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Youth soccer declining because its to expensive

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    Youth soccer declining because its to expensive

    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/14/s...imes&smtyp=cur

    #2
    Over the past three years, the percentage of 6- to 12-year-olds playing soccer regularly has dropped nearly 14 percent, to 2.3 million players

    This is directly caused by the Federation's genius idea to enact the birth year change. It's no accident that the drop started the year the change went in place. The best thing that could happen to soccer in the US would be for the Federation to just go away.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
      Over the past three years, the percentage of 6- to 12-year-olds playing soccer regularly has dropped nearly 14 percent, to 2.3 million players

      This is directly caused by the Federation's genius idea to enact the birth year change. It's no accident that the drop started the year the change went in place. The best thing that could happen to soccer in the US would be for the Federation to just go away.
      I’m not disagreeing but why would the birth year change cause a drop in kids playing soccer?

      Comment


        #4
        There are other similar articles out recently. Participation is down in other sports as well, also because of high costs, too much travel, frustrations with leagues and clubs, kids not having fun....so soccer isn't alone. But I agree the age change has had an impact with the younger soccer players, who just want to play for fun with their friends. If you're not capturing the little guys it will have a waterfall effect later on.

        https://www.theatlantic.com/family/a...dustry/565109/

        https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobcook.../#1180295c1ea8

        https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.d4f43dde6330

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
          I’m not disagreeing but why would the birth year change cause a drop in kids playing soccer?
          not the op but a good portion of kids can't play with their classmates. (almost all leagues used to follow the school calendar, not the annual calendar). They have to play with their calendarmates instead. When kids are little (Kindergarten, early elementary) that's not an easy thing for them to understand. It's not the only reason for the drop but I think it's had an impact.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
            Over the past three years, the percentage of 6- to 12-year-olds playing soccer regularly has dropped nearly 14 percent, to 2.3 million players

            This is directly caused by the Federation's genius idea to enact the birth year change. It's no accident that the drop started the year the change went in place. The best thing that could happen to soccer in the US would be for the Federation to just go away.
            2.3 million....that is half the size of Croatia

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
              2.3 million....that is half the size of Croatia
              According to those stats that means over 300,000 fewer kids are playing, 100,000+ a year, while the number of US children has remained very stable https://www.childstats.gov/americasc...ables/pop1.asp

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                not the op but a good portion of kids can't play with their classmates. (almost all leagues used to follow the school calendar, not the annual calendar). They have to play with their calendarmates instead. When kids are little (Kindergarten, early elementary) that's not an easy thing for them to understand. It's not the only reason for the drop but I think it's had an impact.
                In our class M town where there's 5 classes for each grade in grammar school, kids are in class with a different set of kids each year. I've never heard a kid or parent complain about that. And in rec sports you're with a different set of players every season. Life goes on. The whole 'birth year rule messed up everything' argument is a crock.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                  In our class M town where there's 5 classes for each grade in grammar school, kids are in class with a different set of kids each year. I've never heard a kid or parent complain about that. And in rec sports you're with a different set of players every season. Life goes on. The whole 'birth year rule messed up everything' argument is a crock.
                  Not saying it's the only reason, but one of many. Your town also isn't the same as the one next to you, or the one next to that...etc.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                    not the op but a good portion of kids can't play with their classmates. (almost all leagues used to follow the school calendar, not the annual calendar). They have to play with their calendarmates instead. When kids are little (Kindergarten, early elementary) that's not an easy thing for them to understand. It's not the only reason for the drop but I think it's had an impact.
                    Easy to check that theory. Find out if CT has a participation decline similar to the rest of the country. If so, then the birth year change may not have much to do with the drop, since CT school age cut-off is Jan 1st.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      Easy to check that theory. Find out if CT has a participation decline similar to the rest of the country. If so, then the birth year change may not have much to do with the drop, since CT school age cut-off is Jan 1st.
                      I'm from CT - yes I read around the boards now and then. It would impossible to read CT data because the state has had more people moving out than moving in, especially families. The high cost of living, the state economy is a mess, companies are moving out (GE to Boston). My kids have said goodbye to a lot of friends in the last few years. School districts are shuttering schools because of big declines in the number of school aged children. I know our town sports numbers are down and soccer clubs are struggling to fill teams. But I do think that's a combination of the population drop, costs, and other factors. The age thing may keep some from playing but I doubt many. It's still a stupid thing to do though for any program other than DA. There's a lot of kids who have been left with no team or poor options for 8th grade and senior year.

                      Our school age cutoff is one of the few that is so late in the US and it's a source of angst among many families. A lot of helicopter parents in high performing districts red shirt their fall birthday kids, especially boys. If your kid isn't ready for school that's one thing. But people will tell you they're doing it to give their kids advantages in academics and sports. I kid you not. It's a bizarre place.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Why 70% of kids quit sports by age 13 (highlights below). The kinds of reasons haven't changed much over the years but I think the impact of the different reasons have. For sure #2-#4 have gotten worse. Now there's fewer kids playing soccer before age 12.

                        https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.30b5e91a1a62

                        It’s not fun anymore because it’s not designed to be.

                        Our culture no longer supports older kids playing for the fun of it.

                        There is a clear push for kids to specialize and achieve at the highest possible level.

                        There is a cost to be competitive and not everyone is willing or able to pay it.

                        And, of course, it’s just the age.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                          Not saying it's the only reason, but one of many. Your town also isn't the same as the one next to you, or the one next to that...etc.
                          When the age change ruling went in to effect my kid was on a U14 team that was made up of 13 and 14 year olds. The club was small (maybe 16-18 teams). When the age change happened they split it in to two teams...they couldn't get enough kids to field two teams and about half the kids switched to another club and the rest stopped playing soccer. Not saying this is the norm...just saying that my personal experience is that the age change might've caused a drop in players.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Is any of this new or surprising? I think there are a couple of important indisputable facts:

                            1. Participation has been declining.
                            2. The reasons are multi-factorial and no one can really quantify them with certainty.

                            With respect to the first point, it doesn't matter very much to me that some activities are experiencing a similar decline or that other activities are not. With respect to the second point, it doesn't matter much to me that we have more than a general understanding of the factors causing the decline in participation, so debating the degrees that not having fun or not being able to play in the same age group with an elementary school classmate or neighborhood friend cause choosing something else doesn't seem as important as being aware of these kinds of things and addressing them.

                            And this is my point, what has USSF (or anyone else for that matter) demonstrated in recent policy rollouts, GDA launch, etc. that demonstrates supporting participation and love for the game at the grassroots more than pay-to-play? Until I see the governing organization demonstrate that in order to build the best national teams, there needs to be this support for the soccer culture, my expectations won't change.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                              Why 70% of kids quit sports by age 13 (highlights below). The kinds of reasons haven't changed much over the years but I think the impact of the different reasons have. For sure #2-#4 have gotten worse. Now there's fewer kids playing soccer before age 12.

                              https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.30b5e91a1a62

                              It’s not fun anymore because it’s not designed to be.

                              Our culture no longer supports older kids playing for the fun of it.

                              There is a clear push for kids to specialize and achieve at the highest possible level.

                              There is a cost to be competitive and not everyone is willing or able to pay it.

                              And, of course, it’s just the age.


                              The fact that youth sports has become such a big business with many incompetent, selfish and degenerate coaches influencing our kids is another reason. With the social climate changing and people realizing what bullying looks like in all aspects of life, many people are waking up and realizing their kid has been at practice with some of the worst bullies out there. All for what?

                              Comment

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