Coed Youth Soccer : The risks and consequences.

As we most know, in the U.S. , soccer internationally known as football is the most played sport in the youth category with more grwoing numbers than any nation. Numbers never lie but what exactly is being done with those numbers ? Is it to claim global statistics based on the number of games played and goals scored or proper development of the youth with a holistic approach ? Is the purpose more about quantity than quality ? What is the goal ? With all that is being said, although realistically Women´s soccer has and still is more flourishing than the Men´s, how are soccer programs being viewed and set up on a national, regional, state and community level ? Is it customary, acceptable and legitimate to have Coed youth teams from the grassroots level of the sport up until the teenage years, to then separate them into gendered teams ? And if that is the case what is this system really teaching and how is it helping the youth get ready for what is ahead especially if its directed towards professional youth development ? Let us see what facts have to say about this and the consequences of these decisions and risks taken.

The United States Youth Soccer Association (U.S. Youth Soccer or USYSA) is the youth affiliate and member of U.S. Soccer, the governing body for soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer includes 55 state youth soccer associations, one per state except for California, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas, which each have two state associations. Their stated mission is to foster the physical, mental and emotional growth and development of America's youth through soccer at all levels of age and competition; to make soccer fun; and to instill in young players a lifelong passion for the sport. According to FIFA sources, U.S. Soccer is not mixed (meaning male and female play separately) and if this is so then why is this not being enforced in regions that have more than enough numbers to make this happen ? It is understandable for some regions/locations on why Coed Youth Soccer is needed due to low number of participants but what about the areas with the numbers ? This is not personal opinions but facts being stated.

In soccer the decision to separate genders is essential. Soccer is a contact sport so the increased contact among players can make continuing to field Coed squads more difficult.

The general consensus is that Coed teams teams work well when the kids are young (under 11) because both genders are mostly balanced in both weight and height especially in the U5 to U8 category. Also Coed teams are great for social and recreational reasons rather than competitive at this age range. Although ¨recreational¨ sounds innocent and harmless, some of these young and aspiring athletes come to play ¨recreationally¨ with a competitive mindset. So what is being done to teach them what is and what is not ?

I guess the big question is : Do girls playing on boys teams elevate their level of play? ABSOLUTELY but that is besides the point because they can all learn from each other. Many professional women athletes did play with male counterparts growing up especially if they had an older brother or cousin in the neighborhood but not on organized teams. There will be a handful of of girls playing on boys´ teams through the age of 10 which will then drop drastically to a girl or two between ages 11-12, then to one or none at ages 13-14. These girls really wanted to be there and play their hearts out proving otherwise to the best of their abilities but there was not much progress doing so going up against boys who are now much stronger and taller. Their cherished dreams and desires are now anatomically betrayed.

As children reach the ages 9-11, they begin to hit this interesting period in their lives call puberty and its should typically be a sign of the times to return or start thinking of gendered teams. Girls develop and mature quickly than most boys do and this is just a simple, natural fact. As both genders hit puberty, size and strength differences become more pronounced, profound and discrepancies in height can begin to pose safety issues and concerns. After talking with some parents of youth players, they stated opinions that the separation should begin as early as age 9.

The unforeseeable nature of puberty for both genders doesn't even out physically, emotionally and athletically. They mature very differently with the boys becoming more aggressive and physically stronger than the girls but also the reasoning challenges of needing separate dressing rooms for the female athletes can make them feel like they are not a part of the team among other venereal and licentious things than can occur with our youth today. Some girls don't even play anymore because they feel alone and maybe looked at in wrong ways from the other gender and this is one way of how insecurities kick in. Also unmentionable words and statements (verbal and sexual insults) can be made by the either gender that may lead to very unmanageable situations.

Alternatives to these issues can be solved by a number of ways. Scrimmage games can be organized between the all girls and all boys teams and can still help improve on their skills and embrace the game more than shrink from physical play and healthy development of the sport. It will also raise the awareness of an ALL GIRLS LEAGUE and COMPETITIONS with their sense of competitiveness and athleticism, thereby cutting down on ongoing injuries. This will help to make sure that all teams are matched properly in skill, level and size.

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