Rec soccer with games starts in Kindergarten almost everywhere.

Anonymous wrote:Our club starts with U5. They are basically fun, clinic-style sessions. Then by U6 they add in games, etc. I think most clubs do this way. Then travel starts at U9.

What club is it?

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Anonymous wrote:Soccer starts at home by Tom Byer great book on Amazon check it out

Soccer starts at home by Tom Byer great book on Amazon check it out

Generally speaking.....

- U7 - combo of rec and some specialized club program (early ID/pre pre pre travel)
-U8 - academy
- u9 - most travel programs begin here

With that being said, he should focus on getting touches on the ball. That can be done at home all day everyday and watch soccer with him.

Our club starts with U5. They are basically fun, clinic-style sessions. Then by U6 they add in games, etc. I think most clubs do this way. Then travel starts at U9.

The bulk of kids start club soccer at U10, but some clubs do have U9 or even U8 teams. The U8 teams are ridiculous and a big waste of money. The kids touch the ball once in a game and it goes out of bounds and they have to reset. It's mostly about the big kid kicking the ball as far as he can and everyone chasing it.
It's much better and more fun to get him in a good class that does 1v1, 3v3 or 4v4 scrimmages.

You won't be missing anything. You'll save money and time and your child will love the game more and be less likely to quit. Lots of kids we know switched to club soccer later than U10- in U11 or U12- and jumped to the higher teams over kids who had been doing "club" soccer since they were very little.

Anonymous wrote:Our oldest is 5 and a few months. It’s becoming clear that he prefers soccer and appears to be decent for a 5 year old. We just do casual soccer classes, but I think he would like something more like a real game. At what age does club soccer start? Are teams mostly by neighborhood?

Depends on where you live and how good he is. Some clubs have serious training for really young players. If you think he is as good as most good 7 year olds he might be ready for some serious training. Not necessarily playing games, but skills training. You might want to try having him play up a year or two in local rec program and see how he does/likes it.

My advice is don’t push too hard too fast. Make sure he is having fun.

Our oldest is 5 and a few months. It’s becoming clear that he prefers soccer and appears to be decent for a 5 year old. We just do casual soccer classes, but I think he would like something more like a real game. At what age does club soccer start? Are teams mostly by neighborhood?