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ARE YOU NEW TO SOCCER?

 

Intramural

♦To prepare for the first day -  your child will need to bring their own soccer ball, water, and wear shin guards and soccer cleats to every practice and game.  Shin guards are mandatory for both practice and games. No exceptions for the safety of your child. Soccer socks need to completely cover your child’s shin guards during practice and games.


♦Soccer ball: The different age divisions use the following size soccer balls:
U5 – U8 – size 3

U9– U12 – size 4

U13 and up – size 5

Travel

♦If your child is currently playing in the U8 age division then you should participate in the LSC U8 Travel Development program by signing up through our registration system – there is no cost to do so. Once signed up you will receive notices about the program. Our U8 Travel Development program is a great introduction to travel soccer with a focus on skill development. The club offers an extra outdoor practice in the spring and the fall seasons. During the winters – training is offered and available indoors but at an extra cost to cover the field rentals. Tryouts for the U9 Travel team will be held during May for the upcoming fall/spring season.


♦If your child is playing in the U9 age division or old, then your child will need to tryout to participate on a travel team. Look for tryout postings in early spring and sign your child up through the registration system under LaGrange Soccer Travel Tryouts for the upcoming season – there is no cost to sign your child up for tryouts. Please do not register your child for a team until you have been given permission from the travel coach to do so.


Why Soccer?

Popularity

Globally, FIFA reported roughly 265 million soccer participants, which makes it the most popular sport from a participation and fan base standpoint. An ESPN poll revealed that second to China, the United States has the highest youth participation rate in soccer with roughly 24.5 million players. And, within the country, soccer is the second most popular sport for youth, trailing only behind basketball. 

Helpful links:
10 Data Points That Prove Soccer Has Finally Made it in America
US Youth Soccer Key Statistics
Soccer is Here For Real This Time
 

COST

Soccer is inexpensive to get started. Cleats, shin guards and soccer socks are the only necessary equipment purchases prior to joining a team.  Depending on whether a player is joining a recreational or competitive team, participation costs can run anywhere from $50-$1,500.

Helpful links:
The Cost's of Youth Soccer
Cost of Minor Sports Varies Greatly

 
Level of difficulty

Soccer is one of the easier sports to learn. Due to the of infrequent stoppage in play, there is a lot of time and space for free play and creativity. There are only a couple of major tactical regulations ,such as offsides, that need to be learned before jumping into the sport.

Helpful links:
What Are The Rules?
How Long Does it Take to Learn Soccer?

 

Global Reach

Soccer is known to be the most popular sport in the world, and one of the few that is played in nearly every country. To get a gauge of fan base popularity, in 2014 there were nearly 111.5 million people who tuned in for the Super Bowl and 1 billion who tuned in for the FIFA World Cup Final.

Helpful links:
The World Cup Reminds Us That All The World's a Soccer Field
Top 10 List of the Internet World's Most Popular Sports
 

injuries

The most common injuries in soccer are sprains and strains of ankles and knees. Although there are other major injuries, such as concussions and ACL tears that can be prevalent mostly at the higher levels, severity and recovery time for soccer injuries tends to be low. 

Helpful links:
Preventing Soccer Injuries
8 Tips to Avoiding Soccer Injuries 

 
physical fitness

Soccer requires a high fitness ability, specifically endurance and agility.  On average, a soccer player will run a total of 7 miles per game, depending on level of participation and position played. 

Helpful links:
Fitness Components for Soccer


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