What Is The Right Age To Enter Into Football? 

Playing football has many benefits for kids, moreover, it can be a great experience and help youngsters later become solid football players at the high school level. However, kids must enter into football without stress. To make it possible, parents should keep some important considerations. Thus, there is no one perfect age for football initiation, we have tried to provide you with some insight in this article. 

As for the best age to start playing football, there are diverse opinions on it. Some experts are worried about possible injuries and recommend starting playing football at least at the age of 10. And some experts think that children can enter into football as early as 4-5 years of age. At this age, children are physically active and interested in movement. At this age, they are usually well coordinated and can learn basic football skills such as ball control, passing, and goal kicking. Football training at such a young age is usually in the form of games and drills aimed at developing general fitness and basic movement. 

At the same time, the perfect age to start playing football is still 6-8 years old. It doesn’t mean that experts who have such an opinion are necessarily against football training before the child is six or eight, but the age group of 6-8 has its peculiarities. 

At this age, children can move on to more serious training, in which they begin to actively learn the tactics and techniques of the game. The level of training increases every year, and children gradually master more and more complex elements of the soccer game. Various exercises in training will help them strengthen muscles, develop flexibility and balance, as well as improve coordination of movements. It is important not to overload your child with physical activity and to give them plenty of time to rest. In the primary grades, training focuses on developing basic skills such as dribbling, passing, kicking, and ball possession.

The optimal age to begin serious football training with professional coaches is usually between the ages of 8 and 12. At this age, children usually already have sufficient physical fitness and skill development to learn game tactics and specialized football techniques in depth. Starting football training in the teenage years is also realistic, although it is better to do it earlier. In this case, the optimal time to start would be between the ages of 12 and 14. Although children at this age are already somewhat behind their peers in physical development, they can still achieve good results if they train hard. And even if teens sometimes have problems with concentration and will (teens prefer to be disobedient, and may like playing video games or NZ slots too much), this age group has its benefits when it comes to football. 

It is also very important to realize that there are different exercise standards for each age. Smaller children should practice football 2-3 times a week, 1-2 hours per training session. This is enough time to develop skills and physical fitness without overloading the growing body of the child. The child should enjoy playing football and have the opportunity to develop at their own pace. It is important to adhere to the principle of playful learning so as not to overload the child with training and keep them interested in football throughout their long journey in the sport. It is important to note that an early start to training does not always mean a higher athletic potential for the child. 

An important aspect to consider when making a decision is the psychological readiness of the child for training.  The child must show interest and desire to practice football and be old enough to follow the coach’s instructions. This is essential for effective participation in training and football skill development. Never put pressure on the youngster to reach goals: youth football is not about the coach’s won-loss record, but about learning football basics. 

So, whether you should help your child enter into football at the age of 6, 8, 10, or 12 years, depends on many factors. In our opinion, the perfect age for football initiation varies between 8 and 10 years. And for a career as a professional footballer, it is reasonable to enter into football at least at the age of 12-14. Playing football certainly has many academic benefits and improves cognitive, physical, and social skills. You just need to start playing this exciting game or help your children to do it!