IndianFootball.Com guest columns: L. SANTOSH SINGH

Why Soccer Is So Great

The 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup tournament elevated U.S. enthusiasm for the world's most popular sport to an unprecedented level. Although the international community abounds with football fans, outnumbering those of other sports, the game was never previously embraced by the American public. These days, soccer is front and centre in American consciousness. Both girls and boys across America stand to benefit.

Soccer Is a Great Game for Children of All Ages

  • It's aerobic. During a soccer game, kids are constantly running from one end of the field to the other. Studies show that exercise has clear physical and psychological benefits. Children who play soccer regularly are getting in the habit of incorporating regular exercise into their lives. In addition, physical exercise can help combat obesity, which is a national public-health problem for children.
  • It's cooperative. Because passing the ball is essential to success in both offence and defence, players must communicate well and be consistently mindful of their team members' whereabouts on the field.

    Everyone Gets Involved

  • It's inclusive. In the United States, over 40 million children and young people participate. Soccer teams are everywhere - not just in suburbia, but among urban children, immigrant groups, and disadvantaged youth. In many communities, teams in the younger grades consist of boys and girls playing together. Children of all ages and varying ability can enjoy the game.
  • It's truly a team sport. In soccer, only the goalie is subject to ongoing individual scrutiny as she prevents the ball from entering the goal. This means that soccer can be a less pressured sport for children than baseball, for instance, in which the individual skill of batters and pitchers is constantly on display. Soccer is particularly appealing to kids who may not have superior athletic ability, but who enjoy participating in team sports.
  • It teaches social coping skills. Because it is so focused on group participation, playing soccer can teach children good sportsmanship. Playing on a soccer team coached by a caring adult can help children learn to cope successfully with challenges like winning and losing, group decision-making, and getting along with kids of varying backgrounds and temperaments.
  • It's international. Encouraging children to share in the excitement generated by soccer around the world can help them learn about other countries and experience the United States as part of a larger, diverse community of nations.

    How to Participate
    If your children would like to play soccer, check with your local school, neighbourhood group, or recreation department to see if they have a league. Youth organizations like the YMCA or the Boys and Girls Clubs might also have teams. In addition, many kids participate in leagues sponsored by the United States Youth Soccer Association (1-800-4SOCCER) and the American Youth Soccer Organization (1-800-USA-AYSO), which are more competitive. These two leagues select players on the basis of ability, and consist of "travel teams" that play teams representing neighbouring communities.
    In soccer, as with any sport, your attitude will affect your children's enjoyment of the game. If you are a highly competitive person, make sure that your need to win does not put extra pressure on your child. Attending games and cheering is a way of concretely demonstrating support for your kids, and is a good way to participate in their expanding lives.

    Soccer Safety
    Millions of American kids have taken up soccer. Because there is not as much physical contact as in other sports, children can begin play at very young ages and on co-ed as well as single-sex teams. It's also a sport that children of all body sizes can learn to play. And the constant running provides an excellent cardiovascular workout.

    The Right Soccer Equipment
    All players should wear shin guards that cover the leg from below the knee to just above the foot. Knee-high socks are worn over the shin guards. Avoid shoes with screw-in metal cleats; moulded plastic cleats are softer and therefore less likely to cause.
    As children become more experienced and skilled at the game, they will want to learn about headers (bouncing the ball off their heads). They should be taught to hit the ball only with the forehead and not the temple.
    Balls come in various sizes for players of different age groups. Check with your coach to make sure your child practices with the right size ball.

    Movable Soccer Goals Can Be Dangerous
    The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is aware of 23 deaths since 1979 from soccer goals that tipped over and crushed children who climbed on them or hung from the cross bars.
    Most of the goals that caused injury were "homemade" by school shop classes, custodians, or local welders. They can be heavy and unstable. The CPSC offers these injury-prevention tips:

  • Instruct kids never to climb on the net or the frame of the soccer goal.
  • Use extreme caution when moving the goals.
  • To prevent goals from falling over during use, they should be anchored to the ground.
  • Check all connecting hardware before each use and replace damaged or missing fasteners immediately.
  • When goals are not in use, anchor or chain goals to fence posts, dugouts or other permanent structures.
  • For storage in the off-season, take the goals completely apart.
  • Use the goals only on flat fields.

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