Atlanta Soccer News

Atlanta’s Youth Are Getting A Kick Out Of Soccer

From my position just outside of the main fields, I could see that these Academy Soccer drills were a test of a player’s dexterity, power, speed, agility, practice and coordination. It was warm a warm and humid evening evening. However, the heat did nothing to discourage the twenty youth soccer candidates who were on the field. The tryouts were for a premier Atlanta Soccer Club academy team for the fall and the competition was intense.

This was the scene all over Atlanta and Georgia as soccer club tryouts got under way to big crowds. In fact,  over eighteen million people in the United States now play soccer and nearly eighty percent of the participants are under the age of eighteen. As I glanced around, I could see that I was surrounded by parents who clearly supported their child’s enjoyment of the game of soccer.

I continued to watch the drills and in particular a twelve year old boy as he bounced a ball off of his foot into the air repeatedly without the ball ever touching the ground. As I looked on, he accomplished this feat over two hundred times in a row. I can only imagine how many hours of practice it took to attain this proficiency.

As I watched his display of dexterity, I wondered what had happened to the pundits that had dismissed the growth of soccer in America in the mid nineteen eighties. I can clearly remember the reasons given at that time to dismiss the sport in this country. They said it would never be popular here because it was a “ foreign game”. Americans did not “dominate” the game was another reason often cited. It was a game that was not “discovered” in America still others opined.. There was not enough scoring was a common reason. Sports that were already popular in America would prevent soccer’s growth and domination was still another reason given at the time to dismiss the sport.

So what happened over the last two decades to make soccer the apparent sport of choice for America’s youth? There are several things to consider when discussing soccer‘s popularity increase during the last twenty years : Soccer is a game both boys and girls play. Most high schools have added a soccer program in addition to their football programs. The American Youth Soccer Association was highly successful in popularizing and marketing soccer with America’s youth. More and more American’s having now played the game in their youth are becoming avid fans. Latin American immigrants were increasing soccer’s popularity while the World Cup’s arrival in America in 1994 also raised the game’s visibility.

There are now at least 3 cable stations that are solely dedicated to broadcasting soccer, as well as ESPN expanding into more soccer coverage due to the huge ratings success they encountered when they broadcasted World Cup 2006 and the Euros 2008. On any given Saturday, you can actually catch more live English Premier Soccer matches on TV here in the US than you can in England. In addition, there is a popular radio show that broadcasts 5 days a week on satellite radio who’s sole focus is soccer.

The demand for soccer coverage is growing momentum like a top class winger tearing the the touch line. I gasp and wait to see what comes next.