Youth soccer can be life-changing for young athletes or even inexperienced children. Soccer is a wonderful way to guide youth into a brighter future and even leadership roles. Soccer is a universal game, played by children, youth and adults of all ages, races, and backgrounds. It’s a sport that is played in nearly every country around the globe! Today, the game is fast becoming a universal language spoken by even sworn enemies like North and South Korea.
As a career, soccer stars are one of the highest paid professional athletes in the world, and the latest transfer of Neymar from Barcelona to PSG for a record $276 million has sent the value of players soaring even higher.
Soccer is growing rapidly in the United States. It is estimated that nearly 30 million Americans play soccer. Professional clubs are popping up in cities across the nation. The value of Major League Soccer teams has grown over nine times their 2007 values, according to Forbes. For children located in areas where financial hardships exist or family situations are difficult, soccer can be a great sport due to its low entry cost.
In a place like Argentina, soccer has been saving kids from a future of drug-fueled gang lifestyles and killings. Former Manchester United star, Carlos Tevez spoke about where he grew up in Argentina in an interview while he was at Manchester City. According to Tevez, the only two ways to leave the suburb where he grew up was either through soccer or death from gang wars. The Argentine has a visible scar on his face which was inflicted upon him when he was seared with boiling water as an infant. Football (soccer) saved his life.
Today, we all go to stadiums at the weekend with our buddies to catch a glimpse of superstars kicking around a football, and when we can't make it to the stadium physically, we turn on the TV or our mobile apps so we don’t miss out on the action. The superstars like Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi that we watch today are a product of good youth soccer systems.
Lionel Messi was discovered as a youngster by Barcelona and taken to their famed La Masia academy that has also produced the likes Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Busquets, Pedro, Andre Iniesta among others. If Messi did not get the kind of training and education he got from the La Masia academy, he would arguably not be the big star he is today.
Christiano Ronaldo was also educated at Sporting Lisbon’s famous soccer academy, that had trained Luis Figo also. The disciplined, structured, and well-coached athletic training is a key ingredient in the competiveness of the greatest players. The current world footballer of the year also had the privilege of playing under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, this training played a huge role in his future success as a footballer.
Despite the fact that several individuals want to make it as professional footballers, not all of them have the environment to build their skills and learn much about the game in their youth. With the help of organizations like Gova Sports, youth soccer players can get all the help they need to prepare themselves to become great soccer players and future leaders at home or in the workplace. Because navigating the world of professional football can be very tough for any youth soccer player, its important to have a solid foundation set from a young age.
For a youth soccer player to be able to have a good career in the game, they need to know the fundamentals of the game, and even more importantly, learn leadership skills that would help them lead themselves as well as teammates on the field of play.
Without a doubt, any youth soccer player can go on to have a successful career in the game, all they need is the right training and mentorship from professional leagues and coaches such as those provided by Gova Sports.