North Carolina Youth Soccer Presents A Parents Guide to Recreational Soccer “The Game for All Kids!”

1. North Carolina Youth Soccer PresentsA Parents Guide to Recreational Soccer“The Game for All Kids!” This presentation is designed to introduce the game of soccer to parents of recreational players and increase the benefits of the sport without limiting the child

2. What Can I Expect?“Play is the Key to Open Many Doors”Dr. Marianne Torbet Why Do Players Play? • To Have Fun • To Be With Their Friends • To Make New Friends • To Improve and Learn • To Feel Good • To Wear the Stuff (US Youth Soccer) From an early age, every child loves to play with a ball. Soccer is just playing with the ball, except with others and a few simple rules. Soccer is having FUN! (US Youth Soccer) • Soccer is “the game for all kids” and that means there will be all types of kids playing together • Children will differ greatly due to age, gender and maturity • Soccer will help develop FUN, SELF-ESTEEM, TEAMWORK, FRIENDSHIPS • In soccer they will be able to run, kick, jump, roll, skip, fall down and shout – which is essential for mental and physical development

3. Soccer? The Purpose: To put the ball in the opponents goal How: Two teams face each other and try to put the ball in the opponent’s goal. Players cannot use their hands. Where: The game is played on a rectangular field, with goals at each end The Team: Apart from the goalkeeper, the only player allowed to use their hands, there is no fixed spaces or positions in soccer. Players must move and interchange positions according to the flow of the game. Equipment: Soccer is a simple sport with little equipment needed: 1.Ball 2. Cleats 3.Shin Guards Did You Know….. Soccer is the most participated youth sport in the U.S. In 1999, there were 17,582,000 total soccer participants in the U.S with 7,881,000 under the age of twelve (SGMA, 2000)

4. What Matters to Your Child? “Most children play to have fun with their friends. They do not play to entertain the adults, boost the adults ego, or improve the family social status within the Community. (Adams, U of Missouri) • Did You Know….. • The major two reasons children give up sport: • It’s no longer fun • It’s too competitive Psychologists attribute three motivational factors in children's involvement in sport: • For Approval – take up sport for the approval of adults/parents/grand-parents • For Success – they enjoy competing in contests with other children • For Mastery – to improve and master at least some aspects of the sport

5. Guidelines for the Sidelines Think of the soccer field as a playground! - Emphasize enjoyment - Encourage your child regardless of success - Cheer for all Children - Applaud a good effort no matter who makes it - It’s okay to talk to other teams parents - Be a parent – not a coach - Resist the urge to critique • 6 Guidelines for the Sidelines: • Cheer • Relax and Let Them Play • Yelling Directions = Distraction • Remember, they are just kids having fun • Have reasonable expectations “When asked what embarrasses them most, the overwhelming response from children is parents yelling.” (www.MomsTeam.com – Survey)

7. “If you’ve ever driven a car with three kids screaming and fighting in the backseat, think about this: Does it tend to pull your attention away from the task at hand? Do you ever feel overloaded? If you add more pressure to that car ride, such as an icy road, can you handle all that at once? That’s exactly what coaches/parents do when they yell at kids to do something: They distract them. They create “cognitive overload.” (pg. 161, Just Let the Kids Play)

8. The Ride Home • Topics to Avoid on the Way Home: • Don’t Evaluate your child's performance, he or she is playing to have fun, not to earn a grade! • Be Supportive! Fun = Success Good Questions on the Way Home: • Did you have fun today? • What do you think you did well today? • Did you learn anything today? “For some reason, adults - some who can't even kick a ball - think it is perfectly okay to scream at children while they're playing soccer. How normal would it seem if a mother gave a six-year-old some crayons and a coloring book and started screaming? "Use the red crayon! Stay in the lines! Don't use yellow!“ You think that child would develop a passion for drawing? Most important parents must realize that playing sports is a way for children to express themselves."        Claudio Reyna, Former Men's U.S. National Team Captain

9. What to Expect from the Coach… At Practice • Will create a safe, fun environment! • Players should be engaged, active and having fun through games! • Games should be the teacher you should not see lines, laps, or lectures At Games • Players should be allowed the freedom to play without constant Instruction • Players should not be restricted to fixed spaces or positions in soccer. Players must move and interchange positions according to the flow of the game. Did You Know… 90% of volunteer coaches in the U.S have had no coaching education!

10. Keeping it in Perspective…. 73% of all kids who play organized Youth sports end up quitting by the time they reach the age of 13! (Time Magazine, 7/12/99) Major Two Reasons Kids Give Up Sport • It’s No Longer Fun • It’s Too Competitive • Congratulations on supporting your child's choice to play soccer in their leisure time • It is going to be a great opportunity for them to have fun, express themselves and make new friends! • Please enhance your child’s experience by being a ‘positive parent’ and allowing them to play and enjoy the benefits of soccer and sport Remember……… The spirit of a child knows no bounds until limited by adults….

11. Where Can I Learn More? Websites NC Youth Soccer Education Center -Videos, skills, links etc US Youth Soccer Parent Resource Center -Videos, Quizzes, Age appropriate info etc Laws of the Game -U6, U8, U10, U12, U13+ US Youth Soccer Parent Resource Library -Brochures, articles, coaching info etc Resources Parents Guide (Free) Youth Soccer Parent/Coach Primer Coaching Youth Soccer by Bobby Clark Positive Parenting DVD Coaching Education Brochure Plus many more……. Please contact: rachel@ncsoccer.org

12. Recreation Registration (PDF)orRecreation Registration Link