How to Start a Soccer Team for Kids
Soccer improves fitness, promotes teamwork and is a lot of fun. Kids' soccer should focus on the fun side of the sport. For youngsters, fostering a love and understanding of the game is just as important as winning matches. If your son or daughter can't find a soccer team with vacancies, you can start your own team. You don't need a lot of equipment to run a soccer team, just a few balls and somewhere to play.
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Instructions
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Acquire official clearance to work with children. The National Child Protection Act prescribes that you may be screened before being allowed to work with children. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes an Occupational Outlook Handbook online with further information on background checks.
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Set a minimum and maximum age limit. Typically, kids' soccer teams are comprised of players that are the same age. This is because younger kids can get hurt if they are playing against older, stronger players.
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Recruit your squad. A soccer team has 11 starting players. You should aim to recruit between fifteen and twenty players for your team. This allows for substitutes and reserve players. Having extra players also creates competition within the squad. Advertise for players in local schools and at local practice pitches.
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Start training sessions. Set a weekly or twice-weekly schedule for training. Run practice drills to improve specific skills and run practice matches to improve game play.
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Select player positions. After a month of training sessions, you'll begin to see which players are best suited to particular positions. Faster runners are likely to make great wide players, while larger and less-agile kids could be put to good use in central defense. The tallest kid may find that he comes into his own as goalkeeper. Rotate positions to give each kid a chance to shine, but keep notes of who does well. Select a team captain. Typically, the team captain is the player with best leadership skills. Encourage all of your players to show leadership and use the captaincy as a reward for outstanding sportsmanship.
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Join a league. U.S. Club Soccer is a non-profit organization that aims to develop competitive soccer in the United States. It has leagues in every state. Once you have a team and wish to compete, join up with U.S. Club Soccer and enter a league.
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Tips & Warnings
Ask local school soccer coaches about sharing a training pitch.
Always have your kids warm up and stretch before training. This helps them avoid injury.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit soccer image by Sandra Henderson from Fotolia.com
