Transcript Youth Soccer Myths

Youth Soccer Myths
Presented by: John Murphy
CYSA Chairman of the Board
[email protected]
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Youth Soccer Myths
Youth Soccer Myths
A “myth” is a popular belief that
has grown up around something
Or
Something that has an
unverifiable existence
George Washington & the Cherry
Tree
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Youth Soccer Myths
Problems with Myths
Maybe strongly held emotionally based
beliefs
Often partially true with part that is
true extrapolated to extreme and
unwarranted conclusions
Often involve false syllogisms
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Youth Soccer Myths
Discussing can be dangerous because of
the emotionalism that may have attached
 “There is nothing more horrible than the
murder of a beautiful theory by a brutal
gang of facts”
 Why discuss?

– Reality will not go away and eventually will
prevail
– Information enables people to make better
decisions
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Youth Soccer Myths
 We
will examine two myths that are
very, very common in youth soccer
today
 First,
that children should specialize
early in one sport and have intensive
training
 Second,
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scholarships are plentiful
Youth Soccer Myths
Children should Specialize Early

How many times have you heard that child
must start and dedicate himself or herself
to soccer by age 8 or even age 7?
– Sounds logical – more do something better
get – “practice makes perfect”
 BUT maybe kids are more than just short adults
– Plays on fear of being “left behind”
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How Accurate an Idea?

“Children are encouraged to participate in
sports at a level consistent with their
abilities and interests. Pushing children
beyond these limits is discouraged as is
specialization in a single sport before
adolescence.”
– American Academy of Pediatrics, Intensive Training and
Sport Specialization in Youth Athletes
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
“Research supports the recommendation
that child athletes avoid early sports
specialization. Those who participate in a
variety of sports and specialize only after
reaching the age of puberty tend to be
more consistent performers, have fewer
injuries, and adhere to sports play longer
than those who specialize early.”
– American Academy of Pediatrics, Intensive Training and
Sport Specialization in Youth Athletes
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Youth Soccer Myths
Center for Sports Parenting, Top Ten
Sports Parenting Myths
 Myth:
“The sooner your child
specializes in just one sport, the
better chance they have of advancing
to higher level (e.g., college,
professional ranks).”
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Youth Soccer Myths
Center for Sports Parenting, Top Ten
Sports Parenting Myths

Response: Some coaches pressure kids to play
just one sport. As a parent, you should be wary
of this! In addition to burnout worries, ask
yourself, ‘how does your child know which sport
will be his/her best one, unless they try a bunch
of different sports?’ When they are young, let
them try a bunch of sports.”
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Youth Soccer Myths

Hedstrom & Gould, Research in Youth
Sports: Critical Issues Status, Youth
Sports: Talent Development and Sports
Specialization (2004)

Studies of highly successful athletes show
three phases
– 1. “Romance phase” ages 6-13
– 2. “Precision phase” ages 13-15
– 3. “Integration phase” ages 15 and older
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Youth Soccer Myths

Romance phase – child participates in
multiple sports for FUN

Precision phase – focus on limited number
of sports

Integration phase – deliberate practice in
an effort to pursue performance
excellence
– Phases are sequential without skipping any
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Youth Soccer Myths
Citizenship Through Sports Alliance,
2005 Youth Sports National Report
Card

Grade of “D” in area of “Child Centered
Philosophy
– Youth sports leaders, parents and coaches put
the goal of children – fun, friends, fitness,
participation and skill development – first
Unacceptable
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Youth Soccer Myths

League leaders, parents and coaches
understand the dangers of early sports
specialization
Needs Improvement

Youth sports leaders set expectations and
hold parents, coaches and themselves
accountable for sportsmanship, civility and
commitment to child-centered philosophy
Unacceptable
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Youth Soccer Myths
Specialization when young does not work
 “Concerns voiced in response to
specialization include the fact that athletic
performance at one age in childhood does
not accurately predict performance at a
later age.” (Hedstrom & Gould, supra.)
 “There is very little predictive value when
it comes to saying an 8 year-old will grow
to be a superior athlete when they’re 18.”
(Center for Sports Parenting, supra.)

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Youth Soccer Myths

Studies of the practice in former Soviet
Union “showed early sport specialization
did not lead to the performance
advantages people thought, and in fact,
there was an advantage to early sport
diversification.” (Hedstrom & Gould, supra)
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Other significant considerations

Overuse injuries
– “. . . one factor was repeatedly cited as the
prime cause for the outbreak in overuse
injuries among young athletes: specialization
in one sport at an early age and they yearround, almost manic training for it that often
follows.”
 New York Times, February 23, 2005, Old Before
their time: Overuse injuries afflict the young
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Burnout

75% quit before age 13

Between 1990 and 2002 number of youth
in United States increased by more than 7
million
– Number of soccer players during same period
decreased by approximately 1 million
– U.S. News & World Report, June 7, 2004, p. 48
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Youth Soccer Myths
Scholarships

Good news is they really do exist!!!

Problems
– No where near as available as what people
are led to believe
– A lot of hype from various quarters about
them
 Great Marketing Tool for some
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Youth Soccer Myths
Some Information Regarding
a. The numbers
– 1. 500,000 high school soccer players
– 2. 150,000 seniors
– 3. 15,000 roster positions
– 4. 5% of roster positions receive any
assistance
b. Translates to approximately 750
scholarships
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Youth Soccer Myths
Applied to CYSA

Approximately 8,900 17 and 18 year old
players in 2005

750 scholarships means is 8.5% of CYSA
players in these age groups
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Youth Soccer Myths

But CYSA players are only part of the
“pool” competing for scholarships
– CYSA has approximately 7.5% of United
States Youth Soccer (USYS) registered players
– Estimate USYS 120,000 players in same age
groups
 Approximately 6% could get scholarships
 CYSA is 7.5% of the 6%
 USYS not only source of players in pool

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Very, very few are “full ride”
Youth Soccer Myths

October 2005, San Francisco Chronicle
Feature Article on “the myth of the full
ride”

“Folks, you might want to take a seat in
one of those well-used lawn chairs and
listen up: Your kid has a better shot at a
perfect SAT score.”
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Youth Soccer Myths
Bay Area Division I Schools
MEN (9.9 scholarships a team of
year)
Total
161 total
Full
7
Partial*107 (can be $400 - $500)
None
47
School
Total Full
 Cal
27
0
 St. Mary’s
26
0
 USF
30
2
 San Jose State
25
2
 Santa Clara
28
3
 Stanford
25
0

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Youth Soccer Myths
24-26 players & 5 places per
Partial
27
16-18
24
12
20
15-20
Walk-ons
0
8-10
4
11
5
5-10
Bay Area Division I Schools
Women (12 scholarships per team)
Total
138
Full
9
Partial*
101 (can be $400-$500)
None
28
School
Total Full Partial
 Cal
31
0
30
 St. Mary’s
21
NA
NA
 USF
27
1-3
16-18
 San Jose State
30
0
25
 Santa Clara
26
2
16
 Stanford
24
2
16

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Youth Soccer Myths
Walk-ons
1
NA
8
5
8
6
Academics Count

If player does not meet school’s academic
requirements it does not matter how good
of soccer player they are
– Problem of players shunning difficult courses
to
 Satisfy demands of travel and competitive soccer
 Keep high grade point average
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Youth Soccer Myths
“For some kids and parents, the
scholarship is the final payoff. If you look
at it as the payoff for the investment
you’ve made on youth soccer – all the
trips, the hotels, the club fees, the
equipment – that’s the wrong approach.
The payoff is to have a healthy, happy,
well-rounded child. If there’s a
scholarship, let that be the icing on the
cake.”
 Santa Clara Women’s Coach Jerry Smith, quoted in
San Francisco Chronicle October 30, 2005
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Youth Soccer Myths