We must be careful about throwing our youngsters into the cauldron of the overly competitive travel soccer environment too soon, because it is becoming clear that it is more and more of a detriment and less and less of an impetus to the success of the young player. When the gauge of that success is measured by either players competing at a higher level or continuing to play when they get older, we fail on both counts. There is absolutely no data that supports that particular theory. If starting travel soccer this young were the right way to go then the rest of the world would be copying our model, but it doesn’t. In fact other countries are in the exact opposite direction with their soccer philosophies and programs. For example, the French, Germans, Dutch and Spanish believe that it is important to keep young players (under the age of 12) playing within their own communities, with their friends, and, with educated coaches. They profess that it is critical for a player’s development that the youngsters spend more time on the training field, in a less result oriented environment, learning the intricacies, nuances and techniques of the game.
