Off Topic: Soccer anyone ?

**giantfan43** · 10-20-2003, 08:45 AM

Now, this is completely off topic but, I coach my 5 year old daughter and my 6-year old son on two different soccer teams .. now, I have never ever played soccer and never even liked soccer .. I kind of got roped into doing it by some of the parents and I must admit, I am loving it .. something about a bunch of little kids running after a ball .. it is just the funniest thing ... and to see their excitement if they score a goal, its enough to kill ya .. I've always been a football fan and player .. played a little baseball too but if you told me then that I would be coaching soccer, I would have laughed at you .. but I will admit, it really has been some experience .. I look forward to the games and practices every week ..

I'm sure many of our friends outside the states could attest more to how good a game soccer is .. here in the states, its just not that widely accepted outside of the kids playing it .. but I'll tell you, in my town, there are 135 kindergarten kids signed up to play .. very large number ! The interest here though just doesn't carry on ..

**Bob45** · 10-20-2003, 12:54 PM

Soccer for the young kids is very popular around here now too Giantfan. My kids played. My daughter is in it now. She is 9. I like watching the games. It is fun watching the kids have a great time in all their sports. You sound like a great coach to have!

**Hibiscus09** · 10-20-2003, 01:01 PM

Soccer is really big here. Little B used to play when he was very young but stopped at about age 8. He said he was sick of people kicking him. LOL

**giantfan43** · 10-20-2003, 01:12 PM

Bob - I do enjoy coaching .. its fun coaching the little kids .. I'm not sure how much fun it would be when they get older and the whole things gets a bit more cutthroat

Hib - I see my kids getting kicked like crazy .. I don't know how they keep going .. I had one kid that on one play got kicked in the hand, had the ball hit him in the head and then fall on his face .. the kid got up all muddy but full of smiles .. its such a riot !

**Hibiscus09** · 10-20-2003, 01:44 PM

LOL -- glad you're enjoying it so much.

Brian, Jr. opted for playing cello and riding his scooter and stuff. He did play basketball for quite a while, though, and I thought it got pretty rough at times!

**Colssteel** · 10-20-2003, 05:05 PM

It's just misunderstood. People who have no experience with it automatically think it's "gay" or "stupid". But, if you give it a chance, it grows on you.

My kids came home from school and wanted to play soccer last spring. Now, I played soccer in jr. high, high school and college for a year, so I was fine with it. My wife, however, was not keen on it, because she grew up in a small town, where football IS LIFE. But, she loves them...and it was what they wanted to do, so she signed them up. Now, she loves going to their games, and wants them to play soccer over other sports.

I believe part of the problem is that it competes with football during the fall at most schools that have it and people think they have to choose between the two.

Me, I like both. I love watching football, college and pros. I also love to watch my kids play soccer. I have the best of both worlds.

**MiloMan** · 10-20-2003, 05:19 PM

I think that for most parents, any sport their kid plays is interesting (while their kid is playing, that is).

One sport I'd like to see catch on here is Rugby; nice and brutal, no pads.

**IPR** · 10-20-2003, 06:36 PM

Glad your enjoying it gaint....but please.....its called Football (a game where you actually use your feet as opposed to ones hands as with American Football)

The joy of playing football and rugby is the continuous play aspect IMO. American football and baseball is quite formal to my eyes, with a limited number of active participants at any one time and for kids this means boredom. Even if not actually kicking the ball, almost all the kids will run and be doing something active for the entire game.

Milo....rugby is a great game...very brutal. Hope you are watching the world cup in Australia.

btw, IMO rugby is much less dangerous than American Football, its just body hitting body, no hard protective equipment hitting unprotected body.

**Colssteel** · 10-20-2003, 07:00 PM

Originally posted by IPR
Glad your enjoying it gaint....but please.....its called Football (a game where you actually use your feet as opposed to ones hands as with American Football)

I refuse to call it "football". When I grew up...football was Woody Hayes and Chuck Knoll. Archie Griffin and Lynn Swann. Not Pele (as great as he was).

My point is, you are asking me to change the name of a sport that is new to our country and gained it's popularity here AFTER our gridiron warfare we call FOOTBALL!

It would be like asking a British person to refer to a torch as a flashlight...just because that's what it is called here in the United States.

Don't get me wrong...I like the sport. But, it will always be called Soccer here.

**IPR** · 10-20-2003, 07:25 PM

No way can I call a torch a flashlight, sound like it should flash to me....yep I'm a Brit

Unfortunately, outside of USA, the rest of the world calls soccer Fottball

Although in Japan where, I live, I think they do call it Soccer....but they are very closely linked to US in regard to sports.

Many have tried to get soccer to take off in US, including having the world cup there, but sporting cultures don't change easily.

**Colssteel** · 10-20-2003, 07:33 PM

Originally posted by IPR
No way can I call a torch a flashlight, sound like it should flash to me....yep I'm a Brit

Unfortunately, outside of USA, the rest of the world calls soccer Fottball Although in Japan where, I live, I think they do call it Soccer....but they are very closely linked to US in regard to sports.

Many have tried to get soccer to take off in US, including having the world cup there, but sporting cultures don't change easily.

Yep...lol. You are right about all of that. Like I said...I appreciate both sports. The US is slowly giving it the acceptance it deserves. The kids that play it, then grow up are assuring that.

Peace.

**Hibiscus09** · 10-21-2003, 03:32 AM

Unfortunately, outside of USA, the rest of the world calls soccer Fottball

Then what would we call football? LOL

You guys keep acting like it's not so big & soccer is huge here. We have way more kiddie soccer leagues than football -- must be a southern thing?

**Charger** · 10-21-2003, 04:24 AM

Giant,
My daughter played this year for the first time and my fiance's son plays and they both love it. To tell you the truth, my son plays baseball and football and I enjoy watching soccer more.
Enjoy the coaching and please don't be one of the dads that yell alot, I am sure your not. My daughter played this team last weekend and I wanted to deck the other teams coach, I am sure you see this also.
This is a VERY SERIOUS SMALL FOOTBALL TOWN and it's hard to seperate that from a game that just allows the kids to have fun. The kids are very serious about playing and winning but enjoy it even if they lose. My opinion of soccer/fottball has changed also.

**giantfan43** · 10-21-2003, 05:30 AM

Hi folks -

Right now, my kids are still little and I think they deserve a chance to pick what they would like to play and I think they should play everything if time permits. My son also plays baseball but at his age, soccer is so much more fun.. keeps them moving constantly !

Hib- soccer is HUGE where we are to so its not a southern thing .. but football is alot bigger ... my son wants to play football .. for 7 year olds they have flag football which then turns into tackle as they get older. He may do that next year but its got to be up to him.

Charger - I am not one of those coaches that yell .. I'm too busy laughing

. But it is amazing to see some coaches screaming their heads off at these little kids .. I even see that in my daughter's league although much less and her league is only kindergarten kids .. sometimes you feel so bad for the kids.

As for the football vs. soccer debate, football will always be number one in my hearts and I think always in the hearts of americans. But I do think somehow, soccer will continue to grow.

Later all
GF

**scott_donald** · 10-21-2003, 07:15 AM

Originally posted by Hibiscus09
Unfortunately, outside of USA, the rest of the world calls soccer Fottball

Then what would we call football? LOL

it called american footballl....

i hate soccer and everything about it i would much rather play football but cant so play rugby instead....

soccer is the number one sport here and wish it wasnt....

**Hibiscus09** · 10-21-2003, 07:24 AM

Well, it would feel weird here to call it American Football.

Anyway, in South Carolina kids don't usually play football until middle school. Soccer teams have them starting at age 3.

**MiloMan** · 10-21-2003, 10:02 AM

Originally posted by scott_donald
it called american footballl....

i hate soccer and everything about it i would much rather play football but cant so play rugby instead....

soccer is the number one sport here and wish it wasnt....

How much NFL TV do you get over there? Do you get any NCAA (college) football broadcasts? I have no idea what the satellite providers offer in your neck of the woods, as far as American sports programming.

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Off Topic: Soccer anyone ?

Soccer is not bad...

Sorry...

Hehehe.

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