Two months into the house league soccer season and not everybody is on board with the new rule changes.
This season players are now playing on smaller fields, with smaller nets, and they are not really keeping score. This all part of Ontario Soccer’s long term player development program – small changes to the way soccer for kids under 13 is played, coached and managed.
“We play 5 on 5 as opposed to 7 aside for the under 7 and the under 8 kids. So I try to tell parents if your kid is getting more time with the ball and more touches, isn’t that better?” said Jason Beckford with the Newmarket Soccer Club.
But not all parents are on board with this philosophy.
“To me it’s not serving them properly. My 11-year-old girl strives to be the best but doesn’t like it sometimes because she doesn’t feel as competitive as it used to be with no scoring,” says parent Doug Betts.
A local psychologist says the onus is on the adults to make sure every kid understands what is expected of them.
“The opinion and research is mixed. Some say if you teach the kids to win and lose gracefully but I think it comes back to the parents and how they portray winning and losing,” says psychologist Dr. Ken Marek.
What do you think? Post your comments below.
