Wild guess, but I will say 10% of soccer players would play football if the seasons were different. I think the vast majority of soccer players want no part of football, whether it be the hitting, fear of injury, parental nudging/pressure or whatever.

 

Playing soccer is more fun in a lot of ways. In the spring, what is more fun - playing club soccer or hitting the weights and running? There isn't much fun in the latter for most people. It is work much more than it is fun.

 

With club soccer. Valid point.

 

Playing is much more fun. As some othersort have said, I think it's the biggest reason why we see the shift in football numbers going down. A whole lot of work and very little play.

I think the football and basketball kids would play school spring soccer. But then some soccer kids may lose spots.

Soccer is an incredible sport. I've coached youth soccer for almost 10 seasons now and it is far from boring.

 

Anyone who says it is boring doesn't fully understand the sport. There's a lot more to it than scoring goals.

 

I played soccer growing up until I was 18. My 18U team won the state title a long time ago.

 

That being said...soccer is pathetically boring to watch and play. It's awful. I have boys and they played soccer until they were old enough to play football and not ONE SECOND longer.

 

Football is an amazing sport that teaches discipline and teamwork. Soccer is not something I would allow my kids to play after 5/6 years old. They are so excited to play football that by the time they can they never mention soccer again.

 

The only soccer that we watch in our house is US Soccer men/women...and that's more for the patriotic aspect of it.

 

If I had girls I'd be all for them playing soccer.

WhoYaWith...

 

In most cases, if your kids only played until they were 5/6, they did not play what I would call soccer.

 

Just like Football, Soccer is an amazing sport that teaches discipline and teamwork.

I played soccer growing up until I was 18. My 18U team won the state title a long time ago.

 

That being said...soccer is pathetically boring to watch and play. It's awful. I have boys and they played soccer until they were old enough to play football and not ONE SECOND longer.

 

Football is an amazing sport that teaches discipline and teamwork. Soccer is not something I would allow my kids to play after 5/6 years old. They are so excited to play football that by the time they can they never mention soccer again.

 

The only soccer that we watch in our house is US Soccer men/women...and that's more for the patriotic aspect of it.

 

If I had girls I'd be all for them playing soccer.

 

You are going to make a lot of friends with this post!

WhoYaWith...

 

In most cases, if your kids only played until they were 5/6, they did not play what I would call soccer.

 

Just like Football, Soccer is an amazing sport that teaches discipline and teamwork.

 

I played soccer and not football growing up. I know what soccer brings to the table and I've seen what football (done the right way) can do for the confidence of kids who play it and there is ZERO comparison.

 

I believe the vast majority of soccer players play it because they couldn't man up enough to play football or their parents fell for the "it's safe" argument early on. I put myself in the category of "too scared to play football". We get more people at our youth football games than at the high school soccer games.

Reading both of your posts makes me think that you had a bad experience playing soccer, might not be the case, but your comparisons do not hold water with me. It is just not with soccer either, many other sports provide what you are saying football does for kids.

 

I am not sure what you consider the vast majority of soccer players but this is only an opinion, doubt you would find many facts to support this theory.

 

I am not sure what your point is in regards to attendance being higher at a youth football game than that of a high school soccer match, I think this is like comparing apples and oranges.

Reading both of your posts makes me think that you had a bad experience playing soccer, might not be the case, but your comparisons do not hold water with me. It is just not with soccer either, many other sports provide what you are saying football does for kids.

 

I am not sure what you consider the vast majority of soccer players but this is only an opinion, doubt you would find many facts to support this theory.

 

I am not sure what your point is in regards to attendance being higher at a youth football game than that of a high school soccer match, I think this is like comparing apples and oranges.

 

First of all, I have nothing against people who play soccer...their are some fine kids that play the sport.

 

I did not have a bad experience playing soccer, I was pretty good and won a rec/travel state title. I am just frustrated with all the people who bad mouth football when I can assure you kids get much more out of football than they do soccer (or any other sport). If you haven't seen firsthand what an unbelievable experience that young men get when playing football then it's hard for you to understand. I can assure you that it is far different than what any other sport can bring to the table.

 

I was telling you the attendance in HS soccer/a Youth Football because I wanted you to get the picture that the biggest and most important sport is still football and I don't see it changing anytime soon.

You have not seen me bashing football and I think it is more typical to see the "footballers" bashing soccer.

 

Sure seems like you are putting football on a pedestal when you make comments about getting more out of it than any other sport.

 

I have lived in the US my entire life, I do not need you to tell me that football is the biggest sport in the states, I love football.... as for most important.... depends on how you look at things.

Not sure if its been said on this thread yet, but here it goes. As a high school AD for quite some time in my former life, Lacrosse stole more football players than soccer ever did.

 

The entire club Lacrosse team @ my school was comprised of disenchanted football players & no way around it well off kids whose parents had $$$.

 

the majority of the time a soccer kid pulled double duty and was the kicker and or punter for our football team.

 

The lacrosse coach at our high school is in the lacrosse hall of fame. He got lots of football players to play lacrosse (different seasons). Said he liked to get linebackers and defensive backs and put sticks in their hands.

 

https://apps.uslacrosse.org/museum/halloffame/view_profile.php?prof_id=159

What Americans think of the two sports in a nutshell:

 

Football teaches you how to overcome fears and fight thru adversity.

 

Soccer teaches you to flop and run.

 

I do not feel that the casual observer would see the constant "game within the game" that goes on in a higher level soccer match. A player can make multiple runs or moves in a match only to be setting up an attempt later to hopefully get that one chance to win a match. At times, I feel what goes on in a good soccer match can be similar to what goes on in a chess match.

For those who question athletic abilities... I know of many more instances where the football coaches would like to have the soccer players switch sports, I don't think it is the other way around.

 

Perfect analogy as no one is lining the streets to try and get in to watch a "good" chess match either...because most would just be bored out of their skull. Just like with soccer.:meh:

 

Yes, I get why soccer is so poplar around the world. It's what most of them grow up playing because it costs almost nothing to do it...and you stick with what you know as you get older. That's why, here in the states where most are comparatively well off when looking at the rest of the world, and we have a multitude of sports to choose from, soccer falls way behind. What growth it has seen has a lot to do with the influx of immigrants to this country whose primary sport is soccer...and THATS what will propel soccer over the next few decades.

I played soccer and not football growing up. I know what soccer brings to the table and I've seen what football (done the right way) can do for the confidence of kids who play it and there is ZERO comparison.

 

I believe the vast majority of soccer players play it because they couldn't man up enough to play football or their parents fell for the "it's safe" argument early on. I put myself in the category of "too scared to play football". We get more people at our youth football games than at the high school soccer games.

 

I don't see anybody bad mouthing football. It's a great sport. I do see a lot of people bad mouthing soccer. It, too, is a great sport. I played football. I have a son who plays football and a son who plays soccer. My son who plays soccer did not do it because he was afraid to play football. He plays soccer because he loves the sport. There is nothing lacking in what he has learned from this team sport.

 

You like football better. That is fine. But just because someone prefers a different sport than you does not make them inferior to you. You say you have nothing against the people who play soccer, that there are "some fine" people who do, but you also make the statement that they play soccer because they "are too scared" to play football.

 

Which is it? Do you respect people who play a sport other than football or do you look down on them as too weak for football?

The lacrosse coach at our high school is in the lacrosse hall of fame. He got lots of football players to play lacrosse (different seasons). Said he liked to get linebackers and defensive backs and put sticks in their hands.

 

https://apps.uslacrosse.org/museum/halloffame/view_profile.php?prof_id=159

 

Jim Brown was an All-American in Lacrosse at Syracuse University as well as being an All-American in football. He's also in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame to go alonside his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

I played soccer and not football growing up. I know what soccer brings to the table and I've seen what football (done the right way) can do for the confidence of kids who play it and there is ZERO comparison.

 

I believe the vast majority of soccer players play it because they couldn't man up enough to play football or their parents fell for the "it's safe" argument early on. I put myself in the category of "too scared to play football". We get more people at our youth football games than at the high school soccer games.

 

I see that myself.

 

I respect the game (soccer) immensely and think they compliment the other very well, but also find it ridiculously boring (and, I have a younger sibling that plays high school soccer for a pretty solid program).

 

I'll also say I know nothing about the sport, nor do I about Lacrosse, but I love watching Lacrosse.