If you see two soccer teams running around on a weeknight or weekend, laughing if someone misses a shot and wearing T-shirts or jerseys that don't match perfectly, chances are you have happened upon a recreational game. The United States has 1,460 professional players and another 24.5 million non-pros. The latter group includes recreational players who tend to become friends off the field and enjoy socializing and grabbing a beverage and bar food after the game.
Definition
"A recreational team is where the emphasis is on having fun and getting exercise," notes Wes Harvey, who coaches adult and youth soccer in Baltimore, Maryland. Competitive teams, by contrast, have an emphasis on winning every game and vying for a championship. Though the emphasis is on fun, rec players need to share the ball to keep everyone involved. "You simply have to pass the ball, in recreational as well as competitive soccer," Harvey states, "because sharing is fun for everyone, and everyone gets to touch the ball. Even on a rec team, if you don't pass the ball, it's not recreational for the players left out."
Youth
Players between the ages of approximately 8 to 18 can choose between rec soccer and travel teams, which fill a similar niche to that of competitive leagues for adults. Recreational play involves joining a local league and wearing affordable numbered T-shirts. Each player plays half the game, writes Lindsey Blom in "Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Soccer," or for under-8 players, two out of four quarters, lasting up to 12 minutes. Referees try to blow the whistle as little as possible to allow the kids maximum playing time. "Travel" soccer teams have you challenge high-level teams possibly at a distant venue while wearing a full matching uniform: numbered jerseys with matching shorts and socks. Recreation teams do not have tryouts, but travel teams do.
Adult
Adult recreational soccer typically allows older, less skilled or less driven players an alternative to competitive play. As with children, equal playing time plays a role. "Subbing is very important for a recreational team," Harvey says. Whereas a competitive team may have a coach assigning the best players to enter the game and look for a winning goal, balanced playing time is important for rec players, who typically all pay the same share of the league fee and drive to the field expecting a solid block of exercise time. For indoor recreational soccer with 12-minute quarters, it's more fun if everyone plays four to six minutes a quarter to share in the fun, versus players hogging eight or more minutes a quarter, Harvey notes.
Considerations
Recreational soccer typically offers youth, men's, women's, co-ed and over-35 master's divisions. A drawback to recreational teams at youth and adult levels is that players simply may not show up at games and practices, Blom writes. If you manage a rec team, you may want to ask players to let you know a week ahead of time if they will miss a game so you can arrange a guest player.
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