As a parent, you want the best for your child, and Los Angeles has ample opportunities to enrich kids as well as provide them a stable environment in which to grow and live.  One of these opportunities is found in the thriving LA youth soccer scene. 

Increasingly, parents and guardians are choosing to involve their kids in LA soccer teams because of the many benefits the sport provides. Here are a few reasons why the LA soccer scene is improving the quality of life for local youths.

Physical Activity

By far, the most convincing reason to encourage kids to participate in a LA youth soccer team is down to physical activity.  Childhood obesity can set an unhealthy precedent that could plague kids well into adulthood. When you consider the sobering statistic that 20% of children in LA County are clinically obese, getting kids more physically active is a big motivation for their health and wellbeing. 

Consequently, parents are looking to soccer as a solution. The sport allows kids to get a full-body workout with running, sprinting and walking.  Exercise obtained by playing soccer also helps build muscle, strong bones and improves cardiovascular health.  This makes the sport an ideal outlet for overweight kids, as well as a fantastic activity for healthy ones to remain fit.

Better Concentration

Today, most kids are glued to some kind of screen.  From fiddling with phones or tablets, playing video games or binge-watching television, more kids are living a sedentary life which can lead to disturbing consequences.  

In fact, a study by the National Institute of Health revealed that kids who spend two or more hours of screen time per day scored lower on language and thinking tests.  The same study showed that children who spent seven or more hours in front of a video game, phone or TV screen suffered from thinning of the brain’s cortex which resulted in compromised critical thinking and reasoning skills.

Alternatively, soccer is a game of keen focus, strategy and concentration.  The rules of soccer are also a way of keeping children focused and learning discipline.  What’s more, kids who play soccer are more likely to maintain concentration both off and on the field due to strategies and quick-thinking the sport requires. In essence, the growing youth LA soccer scene is playing a large part in helping kids regain focus through the game and step away from brain-damaging screens. 

Improved Self Confidence

Kids who are active in sports such as soccer are more likely to build better relationship skills through teamwork. The side-effect of this is ultimately improved self-esteem.  Furthermore, a child can attain a sense of accomplishment when he or she helps teammates, or kicks that winning goal for the team.  Ideally, soccer continues to bolster self-confidence when team members and coaches rally to support and encourage teammates to do their best on the field.  

How to Get Your Kids Involved

Now that we’ve discussed some of the tremendous benefits of soccer for kids, you might be inspired to get them involved.  Here are a few organizations and soccer centers in Los Angeles that cater to youth in the area.

For Training:  

TOCA Football has a state-of-the-art youth soccer training center in the LA area located off Costa Mesa Freeway.  They offer an indoor soccer center and train children from ages 7 – 18 how to master the game of soccer. They are committed to motivating kids to engage, interact, and achieve satisfaction through the art of soccer through their thorough and thoughtful soccer training program.

Youth Soccer Leagues:

The Los Angeles Soccer Association gives kids aged 14 or younger a chance to play and compete in a fun-loving environment. They have a league called the Diamonds League where youths can try out and experience the sport and competition on a higher level.

You may also want to check out Santa Clarita Sports Center’s “Lil Kickers” program. This isn’t quite a league, but the soccer culture in Santa Clarita is growing by leaps and bounds, so it might be worth a look for your child.

Soccer Camps:

Euro Soccer USA located in LA provides an array of soccer-centric services to kids from preschool up to high school.  They offer week-long summer soccer camps as well as weekend classes and after-school soccer programs.

Soccer Routes in Valley Village caters to young ones from the age of 2 – 9 with soccer day camps and they also have weekend packages where kids can learn to improve their skills.

The Last Word on LA Soccer for Youths

The choice to involve your child in the LA soccer scene is of course yours to make. However, it should be clear that the benefits of kids playing soccer are significant. From increased physical activity, improved self-confidence and better concentration – soccer can potentially be the best thing for your child’s health and development.