Soccer Parent Advice
top 10 tips for soccer moms and soccer dads

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You're a newbie soccer parent and you don't know what soccer parent advice to take. This post will help. You want what's best for your child's first soccer experience, but don't know where to start.

You want to cheer for your daughter, but don't want to be "that obnoxious parent" that creates a commotion. Here are 10 tips for you to follow on how to be a good soccer parent.


1. encourage - Don't discourage

clapping hands

This makes everyone's list of parent advice tips for a good reason.  Keep it positive. Avoid the negative. Soccer is a game and youth soccer is a game for kids. Criticism doesn't belong in the game at this level.

Your child needs your emotional support, not your judging comments. Clap and give encouraging words for the effort the children are putting forth. It's good for their self-esteem. Enough said.


2. know the rules

The misunderstanding of the rules by soccer parents can leads inappropriate comments far too often. Just a 5 minute review of the rules on offsides, what constitutes a foul, and when the ball is fully out of play will make a big difference.

Here's the soccer-for-kids post on important rules of soccer and a glossary of basic soccer definitions that's very useful for newbie parents and coaches.


3. emphasize effort, not result

Youth soccer leagues do their best to set up competitive games were the two teams are evenly matched. Despite that, mismatches will occur.  Whether you're on the positive side or the negative side of a lopsided game, young soccer players should have a good feeling about the effort they put forward.

You can't always control the skill and experience of the opponents you face, but you can control the level of effort you put forth.

4. don't coach from the sideline

Soccer parents on sideline

Even at the preschool level, the game of soccer moves extremely fast. Situations within the game changes instantly. It's hard enough for a coach to give instructions during the match. When several parents yell advice from the sideline, it can confuse young players on what to do.

Some soccer parents could be instructing the player to move forward, while another might be telling their child to prevent the pass. One parent may tell their child to dribble the ball while the coach is telling their player to pass the ball. Let the coach give instructions. You give encouragement. Learn the ins and outs of being a good soccer mom or soccer dad.


5. promote teamwork - Soccer Parent Advice

Like many other sports, in the business world, and in life in general, learning teamwork concepts is vital for success. Although there will always be players that stand out, the idea of working together with others toward a common goal is one of the best concepts your child can learn from playing youth soccer.

Remember to cheer for the other kids on your son or danger's team. They're all in it together.

6. Release the pressure

It's hard enough to be a kid. Young soccer players don't need the added pressure from an overbearing parent to ruin the experience of playing soccer. Youth soccer players already face peer pressure, school pressure, pressure to do well when competing

The only pressure should be on you. That's the pressure to help make it a fun experience for your child. There's nothing wrong with inspiring them to give their best effort, but you don't need to put any pressure to win soccer games on your kids.


7. play soccer with your child

There are many good reasons to enjoy the physical fun of playing soccer with your child. Any soccer play, whether it's an unstructured make-believe game or more of an organized soccer activity is great fun for young soccer players and their parents.

Quality family time helps create that lifelong bond between parents and their children. The more "touches" the young soccer play gets, in real matches, practice, or backyard play, the more their ball skills improve. Even if you never played soccer when you were young, you will enjoy the playtime with your children.

This is one of the best things you can do to be a great soccer parent. The only "necessary" equipment you need is a youth soccer ball. If you want to step up your soccer playtime, cones and soccer goals are the next step.


8. show your enjoyment

You want your child to enjoy herself. Lead by example. Having fun is contagious and if your behavior shows that your enjoying yourself, that naturally rubs off on the other parents and the players.

Wearing a smile, cackling a good laugh, or using an excited and enthusiastic voice all add to the fun of any activity.


9. avoid the analysis

When the game is over, it's over. Usually, the last thing your kids want to do is hear good old mommy or daddy rehashing the game.  Kids look forward to the next fun activity, not a technical analysis of the soccer match after the final whistle blows. It's okay if you ask if they had fun. 

post-soccer-game-analysis-board.jpgDon't Do a Post Soccer Game Analysis of Your Childs' Performance.

My wife and I coached our 3 kids in soccer and other sports. It wasn't apparent to us right away that we were making the mistake of doing a detailed analysis of the game and of our kids performance right after the game.

Late on, when our level of communication with them was elevated did we realize this mistake. The very best thing you can do after the soccer match is over is to tell your young soccer player how much fun you had watching them play.

10. vounteer

Volunteering to help at some level shows your child the benefits of getting involved in some way other than simply attending soccer matches.

Whether it's helping out at soccer practices,  being the official "team parent," or helping put down the white lines on the field, you'll show your child by your actions how to contribute.


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RESOURCES FOR PARENTS IN SOCCER
positive INSPIRATION for OUR CHILDREN through soccer

Resources for Soccer Parents

This section gives you additional resources for good solid soccer parent advice. You want what's best for your child, not just in terms of participating in youth soccer, but in all aspects of your kid's life.

Soccer is a great game for all of the life skills it can teach to young people. The principles of teamwork, respect, confidence, and hard work can benefit children through their lives.


list of articles on advice for soccer parents

5 ways to inspire kids to do the right thing


Here is a good resource for parents of any kind, whether they participate in youth soccer or not. I found this post on a website focused on activities for parents and kids to do as a family. 

The name of the website is Red Tricycle I think you'll really enjoy reading the article.

Read the full article here: Encouraging Kids



12 Tips On How To Get Take Great Photos Of Your Kids Soccer Game

Soccer photo with distracting background


Here is a good article on how to take good photos of your child playing in a soccer game. Although a professional camera and lens would be great, parents don't need to use the most expensive camera gear.

Cell phone and point and shoot cameras will disappoint you, but there are useful tips that will help you get some great kids soccer photos.

Read the full article here:  How To Photograph Kids Soccer Games.



The top priority For Sports Parents Should  Be To get their child to love the game

Smiling happy child

If you instill the love of a game into your child, she'll want to play longer and harder. Focus on the fun of it. That naturally leads to better success.Parents, give your child ownership of enjoying the the whole game experience.

Children will improve their level of play if THEY are the ones trying to get better. Read more and watch the video at Positive Coach.




10 youth soccer rules for parents to know

soccer rules for parents


One of the too frequent sources of friction between parents, coaches and referees is a misunderstanding of the rules followed in youth soccer. It's a fast paced game and sometimes emotions run high in the heat of the battle.

Take a few minutes to brush up on the 10 youth soccer rules that parents should know.



The 6 Words You Should Say Today to Your Child.

Kids don't need to feel pressure from their parents when it comes to their performance on the soccer field. One of the greatest statements you can make to your child contains only 6 words, but the impact of speaking them can be very powerful.

Here's the link to the article from HuffingtonPost.com........Six words You Should Say:  "I love to watch you play." Read why this simple phrase can be so powerful.

What to do if Your Kid Makes a Mistake


Borrowed From devzone.positivecoach.org



HUGS HELP WITH CHILDHOOD BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

kids playing in puddle

Let's be honest, is there any better feeling than getting a hug from your child after they come off the soccer field. Rather then wait for a hug from your favorite youth soccer player, why not keep up your positive parenting theme going and hug them?

Well, as it turns out hugging has another positive effect. The more hugging your child does the better their brain develops.

Here the link to the complete article at dailyhealthpost.com



The value of play you parents may not know about

kids playing in puddle

Play has benefits way beyond the obvious benefit that they're having fun. According to an article over at naecy.org about families and parenting,

There are 10 things parents should know about relating to having kids enjoy a lot of regular old playtime.

Some of the benefits of play include stress reduction and development of cognitive skills.

Here the link to the complete article at naeyc.org.


share Soccer Parent Advice: 

Feel free to share the graphic below by linking to this page, or  you can down load the PDF copy of the 10 commandments for soccer parents here.


10 Commandments of Soccer Parenting

Keep it positive. Keep it fun!

Coach Bruce Signature

Soccer coach Bruce Lovelace started playing soccer in 1974 when, as a young boy, he constructed his own makeshift soccer goal. He played in high school, then in college and beyond. He started to coach his own children in the 1990s and then ran a Soccer Shots franchise for 12 years. Now, Coach Bruce publishes the soccer-for-kids.com website.  Find out more about youth soccer coach Bruce Lovelace  and what inspires this website.

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