Sure it will.
by NDMike2001 (2020-10-07 08:06:39)

In reply to: that's not going to happen  posted by Irishlawyer

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There will indeed come a tipping point where the worldwide popularity of soccer catches on in the us and more kids will want to play soccer and schools will not be able to ignore the sport anymore. We just aren’t there yet. And the decline in the overall participation in youth soccer proves that. But the growing popularity is quite new. But it’s significant. And while football isn’t going away it’s popularity is taking a hit and the head injuries are a concern. When the next wave of kids come from millennials come along I suspect that we’ll see the kind of numbers where schools will start supporting the programs. And clubs will have more players when the pool gets larger. I believe there will be a day when clubs and schools coexist like aau.

I think you are being slightly biased in that view
by Steelhop  (2020-10-07 13:34:37)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Particularly kids that don't play football because their parents think it is too dangerous will move over to soccer. What has been happening is those kids have moved over to lacrosse.

As for overall numbers, most sports are down across the board by overall numbers. But, I blame that on specialization that is happening at younger ages now more than ever. You wouldn't believe, actually you probably do, the pressure that is put on parents and kids by coaches to specialize in one sport over the other in light of teams of all sports (outside of football) moving to all year travel teams. It is absurd.
I didn't say all kids will turn to soccer.
by NDMike2001  (2020-10-08 09:21:54)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Sure, kids will play other sports. Including lacrosse. And hockey. But if soccer suffers from being a white suburban sport, certainly lacrosse is much more so. I live in Fort Wayne, the second largest city in Indiana and roughly around the 100th in the US. A handful of schools offer the sport as a club. A colleague that recently moved here from NE has to commute 90 minutes or so to Indy in order for his daughter to continue to play competitively.

Moreover, nearly every community across the US has some form of youth soccer program. So when you're talking about Millennials seeking alternatives from football, soccer seems the obvious next step for a significant number of them.

Sorry. I misinterpreted what you wrote
by Steelhop  (2020-10-08 12:43:26)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

But, I also don't think you right in the sense that youth soccer is at some tipping point of acceptance at the millenial level (though I might be misunderstanding your point).

Youth soccer has been at about the 3 million or above participants since the late 90s (likely from the 94 WC games). I'm not sure what else can happen for it to grow more.

I lived all over the place growing up in the US. I always played soccer and baseball in every place I lived until 7th grade. It was just something to keep me busy. In 7th grade, my parents finally relented and let me play football. I then moved to MD and started playing lacrosse. So I guess what I am getting at is that if soccer isn't at some tipping point, I doubt it ever will. This isn't to say soccer won't be part of the sports landscape but that other sports come along. I know flag football has exploded in the last 10 years so while the thought is it might be soccer as the move for many parents - my guess is kids will go to something else...as I said lacrosse or flag football or who knows.
I’m referring to the Millennial’s kids.
by NDMike2001  (2020-10-08 20:54:44)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

This generation of parents will be the first ones to really live through the growth of the popularity of professional soccer in the US. Games from the top leagues, in particular EPL, are easy to access and the stars like Messi and Ronaldo are household names.
Soccer is easily the most popular sport in the world. It stands to reason that it would catch on at some point.

participant growth not the same as professional development
by turtle17  (2020-10-08 15:49:24)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

I'm personally not sure participant growth is that related to development of professional level players. It isn't unrelated, but I tend to think the key factor is a combination of soccer match attendance, eyeballs on games on TV, and realistically for today's media market views on social media. That can drive the money which can incentivize development of future professional players as compared to incentivizing pay for play.

To answer what can change for soccer given flat long-term participation, one possibility is a new generation can make it a sport they follow similarly to the way other big sports are followed in the US. Of course, people have been talking about this for a long time.
My boy started Lacrosse in high school
by irishlawyer  (2020-10-07 21:57:40)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

in the spring with soccer in the fall. Much to my chagrin (thankfully my daughter still loves soccer), while he likes to play and likes his teammates, he definitely doesn't "love" soccer. Based on his build, he would've been a stud in H.S. football but mom and dad kept him out of football. When Lacrosse came along freshman year he looked at me with a wry smile and said "I want to hit someone". He loves lacrosse. He plays soccer.