Academy Soccer for 7 Year Old Boy

We have not done soccer but our almost 9 yr is starting his third season of select baseball. The difference you see in the kids is amazing. He loves it and wouldn't go back to rec ball for anything. It is a HUGE commitment though, multiple practices a week and tournaments on weekends and depending on the team lots of travel. For the next 4 months we already have 4 out of state trips planned plus a week long trip to Colorado in the summer.

My 8 yr old is playing on an academy development team. I'm not sure if its the same where you are but here it is more of a development team. The coaches take it seriously so the kids do get to goof off like rec or town soccer. The cost is a little high but the coaches are professional so you get what you pay for. But so far my son loves it and is having fun.

I used to referee academy soccer. I would say no. It is much more expensive (usually... apparently not for you) and much more competitive. These are typically the parents who want their kid to be in select soccer, but the kid isn't old enough. The parents tend to be more obnoxious on the sidelines too (no offense, lol). I'd say find a good club coach in your area so that his talent continues to develop, and if he still wants to play soccer when he's old enough for select, consider having him try out then. He's only seven, so let him stay seven. There is too much pressure in those leagues for kids so young. You want him to really enjoy the game instead of focusing on the competition.

Our daughter almost 7 plays Elite Soccer. Yes it's competitive, yes it is time consuming (actually can be VERY time consuming). It is a huge commitment on the player and the parents. Not just money and time, but you have to really commit to watching your child improve, or not.

We love it...our Elite goal right now is to get the girls to develop into soccer players. Yes of course we want to win (actually won big time last night at our indoor game). But at their age it's about really learning the fundamentals, the rules, the goals, working as a team. Last fall the only two of the girls had ever played on the same rec team. After a summer camp, and practices (yes multiple a week) and one tournament those girls looked like a different team last night...than the one we first watched back in August.

But we lost two girls recently due to the stress of time, and commitment...

We asked our daughter if she wanted to play indoor and keep playing Elite...she said yes. And she knows that if she decides no more...then no more! Good luck

My friends son played this last year, their first and they didn't win a single game, they were the top kids in the whole club for our whole city too. It was such a let down for them but they are very excited about the opportunity to do it again in the Spring. They learned a lot about team work and all the other stuff they were doing but not to the same extent.

I would let him try it just to see if it is something he would excel at or not like so much.

I have a ten year old son, he started All Star Soccer at 7, It is very completive and out 3rd game in her came out with a broken foot due to an illegal tackle. I would probably wait a year if I could go back in time because they allow 7-12 year olds to all play against each other and it is easy for the littler ones to get hurt. Do your research. Find out what ages would be on his team and would he be against, how much travel (We have to travel all over the state), and how many practice hours there are. Be well informed and have a serious discussion explaining the pro's and con's to your son and see what he has too say.

Academy soccer in Texas is a big deal. I manage my 10 yo's academy team. Believe me, there is more time commitment and cost than rec. I pay $90 for my daughter to play one season of rec, that includes practices, league fees, uniform, and ref fees. For my son to play academy this spring it's $90/month training fees, $95 uniform, $95 league registration, and that doesn't include travel to the games since we are playing in a more competitive league in The Colony/Plano area. He has two practices a week for 1 1/2 hours each. Daughter's rec practices are once a week for 1 hour. Between both kids we have been involved with 5 different academy organizations; all were more costly and time consuming than rec. If you try academy and like it and want to stay with it you will eventually have to decide if you want to get additional skills training for your son. Most parents do, in order to keep up the kids really need it. That is an additional expense; we pay $175 for 12 weekly sessions for our kids. Academy is also much more physical than rec soccer. Referees allow more contact because these aren't kids who have never played before, they have been professionally coached.

If you have a team that doesn't cost more with a coach you like and respect and your son loves it, jump on it! It will be a good way for you to see how Academy soccer works and give your son more competitive teammates and opponents.

ETA - didn't really address your questions, did I? Sorry. If your son plays well in a team and doesn't have to be the star he will probably transition to academy fine. As Bree D. said the skill level of the teams as a whole is higher, so star rec players are not always star academy players. Remember that in academy the coach doesn't have to play anyone. In rec everyone has to have equal field time, not so in academy. Just reassure him that he will get better and get more field time if he's not getting played a lot. Make friends with the parents. The biggest threat to academy teams is losing players. The best way to combat this (aside from having a great coach) is having a tight knit parent group. My son has been on two teams that have fallen apart when faced with challenges and it was very hard on the boys to have to find new teams. Our current team has been together 2 years and I credit that first to a great coach and second to the fact that the parents all like and respect each other. Last but not least remember that Texas academy soccer is a very small world. The guy who ticks you off today might be your manager tomorrow, at the very least you're going to be seeing him a whole lot as long as your son is still playing. I've seen parents burn bridges with their attitudes/actions thinking they'll never see/need that person again and then regret it later. All that said, academy soccer has been an enormously positive activity for both my kids; my son started playing at 6 and my daughter at 7. It's been stressful sometimes, but they both love it.

Good Luck!

We were told the same thing - our son was outgrowing rec and needing to get a little more challenge. He's turning 8 tomorrow, but has been playing select since last summer at age 7. The nice thing about playing academy/select is that it is more advanced. There are more kids on the field, the fields are bigger and it utilizes a goalie. I know in rec we still weren't using a goalie! Also you PAY your coach. We have a coach that has training in soccer and works hard with our kids. In rec, it was really a toss-up. Luckily we ended up with a GREAT coach in rec, but I know that's not always the case. The other issue I see in rec is if you have problem players, you can not get them removed from your team. We had some problem players in which our coach could NOT get removed from our rec team. With select/academy you don't have that issue.

My son plays for Liverpool and we are very happy with our coach, and the organization. It requires a cost commitment, but it also includes all the lessons twice a week - in which my son has learned great foot work skills and how to pass and other things needed for playing better soccer in games.

I've seen obnoxious parents but our team we are on everyone is extremely positive about the kids. In fact the coach and/or team manager will contact parents in our organization that are acting out of hand.

We see a lot better players playing in the leagues we play in now, so it pushes my son to play better. Some of the kids that play are amazing at this age.

It is harder on your kids entering select/academy because at rec, they are used to being the best or at least one of the better players. In select/academy you'll notice that isn't always the case and can the realization can be confusing and hard on a child. It's a good learning lesson though.

Good luck with your decision.