Tera’s First Soccer Season

We just wrapped up our first official season with a child in sports, and I’m here to write all about it (because of course I am).

We signed Tera up to play soccer this fall, and overall I would say it was a pretty great success! She thrived on the soccer field and loved being able to make some new friends and learn some new skills along the way.

After doing a little bit of research, I decided to go with a local soccer association called DASA (Dayton Area Soccer Association), located at Action Sports Fields. Since I had never worked with any sports associations, I had no idea what to expect, but I was very happy with the communication and the organization we experienced.

We paid about $40 for Tera to be on a team. This included the practices, games, a uniform shirt and soccer socks as well as the basic packet of individual and team photos. It was for sure the most affordable soccer team I could find in the area. In addition to that payment, we also shin guards, cleats and a soccer ball and occasionally provide snacks. Otherwise, there were no additional costs involved.

Tera had practice about once a week and a game about once a week, sometimes twice. Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication, Tera missed a lot of practice and we mostly just attended the games. The one practice that we did make it to consisted of several drills that got the kids acquainted with the soccer ball and how to kick it. The first few practices mostly worked on not using hands, and most of practice involved playing games involving the ball (Simon Says, Relays, etc). The coach for Tera’s team was excellent and I was amazed at how well she kept the attention and focus of five four year olds.

The soccer games were an absolute blast. We always played against another DASA team of the same age. There were usually 3-5 players on each team, and the field was obviously very narrow with a tiny goal and no goalie. We showed up for Tera’s first game and just told her to keep her eye on the ball and get it into the goal (she had missed all the practices up to that point). Well, Tera got out there and scored NINE goals in her first game. I wasn’t sure if she was really good or if she was just paying more attention than all the other kiddos on the field. Most of the other kids were paying zero attention, and that was if they actually stayed on the field.

I was and am so proud of my girl as she consistently scored 5+ goals each game that she played. She did a lot of laying on the field picking grass and a lot of whining that she was thirsty, don’t get me wrong. But she also LOVED soccer and was able play it really well for her age group.

Before heading to the soccer field, we always said this: “Tera, what is the most important part of soccer?” And she would respond “Have a good attitude and keep your eye on the ball.” I’d say that about sums it up!

Meanwhile, this boy and I loved watching from the sidelines in our lawn chairs! Every single game Tera had was while Theo was working (#lawenforcementlifestyle), but since the DASA fields were so close to Theo’s station and in his jurisdiction, he was able to stop by in his cruiser for a few minutes almost every single game! We sure are thankful for that!

Before signing her up for soccer, I had to ask myself a lot of questions.

Is four too young for an organized sport?

Will she enjoy it?

What are we teaching her by putting her organized sports?

Is it worth the cost?

How will this be beneficial to our family? How will this be detrimental to our family?

Tera’s certificate said she was “a powerhouse of offense” because she literally scored at least five goals a game! Haha! So proud of my girlie!

In the end, I think it’s a personal decision based on every different family. Tera loved soccer, and we loved watching her play. She seems to have a natural talent for it and for us, it was worth it. There were several families who had young children who had a hard time even staying on the field and kicking the ball, and if that was Tera I probably wouldn’t do it again. That is not to say that Tera is better than those other children, just that she seemed more ready for soccer and seemed to have her head in the game and able to get her foot on the ball. Plus, there were a lot of benefits besides just playing soccer…like being able to interact with other kids her age, listen to a coach, play on a team, and have a good attitude even when she didn’t get the ball or someone pushed her.

We will for sure be signing her up again next year if she wants to play again.

At what age did you/will you start organized sports for your kids?