Why Kids Will Always Love A Game of Football
Football Is Here To Stay - Why Everyone Loves Soccer!
FUN
Kids love soccer because it is a fun and exciting sport. Soccer is a great way to stay active, and it helps kids develop teamwork skills.
TEAMWORK
Kids also enjoy playing soccer because it is a challenging sport that requires skill and strategy.
CREATIVITY
They can also be creative with their play by dribbling the ball around other players or passing it to teammates in order to score goals. Kids also enjoy playing soccer because it is a challenging sport that requires skill and strategy.
EXERCISE & FITNESS
It provides an opportunity for exercise and physical activity. It helps improve coordination, balance, and agility.
The challenge of mastering difficult skills is one of the things that makes soccer so appealing to kids.
SKILLS
Playing on teams provides an opportunity for social interaction which helps develop friendships and build confidence in young people as they grow into adults.
It's not only physically challenging but mentally stimulating too; there are so many different ways to win games with different tactics, formations and styles of play that it never gets boring.
FRIENDSHIPS
Everyone loves soccer because it allows them an opportunity for social interaction which helps develop friendships and build confidence as they grow into adults.
PLAY AT ANY AGE
Soccer is one of those sports that can be played by anyone at any age level – whether you're just starting out or have been playing since childhood (like myself).
We all know that physical activity is good for kids as well as for grown-ups, but how do you get your kids interested in the beautiful game?
Younger children especially may be resistant to taking up sport, preferring instead to stay inside and play on screens or other home-based activities.
If this sounds like your child, here are just a few handy hints and tips to entice them onto the football pitch for the first time.
Choose the Right Size Ball
Sometimes, we can be so keen to get our children involved in our passions that we forget that they might struggle with our grown-up sized kit! This is why choosing the right size ball is crucial.
A toddler or younger child might really struggle to kick a heavy adult football, making it more likely they will give up on learning to play before they've even started. Instead, be sure to choose an appropriate sized ball for their age group instead. That way, they can learn to kick, shoot and dribble the ball that is just right for them.
Forget About Competition
One of the key elements of football for many fans is the competition and watching your team triumph over their rivals. However, small children in particular can find competitive play a little upsetting. Just as with board games at Christmas, little children often really don't like to play a game once they lose.
To avoid this attitude also applying to soccer, be sure to forget about competition completely, at least to start with.
Once your child is feeling confident with their skills and enjoys playing the game, then it's time to introduce the idea of playing against others.
But be sure to save any element of competitiveness until your child is already independently enjoying the game first!
Another important tip to remember is that children need to learn at their own pace. It can be very disruptive to their confidence if you or another family member tries to tackle them or play aggressively when they're still learning.
Always remember that the key to a child sticking with a new hobby ultimately comes down to fun! If they don't enjoy playing the game, they won't want to keep trying to get better at it.
Football Means Family
A key way to get your child involved in any activity is to make sure it involves the whole family! This is definitely the case when it comes to football. If your child is able to watch you and other family members having fun whilst playing the game, chances are they will want to join in too.
A key part of the childhood developmental process is being able to mimic the behaviour they see around them. Introducing them to a sport like football early on has many benefits. These include showing them the importance of physical activity, as well as the fact that exercise can be good fun as well! It also encourages young children to work as part of a team, rather than just running off with a ball by themselves.
Another added bonus of playing football together as a family is that you can all enjoy some extra quality time, make memories and improve everyone's overall physical and mental health too.
Get Involved with Matches
If your child seems interested in soccer, but still isn't keen on trying it out for themselves, why not try watching a match together instead? Perhaps they might have an older sibling who plays in a team, in which case you could take them to cheer on from the sidelines.
Or why not snuggle up and watch a match at home instead? There's nothing quite like watching a live football match, with all the drama and skill on show, which can help to get screen-loving youngsters wanting to try out the sport for themselves.
Having an understanding of the game can help to ignite a young child's passion for the sport, so although it may seem counter-intuitive to watch the television when you want them playing outside, it can be a great stepping stone to get them onto the pitch.
Tips for Coaching Your Own Kids Football
For many children, football is one of their first big passions and if nurtured the right way, that passion can continue on for the rest of their life. A key component of this love for the game comes down to their coach. If you fancy taking on the responsibility of this role for your child, here are some great tips for coaching your own kids.
Make it Fun
If you see real sporting potential in your child, it can be tempting to focus more on technique than fun. Ultimately, your child is not going to want you to coach them if you push them too hard and stop making the game enjoyable.
Whilst coaching does of course involve teaching your child and helping them to improve their skills, always remember to talk to your child about why and what it is you're trying to teach them. This will help to keep any coaching sessions still focused on fun and enjoyment as well as helping your child to advance as a player.
Make a Plan
Prior to starting coaching sessions with your child, it may also be a good idea to make a plan of action together first. This can help your child to understand in what ways coaching sessions differ from just having a kickabout with their friends. It can also enable you both to find out what your objectives are for the coaching sessions too.
Your child, especially older children, may have particular areas they want to improve on, so to be the most effective coach possible, always remember that listening to your child's needs should be the top priority.
If you are both struggling as to where to start, you can always try watching a match together and talking about the players, or having a look online at how other coaches are planning their youth sessions.
Don't Play Favourites
As parents, we all want the best for our children. Sometimes, especially when it comes to more competitive activities, it can be hard to separate our child's ability from our ambitions for them. If you are planning to coach your child, particularly if you plan to coach their current team, it's really important that you don't play favourites.
Giving your child extra attention or praise may seem like an initial advantage, but the effect can be quite the opposite. Favouring your child over their peers can instigate tensions which can be disruptive to team bonding and to your child's relationships as a whole.
It can also end up putting too much pressure on your child, making them feel under excess stress to be your start striker, for example. Instead, always remember that children need to have fun as well as to learn when playing sports.
Keep Your Cool
When we become invested in something we care about, it can be difficult not to let our emotions get the better of us. This can be particularly true when coaching your child's sports team.
If your child's team isn't playing well, focusing any negative emotion on your child's performance is only going to discourage them further. It is also really important never to lose your temper. Whether you are coaching your child individually or as part of a team, being in such a position of authority carries with it a certain degree of responsibility.
This means showing an awareness of your position of authority, so no matter how well your child or their team is doing, remember to keep your cool.
Stand on the Sidelines
Coaching is a big commitment, emotionally and timewise, which is why sometimes it can be really beneficial to take a step back and stand on the sidelines for a little. By taking a moment to remove yourself from the heat of the game, it actually makes it easier to see how your team is working together as a whole.
It also makes it easier for a coach to see where a child may be struggling, as well as where they are excelling. Don't be afraid to watch how other coaches are working too, as you can pick up lots of tips simply by watching someone else doing things in a slightly different way.
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Football Goals Safety Tips
Choosing to purchase your own football goal may be the next step if your family love to play the game together. You may also want to buy your own football goal if your child needs to practise at home.
However, there are some safety elements that you need to keep in mind when purchasing your football goal posts. Over the past ten years, there have been a number of fatal accidents and other injuries caused by incorrectly installed and anchored goal posts.
As a result, there are now recommended guidelines and codes of practise in place to avoid these incidents happening again in the future.
Here are a few factors to consider when it comes to football goal user safety.
Stability
One of the most important safety considerations for football goal posts is to ensure that they have a high degree of stability. After all, an unstable goal post could result in injury, so this is a vital consideration to keep in mind.
The BS, or British Safety Standards, have weight limits to help you to tell if your goal posts will be stable enough or not. If you are looking to purchase an adult-sized goal, the maximum weight that can be applied to the centre of the crossbar should be no more than 110kg.
For futsal or youth goals, this weight limit is 80kg and 70g for mini-sized goals. If you exceed this weight limit, the goal is in danger of tipping forwards, which could be very dangerous.
Strength
The next most important safety factor to consider is strength. The British Safety Standards once again have advised the maximum amount of weight that should be applied to goal posts in order to prevent them from overbalancing or falling.
For mini-sized goal posts, the maximum weight is 80kg, whilst for goals that are any larger, a weight limit of 180kg is recommended.
These weight limits have been set after pressure has been applied to a goal post for no longer than 60 seconds, so applying too much weight to a goal post, even within these limits, could be dangerous if done for a prolonged period of time.
Other British Safety Standard Goal Post Recommendations:
- Check your goal posts carry the BS approved EN number
- Do not attempt to make your own goal posts or purchase modified posts
- Always anchor your goals for safety and stability
- Inspect your goal posts regularly to avoid any issues
- Do not use metal hooks
- Always follow the instructions provided
Anchoring
Anchoring your goal posts is an important part of the safety process, even if the goal posts you intend to use are freestanding. The back bar must be permanently attached to the supporting frame by using the correct attachment pieces provided.
Always take care to follow the BS guidelines for appropriate weights when putting your goal posts together. Some goal posts will need to be anchored directly into the ground, for example with a socketed goal. In these cases, make sure to secure your goal in a concrete hole of at least 600mm3 deep and 40mm below the level of the ground.
Socketed goal posts should also be provided with a hole cap, so that you can cover up the holes once your goal posts have been removed.