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[quote=Anonymous]9 used to be a pretty standard starting age.

Here's the tough thing -- it is very difficult to compare and contrast.

My kids started out in a local community club, but it was a club that happened to be very good, with good coaches.  For us that was simply a matter of pure luck.  Was every coach great?  Nope, but most were good to very good.  So, pure luck for us.  It could have easily been much, much worse.  And, how much effort do you want to put into finding a good coach/club that is reasonably close to you so that you can get to 2 practices a week and a game?  That is no small deal.

It is a problem though.  Get with a bad coach and it can be an issue in just keeping kids interested, improving, and even getting better relative to their competition (every other kid playing).  And, keep in mind that athleticism (speed in particular) accounts for a great deal.  A fast kid with lower skill levels can simply run right by a skilled slow player.  That is why coaches, teams and clubs look first and foremost for athletes to coach up.  Of course, not every kid who is big and fast at 9 will be big and fast at 17.  In fact -- most will not.  And, not every big and fast kid at 9 will do the work necessary to develop their skills so they are big, fast and skilled players at 12 or 17.

Then there is the issue of how long it takes to catch up if you start later.  See -- the thing with all talent issues is that if you start later you have to catch up to the other good and talented kids.  But, the other good and talented kids are also still working to develop their abilities.  So a kid who starts late has to make up the gap, and the gap keeps moving.  They have to work extra hard to make up the difference.  And, if the other good and talented players are already working hard . . . . That, more than anything, is why starting younger, with good coaching, makes a difference.

My daughter who played in college 4 years started at u9.  Her u15 team, a put together team from 3 big clubs, had 4 girls from her u9 team on it.  Everyone on that u15 team either played in college, or could have played for a small school, but elected to go to a big school.

There was one girl who joined at u15.  See was tall, fast, strong and the daughter of a coach at a small club.  She was also well behind the other girls in her skill development.  She never caught up through u18.  She improved, but then so did all of the other kids who were also working to improve.  The gap in skill level between herself and her teammates (and typically the opposing players on good teams) pretty much remained in place.

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