For me, it’s irrelevant if coaches win state cups, regional cups, and national cups. How many trophies they have in their cabinet isn’t important. It’s about the kids, it’s not about you. We care about how many players you develop rather than how many tournaments you win. – Claudio Reyna
Editor's note: This is the fifth in a series discussing some of the important problems facing youth soccer (between the ages of about 5-13). Many of the ideas and much of the content are derived from the work of Paul Mairs and Richard Shaw in their essential book, "Coaching Outside the Box." This series was originally published on the Philly Soccer Page.
Traveling for soccer is as American as apple pie. It’s seen as a badge of honor among parents. Our youth soccer culture assumes that tournaments are beneficial endeavors for our young soccer players just because “it’s the way it’s always been done,” rather than actually examining the potential harm. Tournaments have come a long way from the days of my childhood where they were focused on promoting the game and raising funds for clubs. They have become big business, big competitions, and a staple for many youth soccer clubs.
Yet, a great majority of youth soccer experts and developmental researchers believe that tournaments, in their current format, are detrimental to children. Bobby Howe, the former coaching director of the USSF says, “There is no need for players under the age of 13 to play out of state.” The current US Youth Soccer developmental manual, endorsed by 55 state youth soccer coaching directors, expresses serious concern about the negative impact of tournaments on young players.
Claudio Reyna, National Soccer Hall of Fame player — and Jason Kreis' boss at NYCFC — puts it best: “For me, it’s irrelevant if coaches win state cups, regional cups, and national cups. How many trophies they have in their cabinet isn’t important. It’s about the kids, it’s not about you. We care about how many players you develop rather than how many tournaments you win.”
The pressure is ramped up when the obvious goal of winning is emphasized in the tournament setting. All the negative aspects of a win-first mentality we’ve discussed in previous parts in this series are amplified as well. These games offer very few learning opportunities for children. As games take on bigger importance, the screaming from the sidelines ratchets up several notches. Players become so riddled with fear they often seek refuge on the sidelines by feigning or exaggerating injury.
The unequal playing time problem is even more evident in tournaments, with advanced children expected to carry the weight of the entire team, while less-advanced players drive long distances only to sit on the bench. Children are often subjected to playing on fields that are too large for their ages. Asking young players to play 11 v 11 on adult-sized fields before the age of 13 is counterproductive to their development and health.
The risk of injury is dramatically increased as players compete in as many as five or six games in a two-day stretch. Research has shown when players compete in two games in a single week, rather than just one, their risk of injury increases by an alarming 600 percent.
Nutritional demands placed on children are often overlooked. As their muscles are depleted of glycogen stores, they become fatigued, which not only reduces their performance, but increases their chance of injury as well. The options offered at most tournaments — burgers, hot dogs and fries — leave a lot to be desired.
Many tournaments are held in the summer when temperatures often exceed the recommended threshold for youth sports. Children can lose up to a liter of water during a typical game, and being less adaptable to heat than adults, often experience signs of heat stress (headaches, dizziness, cramps). It is not uncommon for a child playing a tournament to suffer heat stroke, a potentially life-threatening condition. Did you know that the American Academy of Pediatrics (of which I am a fellow) recommends canceling all athletic activities when the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT, a measure of heat and humidity) exceeds 85 degrees F? Yet organizers, coaches and parents often march their kids out in 100 degree weather believing they are helping these youngsters.
Parents, falling into the “reverse-dependency trap,” push for tournaments to see how their kids compare against “the best.” As we discussed previously, due to the variable rates of development for children at these young ages, this assessment is pointless and serves no purpose other than to boost adult egos.
There is a false mantra in youth soccer that says, “If you want to be the best, you have to play against the best.” This actually makes little sense when you look at the science. Playing against significantly superior teams, in a competitive setting, only serves to increase fear of mistakes. It decreases the opportunities for young players to have time on the ball. While they may still be able to work on some defensive skills, even these opportunities are less beneficial than when playing against more closely matched opposition. Coaches, who often have no prior knowledge of their opposition’s skill level, cannot appropriately plan for their players’ learning challenges.
Another way
It is true some parents and children actually enjoy tournaments despite these negative aspects. Many point to the joy of visiting a new city and experiencing different styles of play than they are accustomed to locally. Parents typically enjoy the social opportunity of tournaments in the form of a long weekend away from work, sitting around hotel lobbies with other parents, discussing their team’s highlights. And much to the chagrin of hotel staff, the kids obviously love getting away with their friends and finding mischief in pools and hallway ice machines.
There is another way for parents and players to experience the social perks without the need for a tournament. In fact, some clubs around the country have begun to implement positive changes. For instance, a team could vote on a city they would like to visit, contact a couple of clubs in that area and schedule one friendly game each day of the weekend. These games would almost assuredly be less pressure-filled, and the team and parents would still have the social benefits of traveling.
Another option is the soccer festival, which can mean different things, but primarily removes the focus away from winning and places it on the celebration of the sport. Some are simply tournaments where no scores or standings are recorded, and teams play a round-robin format. Unfortunately, kids and parents are keen to keep score and figure out which team was “the best” anyway. Some clubs have moved to internal soccer festivals in which players from various skill-level teams and ages can be split up randomly, perhaps into World Cup countries, where they compete for prizes in small-sided games. These typically allow the kids to enjoy the fun of competition without the pressure to perform and win at all cost.
There is an endless stream of expert opinion and scientific research warning about the dangers of traditional soccer tournament for young soccer players. It is time for change. At these age levels, the belief that playing against the top-competition is the only way to improve, is false. We know that time on the ball is one of the biggest predictors of success in the developmental ages of youth soccer.
Just imagine how much better these children could be if rather than spending hours in cars traveling to and from pressure-packed competitions, they spent it just playing the game they love.
Scott is a pediatrician and father of two active boys (who he is teaching to say "American football" for the pointy ball sport). You can follow him on Twitter @spugger77.