As a club soccer director, in an area where there was ONLY recreational soccer before our club, I get asked this question a lot…..”is it okay if my child plays recreational soccer this fall?”
Would you let your child who is in 6th grade spend TWO days each week in the 1st grade class and miss what is being taught those two days in 6th grade? I don’t know a single parent that would sign up for that. In fact, the opposite is what usually happens….a child is chosen to take a few “advanced” classes. Advanced classes = Club Soccer. Your child has the opportunity to learn at a higher level….to play at a higher level….to compete at a higher level…..you should not pass that up. And you definitely shouldn’t go back to the basics or a lower level of competition.
When we ask college players when they stopped playing recreational soccer, they most popular answer is 8 or 9 years old. And they all started playing club soccer at that age and NEVER did both at the same time.