What equipment is required for my child to play soccer?
Soccer is a sport that requires very little equipment. Your child will need cleats, shin guards, a soccer ball, and a water bottle. A mouth guard is a good idea at older age levels, but few players actually wear them. Shin guards which have an ankle guard (pads on the ankle bone) and a strap that goes under the foot are ideal. Kids kick at the ball like crazy, and the ankles can get kicked a lot. Be sure to get guards that are long enough (within a couple inches of the bottom of the knee). The size of the soccer ball depends on your child’s age.
What Size Ball Should My Child Be Using?
Soccer balls used in youth leagues come in sizes 3, 4, and 5. NLSC uses the following standard:
3-7 Years Old (U4-U8): Size 3
8-12 Years Old (U9-U12): Size 4
13 on up (U13-U18): Size 5
A Size 5 ball is the same used by adults. There are also Size 1 balls, which are often called ’skills balls’ that players can use to practice foot skills.
Should I Get My 4-5 Year Old Cleats?
NLSC league allows younger players to wear sneakers (but ALWAYS require shin guards). However, if the grass is wet from dew in the early morning or recent rain, the field will be very slippery and your child may fall down trying to make a sharp turn. This is where cleats are helpful, even at young ages. Many sporting goods stores and large discount retailers have smaller cleats that are very inexpensive. They may only last a year, but your child will have likely outgrown them before they wear out. Check with families who have slightly older children - they may have lots of used cleats around they want to get rid of!
Why do kids play ‘small-sided’ soccer?
Children often start playing soccer when they are 4 or 5 years old. Expecting 11 of them to play on a full size soccer field (over 100yds long), is unrealistic. Even if you make the field smaller, if you have 22 players on the field, especially at younger ages where they just chase the ball, there is a risk of injury. Plus there are not many chances for players to touch the ball, which is how they improve. Small sided rules are designed to maximize ball touches and eliminate laws of the game that are only appropriate to older players. Here is a list of reasons why the USYSA feels small-sided soccer is so important to youth player development:
1. Because we want our young soccer players to touch the soccer ball more often and become more skillful with it! (Individual technical development)
2. Because we want our young soccer players to make more, less-complicated decisions during the game! (Tactical development)
3. Because we want our young soccer players to be more physically efficient in the field space they are playing in! (Reduced field size)
4. Because we want our young soccer players to have more individual teaching time with the coach! Less players on the field and less players on the team will guarantee this! (Need to feel worthy and need to feel important)
5. Because we want our young soccer players to have more, involved playing time in the game! (More opportunity to solve problems that only the game presents)
6. Because we want our young soccer players to have more opportunity to play on both sides of the ball! (More exposure to attacking and defending situations)
7. Because we want our young soccer players to have more opportunities to score goals! (Pure excitement)
How often will soccer teams have sessions?
The youngest players (U4 and U5) have sessions once a week. Sessions are usually 45-60 minutes long. Older recreational players (U6 – U13) will have sessions twice a week for an hour at a time.
Do sessions get postponed due to rain?
Sometimes, but not always. Most soccer sessions will not be postponed due to rain, especially if it starts raining while the sessions are going on. The only times you usually see sessions postponed or stopped is due to severe weather (thunder/lightning, strong winds, etc.) or if it has been raining so much that the fields are unsafe (cleats don’t grab anymore). NLSC will postpone sessions if it has been raining for some time before the session because the fields have standing water on them or the ground is so soft, it will damage the fields to play on them.
But more often than not, if your child is playing and it starts to rain without thunder/lightning, the session will go on. So if you know rain is forecast for a session day, bring dry clothes, towels, and dry shoes - your child will be glad you did!
Should I shout instructions to my child during a session?
NO Don’t do it. Coaching from the parent sidelines will only distract the players. Let your child’s coach handle the coaching. They all have different styles - some coach actively during sessions, others during breaks, others just when players are on the bench. But regardless of your coach’s style - parents should cheer and shout encouragement - that’s it. Leave the coaching to the coaches.
What do the age groups starting with ‘U’ mean like U8 or U10?
The ’U’ stands for ‘U’nder. NLSC recognizes August 1st as the universal age cutoff date for the upcoming Fall AND Spring seasons. So if a child is ’U’nder 8 years old on July 31st, but wasn’t ’U’nder 7, they would be in the U8 division. Note a child born on August 1st turning 8 is considered to still be Under 8 for the soccer year. Some leagues have age divisions that span multiple years, so a league might only have U4, U6, U8, and U10 divisions while others might have U4, U5, U6, U7, U8, etc.
What is ‘Swarm Ball’?
Swarm Ball usually refers to a small-sided U4, U5, U6, or U7 session, where the players all chase the ball around the field in a ’swarm’.
Why won’t referees call all the tripping and pushing?
A very common misconception is that soccer is a ’non-contact’ sport. Nothing could be farther from the truth. When you have two children running full speed after the same thing (the ball), contact is going to happen. When two players are running step for step after the ball, some arm/hand jostling is to be expected. If a player lifts their elbow out or shoves the other player, it will probably be called. If a player blocks the ball and the other player trips over it - it’s legal (a clean tackle). If they hit the opponent’s legs first, a trip will be called. Generally, if a player touches the ball first and in the process the other player trips over their legs - it’s usually legal. Keepers tend to have a wide latitude in terms of going after the ball. If they dive on a ball and the attacking player trips over the and goes flying - it’s legal.
So while it’s an American pastime to hassle sports officials - please don’t. Soccer referees are heckled constantly, often by parents who are mistaken about a given rule. Referees miss calls just like any sports official, but more often than not, they get it right. So if you’re SURE a call was missed, talk to your coach about it - they may have some insight to share that will help you better understand why a given call wasn’t made.
What is ‘advantage’?
In soccer, advantage usually refers to which team got ’advantage’ after a foul was called. For example, if team A has the ball and is driving towards Team B’s goal when a player from B fouls the ball carrier from A, the referee may not immediately blow the whistle. Instead they will judge if Player A was negatively affected by the foul, giving Team B the ’advantage’. If not, they may let play continue to Team A can continue to attack the goal and score. Otherwise a defending team could break up attacks on goal by committing cheap little fouls that would stop play. Good referees will work to allow the game to flow with minimal stoppages - so they only want to call fouls that gave the fouling team an advantage.
If your question was not answered, please send an email to recdirector@northernlightssoccer.org and your answer will be provided within 24hrs.
