America’s Youth are Getting a Kick Out of Soccer

From my seat in the stands, I could see that these exercises qualification football have been a test of skill of the player, power, speed, agility, practice and coordination. It was hot in football. installation on this late May afternoon. However, the heat did nothing to discourage my nephew or the other twenty youth football candidates who were on the ground. The tests were for the last two roster spots for the Aztecs first-team youth soccer in the fall and competition was intense.

In fact, more than eight million people in the USA now play soccer and nearly eighty percent of participants are under the age of eighteen years. As I glanced around me, I could see that the stands were occupied by parents who advocate strongly for their child to enjoy the game of football.

I continued to watch the exercises and in particular a period of twelve years, boy, he bounced like a ball of his foot into the air repeatedly without the ball ever touching the ground. As I watched, he accomplished the feat over two hundred times. I can only imagine how many hours of practice it took to reach this level.

As I watched the display of dexterity, I wondered what had happened so that experts had dismissed the growth of soccer in the Americas ten-nine in the mid-eighties. I can clearly recall the reasons given at that time to dismiss the sport in this country. They said it will never be popular here because he was a "game". Americans did not "dominate" the game was another reason often cited. It was a game that was not "discovered" in the Americas still others believe .. There was not enough scoring has been a common ground. Sports which were already very popular in the Americas would prevent the growth of football and domination is yet another reason given at dismiss the sport.

So what happened in the past two decades to make the sport of football's apparent choice for the Americas of youth? There are several things to consider when examining the increasing popularity of football over the last twenty years: Football is a game both boys and girls play. It is more economical for a cash committed youth organization that football. Most schools have added a soccer program in addition to their football programs. The American Youth Soccer Association has been a great success in popularizing and marketing americas football with young people. More and more Americans are now having played the game in their youth are most fervent supporters. Immigrants Latin American football have been increasingly popular while the World Cup arrival in the Americas in 1994 also raised the visibility of the game

Suddenly, a loud burst encourage stands my nephew kicked a powerful shot towards goal. I smiled to myself quietly as I considered how similar my nephew shooting but soccer is the growth in the Americas. Both are powerful, led by youth on solid legs which are a real benefit of the game.