Most local clubs have a pre travel program that involves some extra training with club coaches that is great for the players that really love soccer and want a little more than the one practice a week rec programs. Some also have some kind of organized pickup program where ages can mix which are amazing exposure for the little ones.

The advice about a B team isn't bad, if the coaching is good. Some clubs do it backwards and don't invest in their lower team coaches. My daughter played on a B team until U12 and is playing D1 college ball now.

Stay close to home and do a Rec team. Seriously, she’s 7. My kid was obsessed with ballet at 4, obsessed with gymnastics at 7, and now loves soccer and swim. Take it easy, follow her passion, but don’t let her current passion be the be all end all.

I agree with pp, local and low key is critical. We have had a good low-key experience at mclean but definitely think you should stay closer to home at this age. Long commutes to practice make it more stressful for no reason at that age in my view

If you're in nw dc, stoddart travel the best place to start. Real coaches and not parent to get her started learning correctly but low key. Of she becomes a super star, you can move to a more talented club later.

At 7, local and quick drive is key.

I have a teen son who is likely to play college. But at 7? He was no star.

First, I would pick everything based on the coach: is this an experienced coach who patient? And can he/she teach fundamentals? Learning fundamentals is key to enjoying the game.

Second, I would stay away from first teams. That is where the crazy parents are. I can't tell you how many stars I saw over the years who dropped out by fifteen. Meanwhile my second- and third-team player plugged along happily in a friendlier, lower-stress environment. When he decided he wanted a more competitive environment when he was about 14, he easily made the jump.

I'm going to disagree on rec though, for a few reasons. One, some of the craziest, nastiest parents I encountered were in rec, so don't assume it is mellow. Two, for a kid who loves the game, it is important that she get good training in the fundamentals. That can happen in rec, but you will need to be really careful about the coaching.

Finally, I would let your kid lead. We told our son that we would never make him go to practice. If he wanted to play, that was his choice. And we stuck to that. Also, it helps if you enjoy the experience yourself. I let my kid teach me to love soccer too, and that was probably the most fun part. I'm really going to miss it when he goes to college!

I’m going to disagree with the burn out issue everyone talks about. Get your kid hooked on solid fundamentals and be a well rounded player who isn’t limited to dominance by speed at ulittles. Thats the golden goose.

As they grow and develop the issue may be based on coaching and teammates rather than over-saturation of soccer. Thats a different burn out issue.

Open up the aperture now, don’t close it. Pick a favorite pro team, watch those games and talk about things that brings up IQ. Cross train with other recreational activities. It can be all fun.

Omg travel team for 8 year olds, this is how you turn a little kid out.

OP, find a nurturing club that is low key and just let her play for the love of it. No need for super competitive games and training. Also introduce other sports to her so she can branch out. At this age it is about building the interest and be overall balanced rather than specializing.

For a competitive gal, give fencing a try. There are quite a few good clubs around the DMV area. It is great cross training for a soccer player.

These are the fun years before the competition pressure sets in during the teen years. Enjoy her growth as a young lady.

Girls soccer seems to attract inordinate amount of mania and pressure around here. Just make sure it’s fun for her and don’t take it too seriously and she’ll be fine.

Assuming she’s 7 right now, by the fall she would be old enough to play on a U9 (or U8) travel team. At that age most of the travel is pretty local; more of an issue for you will be getting to the practice sessions 2x per week during weekday traffic. Pick a nearby club that works for you location wise.

Anonymous wrote:Our daughter absolutely loves soccer. Any advice on how to navigate and find a club/team that won't cause her to burnout early? We live in NW DC but willing to travel for the right fit (Arlington, MoCo). She is competitive by nature so don't want to fan that flame too much at this point but she is very interested in getting more game and practice time so want to support her without too much additional pressure. Thanks!

Your daughter sounds a lot like our 7-year-old boy. After a lot of research on clubs in NW and MoCo we settled on Potomac and he is so happy. The coaches create a fantastic and fun environment to learn without the pressure and fear of failing that I have seen at some other clubs even at this very young age.

Anonymous wrote:Our daughter absolutely loves soccer. Any advice on how to navigate and find a club/team that won't cause her to burnout early? We live in NW DC but willing to travel for the right fit (Arlington, MoCo). She is competitive by nature so don't want to fan that flame too much at this point but she is very interested in getting more game and practice time so want to support her without too much additional pressure. Thanks!

Should also consider McLean

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our daughter absolutely loves soccer. Any advice on how to navigate and find a club/team that won't cause her to burnout early? We live in NW DC but willing to travel for the right fit (Arlington, MoCo). She is competitive by nature so don't want to fan that flame too much at this point but she is very interested in getting more game and practice time so want to support her without too much additional pressure. Thanks!

Stop, you can’t burn out from something you love doing.

And at seven what you love doing changes in a blink of an eye.

She is 7, relax.

Agreed. Let your kid be who they want to be. If they burnout and choose a different sport, then they do. As they get older, just watch out for chronic injuries due to overtraining (which is related to but different than mental burnout).

Anonymous wrote:Our daughter absolutely loves soccer. Any advice on how to navigate and find a club/team that won't cause her to burnout early? We live in NW DC but willing to travel for the right fit (Arlington, MoCo). She is competitive by nature so don't want to fan that flame too much at this point but she is very interested in getting more game and practice time so want to support her without too much additional pressure. Thanks!

Find a local club and let her play rec her first year. You can gauge her skill level and if she's above the rec level, then look at playing travel. But really you have to figure out her goals which she may not even know now. I kept my daughter in rec until U11 and had her do travel tryouts and she happened to make the best team for her age group at a pretty good girls club.

My DD did rec for a long time, didn't change to travel until 6th grade.
She also does a second sport (golf) so she takes a break from soccer in the summer.
She is on the B team of a bigger club now, so it's competitive (some clubs, the B team is actual the bottom team) but not crazy high pressure.
She likes her team and her coach.

In summary, all these things helped my DD continue to love the game as a teen, no so much as the club itself.

Anonymous wrote:Our daughter absolutely loves soccer. Any advice on how to navigate and find a club/team that won't cause her to burnout early? We live in NW DC but willing to travel for the right fit (Arlington, MoCo). She is competitive by nature so don't want to fan that flame too much at this point but she is very interested in getting more game and practice time so want to support her without too much additional pressure. Thanks!

Stop, you can’t burn out from something you love doing.

And at seven what you love doing changes in a blink of an eye.

She is 7, relax.

Our daughter absolutely loves soccer. Any advice on how to navigate and find a club/team that won't cause her to burnout early? We live in NW DC but willing to travel for the right fit (Arlington, MoCo). She is competitive by nature so don't want to fan that flame too much at this point but she is very interested in getting more game and practice time so want to support her without too much additional pressure. Thanks!