Is it safe for a average size skillful player to play varsity high school soccer. Seen some middle school games that were pretty brutal. Is it the same at the varsity level?
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In my opinion, yes a freshman can play varsity. However if you have a player that tends to play recklessly, they will not size up well against the girls that are possibily 3-4 years older with little skill, and injuries will occur. My kid was playing varsity since 7th grade and she was able to use her skill and iq to stay safe. She knew when to pull back, and we had conversations with the coach on topic to ensure we were in the same page. At the varsity level you will play teams that will hack you, and you may also find teams that are very skilled. Most teams will be in the middle with 3-4 stand out players, depending upon your Geo.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post -
HS soccer has a brutal reputation, some of it deserved. Many programs aren't stacked with skillful club players so athleticism and size becomes more of a factor. The size difference between an average sized frosh vs senior can be vast. Boys pack on a lot of muscle mass in HS and as a result get much faster amd physical. Many frosh can't keep up or keep the ball, which is why you won't see many making varsity. It happens, but is fairly uncommon at most decent sized schools.Comment
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It all depends on school size. Most 1A school it is ok, but as the school size grows (1A-5A) the freshman (14 year-olds) on the boys size are typically not strong enough to play with the upper classman (18 year-olds). IT's like letting the boys play with the men. This happens in most sports. If your kid is not that impact player, let them play JV as a freshman and get pulled up when the JV season is over.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
For the girls, it is different. There is a size difference, but the skill set makes up for the size difference.Comment
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The other consideration is social - if you're the lone freshman on a team of upperclassmen you likely won't be included as often. it isn't that kids are mean but they've been friends longer. playing together longer. Even something as simple as transportation as a freshman when all your teammates can drive to go get something to eat after practice.Comment
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It simply depends on the size, speed and skill of the player. I played varsity all 4 years. Started for 3.5, after our senior sweeper went down with a knee injury. Never suffered more than a sprained ankle.Comment
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If you played a Stopper/ Sweeper formation, you were not at a large class school. This is the easiest formation to breakdown.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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It was the late 80's into early 90's, everyone was playing that combo. I agree, it isn't used much anymore, but at that time, was very prevalent.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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Our mid sized but generally good quality HS program (for HS yes, but lots of club players and a coach who is also a club coach) only sees 1-2 freshmen make it each year, sometimes not even that many. They tend not to get a ton of PT ,although we had a frosh GK who quickly ousted the older ones. They do need to be fast enough and strong enough to not be pushed around by a 180lb senior manboy. I know there's a great deal of pride in making it onto V as a freshman, but if you're never going to get to play it's better to do JV for a year and get more experience.Comment
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meant to add that usually part way through the season the coach will bring up a few JV players because of injuries on V. Yes there's injuries, but there's injuries in club too. Once you hit HS aged play you have to be able to take a few hits. It's just a more physical game at every levelOriginally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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Back in the day, I played varsity as a freshman.
It was brutal.....Comment
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So, say you have a very late bloomer, looks almost two years younger than most kids his age, but very high soccer IQ, quick, and technical (top 5 DA player on his team U12-U14, but ends up getting cut due to size just before freshman year). I would assume he'd probably be too small to play varsity as a freshman, but would be way too good of a player to suffer through JV (might even regress developmentally here). What is the answer for such a player until Junior year, when he is finally big enough to compete on the Varsity team?Comment
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No JV in Tampa
There is no JV even offered in the Tampa Bay Area so for all of us the only option is to play Varsity or not at all.Comment
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Is it safe for a average size skillful player to play varsity high school soccer. Seen some middle school games that were pretty brutal. Is it the same at the varsity level?Comment
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