Celebration of goals

[santorro]

Hi guys,

would you let your U10 Girls celebrate their goals by acting like professionals? I mean, girls like to act after a goal and I already seen a celebration using the corner flag or cleaning the kicking goal's shoe. Is it fair play? It is now a competition between them to make up the most original one.

Your thoughts please.

[ranova]

There is going to be celebrations of some kind. So its just a question of establishing reasonable limits. The LOTG are pretty loose regarding celebrations. Mean-spirited taunting or other behavior that demeans the game (such as taking off shirts) is not allowed. It is not considered delay of the game. The ref just adds to the stoppage time. I probably would not want young girls having unfettered descretion. In lop-sided games, its starts getting irritating and pro-longs the "beating." I would want to tone them down or eliminate them in those situations. Just like you would (without fanfare) intentionally play a weaker offensive lineup than you would ordinarily if you got too far ahead.

[BigGuy]

[quote=santorro;11582988]Hi guys,

would you let your U10 Girls celebrate their goals by acting like professionals? I mean, girls like to act after a goal and I already seen a celebration using the corner flag or cleaning the kicking goal's shoe. Is it fair play? It is now a competition between them to make up the most original one.

I think a player scoring and having a goal celebration is fun. Might want to make them score even more goals.

I taught my 5 yr old grand daighter her goal scoring celebration.

However, certain things you don't do

After you score celebrate but make your way to the center circle for the next restart. You don't waste a lot of time with that celebration. If your leading you should not waste a lot of time after it.

Other that that it is fine.

[Val1]

Hi guys,

would you let your U10 Girls celebrate their goals by acting like professionals?

No.

[drc003]

I coach a U11 girls select/travel team and I definitely want my girls to celebrate their goals. Now whether you consider it like professionals or not is up to you.

These are 10 year old girls and I want them to have fun out there. Every time they would score they just run immediately back to the center with no high fives or celebrations of any kind. I have told them it's ok to celebrate their goal, enjoy it and then immediately get back in position to restart. I have also said if a goal is scored off a nice pass the scorer and person who set it up should at least congratulate one another in some manner.

Finally one of the best listeners and one of my hardest working players scored a goal from midfield and did a cartwheel. Then last week we played a tough game where it was 1-0 and the other team was pressuring us big time and we scored on a nice counter attack with about 2 minutes to go. It was a girl who is new to the game(former gymnast and first goal ever) and she did somekind of cartwheel into a backflip. It was great. All that excitement let out and in no way showing up the other team. The sidelines went crazy and I could even see smiles and laughs from the opposing parents. Also our goals which come from assists are getting congrats all around. I see nothing wrong with this. This is an emotional and joyful game we teach.The girls work their butts off to get a goal and should get to enjoy it if just for a second.

Now going to the sideflag and doing things that could delay the match I'm not really for. Any type of taunting would obviously earn sitting on the sidelines for the rest of the match.

[loghyr]

I was on a BOD and a coach approached me about a U10 girls team (rec) which was doing too much celebration. Also, the girls were very large and aggressive.

So I talked to the other coach.

It turns out that the girls couldn't score at all the previous year. We put them in a lower league because of this fact. Over the summer, they grew and started listening to their coach.

So now they celebrated every goal because they could remember the year before. And they did it even on the 15th goal of the game... :p

I don't think they were doing excessive celebrations (i.e., long or inappropriate), but I did ask the coach to consider how it would feel to the other team after 15 goals.

[AABestor]

Well, on the one hand It's fun to score goals; it's great to score goals. To anyone who plays soccer at any level, age, or commitment it's a big deal to score goals and It should be fun to celebrate them. So doing crazy celebrations isn't a bad thing as long as your not taunting the opposing team. Ie: the airplane, taking the shirt off. hugs, high fives.
But
true story my last team U14 was up two nothing with about 25mins left to go in the second half. We created a turn over a couple of quick passes followed by a cross... ball goes into the net everybody cheers, but my player who scores goes over to the opposite teams bench and does the grave digger right in front of the coach. probably not a good idea to let them get away with that.

I think every goal should be celebrated, 90% of the time during a game you won't even have the ball let alone score. As long as it's not tuanting or demeaning the to other team.

[uniteo]

Heck yeah, let 'em enjoy it. As long as they're not showing anybody up.


I'd be thrilled if my girls did that, because it would mean they were watching professional soccer.

[solost22]

Heck yeah, let 'em enjoy it. As long as they're not showing anybody up.


I'd be thrilled if my girls did that, because it would mean they were watching professional soccer.

While I'm still young and still play, I've also coached and have been a state certified ref for 13 years; with that in mind celebrations must be fitting to the situation. In most games a quick simple celebration is fine, anything that takes more time and becomes elaborate (such as running to the corner flag) is unnecessary. Personally I can't stand backflips and cartwheels, while yes some of the opposing teams parents may smile and laugh, it is degrading to the other team. In higher level games (such as ODP or college showcase games) a celebration is more acceptable but mainly b/c the games actually having more meaning.

It is important to remember that in kids' games, especially small sided games, the goal is for the kids to learn the game and HAVE FUN; while a goal celebration may be fun for your team, you also have to remember to think about the other team.

[loghyr]

In higher level games (such as ODP or college showcase games) a celebration is more acceptable but mainly b/c the games actually having more meaning.

And normally goals are much rarer at that level.

A Ulittle score of 20-5 is not uncommon. Do we want a celebration on all of those goals?

[solost22]

And normally goals are much rarer at that level.

A Ulittle score of 20-5 is not uncommon. Do we want a celebration on all of those goals?

You're right, while the idea is for the kids to have fun encouraging celebrations in youth games is unnecessary b/c exactly as you pointed out, there are too many uneven games where there is no competition

[uniteo]

encouraging celebrations in youth games is unnecessary

I got the impression that the question was whether to DISCOURAGE celebrations

[solost22]

it seemed like the first few posters supported the celebrations more than they frowned upon them, as a ref I am too frequently on the field witnessing one team love soccer while the other team hates the game and doesn't even want to be on the field

[drc003]

And normally goals are much rarer at that level.

A Ulittle score of 20-5 is not uncommon. Do we want a celebration on all of those goals?

I would say no. I volunteer coach the U6 age and there are quite a few goals. These kids just run back to the center and give their coach and maybe 2 teammates a high five.

However, I coach a team for a club that is now at the U12(girls) age group. This past season we were third at 4-3-3
with 16 goals scored and 16 goals conceded. There is in no way an unusually high amount of goals scored. I think it is great for these girls to celebrate their goals as long as it doesn't delay the game and is in no way taunting. It is a part of the game and people who are looking to find a problem with children celebrating goals should remember this is YOUTH soccer.

Of course I understand there are certain teams and individual players who turn this into a bad thing. I'm sure there are rules in place for referees to deal with this and they should on an individual basis.

[rca2]

it seemed like the first few posters supported the celebrations more than they frowned upon them, as a ref I am too frequently on the field witnessing one team love soccer while the other team hates the game and doesn't even want to be on the field

I was the first poster and suggest you read the posts again. We suggest limitations to celebrations more stringent than the LOTG.

[loghyr]

This past season we were third at 4-3-3
with 16 goals scored and 16 goals conceded.

1.6 goals per game and I agree with your take on that they should get to celebrate their goals. And following rca2's advice, if you started getting more than normal, time to tone it down.

BTW: Thanks for the stats.

[saabrian]

The professionals often don't act particularly professional. I don't know if I'd outright ban such celebrations but I'd encourage them to be low key. The last thing you want to do is give your opponent motivation.

[Wildcard]

The level of celebration is directly proportional to the level of the competition.

Celebration is a very subjective but important part of sport. Performed with the opponent in mind, celebration is accepted and tolerated.

Performed out of proportion to the worth of the goal, celebration destroys the very sportsmanship that association football was founded upon.

Personally, I most admire the footballer who scores a goal and returns to the centerline to start play again. This footballer celebrates by playing the game with disrespect to none ever.