Youth Soccer

Sizing Information for Youth Soccer Shoes

Youth soccer shoes are sized in the same manner as street shoes, with the caveat that major U.S. soccer shoe manufacturers do not make cleats in sizes to fit children under age 4. Given overlapping sizes between sizing for children's, youth, men's and women's soccer shoes, older youth players have a number of options in terms of which size to wear. You can explore the variations among leading manufacturers that affect nominal sizes to find a well-fitting soccer cleat for your child's feet.

All About Youth Soccer

How to Improve a Soccer Pass

Soccer passes don't always need to go to the feet of a teammate. But they do have to go accurately to your target -- which could also be an open spot on the field -- so the pass can be collected easily and do some good in a bui...

Will Football & Lacrosse Cleats Work for Youth Soccer?

If you are the lucky parent of a multisport athlete, you might want to save on your child's sports footwear budget by having him use football or lacrosse cleats for soccer as well, but each of these shoes features design modifi...

What Is ODP Soccer?

ODP soccer is the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program. The soccer academy was founded in 1977 with the aim of nurturing the young talent of U.S. soccer in all age groups and to find the best players to represent the n...

Official Rules & Regulations of Recreational Youth Soccer

While international games and top pro leagues follow to the letter these rules, known as the Laws of the Game, recreational youth soccer leagues tweak the Laws of the Game to suit younger age groups. "With each older age group,...

Youth Soccer Goalie Rules

Taking turns in goal allows your aspiring goalkeepers to also gain experience and valuable footwork training as field players, writes Raymond Verheijen in "Complete Handbook of Conditioning for Soccer."

Soccer Youth Training Tools

Soccer is one of the most popular team sports played by American children. A 2009 National Sporting Goods Association report showed that more than 13.5 million youths have played the sport more than once, ranking it second behi...

FIFA Youth Soccer Tournament Rules

The international governing body for soccer, FIFA, holds a World Cup tournament for under-20 and under-17 boys and girls every two years. These tournaments promote competitiveness at the youth level of the sport and create a fr...

The Center Ref of a Soccer Game

The center ref of a soccer game can be a parent drafted to blow the whistle at her son's or daughter's game in a low-key league for the littlest players. Or it can be a celebrity referee like Italy's Pierluigi Collina, a shaven...

Which Youth Soccer Shoes Have the Best Control?

"Control, look, pass and move," writes trailblazing U.S. men's player Paul Caligiuri in his book "High-Performance Soccer" of the mantra instilled into him by his club coach. Control goes hand in hand with the most important pi...

Duration of a Soccer Match

A typical adult soccer game runs from start to finish about one hour and 50 minutes, accounting for the actual clock time, a halftime break and minutes added to account for substitutions. Youth players, especially first-graders...

Grants for Soccer

Millions of dollars in grant money is available each year to support soccer programs, although most organizations place a cap, such as $100,000, on how much money may be requested. Finding a grant and sifting through the eligib...

Youth Soccer Training

Youth soccer teams introduce the fundamentals of the game to young players. If you are coaching a youth soccer team, you need to give players drills that will help them learn the skills of the game. That's just one part of your...

What Are the Best Cleats for Artificial Turf?

Artificial-turf fields, typically harder and shallower than natural-grass surfaces, have been blamed for increases in serious knee injuries and lower-body ligament strains to athletes using the surface. Artificial turf's stiff ...

Grants for Youth Soccer

Youth soccer programs offer children a chance to have fun and learn the game in a safe and educational environment. Unfortunately, there's more to youth soccer than just rounding up a group of willing kids: you also need money ...

Game Approach to Coaching Youth Soccer

Coaches can talk, and coaches can run drills, but the real path to greatness in soccer lies in individual genius honed by hours of touches and runs in actual games. At every critical moment of a game, players are far from the c...

Youth Soccer Training Programs

Youth soccer training programs bring the most out of players with potential and ultimately allow the United States to field competitive squads for international men's and women's competition. The best youth players eventually o...

Youth Soccer Gifts

Youth soccer players are often so obsessed with the game that they will happily receive any soccer-related gifts. Still, the things that really matter are the tools they will need on the pitch. A practical gift that both helps ...

Length of a Youth Soccer Game

The U.S. Youth Soccer organization is a nonprofit agency that uses the sport of soccer to ignite a youth's physical, emotional and mental growth. The American Youth Soccer Organization provides youth soccer programs in a fun, f...

Tips for a Coach for Youth Soccer Practice

Youth soccer leagues give kids an introduction to the basics of the sport. Coaching children comes with its share of challenges, but it also gives you a chance to instill a sense of excitement about soccer. Many youth soccer pr...

Guide to Coaching Youth Soccer

Coaching youth soccer is a challenging but potentially very rewarding activity. A youth soccer coach should teach the fundamental skills of the game in an enjoyable and competitive environment. It is also important that a socce...

Soccer Youth Coaching Tips

Soccer youth coaching tips and drills can help you improve your players' offensive and defensive skills. In addition to working on their on-field technique and precision, soccer drills can help to improve their overall speed an...

Youth Soccer Rules of the Game

Youth soccer is one of the most played sports throughout the United States. Youth soccer rules are designed to offer a structured game that is played in a fun and safe environment. Youth soccer rules can differ by age group and...

Soccer Tournament Checklist

If you are running a soccer tournament, you'll want to make sure you pay attention not only to the official items you'll need for legal play, but those extra amenities and benefits that can set your event apart from other tourn...

What Are the Benefits of Mini Soccer?

Mini soccer can be as enjoyable as playing soccer on a full-size field. The smaller dimensions of the field help players improve their individual skills as well as improve team play by quick passing and making space to receive ...

The Best Youth Soccer Shinguards

Shinguards are the only pieces of equipment allowed in soccer. There are many different options--brands, prices and materials--when choosing shinguards, but all come in one of two types: those with straps and ankle-guards, or t...