Young Players at Risk for Burnout, Injuries

A decade ago, most girls played in a recreation league, such as American Youth Soccer Assn., until at least age 11 or 12, and then the most promising athletes whose parents could afford it were swept up by club teams.

A few years ago, however, under-10 and under-9 girls’ teams began to flourish in affluent areas and currently they’re popping up on Orange County fields like weeds.

In the last nine years, the number of under-10 girls’ team in the California Youth Soccer Assn.-South have tripled. Under-9 teams have been around for only four or five years, according to CYSA President Ray Horspool, and now a few under-8 teams are beginning to crop up.

The most obvious result of all this early club training is an ever-increasing level of performance when the top high school teams meet.

“I’ve been coaching high school soccer for 11 years and I can honestly tell you that most of the best players of 10 years ago would have a very hard time breaking into the lineup now,” said Hamid Sedehi, assistant head coach of the Irvine Strikers club program and an assistant at 10th-ranked Esperanza. “It’s absolutely night and day.”

Los Alamitos Coach Mossy Kennedy, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with college coaches from all over the country, watched top-ranked Capistrano Valley and No. 6 Mission Viejo battle in the Excalibur tournament and said, “The general consensus was that it was equivalent to a very well-played college game.”

“The girls were making tactical decisions that most high school players aren’t even aware of,” he said. “And touch after touch after touch, the game was decided by what the players could do, not by mistakes.

“I’m sure most of the top teams today would completely shred the [Southern Section] champions of just a few years ago.”

But there is a significant downside to such intense training for youngsters, with physical wear and tear, increasingly serious injuries and burnout taking a toll on some players.

“As club coaches and trainers, we improve our techniques and approach every year,” Sedehi said. “Practices are longer and more structured. But it’s all pretty much parent driven, because more and more parents are pushing kids to focus on one sport instead of just enjoying childhood and doing a little of everything.

“Personally, I don’t stress winning until 14. Before that, we concentrate solely on player improvement and having fun. Of course, we all associate fun with winning, but hopefully you can have fun and still do the right thing.”

Seeing your kid improve is not always enough for some parents, however, and Sedehi has had many a team meeting with parents of younger-level players to remind them that winning is not the ultimate goal.

With varying degrees of success, of course.

“Don’t fool yourself, under-10 teams want to win too,” Woodbridge Coach William Bell said, “and that means recruiting and tons of pressure on kids. I think it’s too much, too early. And they’re just playing too many games.

“At one time, high school soccer was more important to kids than club soccer, but it no longer is. I can’t believe it, but I have trouble motivating my girls to play a cross-town rival. They play 60 games for their club every year and 22 for me. What magic words can I say before a game that will reach down into their hearts that they haven’t already heard?”

Kennedy realizes many girls seem to thrive in the club environment, but he also questions whether intense competition at such an early age is the best way to train young players and still allow them to maintain their love for the game.

“We’re always losing some girls because of burnout,” he said, “and for me, it’s really sad when you find a 16-year-old who is already thoroughly bored with the game.”