My son, at age 9, started soccer last fall for the first time (I'm not counting the year of soccer shots when he was 3). He didn't play any other sports before that. I agree to have her watch games to get an idea of what goes on during a game on the field. I would also look for a skills class or, as someone else suggested, find some videos on YouTube of dribbling and passing to practice at home. Doesn't need to be intense, but to have the basics down makes the experience much more pleasant.

Anonymous wrote:My fourth grader surprised me by wanting to try soccer after seeing a few friends join MSI this fall. She played rec lacrosse last spring, but didn’t like it very much so we decided to take a break on team sports. Can she still start a rec league in the spring or would she be too far behind other girls, her age? Any beginner clinics people recommend? I saw that MSI has a winter league, but it’s only open to kids already enrolled in their fall league. Thx.

She’ll be fine. My kid transferred from lax to soccer in the spring of 3d grade(after refusing soccer since she was 3). Having played any field sport will be useful as she’ll have awareness of spacing, etc.

That first season, my kid played on a DSSC rec team with friends; mostly just played on the defensive side and now, several years later, she’s a good player on a good team.

Anonymous wrote:Makes me sad that this is a question.

We’ve really f’ed up sports for kids.

HAHAHA YES NOW PAY UP BRUH

MSI usually has fall and winter skills clinics. Might not be too late to sign up for fall.

I agree with the poster that MOST of the better more intense players and families move to travel at this age, so your kid should be fine. I have no idea how "athletic" she is or how she fits in with the abilities of the other players/friends. If she wants to make sure she fits in, have her do some "footskills" a few times a week on her own (15-20 minutes per should work). You can find plenty on youtube and this is also a perfect opportunity for you to bond with her. Some ideas: Find a park/yard/before practice and pass the ball back and forth with her. You can play goalie and have her shoot on you. If she is just starting out, these very basics things will help her tremendously. You'll see improvement every week. There are still alot of kids that are afraid of the ball, very low work rate, etc at this age, so if she isn't one of these, she'll be just fine as well, because those kids are the lowest on most teams.

I’m not sure it’s true that MSI winter league is only open to players who played in the fall — it may be true that a team is registering as a whole so it’s easier to join if you’re already on a team, but the winter league roster rules are very relaxed. I would email MSI to ask — they may even connect you with appropriate teams (though it’s too early in the fall season for any teams to have even thought about winter league yet). I know MSI has reached out to our [Classic] team when a player was looking for a winter team.

She will be fine, highly recommend a weekly winter skills clinic for 6-8 weeks though.

This is the age that a lot of talent moves to travel clubs. So being new on a rec team will be fine. Those who are super serious won't be there. And if she likes it, she will learn fast.

Yes she will be fine on a rec team. My 5th grader has two kids who have never played. They don't contribute much, but they are fine. Soccer is not too complicated at the basic level.

Makes me sad that this is a question.

We’ve really f’ed up sports for kids.

Where are you located? The Takoma Park rec league is very low-key.

Have her watch a game on tv to learn the rules and feel comfortable with how the game is played and some of the terminology. What different positions do, out of bounds, throw ins, free kicks.

Yes - she’ll have some basics to learn but if she’s athletic and motivated she’ll be fine starting in rec.

Fourth graders are on smaller fields (7v7 usually) and use smaller balls (size 4) to make the game less intimidating.

You may want to contact MSI to see if they could find a spot for her in the winter.

Private lessons 4 times a week and running 2 miles daily should have your kid good to go in 6 months. Go for it!

My fourth grader surprised me by wanting to try soccer after seeing a few friends join MSI this fall. She played rec lacrosse last spring, but didn’t like it very much so we decided to take a break on team sports. Can she still start a rec league in the spring or would she be too far behind other girls, her age? Any beginner clinics people recommend? I saw that MSI has a winter league, but it’s only open to kids already enrolled in their fall league. Thx.