Nurturing Development Through Soccer
Darrell Morris

As a parent, there is no greater joy then watching your child develop emotionally, physically and mentally. As psychologist and pediatrician Dr. Arnold Gesell insightfully said, “Each child sits before he stands; he babbles before he talks”. Their movement from one stage of development to the next, while sometimes perceived as too fast or slow to some parents, remains an integral part of the bigger picture and process of maturation that each child must master on their way to adulthood.

Physical, mental and emotional development is different in each individual and usually follows its own natural path of progression. However, there are things you can do to nurture and help along that development process thereby producing a stronger and healthier child. One such way is encouraging your child’s interest and participation in an organized sport, i.e. baseball, football, basketball, soccer. Because my focus is largely on soccer, I’m going to talk about how soccer benefits a child’s development.

The popularity of soccer in the U.S. has exploded in the last two decades years. According to FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), the United States has almost 18 million official soccer players – more than any other nation in the world. Of those 18 million who play soccer, 78 percent are under the age of eighteen. In fact throughout the 1990s, soccer was recognized as the fastest-growing college and high school sport in the country.

Compared to football, baseball or basketball, soccer is unique in both the physical and psychological demands it places upon its players. Soccer is a dynamic sport that from a motor control and cognitive perspective requires its players to make countless decisions over the course of the match with few if any, stoppages in play. They are constantly thinking and strategizing on their feet. Those who participate in soccer and develop into effective soccer players are generally highly skilled, physically fit and capable of making good decisions.

Another nice benefit of soccer is that it remains a great equalizer in the development process. What do I mean by that? Anyone who wants to play soccer can play soccer. Playing soccer does not require a particular body type. You just need to have good foot-eye coordination and the willingness to get physical. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if a child is a “late-bloomer” or “large for their age”; everyone is capable and encouraged to play.

Like many other sports programs, soccer is also beneficial for:

• Improving motor skills and general physical fitness,
• Enhancing normal physical and social growth and maturation, and
• Helping build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints.

Whether your child plays soccer for fun or as an organized sport, it can promote a life-long enjoyment, physical fitness and good health. And, if soccer doesn’t appeal to your child and another sport catches their eye, that’s great too. The important thing is to just remain supportive and encouraging and they’ll do the rest. As long as that sport compliments, and does not exceed their cognitive and physical development, it can only prove beneficial to their overall development, and ultimately provide hours of action-packed entertainment.