Why should my child play soccer in the summer?

You might be worried about your kids overplaying soccer in summer if they go to a summer holiday soccer camp. Should they take the summer holidays off to recharge their batteries and save some energy if they’ve spent most of the winter months kicking a ball around at home, school and for their local team?

A big deal is made of the lack of rest that Premier League footballers get. That’s why we constantly hear talk about burnout at the highest level and it’s why England’s top flight is introducing a winter break for the 2019-20 season.

However, we believe that playing sport and in particular soccer in the summer can be hugely beneficial to your child and here are some of the reasons why:

The summer is the best time of year for a young player to improve

The summer – or to be more precise, summer holiday soccer camps – is the best time of year for a young player to improve. During the winter months, they may play under the supervision of an FA qualified coach for a couple of hours a week, including in a game situation.

Realistically, the more time they spend playing the better they will get. On a weeklong holiday soccer camp, a player can expect to have over 15 hours of contact time with a coach who can identify weaknesses in their game and help to improve them. They are also more likely to receive personalised feedback as coaches will be less stretched for time in comparison to a short session.

If that player is only receiving one hour a week of training throughout the winter months, a summer camp can give them 15 weeks’ worth – or nearly four months – inside of five days. The improvements possible in that time are huge.

Learning from new coaches and becoming a creative player

No two soccer coaches are exactly the same, different personalities and coaching styles can impact a player’s journey. Coaches will also specialise in certain areas of the game and have ideas as to how to coax the best out of the individuals under their charge.

If your child plays soccer through the summer, then chances are they will find themselves working with a different coach to whom they do at school or for their club. That can be hugely beneficial to their development as players and encouraging creativity.

The best players are the most rounded precisely because they’ve learned under different coaches. They take the best ideas from each of those coaches and mix them into their own game.

The more top-quality coaches you can expose your child to, the more knowledge they’ll soak up and the better they’ll become. Summer holiday camps are a great opportunity to do that.

There is a great chance of getting scouted in the summer

If you’ve got a child who dreams of becoming a professional footballer, then their chances of getting spotted by a scout increase during the summer months for a number of reasons.

Academy scouts will be out on the road looking for the best new talent to come in and join their systems as they may not be attending regular weekend games to scout as they do during the season.

Your child might be spotted by such a scout while playing in a tournament, camp or another summer soccer event. Basically, where there is soccer happening in breaks from the season, there are often coaches and scouts looking for talent.

Many of the coaches running these camps will already have links with professional clubs and so if they find a player they like the look of, they are in an excellent position to put them forward for a trial with the team they are affiliated with.

All in all, keeping your child active and busy of the summer is hugely beneficial for both their health and development. However, when choosing a camp or activity, the most important thing is that they enjoy it have fun!