First off, a BIG thank you!
If you're a parent visiting this page because your child plays soccer, THANK YOU for getting your kid involved in a very fun activity. In soccer, especially at the younger age groups, kids get a lot of touches on the ball, with lots of chances to score goals. The forms of the game they play, along with your support of their activity, goes a long way toward them sticking with the sport. So, again, thanks for trekking them to practices and games so they can enjoy the world's greatest sport!
Secondly...the kids need your help
Parents have a profound impact on whether or not their child enjoys soccer, and if he/she sticks with it. The major stumbling blocks that typically lead to -- inadvertantly in most cases -- negatively impacting your child's soccer experience are:
- One or both parents didn't grow up with soccer, so don't know the rules, and/or aren't familiar with "small-sided games"
- Parents aren't sure what is the best way to support their child in this particular activity
- Parents re-live their youth sports experience through their child
- Poor sportsmanship
We invite you to browse through these tools when you know you'll have a chance to think through the messages behind them, and to implement one or more of them if there are any missing from your toolkit.
Sports Parents Tool