Recreational Soccer
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What is Recreational Soccer?
Recreational soccer is a league where parties involved are playing for the enjoyment of the game, not winning and losing. Recreational soccer typically includes children who have not played soccer before and are trying to learn how to play and learn the rules. Player development is the focal point and all players should be given equal playing time and opportunities to grow.
Recreational soccer focuses on fun versus wins
What is the Difference between Recreational and Competitive Soccer?
Recreational soccer is different from competitive soccer, because teams are not focused on wins/loses and more on child development. In Recreational soccer there are no tryouts, team rosters are balanced for fair competition, and travel is minimal. As a result, recreational soccer can often be a less expensive way to expose your child to soccer to help determine if he/she enjoys the sport before families make the time and financial investment.
Additionally opposed to competitive soccer where coaches are not focused on playing time for each child, in recreational soccer there is typically a playing time requirement. Playing time should be evenly distributed to ensure that everyone signed up is allowed to participate.
Why is Recreational Soccer Good for Kids?
Kids recreational soccer practice
Recreational soccer is good for kids because it is a source of exercise. According to the CDC childhood obesity prevalence is 13.4% among 2- to 5-year-olds, 20.3% among 6- to 11-year-olds, and 21.2% among 12- to 19-year-olds [1]. Playing an active sport such as soccer that requires running and conditioning can help to combat these obesity rates.
There is a social factor associated with playing recreational soccer. Children are able to interact and socialize with kids their age outside of a structured schedule such as school. Rec Soccer can be a great way for children to make friends. There is also research that supports general exercise reducing anxiety depression rates in adolescents.
What are the Dangers of Recreational Soccer?
There are no obvious dangers associated with recreational soccer. As mentioned above, soccer can be a great way to improve your child’s overall fitness. Research has found that soccer has had positive effects on many health-related indices and variables, including VO2max (gains of 7-16%), blood pressure (reductions of 6-13 mmHg), decreased body fat and metabolic and cardiac function [2]. Knowing this, if a child starting recreational soccer is deconditioned that could be at a great risk of heat exhaustion depending on the climate since there is evidence that soccer and specifically running has cardiovascular demands.
What is the Most Injured Body Part in Recreational Soccer?
Lower body injuries are the most common type of injuries associated with recreational soccer. Because children are still developing, there is an inherent laxity to their bones. Therefore fractures are uncommon. Instead contusion and sprains to knees and ankles are the most common types of injuries recorded in recreational soccer.
When children are older and more skilled playing soccer, concussion rates can increase. Concussion rates are more common when children are heading the soccer ball (striking the ball mid-air with their head). While children are young (typically 10 and below) heading the soccer ball is not a common occurrence as the ball does not reach head level and the kids are not proficient enough to head the ball.
By: Adam Hutchison PT, DPT
Related Articles:
Sources:
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27274105/
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