Organized sports haven been known to be one of the best tools in the development of kids and young adults. It doesn’t always have to be for a school either, more and more kids are participating in activities such as club teams and soccer camps. In fact, approximately 60% of youth playing organized sports in the U.S. play sports outside of school. There are many reasons children should learn how to play soccer including; social interaction, the physical benefits, and the intangible influences it has on abilities such as leadership, team work, and responsibility.
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1.) Social Interaction: The social element is one of the biggest factors in persuading children to play a sport. According to recent surveys, about 62% of kids play sports to interact with their friends in the United States. Kids want to be around other people they like, plain and simple. Sports offer ample time to get to know teammates and make new friends, as well as further cement the camaraderie with a long-time acquaintance in practice, during games, and even times in between as a subject of conversation and discussion. Currently, about 284,000 boys and 209,000 girls play soccer for their high school in the U.S. meaning there are plenty of potential friends for your kids should they learn how to play soccer.
2.) Physical Workout: Before you can even learn how to play soccer you must first prepare your body. A proper soccer training program will get you into tip-top physical shape. In order to get players ready for 90 minutes of consistent running, jumping, sprinting, and walking coaches and camps need to first condition their athletes. Soccer players must have great endurance and strength because of the grueling nature of a game with virtually no time-outs.
3.) Leadership/Experience: One of the greatest benefits to learning and participating in any sport is the non-physical attributes and experience you’ll gain. Leadership is one of the most sought after qualities for colleges and in the workplace. Sports provides opportunities for kids to do so both by example and command depending on the situation. They also teach children on how to work well with others and perhaps most important of all they teach kids how to come back from failure. Chances are your child won’t play for an undefeated team their entire scholastic career, which mean they will lose and they will learn how to come back even stronger because of it.
