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    Women's Soccer minimum height?

    While perusing the WNT and NWSL stats, I noticed that the majority of players are 5'6 and above.

    In the U littles (08 / 09) there are many excellent players which are pretty short for their age. Would I be mistaken to believe that most of these players will not be playing on the top teams by the age of 14 if their height is 5'4 or below?

    #2
    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

    In the U littles (08 / 09) there are many excellent players which are pretty short for their age. Would I be mistaken to believe that most of these players will not be playing on the top teams by the age of 14 if their height is 5'4 or below?
    Girls usually stop growing around 14/15 so I'd say the short player's days are numbered. At least by the time college rolls around. Which has come up in discussions about Olivia Moultrie, I believe she is 5'4".

    If WSU's roster is any indication, your hypothesis is correct. See below:

    DEFENDER*6'0"
    MIDFIELDER*6'0"
    DEFENDER*5'11"
    DEFENDER*5'11"
    MIDFIELDER*5'11"
    MIDFIELDER*5'11"
    FORWARD*5'10"
    DEFENDER*5'10"
    FORWARD*5'10"
    FORWARD*5'10"
    FORWARD*5'10"
    FORWARD*5'10"
    GOALKEEPER*5'10"
    GOALKEEPER*5'10"
    DEFENDER*5'9"
    FORWARD*5'9"
    GOALKEEPER*5'9"
    MIDFIELD*5'9"
    DEFENDER*5'9"
    GOALKEEPER*5'9"
    DEFENDER*5'9"
    MIDFIELDER*5'9"
    DEFENDER*5'8"
    DEFENDER*5'7"
    FORWARD*5'7"
    MIDFIELDER*5'7"
    MIDFIELDER*5'5"
    FORWARD*5'5"
    FORWARD*5'3"
    DEFENDER*5'3"

    There are two outliers on the team, so all is not lost. Maybe not too late for Ice skating and gymnastics?

    Comment


      #3
      Look at your team. 2/3 to 3/4 of those girls will quit soccer by U15. Look at your wife, she will be about that height. Look at your wife, does she have big hips and padding around her body? Is your daughter doing well in school and not tik-toking or phone-addicts? Then you are way ahead. All of this is meaningless unless she gets great grades, take hard classes, and great test scores. Puberty, boys, other interests, and school will determine your girl's soccer career rather than height. Come on, dad. 7-8 year old girls and you want to see the future? Quit your job and be a professional gambler.

      My other dd who doesn't do any sports, but smart, hard working, and active got so much academic merit scholarships and grants I dance a little jig and giggle to myself when I re-read the letters.

      My dd who is a very good student and soccer player might be able to get both academic and athletic scholarships, but academic is the constant and reason to go to college. Athletic is fickle and can change at any moment due to injuries, lack of playtime, whatever.
      Pick the school not the sport first. Sadly, many parents and kids pick the latter.
      Enjoy this time when she is a ulittle. This is the purest form of fun and laughter for kids and for yourself. Good luck.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
        Girls usually stop growing around 14/15 so I'd say the short player's days are numbered. At least by the time college rolls around. Which has come up in discussions about Olivia Moultrie, I believe she is 5'4".

        If WSU's roster is any indication, your hypothesis is correct. See below:

        DEFENDER*6'0"
        MIDFIELDER*6'0"
        DEFENDER*5'11"
        DEFENDER*5'11"
        MIDFIELDER*5'11"
        MIDFIELDER*5'11"
        FORWARD*5'10"
        DEFENDER*5'10"
        FORWARD*5'10"
        FORWARD*5'10"
        FORWARD*5'10"
        FORWARD*5'10"
        GOALKEEPER*5'10"
        GOALKEEPER*5'10"
        DEFENDER*5'9"
        FORWARD*5'9"
        GOALKEEPER*5'9"
        MIDFIELD*5'9"
        DEFENDER*5'9"
        GOALKEEPER*5'9"
        DEFENDER*5'9"
        MIDFIELDER*5'9"
        DEFENDER*5'8"
        DEFENDER*5'7"
        FORWARD*5'7"
        MIDFIELDER*5'7"
        MIDFIELDER*5'5"
        FORWARD*5'5"
        FORWARD*5'3"
        DEFENDER*5'3"

        There are two outliers on the team, so all is not lost. Maybe not too late for Ice skating and gymnastics?
        WSU? Seriously, WSU? That is what you wish for your girl. Truly sad.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by unregistered View Post
          look at your wife, does she have big hips and padding around her body?
          What!? LMAO!!!

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
            WSU? Seriously, WSU? That is what you wish for your girl. Truly sad.
            I'd say the heights are about average for women's rosters no matter the school. UW has a few more 5'4" players. Florida state NCAA champs...similar, take your pick. I think you missed the point dude.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
              Girls usually stop growing around 14/15 so I'd say the short player's days are numbered. At least by the time college rolls around. Which has come up in discussions about Olivia Moultrie, I believe she is 5'4".

              If WSU's roster is any indication, your hypothesis is correct. See below:

              DEFENDER*6'0"
              MIDFIELDER*6'0"
              DEFENDER*5'11"
              DEFENDER*5'11"
              MIDFIELDER*5'11"
              MIDFIELDER*5'11"
              FORWARD*5'10"
              DEFENDER*5'10"
              FORWARD*5'10"
              FORWARD*5'10"
              FORWARD*5'10"
              FORWARD*5'10"
              GOALKEEPER*5'10"
              GOALKEEPER*5'10"
              DEFENDER*5'9"
              FORWARD*5'9"
              GOALKEEPER*5'9"
              MIDFIELD*5'9"
              DEFENDER*5'9"
              GOALKEEPER*5'9"
              DEFENDER*5'9"
              MIDFIELDER*5'9"
              DEFENDER*5'8"
              DEFENDER*5'7"
              FORWARD*5'7"
              MIDFIELDER*5'7"
              MIDFIELDER*5'5"
              FORWARD*5'5"
              FORWARD*5'3"
              DEFENDER*5'3"

              There are two outliers on the team, so all is not lost. Maybe not too late for Ice skating and gymnastics?
              WSU is pretty well known for having an exceptionally tall team, and there are no shortage of both youth clubs and colleges that prioritize height and athleticism (which, all else equal, are good things). But there are plenty of shorter players who have had success even at the highest levels. Schools like UW and Stanford, for instance, have a lot more players under 5’6”. Macario at Stanford, the best college player in the country, is 5’5” and their outside back Pickett is barely 5’0” if that. On the WNT level, Dunn, O’Hara, Lavelle, and Pugh are all 5’5” or shorter.

              As for the 10-11 year olds, most of them aren’t anywhere close to done growing, and many will end up being a lot taller than they are now and taller than the ones who are now taller. Height alone won’t drive any of them out of top level soccer. From a typical top level local u10 or u11 team (I.e., an a team at XF, su, wpfc, eastside, pac) almost all of the kids will still be playing by the end of high school (with, from what I’ve seen, the ones who grew earliest the most likely to move on), and quite a few are likely to continue playing behind hs, with height at 10-11 not being a meaningful indicator of who is likely to be more successful at older ages.

              Comment


                #8
                Best outlier case

                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Dunn

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                  WSU is pretty well known for having an exceptionally tall team, and there are no shortage of both youth clubs and colleges that prioritize height and athleticism (which, all else equal, are good things). But there are plenty of shorter players who have had success even at the highest levels. Schools like UW and Stanford, for instance, have a lot more players under 5’6”. Macario at Stanford, the best college player in the country, is 5’5” and their outside back Pickett is barely 5’0” if that. On the WNT level, Dunn, O’Hara, Lavelle, and Pugh are all 5’5” or shorter.

                  As for the 10-11 year olds, most of them aren’t anywhere close to done growing, and many will end up being a lot taller than they are now and taller than the ones who are now taller. Height alone won’t drive any of them out of top level soccer. From a typical top level local u10 or u11 team (I.e., an a team at XF, su, wpfc, eastside, pac) almost all of the kids will still be playing by the end of high school (with, from what I’ve seen, the ones who grew earliest the most likely to move on), and quite a few are likely to continue playing behind hs, with height at 10-11 not being a meaningful indicator of who is likely to be more successful at older ages.
                  This is spot on. The average height of most of the top team’s starters isn’t very tall. About 5’4-5’6. The star forwards, like Marcario average about 5’4”. The center backs and goal keeps are generally the tallest and forwards (especially any outside forwards) and outside back starters being shorter on average. What stands out much more than height is speed, athleticism & skill. All the top players have those characteristics much more than height.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    none

                    We're still having the height conversation after Messi just won the Ballon d'Or for the 6th time? And we're using WSU's roster as a barometer, why? WSU's coach is like 5'-2" tall himself, but obviously prefers to be the shortest in the team huddle.

                    USWNT - listed heights, so guessing most of these players may actually be shorter...
                    Crystal Dunn 5'-1"
                    Rose Lavelle - 5'-4"
                    Mallory Pugh - 5'-4"
                    O'Hara 5'-5"
                    Tobin Heath 5'-6"

                    A few non-US players of note in World Cup:
                    Kim Little 5'-4"
                    Marta 5'-4"
                    Debinha 5'-2"
                    Beth Mead 5'-4"
                    Jessie Fleming 5'-4"
                    Desiree Scott 5'-2"
                    Erin Cuthbert 5'-4"

                    How about the best player in college - Stanford's Macario. Not small, but listed at 5'5" and plays like she's 5'-9." She has a 5'-0" teammate in the starting line-up who is an excellent player.

                    Can you have a team full of 5'-4" players? No, as you'll lose on set pieces. But only recruiting for height is short-sighted ; ) and assuming any u8 player is going to be too small for soccer is also short-sighted...

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      WSU? Seriously, WSU? That is what you wish for your girl. Truly sad.
                      You are obviously ignorant about women’s NCAA D1 Soccer. The WSU women’s program is currently in the final four of the NCAA College Cup- with North Carolina, UCLA, and Stanford. WSU defeated #1 seed Virginia in Charlottesville, then South Carolina in OT to make it to the semifinals.

                      I’m not a WSU grad, but know several players from local clubs that are very happy there. I would welcome any kind of interest in my dd from a growing D1 program with huge fan support, positive coaching & atmosphere and awareness of instate players. Educate yourself, please- the national media has:
                      https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.esp...3fplatform=amp

                      Comment


                        #12
                        OK, Boomer

                        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                        WSU? Seriously, WSU? That is what you wish for your girl. Truly sad.
                        That’s just rude & ignorant. When did u graduate from BCC? 😑 The WSU women’s program is one of the best Cinderella stories in college sports right now. Get on board, and be proud we have great options instate. And if you watched the tournament at all, you would see they are not winning because of their height. They ARE tall, but also fast, skilled, and first to the ball.
                        I’m a Dawg fan- but we have loved watching the Cougs whoop on the ACC/SEC!

                        BTW- ALL kids are bigger these days-it’s a fact. There will always be great players of average/below average height- but just like lacrosse, hockey, and baseball, the big kids are coming.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Added to the list of great smaller players:

                          Mia Hamm is 5'2"

                          But most players won't make it to the national team. Most players won't even make it to college. Is your 7 year old enjoying soccer? If yes, that's all that matters right now.

                          My daughter is 5'2" and played on top soccer teams through middle school, then decided she loved volleyball, where her height is even more of an issue! Guess what? She is a good athlete with good grades who loves the sport and she has a couple D3 vball offers. A strong but short soccer player with excellent grades and good character has a good chance of finding a spot on a college roster if she does the outreach to coaches. It may not be D1 but it is a chance to live the dream a few more years and can tip the admission scale too.

                          But right now, let your 7 year old enjoy herself and try other sports too!

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                            WSU? Seriously, WSU? That is what you wish for your girl. Truly sad.
                            I would say a team in the final four for NCAA soccer isn't too bad at all. You must not keep up on college soccer to call WSU sad.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              If the player is good enough they can play. Period. They simply need to find a team that suits their style.

                              Smaller players certainly need to have superior technical abilities and game "vision". Bigger players can get away with being a little less technically inclined.

                              In my experience.

                              Comment

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