Likely for the same reasons they play other sports.
“We survey youth in every community,” says Jon Solomon, research director for the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program, “and having fun and playing with friends are by far the top reasons. Winning ranks lower, chasing a college scholarship usually ranks even lower than that.”
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization designed to ignite human potential and build understanding. And yet, in terms of youth sports …
“We've created this system by adults that is more about highly competitive, commercialized structure, when a vast majority of children are clearly saying that's not why they play or why they want to play,” Solomon says.
The goal of Project Play, Aspen Sports & Society’s signature initiative, is to build healthy communities through sports and get more kids playing. (The national average is about 55 percent.)
It sees a crucial opening with the World Cup, which begins in June in sites throughout North America, including 11 in the USA. The final will be held July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Project Play has zeroed in on a sports-specific report for the first time, as well as on the New York City region, with its State of Soccer New York City/North Jersey report. Aspen shared the report with USA TODAY Sports ahead of its Tuesday, April 21 release.
“What if the legacy of this World Cup is that we shift the soccer culture from all this pressure to play?” Solomon says. “The World Cup offers this unique opportunity for any leagues or policymakers or coaches and philanthropists and private partners to collaboratively address systemic challenges within their community.
“And my suspicion is that in many other communities, if we were to look specifically at the soccer culture, you would see many similarities. Now, there'd be some differences - New York City is so dense, particularly when it comes to fields and the sheer number of people who live there.
“I would say, though, that many of these recommendations could be applied in other communities for soccer.”
USA TODAY Sports spoke with Solomon and Kira Pritchard, senior program officer at the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, which commissioned the report. Using their insight, as well as the findings of the report, we came up with five suggestions all soccer (and sports) parents can use.
YOUTH SPORTS SURVIVAL GUIDE: Order Coach Steve's new book
“The Courts” of suburban Kearney, New Jersey, were once an asphalt proving ground for future American World Cup stars. Kearny-raised sons of immigrants — Tab Ramos, John Harkes and Tony Meola — once played pickup soccer there in the 1970s and 1980s.
Across our country, you would be hard-pressed to find a pickup soccer game not organized and coached by an adult, or club director.
“Soccer is just such a unique sport in that you go to almost any other country around the world, it is a fairly easy sport to play,” Solomon says. “You pick up a ball, you go out and play, you find, maybe, some makeshift goals, you play on the street or some dirt or local field.
“And in America, of course, we have the pay-to-play model that really can prevent children from playing.”
Mike Mara, executive director of the Kearny Thistle United youth soccer organization, grew up playing at “The Courts.” Today, he hosts street soccer events, where coaches set up the venue, provide pinnies and perhaps rebalance teams.
“Otherwise, we just let them figure it out,” Mara says in the New York City/North Jersey report. “There’s no instruction. Just let them play.”
Kearney recently built a $24 million youth sports complex to host organized games, and Mara sometimes leaves gates ajar to facilitate access.
“We can’t undervalue pickup games,” Mara said. “You learn quickly how to solve problems without a coach and you learn who you are as a player.”