NTSSA Academy Rules. Did you know? - Part Two

The following academy leagues are sanctioned through NTSSA:

Carrollton Farmers Branch Academy League (CFBAL) - Sunday only
Classic Academy League (CAL) - Sunday only
Dallas Invitational Academy League (DIAL) - Sunday only
Elite Academy League (EAL) - Sunday only
Premier Academy League (PAL) - Sunday only
United Academy League (UAL) - offers Saturday and Sunday play


Under NTSSA rules, NTSSA-registered academy players may only play in one (1) NTSSA-sanctioned academy game per week, except tournaments. This means that following are prohibited:

1. Playing a game in UAL on Saturday and in ANY of the NTSSSA-sanctioned academy league on Sunday in the same week
2. Playing two or more games on a Sunday in the same NTSSA-sanctioned academy league
3. Playing two or more games on a Sunday in different NTSSA-sanctioned academy league



But, did you know?...

There are several academy leagues that are NOT sanctioned through NTSSA, therefore the NTSSA academy rules do not apply. These include - Plano Sports Authority (PSA), PrimeTime Clubs League (PTCL), Progressive Youth League (PYL), Super Development League (SDL), Texas Boys Premier League (TBPL), Texas Girls Premier League (TGPL). Also, futsal and indoor (even NTSSA-sanctioned indoor) do not have to follow NTSSA academy rules.



If you are going to play in multiple academy leagues each week, only one game each week can be in an NTSSA-sanctioned academy league. Basically, NTSSA acts is if non-NTSSA academy leagues do not exist. NTSSA does not punish players or coaches for playing too many non-NTSSA academy games. Also, red and yellow cards earned in non-NTSSA academy games do not apply to NTSSA-sanctioned leagues and tournaments.



Hopefully, this information will help you make wise decisions on which academy league(s) to register, especially if you are considering both Saturday and Sunday academy leagues.

Whew....thanks

Question.......if a player violates these rules what are the consequences? Have these rules ever been enforced?

bigheadpena wrote:Question.......if a player violates these rules what are the consequences? Have these rules ever been enforced?

This is how the rule reads.

"Violations of this rule shall result in sanctions against the offending party (coach, assistant coach, manager, parent, or other team representative), which could include suspension from all soccer activities for a period of time."


I do not know how many times, if ever, that someone was brought up on charges with NTSSA. But, like most of the NTSSA Bylaws, the threat is out there.

Coachdom, must say It is rather disappointing to see you on here making sure parents know there is a way around the rules that are in place for the benifit of young players. The rules are there to prevent the over training and over use of young developing muscles: To keep young kids from the adverse effects competitive leagues can have on preteens. Do admins really need to get on here to show parents the way around the rules so they can practice their kids 3x a week so they are ready for their 3 or 4 games per weekend.

my2cents wrote:Coachdom, must say It is rather disappointing to see you on here making sure parents know there is a way around the rules that are in place for the benifit of young players. The rules are there to prevent the over training and over use of young developing muscles: To keep young kids from the adverse effects competitive leagues can have on preteens. Do admins really need to get on here to show parents the way around the rules so they can practice their kids 3x a week so they are ready for their 3 or 4 games per weekend. :cry:

Parents and coaches have been working around the NTSSA academy rules for years by playing in leagues like SDL and PrimeTime. I am not introducing concepts that are new to the minds of academy parents and coaches in this area. How many people are on the forums for years talking about playing in Saturday and Sunday academy leagues?

With the advent of Saturday UAL, people who are considering playing in that league on Saturdays need to know, that their only academy options on Sunday are non-NTSSA leagues. People who want to play both days, every weekend, need to make informed decisions on which leagues to sign up for and plan accordingly.

I do not believe that my clarifying the NTSSA rules will have an effect on the number of players playing Saturday and Sunday academy. But, if I can keep a team from getting called in front of an NTSSA panel because they played Saturday UAL and Sunday CAL, (two NTSSA-sanctioned academy leagues), then I have helped.

coachdom23 wrote:

my2cents wrote:Coachdom, must say It is rather disappointing to see you on here making sure parents know there is a way around the rules that are in place for the benifit of young players. The rules are there to prevent the over training and over use of young developing muscles: To keep young kids from the adverse effects competitive leagues can have on preteens. Do admins really need to get on here to show parents the way around the rules so they can practice their kids 3x a week so they are ready for their 3 or 4 games per weekend.

Parents and coaches have been working around the NTSSA academy rules for years by playing in leagues like SDL and PrimeTime. I am not introducing concepts that are new to the minds of academy parents and coaches in this area. How many people are on the forums for years talking about playing in Saturday and Sunday academy leagues?

With the advent of Saturday UAL, people who are considering playing in that league on Saturdays need to know, that their only academy options on Sunday are non-NTSSA leagues. People who want to play both days, every weekend, need to make informed decisions on which leagues to sign up for and plan accordingly.

I do not believe that my clarifying the NTSSA rules will have an effect on the number of players playing Saturday and Sunday academy. But, if I can keep a team from getting called in front of an NTSSA panel because they played Saturday UAL and Sunday CAL, (two NTSSA-sanctioned academy leagues), then I have helped.

Yeah hate to see a coach go before a panel when he can just go around a rule that is based on recommendations from pediatric professionals on the proper amount and type of competitive activities for kids this age. Sorry to misinterpret your public service announcement

my2cents wrote:

coachdom23 wrote:

my2cents wrote:Coachdom, must say It is rather disappointing to see you on here making sure parents know there is a way around the rules that are in place for the benifit of young players. The rules are there to prevent the over training and over use of young developing muscles: To keep young kids from the adverse effects competitive leagues can have on preteens. Do admins really need to get on here to show parents the way around the rules so they can practice their kids 3x a week so they are ready for their 3 or 4 games per weekend. :cry:

Parents and coaches have been working around the NTSSA academy rules for years by playing in leagues like SDL and PrimeTime. I am not introducing concepts that are new to the minds of academy parents and coaches in this area. How many people are on the forums for years talking about playing in Saturday and Sunday academy leagues?

With the advent of Saturday UAL, people who are considering playing in that league on Saturdays need to know, that their only academy options on Sunday are non-NTSSA leagues. People who want to play both days, every weekend, need to make informed decisions on which leagues to sign up for and plan accordingly.

I do not believe that my clarifying the NTSSA rules will have an effect on the number of players playing Saturday and Sunday academy. But, if I can keep a team from getting called in front of an NTSSA panel because they played Saturday UAL and Sunday CAL, (two NTSSA-sanctioned academy leagues), then I have helped.

Yeah hate to see a coach go before a panel when he can just go around a rule that is based on recommendations from pediatric professionals on the proper amount and type of competitive activities for kids this age. Sorry to misinterpret your public service announcement

What is the difference between playing Rec on Saturday and Academy on Sunday (as NTSSA endorses)? The kids are at practice 3 times per week and playing 2 games in a weekend.

Players are going to play Saturday and Sunday, I am not breaking new ground.

coachdom23 wrote:

my2cents wrote:

coachdom23 wrote:

my2cents wrote:Coachdom, must say It is rather disappointing to see you on here making sure parents know there is a way around the rules that are in place for the benifit of young players. The rules are there to prevent the over training and over use of young developing muscles: To keep young kids from the adverse effects competitive leagues can have on preteens. Do admins really need to get on here to show parents the way around the rules so they can practice their kids 3x a week so they are ready for their 3 or 4 games per weekend.

Parents and coaches have been working around the NTSSA academy rules for years by playing in leagues like SDL and PrimeTime. I am not introducing concepts that are new to the minds of academy parents and coaches in this area. How many people are on the forums for years talking about playing in Saturday and Sunday academy leagues?

With the advent of Saturday UAL, people who are considering playing in that league on Saturdays need to know, that their only academy options on Sunday are non-NTSSA leagues. People who want to play both days, every weekend, need to make informed decisions on which leagues to sign up for and plan accordingly.

I do not believe that my clarifying the NTSSA rules will have an effect on the number of players playing Saturday and Sunday academy. But, if I can keep a team from getting called in front of an NTSSA panel because they played Saturday UAL and Sunday CAL, (two NTSSA-sanctioned academy leagues), then I have helped.

Yeah hate to see a coach go before a panel when he can just go around a rule that is based on recommendations from pediatric professionals on the proper amount and type of competitive activities for kids this age. Sorry to misinterpret your public service announcement

What is the difference between playing Rec on Saturday and Academy on Sunday (as NTSSA endorses)? The kids are at practice 3 times per week and playing 2 games in a weekend.

Players are going to play Saturday and Sunday, I am not breaking new ground.

Good response.

Can't wait to see what my2cents has to say...

My DD had a great time playing both Saturday and Sunday leagues. I looked at it as insurance. With the crazy weather and how protective folks seem to be about their fields, many weeks we ended up playing just one game anyways.

coachdom23 wrote:

my2cents wrote:

coachdom23 wrote:

my2cents wrote:Coachdom, must say It is rather disappointing to see you on here making sure parents know there is a way around the rules that are in place for the benifit of young players. The rules are there to prevent the over training and over use of young developing muscles: To keep young kids from the adverse effects competitive leagues can have on preteens. Do admins really need to get on here to show parents the way around the rules so they can practice their kids 3x a week so they are ready for their 3 or 4 games per weekend.

Parents and coaches have been working around the NTSSA academy rules for years by playing in leagues like SDL and PrimeTime. I am not introducing concepts that are new to the minds of academy parents and coaches in this area. How many people are on the forums for years talking about playing in Saturday and Sunday academy leagues?

With the advent of Saturday UAL, people who are considering playing in that league on Saturdays need to know, that their only academy options on Sunday are non-NTSSA leagues. People who want to play both days, every weekend, need to make informed decisions on which leagues to sign up for and plan accordingly.

I do not believe that my clarifying the NTSSA rules will have an effect on the number of players playing Saturday and Sunday academy. But, if I can keep a team from getting called in front of an NTSSA panel because they played Saturday UAL and Sunday CAL, (two NTSSA-sanctioned academy leagues), then I have helped.

Yeah hate to see a coach go before a panel when he can just go around a rule that is based on recommendations from pediatric professionals on the proper amount and type of competitive activities for kids this age. Sorry to misinterpret your public service announcement

What is the difference between playing Rec on Saturday and Academy on Sunday (as NTSSA endorses)? The kids are at practice 3 times per week and playing 2 games in a weekend.

Players are going to play Saturday and Sunday, I am not breaking new ground.

The schedule is supposed to be one rec practice, one academy practice, one rec game Saturday , one Academy game Sunday. The idea is that the academy practices and games being competitive in the way they are run are supposed to be a supplement for the more advanced young player. The way it is being run with two (or more) mandatory practices and two games per week it is full blown select at 8 and 9 years old; exactly what experts on pediatric development have said is too young.
02dad please research ACL excercises and injury rates for girls. Those who over stress muscles during young development ages are prone to ACL injuries later. The ACL injury rates among HS age girls is astronomical.

my2cents wrote:

coachdom23 wrote:

my2cents wrote:

coachdom23 wrote:

my2cents wrote:Coachdom, must say It is rather disappointing to see you on here making sure parents know there is a way around the rules that are in place for the benifit of young players. The rules are there to prevent the over training and over use of young developing muscles: To keep young kids from the adverse effects competitive leagues can have on preteens. Do admins really need to get on here to show parents the way around the rules so they can practice their kids 3x a week so they are ready for their 3 or 4 games per weekend.

Parents and coaches have been working around the NTSSA academy rules for years by playing in leagues like SDL and PrimeTime. I am not introducing concepts that are new to the minds of academy parents and coaches in this area. How many people are on the forums for years talking about playing in Saturday and Sunday academy leagues?

With the advent of Saturday UAL, people who are considering playing in that league on Saturdays need to know, that their only academy options on Sunday are non-NTSSA leagues. People who want to play both days, every weekend, need to make informed decisions on which leagues to sign up for and plan accordingly.

I do not believe that my clarifying the NTSSA rules will have an effect on the number of players playing Saturday and Sunday academy. But, if I can keep a team from getting called in front of an NTSSA panel because they played Saturday UAL and Sunday CAL, (two NTSSA-sanctioned academy leagues), then I have helped.

Yeah hate to see a coach go before a panel when he can just go around a rule that is based on recommendations from pediatric professionals on the proper amount and type of competitive activities for kids this age. Sorry to misinterpret your public service announcement

What is the difference between playing Rec on Saturday and Academy on Sunday (as NTSSA endorses)? The kids are at practice 3 times per week and playing 2 games in a weekend.

Players are going to play Saturday and Sunday, I am not breaking new ground.

The schedule is supposed to be one rec practice, one academy practice, one rec game Saturday , one Academy game Sunday. The idea is that the academy practices and games being competitive in the way they are run are supposed to be a supplement for the more advanced young player. The way it is being run with two (or more) mandatory practices and two games per week it is full blown select at 8 and 9 years old; exactly what experts on pediatric development have said is too young.
02dad please research ACL excercises and injury rates for girls. Those who over stress muscles during young development ages are prone to ACL injuries later. The ACL injury rates among HS age girls is astronomical.

I fail to see your point.

What's the difference between what you said and 2 academy practices and two academy games a week?

You made it seem at first that NTSSA "had our backs" regarding over playing.

And what I said about weather, etc was real. When you combine weather cancelations and byes for each leage on different weekends we probably had both Saturday and Sunday games twice a month. Are you saying that tournaments are "bad" too? There's four games for you over a two day period. What about the girls who play soccer and the dreaded basketball? Bad parents there too?

my2cents wrote:

coachdom23 wrote:

my2cents wrote:

coachdom23 wrote:

my2cents wrote:Coachdom, must say It is rather disappointing to see you on here making sure parents know there is a way around the rules that are in place for the benifit of young players. The rules are there to prevent the over training and over use of young developing muscles: To keep young kids from the adverse effects competitive leagues can have on preteens. Do admins really need to get on here to show parents the way around the rules so they can practice their kids 3x a week so they are ready for their 3 or 4 games per weekend. :cry:

Parents and coaches have been working around the NTSSA academy rules for years by playing in leagues like SDL and PrimeTime. I am not introducing concepts that are new to the minds of academy parents and coaches in this area. How many people are on the forums for years talking about playing in Saturday and Sunday academy leagues?

With the advent of Saturday UAL, people who are considering playing in that league on Saturdays need to know, that their only academy options on Sunday are non-NTSSA leagues. People who want to play both days, every weekend, need to make informed decisions on which leagues to sign up for and plan accordingly.

I do not believe that my clarifying the NTSSA rules will have an effect on the number of players playing Saturday and Sunday academy. But, if I can keep a team from getting called in front of an NTSSA panel because they played Saturday UAL and Sunday CAL, (two NTSSA-sanctioned academy leagues), then I have helped.

Yeah hate to see a coach go before a panel when he can just go around a rule that is based on recommendations from pediatric professionals on the proper amount and type of competitive activities for kids this age. Sorry to misinterpret your public service announcement

What is the difference between playing Rec on Saturday and Academy on Sunday (as NTSSA endorses)? The kids are at practice 3 times per week and playing 2 games in a weekend.

Players are going to play Saturday and Sunday, I am not breaking new ground.

The schedule is supposed to be one rec practice, one academy practice, one rec game Saturday , one Academy game Sunday. The idea is that the academy practices and games being competitive in the way they are run are supposed to be a supplement for the more advanced young player. The way it is being run with two (or more) mandatory practices and two games per week it is full blown select at 8 and 9 years old; exactly what experts on pediatric development have said is too young.
02dad please research ACL excercises and injury rates for girls. Those who over stress muscles during young development ages are prone to ACL injuries later. The ACL injury rates among HS age girls is astronomical.

As the father of an 01 BB, my personal opinion is similar to yours about full blown select for 8 year olds. That being said, many players are going to play on Saturday and Sundays. Just because I explain the rules and policies, doesn't mean I endorse them. But, I am willing to explain them on here or when people call/email me. There is not going to be a flood of new kids playing Saturday and Sunday, just because I make a post on a forum.

02Dad wrote:

my2cents wrote:

coachdom23 wrote:

my2cents wrote:

coachdom23 wrote:

my2cents wrote:Coachdom, must say It is rather disappointing to see you on here making sure parents know there is a way around the rules that are in place for the benifit of young players. The rules are there to prevent the over training and over use of young developing muscles: To keep young kids from the adverse effects competitive leagues can have on preteens. Do admins really need to get on here to show parents the way around the rules so they can practice their kids 3x a week so they are ready for their 3 or 4 games per weekend.

Parents and coaches have been working around the NTSSA academy rules for years by playing in leagues like SDL and PrimeTime. I am not introducing concepts that are new to the minds of academy parents and coaches in this area. How many people are on the forums for years talking about playing in Saturday and Sunday academy leagues?

With the advent of Saturday UAL, people who are considering playing in that league on Saturdays need to know, that their only academy options on Sunday are non-NTSSA leagues. People who want to play both days, every weekend, need to make informed decisions on which leagues to sign up for and plan accordingly.

I do not believe that my clarifying the NTSSA rules will have an effect on the number of players playing Saturday and Sunday academy. But, if I can keep a team from getting called in front of an NTSSA panel because they played Saturday UAL and Sunday CAL, (two NTSSA-sanctioned academy leagues), then I have helped.

Yeah hate to see a coach go before a panel when he can just go around a rule that is based on recommendations from pediatric professionals on the proper amount and type of competitive activities for kids this age. Sorry to misinterpret your public service announcement

What is the difference between playing Rec on Saturday and Academy on Sunday (as NTSSA endorses)? The kids are at practice 3 times per week and playing 2 games in a weekend.

Players are going to play Saturday and Sunday, I am not breaking new ground.

The schedule is supposed to be one rec practice, one academy practice, one rec game Saturday , one Academy game Sunday. The idea is that the academy practices and games being competitive in the way they are run are supposed to be a supplement for the more advanced young player. The way it is being run with two (or more) mandatory practices and two games per week it is full blown select at 8 and 9 years old; exactly what experts on pediatric development have said is too young.
02dad please research ACL excercises and injury rates for girls. Those who over stress muscles during young development ages are prone to ACL injuries later. The ACL injury rates among HS age girls is astronomical.

I fail to see your point.

What's the difference between what you said and 2 academy practices and two academy games a week?

You made it seem at first that NTSSA "had our backs" regarding over playing.

And what I said about weather, etc was real. When you combine weather cancelations and byes for each leage on different weekends we probably had both Saturday and Sunday games twice a month. Are you saying that tournaments are "bad" too? There's four games for you over a two day period. What about the girls who play soccer and the dreaded basketball? Bad parents there too?

If you do not know the difference in pressure to perform and win in a rec with academy supplement situation versus select, which is what that set up is, then I have no hope of explaining it.

The 4-6 games in 2-3 days tournaments, horrble idea. Not done antywhere else in the world. The finals are usually nothing more than the last leg of a marathon. The team with fresher legs wins. Always have the worst injuries late in the weekend. Think about it. I absolutely hate them and am glad my oldest has moved on to higher quality one a day tournaments.

Basketball and soccer ? Girls in either sport are 10X more likely than a guy to suffer an ACL tear. Both during the same season ....

Reread my posts, even inbetween the lines, and don't see any mention of bad parents. I'm just a parent that over the years has seen some bad injuries, some the result of bad or uninformed choices made by well intentioned dedicated people.

Coachdom, fair enough.

I seem to remember for many years, it was recommended that a child get 1 hour of exercise each day to stay in fit condition. The criteria is not so clear anymore, but I think we can all agree that American children in general need more exercise than they get: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/health/healthspecial2/15exercise.html

But I don't think this holds true in the case of psychotic soccer parents like so many on this forum. Surely you've seen them. Their child plays on 2 or even 3 academy teams simultaneously, and the kid still does mercenary work for her rec team. I've seen players come straight from one academy game across town to another and listened to their dad's tell them they need to hustle more.

The bottom line is parents often do not make decisions with their chidren's best interest in mind. But it is not up to NTSSA to police such activity (although an anonymous call to CPS does seem reasonable). Personally, I think coaches should set limits for parents who are clearly over-zealous and living vicariously through their children.... although that is wishful thinking on my part.

My2cents, What you are saying is pretty ludicrous. Regardless if the kid wants to be a pro soccer player or not, the injury/concern or number of games/practices per week is simply incorrect.

Firstly, how many kids do you know that play soccer that follow your proposed "injury reduction" type philosophy, don't play other sports or physical activities during the week and weekends? Having two practices a week and possibly two games+ on a weekend seeming to be too much to a kid's physical growth/wellbeing is absurd. You call out parents who follow this path as being a danger to their children's physical wellbeing, yet most kids do even MORE activities (baseball, basketball, dance, etc.)

Most understand that realistically their kid is not going to be a professional athlete, but in most ALL sports' professions, you will find that the 10,000hr rule applies. If you knew anything about it, you would probably cringe at knowing what it takes to become a pro.

Let me enlighten you:

"At age 18 or 19, your average pro has been exposed to roughly 10,000 hours of contact with the ball. To achieve that, you're looking at a minimum of three to four hours of practice every day. So realistically, you'll be doing a lot on your own. Being involved in practice is not enough--it's important to practice by yourself to really hone your skills."

I just found that explanation for you from a simple Google search, so it's not just an opinion that is buried deep within some crazy sports analyst's philosophy. It is a well known principle.

How do these kids become pros? At 18 or 19 practicing/playing 3-4hrs EVERY DAY has got to have caused them to become cripples by then.

Coach&Ref wrote:My2cents, What you are saying is pretty ludicrous. Regardless if the kid wants to be a pro soccer player or not, the injury/concern or number of games/practices per week is simply incorrect.

Firstly, how many kids do you know that play soccer that follow your proposed "injury reduction" type philosophy, don't play other sports or physical activities during the week and weekends? Having two practices a week and possibly two games+ on a weekend seeming to be too much to a kid's physical growth/wellbeing is absurd. You call out parents who follow this path as being a danger to their children's physical wellbeing, yet most kids do even MORE activities (baseball, basketball, dance, etc.)

Most understand that realistically their kid is not going to be a professional athlete, but in most ALL sports' professions, you will find that the 10,000hr rule applies. If you knew anything about it, you would probably cringe at knowing what it takes to become a pro.

Let me enlighten you:

"At age 18 or 19, your average pro has been exposed to roughly 10,000 hours of contact with the ball. To achieve that, you're looking at a minimum of three to four hours of practice every day. So realistically, you'll be doing a lot on your own. Being involved in practice is not enough--it's important to practice by yourself to really hone your skills."

I just found that explanation for you from a simple Google search, so it's not just an opinion that is buried deep within some crazy sports analyst's philosophy. It is a well known principle.

How do these kids become pros? At 18 or 19 practicing/playing 3-4hrs EVERY DAY has got to have caused them to become cripples by then.

Oh you must be right on the recommendeed amount of ORGANIZED elite level activity for these ages. NTSSA has these rules because
A. they want to limit the number of NTSSA leagues, less paperwork if they all go independent
B. they want limit playing opportunities for young soocerr players
c They don't like Sunday soccer
D. They just felt like it
It could not have been based on studies and papers on pediatric development.

Lets do the math on the 10,000 thing. Lets start at age 8. That is 1000 hours per year or 2.8 hours per day. The average child gets home from elementary or middle school between 3:30 and 4:00 so they would have to practice until 7:00 PM every night and then eat, do homework shower etc. That is if they do it every day. They obviously will miss days, so the practice times would many days have to be longer. That obviously is not realistic so the average must be achieved by longer periods at the older ages. In high school they get out between 2:00 and 3:00. Since they did not hit the 2.8 average at younger ages they now must have to get more like 4 or 5 hours a day average. Most HS age sports do 2 hour practices. That will get them home for dinner with 2 to 3 hours more practice time to get in. If it is club then the same scenario except since those practices are later then they will have get 3 hours practice in before they go to club.

Physical activity is great. Organized sports have huge benifits. Too much too young not so much. Try googling sports burn out, repetitive stress injuries in young athletes, orthopedic sports injury reports. Google severs disease, Osgood Schlatters, broken hips in 12 year olds, mis-aligned hips, spines and blown out ACLs.

BTW I do have a son who is going into his senior year. He is a D1 prospect and he played rec only until U11 . He is considered a soccer rat. I won't even try to list how much he works on his game. Some coaches,(other than the ones I pay) think he could be one of the few that make pro and he does not average 4 hours a day with the ball.

my2cents wrote:

Coach&Ref wrote:My2cents, What you are saying is pretty ludicrous. Regardless if the kid wants to be a pro soccer player or not, the injury/concern or number of games/practices per week is simply incorrect.

Firstly, how many kids do you know that play soccer that follow your proposed "injury reduction" type philosophy, don't play other sports or physical activities during the week and weekends? Having two practices a week and possibly two games+ on a weekend seeming to be too much to a kid's physical growth/wellbeing is absurd. You call out parents who follow this path as being a danger to their children's physical wellbeing, yet most kids do even MORE activities (baseball, basketball, dance, etc.)

Most understand that realistically their kid is not going to be a professional athlete, but in most ALL sports' professions, you will find that the 10,000hr rule applies. If you knew anything about it, you would probably cringe at knowing what it takes to become a pro.

Let me enlighten you:

"At age 18 or 19, your average pro has been exposed to roughly 10,000 hours of contact with the ball. To achieve that, you're looking at a minimum of three to four hours of practice every day. So realistically, you'll be doing a lot on your own. Being involved in practice is not enough--it's important to practice by yourself to really hone your skills."

I just found that explanation for you from a simple Google search, so it's not just an opinion that is buried deep within some crazy sports analyst's philosophy. It is a well known principle.

How do these kids become pros? At 18 or 19 practicing/playing 3-4hrs EVERY DAY has got to have caused them to become cripples by then.

Oh you must be right on the recommendeed amount of ORGANIZED elite level activity for these ages. NTSSA has these rules because
A. they want to limit the number of NTSSA leagues, less paperwork if they all go independent
B. they want limit playing opportunities for young soocerr players
c They don't like Sunday soccer
D. They just felt like it
It could not have been based on studies and papers on pediatric development.

Lets do the math on the 10,000 thing. Lets start at age 8. That is 1000 hours per year or 2.8 hours per day. The average child gets home from elementary or middle school between 3:30 and 4:00 so they would have to practice until 7:00 PM every night and then eat, do homework shower etc. That is if they do it every day. They obviously will miss days, so the practice times would many days have to be longer. That obviously is not realistic so the average must be achieved by longer periods at the older ages. In high school they get out between 2:00 and 3:00. Since they did not hit the 2.8 average at younger ages they now must have to get more like 4 or 5 hours a day average. Most HS age sports do 2 hour practices. That will get them home for dinner with 2 to 3 hours more practice time to get in. If it is club then the same scenario except since those practices are later then they will have get 3 hours practice in before they go to club.

Physical activity is great. Organized sports have huge benifits. Too much too young not so much. Try googling sports burn out, repetitive stress injuries in young athletes, orthopedic sports injury reports. Google severs disease, Osgood Schlatters, broken hips in 12 year olds, mis-aligned hips, spines and blown out ACLs.

BTW I do have a son who is going into his senior year. He is a D1 prospect and he played rec only until U11 . He is considered a soccer rat. I won't even try to list how much he works on his game. Some coaches,(other than the ones I pay) think he could be one of the few that make pro and he does not average 4 hours a day with the ball.

I agree with you on a couple of points, but you are missing what I said. I never said that the kids had to attend PRACTICE or PLAY for 3hrs everyday in order to become a pro, only that they have some kind of CONTACT with it. When you are breaking down the math, you can't go by what you think everyone's schedule is. My son and daughter are homeschooled, so right there, the "school scenario" doesn't apply. Everyone's lives and schedules are different. Also, when I say "contact with the ball", I even include the small things that you might not think are relevant, but that actually increase motor development. Some of my players would roll a ball around their house into the kitchen, living room, and even the bathroom. I even encouraged my girls to roll the ball back and forth under their foot subconsciously while sitting on the couch watching T.V. Parents who won't allow balls in the house I let them know that I have everything from Nerf balls, tennis balls, golf balls, and everything else that is round to encourage any kind of touch. All of this should be factored in.

Believe it or not, there are other ways to improve a kid's game as well. They can watch pro matches. My kid's watch them with me and I will frequently pause the game when a player has the ball and ask, "What are this player's options?" Many more questions such as that can get the player understanding more about the game. I also believe that games, such as Pro Evolution Soccer and FIFA can be good tools as well. Kids can learn how to make runs, movements, formations, etc. with a video game player and I really believe that they can pick up on some of the concepts.

With all of that being said, I hope you can understand my point.

I do agree with you about the concept of burnout. This is why I ALWAYS give my kids the choice to play or not. THEY choose when they want to play, where they want to play and for whom they want to play. There are MANY times they have been invited to play in tournaments with top teams and they have said, "No". Even though I would have liked them to play, I NEVER force them nor guilt trip them into going. I say, "No problem" and leave it at that. I think that this is the reason that they love to play the game. Their dad is never going to force them to play. It's a game and should never be a chore.

I also don't agree with North Texas Soccer rules for a lot of reasons. Just one example is that they miss the point that this is a GAME! The U.S. doesn't have the culture that allows for "pickup soccer" at parks and just in the neighborhood like other countries, so if kids want to play as many games as THEY want, then I don't see what the big deal is about that. Plus, if you are shopping clubs for your kids before select rolls around, how on earth are you going to be able to do that by limiting the amount of games that a kid is allowed to play per week. That, to me, is asinine.

I hope I made myself a bit more clear.

Well you guys started your DD's too late at 8 yrs old you should give up now. My DD started when she was 3 1/2 yrs old playing at the Y. Since she is not going to go pro until she is 22 I have reduced her daily practice to practice 1.4 hrs a day or 1 hr and 24 mins (based on 363 days, she gets Christmas and Thanksgiving off). Sometimes I catch her only putting in only 1 hr and 22 mins (slacker) and make her run an extra 1/2 mile to make sure she doesn't do it again. Can't let them take advantage of the situation or they will be playing for a D2 team and its all downhill after that.

Need my waders...so much BS in these forums, sometimes hard to filter through it... sometimes real easy(above post)

1st time soccer dad a 5 year old, U6 this fall. Scoring 8 or so goals a game in rec, time to move on right? NTSSA limits our choices. They don't allow U6s to play with better players. Why? We hooked up with a LP team and are practicing 1 time a week, just like Rec. So if we practice 1 time a week and play one game a week, what is NTSSA's thinking behind not letting U6s be 'academy'. I think its more of Super Rec. Too young arugment doesn't work, they are playing one way or another and again only practicing 1 time a week. I just want her to play better players and start to filter out the daisy pickers.

We will find out soon, but our girls may play Rec on Sat and then SDL on Sunday. So by limiting a U6's ability to play with better players, they will actually cause my daughter to play more soccer(which is against an argument above somewhere about too much and injuries). This rule has limited the number of U6s that have come out, so right now we have a 50/50 split of U6s and U7s. SDL will take this team, any NTSSA league will not.

Oh, and I figured out on my own that I needed to find a non-NTSSA academy league to play a mixed age group team. The OP did not tell me anything I hadn't already figured out(and this is my first go round with a soccer kid). I just wish he would have posted this(and me read it) a month ago, would have saved me research time.