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Helpful Information for Parents of a Young Soccer Player
Benefits of Small-Sided Games
MSA plays small-sided games for the U5-U12 age groups in alignment with US Youth Soccer and Minnesota Youth Soccer Association.
What does small-sided games mean?
It means we are playing less than 11 v 11 which is the size of the game that children who are 13 and older play.
Where can I get more information about the benefits of Small-Sided games?
Setting Goals and Objectives with your Player
Rec is known to be "soccer fun for everyone" but not everyone is at the same skill level. Before games, set one or two goals (objectives) for your player. Scoring a soccer goal is an obvious choice but not necessarily a realistic expectation for all players. Examples of other objectives are:
• Make two throw-ins with both feet behind the lines
The objectives should be attainable and understandable. Only set one or two objectives per game but change the objective from one game to the next as your player's skills change.
Whether innate or learned, kids sometimes talk negatively, "I owned you," "Burn," etc. While taunting is specifically not allowed in Rec soccer, let's help the players learn positive things to say. Games are more fun when one's own team and opposing players aren't mean.
Like learning to say "please" and "thank you," giving compliments doesn't come naturally to kids. Coaches and parents have been setting good examples of good sportsmanship. Consider setting a goal with your player to give compliments during a game.
Give two compliments before the end of the game
