Blog for parents of young athletes

Football fans from England are used to the fairly simple relegation and play-off system that exists across the top four tiers of the football league. But when it comes to understanding the Spanish football league system, things can get a bit more complicated.This is because the third and fourth tiers of Spanish football feature over 440 teams and are divided into many regional groups.…

For advanced/elite soccer players (boys only) from 16 to 21 years old who want to spend one to six weeks of the school year training alongside full-time academy students at the oldest private soccer academy in the UK.Table of contentsOverview 1Program options 2Training 3Coaches 4Language classes 5Camp schedule 6Accommodation 7Safety 8Prices and dates 9Our advice 10Sign up 11Are you interested…

For advanced/elite soccer players (boys and girls) from 6 to 21 years old who want to spend one to six weeks of the school year training alongside full-time academy students at one of the best soccer academies in Europe. Intensive Winter Soccer Programs also serve as try-outs for the academy’s full-time programs.Table of contentsOverview 1Program options 2Training 3Coaches 4Camp schedule…

The FIFA World Cup is watched by over 3 billion people and provides the biggest stage of all for the world’s best footballers. However, for a variety of reasons, some of the elite players never get a chance to take part in the greatest soccer show on earth. Here are 13 of the best:Alberto SpencerThe Ecuadorian striker known as “magic head” was great with…

Superstitions are commonplace in football. Plenty of players, coaches and fans strive to achieve some kind of spiritual sanctuary before a game by performing various bizarre rituals.Here is a rundown of the 20 funniest soccer superstitions.Real MadridWhen Real Madrid re-located to their new stadium in 1912, they did not win a trophy for 5 years. To break the “curse,” they took the unusual step…

As part of our ongoing project to garner the opinions of football coaches from all over the world, we spoke to one of the rising stars of youth soccer coaching in Scotland, Kirsty McFarlane.In recent years, there has been a significant rise in the number of female coaches working within the game. In 2014, Helena Costa became the first female coach to take charge of a men’s professional team when she was…

Self-esteem, or the perception of oneself and one’s self-worth, is important for children, teenagers, and adults alike. Children with high self-esteem are more likely to experience academic achievement, success, satisfaction in relationships, and overall happiness. Although self-esteem can change throughout our lives, much of our self-esteem is developed during our early childhood. That’s why it’s important to consider studying the…

Choosing a summer camp for your child can be quite difficult. You want to make sure they’re safe, that they enjoy themselves, and that they learn something during their time away from home. To guarantee a camp meets all your objectives, there are many research areas to cover.This article discusses these basic research areas and presents the different questions you…

Sending your child away to a residential soccer camp or sports academy can be a scary experience. Every parent wants to know that their child is safe and cared for, so putting trust in others can sometimes be difficult. However, it doesn’t have to be that way!The soccer and sports camps that we deal with employ professional coaches, qualified language tutors and specially-trained camp…

Curating a list of the top goalkeepers of all time is not an easy task. With so many great players from different leagues and countries across all eras of the game, few people will ever agree on the same groups of players, and everyone will have a strong opinion on who was the best ever.So of course, this is not a definitive…