In today’s world, kids and parents definitely have options when it comes to sports and hobbies. Whether it’s playing a musical instrument or joining an after-school club, there are many activities for your kids. Unfortunately, options can lead to challenges in deciding what is the right activity for your child. Here are a few reasons why soccer, the number one sport in the world, may just be the right sport for your child.

1. Friends – This is one of the most important benefits of playing soccer. Soccer teams may have anywhere from 15 to 25 kids on a team and is a year-round sport. Whether it’s at a practice or a game, your kid will develop special bonds with their teammates as they go through ups and downs together on and off the field. Additionally, parents also have an opportunity to interact with other like-minded parents to help them develop friendships too!

2. Healthy – Soccer is a healthy sport for the mind and body. Not only has soccer been shown to help with building stamina and strength, as well as eye-hand/foot coordination, but further exercise can also improve your mood and self-esteem. Being a part of different successes and challenges helps build a player’s mental skills for the future.

3. Structure – Soccer can be very busy with multiple trainings a week and games on the weekends. If a player continues to progress to higher-level teams, this also means traveling further to games. The combination of soccer with school helps keep a kid busy and managing a schedule as opposed to just sitting around and playing video games in their free time.

4. Global – The number one sport in the world is soccer, and your kid will not only be playing a sport that is growing in the United States, but they will be part of a global community that is a part of the game whether they are a player or a fan. No matter where your kid is in the world, they will be able to relate with others when it comes to soccer or football as it’s called in many other parts of the world!

5. Life Skills – Overall, kids have an opportunity to experience and learn many life skills that they can take with them into the future. Whether it’s friendships, time management, problem-solving, perseverance, or conflict resolution, the number of skills on and off the field that a player will learn is endless.

Soccer has over 250 million people playing worldwide so there must be something fun about the sport! It can be played anywhere from a backyard to a street or even in your basement. All you need is a ball.

A great way to see if soccer is right for your child is for them to attend a mini-camp or be part of group training at a soccer facility like Sogility. This will give your kids a chance to get a taste of the sport without making the full commitment to play for a team in a season.