Despite the freezing temperatures, spring soccer season is right around the corner, and many clubs in central Arkansas begin registration this month. That will lead to lots of questions from parents about the safety of the sport.

Youth soccer has been under a microscope in recent months with a study released by New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine stating that the sport can lead to significant injury for players who attempt 1,000 or more “headers” a year. According to local experts, soccer is no more dangerous to your child than everyday life, and parents shouldn’t fret about purchasing special helmets or head-padding to protect their little ones on the fields this spring.

“Young kids aren’t really coordinated enough to do headers anyway, so it’s not much of a concern,” said Dr. Eugene Lu, a pediatrician in Little Rock whose 9- and 7-year-old boys play with the Little Rock Futbol Club. “What we see [in the office] with kids who play soccer, is mild injuries to the lower legs, knees and ankles, but they’re not not many injuries to the torso or head. There are injuries that can happen, but they happen with all contact sports. Kids will be kids.”
 

Central Arkansas parents have several options for their child’s participation in soccer (see sidebar). The Westside Y runs the oldest soccer club in the area on Sam Peck. Westside Y’s soccer is played at Henderson Middle School and at The Ranch on Highway 10. 

The largest of the area clubs, with more than 1,500 players, is the Little Rock Futbol Club, which for now plays its games in the Riverdale area and Murray Park, but is hopeful to soon have fields on Highway 10.

The Arkansas Soccer Club competes at Burns Park, while Maumelle, Lakewood, Sherwood, Cabot, Bryant, Conway and other towns in the area offer recreational and highly competitive Classic soccer, and most also feature some type of skills development as well as games.

Nick Sherwood, who played at Little Rock Catholic High and University of Central Arkansas, serves as Executive Director of the Little Rock Futbol Club. Over the years, he says, the club has placed additional emphasis on Academy soccer in addition to the recreational leagues and Classic levels that have been a 30-year mainstay. 

Academy is a program run by professional staff coaches for U7 to U10 players. “It’s an environment where kids can train together, and the coaches will bounce around to different groups and not stay with the same group of kids,” Sherwood said. Typically starting around age 10, the more skilled players join Classic teams for serious, competitive soccer coached by experienced mentors. 
 

“[Soccer] is appealing to parents, to families, because it’s not a super-expensive sport,” Sherwood said. “You don’t have to pay a ton of money for equipment like you do with football. You buy a pair of cleats and you’re ready to go.”

It’s also a draw for younger children because of the constant activity, he said, and the benefits to coordination are well-documented and how that helps youngsters’ transition to other sports. “It’s just such a dynamic sport, it’s what we call an anaerobic endurance activity. It will transfer to any sport you play,” Sherwood said.

www.arkansassoccerclub.com