My 10 year old loves playing soccer but doesn’t so much love reading (chip off the old block, I’m afraid). This series has been so good for him. Really solid soccer story that’s 50% about the game and 50% about life lessons. Highly recommend for probably 8-12 year olds (I read some to him and he comprehends it all but might be a bit challenging for less strong readers to read on their own at 10)
To start, refs have thankless jobs and do receive unnecessary abuse so I’m all for them having boundaries and control over game situations.
Without getting into details - ran across an overly aggressive ref towards only one team’s parents at a recent younger tournament. Started with a very stern warning to only one side’s parents before game and ended up with a parent ejection. Details are even stranger after the ejection and left all the parents with odd feelings about the incident.
Find out a few weeks later the ref has social media feeds with either body cam or secondary videos of reactions to his calls. His bio even uses wording that clearly indicates he’s posting out of control situations. Needless to say, the incident was posted, heavily edited to highlight the parent’s reaction (not the refs odd repeated instigation even after the ejection), and included outright lies about the situation.
This now feels like purposeful instigation for “content” at a little kids soccer game. Ideally, no one would have taken the bait, but humans are humans and one got pulled in. Now knowing this “content creator” was reffing the game, I can’t be sure that controversial calls weren’t part of the deal - consciously or subconsciously. All in a U9 game.
Anyone encountered anything similar? I have no issue with the outcomes on the field of the tournament, but feel like the $ spent and experience was ruined by an ethically dubious situation.
I know this isn't a life and death question. But my kid is just turning 7 and his 2nd-3rd grade rec league will be using size 4 balls. We've got a bunch of them around and we'll send him up practice with a 4. And several 3s as well.
But for his age, being just on the small half of typical, should he still be using a size 3 for training at home even though he'll probably never compete with that size again? Or should we retire them? How much does this actually matter?
We are in Minnesota and my son's U14 team played in the USA Cup mid-July which was pretty awesome. However, the Saturday before was my son's team's last practice of the season, which brought about the Players v Parents game. Most parents elected not to play; I was like, heck yeah I'll play.
Keep in mind we're old before we realize it. I'm 47 years old. 30 minutes in, I'm running after a ball while playing right back very poorly, and all at once, I'm on the ground. Ambulance. X-Rays. Orthopedic MRI.
Ruptured patellar tendon in my right knee. Surgery the next week.
I'm now a month post-surgery. Things are healing but I can't do anything to speed things up. I'm still at least 6 weeks from driving. No physical therapy can start until I can bend to 90 degrees, which is still 4 weeks from now.
I'll attack PT and I have a lot of hope of where I'll be come 2027. But for now - it's rough. I post this so others can consider whether or not they want to participate in these athletic competitions. We all feel like we can way longer than maybe we should. So for all you moms and dads - it's okay to stay on the sidelines. You might just be protecting your mobility.
I volunteered to coach my sons soccer team. I played when I was younger but outside of that I have no experience. We have our first practice in a few weeks and I am in dire need of suggestions on what we should start working on. Our practices are an hour but I know that keeping them engaged for that long is hard. Any recommendations on what we should work on first and throughout the season would be greatly appreciated!
Point of emphasis for 2026 fall season:
Ensure players socks are one color
Interpretation:
If grip socks or tape is worn, it must match the primary sock. If it doesn't, the player is removed from the field to address the issue
Are we serious? Cmon
Hi all,
My daughter is playing high school volleyball this fall and also playing club soccer. 3 days a week she will have both practices (90 min VB & 90 min soccer) with 30 minutes in between. Is this too much intensity after a long day of school? Curious if this is typical for high school kids or pushing too hard. I'm sure a lot of people play club sports along with school, but are you skipping some practices? What food should I be giving her before each practice to keep up energy to the end? Thanks!
This is my U12 daughter’s first year of club soccer after three years of rec and two years of rec-plus (a tryout team).
We attended practices with three clubs and chose the smallest one because it seemed to offer a more personalized experience and excellent technical training. She loved the practice she attended; the players were focused, they moved through the drills like they cared about it, and you could tell that they played together well. The training fields are also only seven minutes from our house, which was a great bonus. Two of her friends from rec-plus joined as well, and all three were placed on the second of the club’s two teams (they had three last year but barely could put two together I guess). We were a little disappointed but happy they were all together.
Because of a very wet week, the team had only one practice before its first tournament. Still, after the first two games, it became clear that the team was at a very different level from the group she had practiced with. My daughter and her two former teammates appear to be among the strongest players, while many of the others are still developing basic skills and their understanding of the game. The team struggled with positioning, offsides, and throw-ins, and my daughter came away very frustrated because she couldn’t play the kind of soccer she used to.
I’m trying to focus on the positives and determine whether the experience will justify the expense. She is guaranteed three practices per week, the technical training is excellent, and the coach seems experienced, personable, and capable of teaching her a lot. Players who stand out may also have opportunities to guest with the A team, which currently has only 11 or 12 players for 9v9. Next year, the age group moves to 11v11, so may this year can be seen as an opportunity to earn a place on that team.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? How did you help your child stay positive and continue developing when the overall level of the team was lower than expected?
Just a curious question for youth soccer coaches with USSF (or equivalent) national and grassroots licenses: Do you feel like you are being taught enough developmental psychology or motor learning & development concepts throughout your coaching education?
Developmental psychology: How children’s thinking, learning, and behavior change across developmental stages.
Motor learning: How practice, instruction, feedback, and experience facilitate acquisition of motor skills.
Motor development: How children’s movement capabilities and motor skills develop across developmental stages.
U12 Pre-ECNL. Practice is 3-4 days/week with two games. Practices are typically Monday-Thursday for 2 hours. Games are on at least 1 but usually 2 days of Friday-Sunday.
Her bball travel club is year round. She does not go to everything (or even close to it) in the Fall. However, she’s a great player (probably better at basketball than soccer) so I just want her to maintain and get some bball gains until soccer is over.
How many days/week are the kids training bball with this type of soccer work? 2-3 days/week of bball? 1 team practice? 2?
Obligatory “It depends on the kid and if they want to practice.” She does. But I’m the parent and I’m trying to decide what’s best for her body and development. She would practice every single day. I’m just trying to be the seatbelt.
Thanks.
I was asked to shared this by another Redditor - how I helped my daughter achieve her goal to play D1 college soccer. She wasn’t a gifted athlete - had to outwork everyone. Started club at age 9. Rec prior from the age of 6.
She became a referree at the age of 11 and now is a sought after referee in HS, academy and club in AL. I wanted her to learn the rules and learn how to work with coaches, parents and other refs under duress. And it pays really well for the little free time she has.
Strength, conditioning and injury prevention 3x a week for 6 years prior to college. Her trainer rehabs and trains pros and D1 athletes all over the southeast and overseas. Year round. No missed games due to injury.
Futsal and indoor against boys and adult men during offseason. As many small sided game opportunities as possible. Year round.
Group training with mostly boys in small spaces. Tons of 3 v 3, 2 v 2 and 1 v 1 to develop her confidence and foot skills. Year round.
Didn’t make ECNL until her final 2 seasons - the 2004 age group was extremely talented - national champs in U16. Worked her tail off. Switched clubs to align with one of the best club director of college recruiting in the country.
She out worked everyone and her coaches saw it. I don’t recommend this extreme unless you’re child loves it and mine did. A total addict. Be prepared for the cost and time sync until your child can drive and even then I still attended many training sessions.
She’s started every game at outside back (5’9” left foot dominant) since her freshman year - nearly 70 starts including exhibition/pre season and averages 87 minutes a game throughout that span. Mid major D1. Back line allowed only 12 goals last year and 13 her freshman season. GAA .62 last year - led the nation or tied with fewest goals and GAA).
As far as college recruiting goes, go to the school where the coaches want your child really bad. Go were he/she will play. Not somewhere for you to brag due to name recognition. She had opportunities at power 4 schools. She chose the coach that wanted her really bad. 150-200 college coaches at national ECNL tourney games. It’s insane.
Learn to show and tell your child how proud you are of him/her regardless of game outcome. This was hard for me due to my competitive nature. They don’t need to be critiqued or coached by their parents. You’re there to love and support them - and feed them because they will always be starving and they’ll tell you the same.
Don’t ever leave their cleats in your car overnight. 🤢
I normally wouldn't even talk about this but this family today was very rude and oblivious. The parents were already over the line and the kid in red decides to sit on one of the parent's lap and he's even further beyond the line. No one has any sense to see that they were over the very clearly marked bright white line. The players already don't have a lot of space as it is and these idiots don't have common sense to sit back from the line.
What irked me more was that before they settled there, I was standing in that area about 5 ft behind the line before the game started. There was no doubt I was standing there because it's all grass so it's not like I was behind some bushes. This family walked up and neither the adult male nor adult female acknowledged me nor asked if I was planning to stay there and they started setting up their chairs in front of me. I was thinking of saying something but it was a friendly game between two teams from the same club. And I also decided that there was a better spot to take photos so I moved.
Before people give me flak about being a sideline Karen or whatever, know that this was not some 5 y/o rec league. This was teens in a high level club so all the families would have had many years of youth soccer experience.
My daughter plays on a 2013-14 ECNL-RL club that practices 3 nights per week. They also offer optional supplemental programs i.e. CoreFit that may add a fourth night for a good portion of the season, and weekend games and tournaments of course.
The club would prefer that players don’t also play on the middle school team, but don’t prohibit it either. Several of the players are talking about doing both, and my daughter has expressed interest in doing it as well. The school team practices five days a week and seems to have a lot of games on the schedule. We already discussed our situation with the school coach and told her that club would take priority, and the school is fine with that.
Looking for opinions on if this is too much soccer for a 12 year old, and feedback from whoever else does it. Thanks
Hi everyone, looking for honest feedback on Sound FC (Premier) vs. Crossfire Select in the Seattle / Eastside /
North Sound area.
Trying to weigh the benefits of a full Premier program vs. a
Select schedule:
• Sound FC (Premier): 3x/week practice, year-round commitment, playing in RCL.
• Crossfire Select: 2x/week practice, seasonal schedule, playing in NPSL.
For parents who have had players in either club:
Wanted to open up this post because looking around Atlanta and other Southern cities, we are continuing this insanity. Games at 1pm on Saturday and Sunday with temp's in the county at 95-98 degrees, and the heat on the turf well into the 100's.
Add to that this past weekend that we had all 3 games (1pm Saturday, 7pm Saturday and 1pm Sunday) were delayed because of lightning strikes. That left over 100 sets of parents (3+ fields) sitting in a parking lot for hours waiting for the thunder clock to run out and not reset.
So, I ask the question- WHAT ARE WE DOING?
Would love some thoughts on:
Playing games early and late with an embargo from 1-6pm. I know I don't want to wake up at 6am on a Sunday but we have to have the discussion
Adopt a T2 Tennis model for Preseason- Coaches here are each others contact and we have reserved fields (or you can arrange other fields) and you have to finish your games in the next 2 weeks. We can have the Championships on the weekend if you like.
Do you maybe shorten the games to 30 minutes and play more games. This offers rest and makes it easier to jam in games when lightning delays happen.
To quote my childhood coach... Do we just keep doing what we are doing? The heat is just part of the game and it's part of the preseason process? Lightning delays are a great chance for the team to get together with some social time and just be kids?
Since the leagues have no intention of asking these questions, maybe we can have a constructive conversation and see if there are some options.
My son is a U13 goalkeeper, playing up to U14. He’s as big as the other kids, so he fits in fine and no one knows he’s younger. Today was second week of practice starting and about 30 minutes into practice he sits next to me and just breaks down crying. It was out of nowhere. It was not like him. I was worried. New teammates checked on him. Coach checked on him. He said he wasn’t having problems with players. He felt fine. He didn’t know what was going on.
Anyone else had a rough start before? This is his first year with the new club. The age change obliterated his old team and we moved on, but it was a hard choice for him. He likes the kids and the club so far but.. it’s different. He started junior high last week. Starting junior high sports so he’s really pushing his body every day. He got braces last week. We’re buying a house and moving across town, but same school and friends. Middle of puberty. I chalk it up to there being way too many changes at once in his life. Can anyone empathize with me as a parent sitting with these big feelings?
I asked him to take it one day at a time, and we would check back in after the first tournament (Labor Day) and see how he’s feeling. He was able to get back at it for the rest of practice but he was “off”. By the end he seemed to be mostly okay.
I also promised him that on his days without training (Thursday and Friday) he gets to choose what he wants to do and I will not ask for anything additional. I’ll protect that time for him so he feels like he has some balance in his life. I just feel so bad for him. He’s a sweet, sweet kid and I know he loves soccer. He was genuinely sad to feel like he just didn’t want to do it today. He wasn’t crying because he was told to do something he didn’t want to do. He was crying because he didn’t want to do something he loves to do. And that’s what got me.
My kid plays on a U12 team for a very good club overall.
Two of the kids who were picked for the top team have absolutely zero business playing on the top team. Yesterday, we lost two games specifically due to the play of the at two players.
And before people start saying “wins don’t matter,” the team’s development is slowed down by these two players. Every other kid knows how to pass and puts together great combos, play multiple positions, etc.
We were 7 v 9 yesterday at times. Without these two players, we have a strong team.
Both happen to each have two older siblings at higher levels of the club.
My question is: is this normal? Are kids put on higher teams because their older siblings are there? If so, is it a money thing? (Clubs are afraid families will walk?)
Thanks.
My son is a junior and has decided to quit soccer (he's been playing since he was 5) and has been playing 5-6 days a week.
I'm worried that going from being super active almost everyday to nothing is going to kill his mental health. What did your kids do instead?