunity. I hope he has tons of fun! |
Anonymous
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Recreational leagues are much more relaxed. As the PP indicated, try to get on a team with friends. This forum mostly represents the craziness experienced on travel teams, so don't let this forum discourage you from the recreational experience.
The kids that started playing at 5 years old either switched to another activity or are playing on a competitive travel team. |
Anonymous
| No but I'd let him quit if/when he's not interested anymore. Kids could be cruel and parents could be a-hoes even in Rec. |
Anonymous
| Daughter started soccer at u10 and went on to play ecnl. You just need to get some private training because the team coach doesn’t teach foot work. |
Anonymous
| It’s never too late to start. My son also started late and still plays rec and enjoys it. Moreso I think to socialize with friends and he gets some excersize. We had a season with a new parent coach that was a complete ahole. Treated the team like a travel team and bullied a lot of the lesser skilled players..would even leave them out of games entirely. Make sure you ask the coach his philosophy which should mimic the clubs philosophy of player first (most clubs do this) to make sure it’s a good fit. I know that with 1 dikhead coach there are a handful of good ones. Also if he is one of the kids to the team it might take a few weeks for him to jive with the current players. Atleast that has been our experience. Enjoy the season. |
Anonymous
Correction- one of the new kids on the team |
Anonymous
| I don't think it's too late to start but don't just drop him off without him knowing the basics. That's where his teammates will get on him. Also, take some time every other day or so to pass the ball around with him. Play fun 1 on 1s with him. Etc. |
Anonymous
| It is never too late. Just make sure to pick the appropriate level for him. Don't go for the top team at the top club for him starting this late. Do rec and see how it goes. |
Anonymous
"The top team at the top club" for rec? |
Anonymous
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12:46 - there are top teams in top divisions for rec. Ours is one of them. I wouldn't typically be thrilled about a brand new player because we'd have a tough time going back to square one in practice - they would have to learn EVERYTHING vs. fine-tuning previously learned skills.
That said, we picked up a player in 3rd grade who had never played before. She is one of our best players - she kills it at literally any position we put her in. I wish I had 12 of her. At 10, kids are playing positions. You'll want to go over the rules and the basics of positions with him beforehand - it'll make it a lot easier on him. |
Anonymous
| Soccer is a fun sport with lot of interaction. He will enjoy it. You will enjoy watching him. Good luck |
Anonymous
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I started soccer in fourth grade and I was good.
Remember when no one started team sports until fourth grade? |