In my state assoc. the pay-to-play clubs require a 10-month commitment from their players from u8 to U19. There are different types of flexibility in regards to playing other sports or activities. I've seen kids as young as 7 training for soccer year round. Is it necessary? Club directors say they are open to letting players play other sports, especially through the winter but the scheduling and cost makes playing another sport prohibitive at times. Even if you take winter/part of winter off to do another activity—the club still gets their normal rate. I think a player needs to be committed to training by themselves since there's only 150–180 minutes of team training per week. And during that time they need to work on indiv. skills so we can work on more team-based stuff when we are together as a team (doesn't really happen that way in real life). But do we need 10 month commitments from players and families before they are teenagers?
Do you need 10 month commitments from teens? The length is not a problem, but the exclusivity is a problem. There is no athlete development advantage in requiring one-sport specialization. On the other hand, there are athlete development advantages in playing multiple sports (superior physical development and superior tactical understanding). Top clubs in Europe require their youth players to play another sport. The clubs in Europe are typically athletic clubs, not just soccer clubs. Requiring millions of youth to play soccer exclusively is ridiculous from a sports standpoint. It is completely driven by commercial motives. Professional players are a very small, select group, not the norm. They are also not little children.
I have not read anything on the subject recently, but I recall it from reading articles about both Barca and Ajax. I don't recall which club, but one of them recommended martial arts for pre-teens and yoga for older players. I imagine that martial arts is desirable because of its physical and mental requirements and yoga for its contact-less requirements for strength, control and balance as well as the mental aspect. I think that generally speaking people in the US generally have only a very superficial view of the technical aspects of soccer at Barca and Ajax. One ideal that amuses me is the notion that Barca and Ajax are typical of Spanish and Dutch football.
Require is a big word, but with Messi's broken arm in the Netherlands it is mentioned that all young kids should do judo, because it decreases the risk of broken bones with kids. Many kids in hospitals emergency room come in with broken bones that could have been avoided if the kids had been judo trained. https://www.metronieuws.nl/sport/2018/10/had-messi-zijn-gebroken-arm-kunnen-voorkomen
I think the intent behind the commitment letter - to limit poaching from fall to spring in the pay to play divisions - is good. Having the January transfer window so that players who think they are not a good fit for their current environment also seems good. The limiting of outside sports is one I hadn't heard.
I agree. It's an unintended consequence. My club is open to let kids play other sports, but in effect it becomes difficult to actually DO another sport if you're meeting 3x/week in the winter. No, things don't need to be easy. But there's some element of: "If I'm committed for ten months/paying for ten months then I need to get something for ten months." Which is totally fair. But prevents kids from exploring other sports. Also very hard if they are true multi-sport athletes and can play both sports at a high level. In this case, making kids choose at pre-teen level seems not right.
Whole heartedly agree. Too many kids fall so awkardly. Especially in my world where we have to teach kids how to side shuffle and run backwards.
I took judo for one semester in college and last practiced in my mid 20's. It was still keeping me safe in a headfirst fall down a stairway when I was 56. Rolled out at the bottom without even a bruise. If I had to think about it, it would have gone badly.
It's not like the clubs are paying you a transfer fee, or solidarity payments, or any of that if you switch clubs. Strange to think how they can enforce this without league level consequences or an agreement between clubs.