Downtown Las Vegas Soccer Club encourages parents to understand their choices
LAS VEGAS – Getting your child to choose between recreational activities can be challenging, but once he or she decides, finding quality programs is just as daunting a task. The morals and values of a club or team are just as important as whether they offer potential scholarship opportunities, leadership skills, mentorship, a challenging atmosphere or chance to compete.
The Downtown Las Vegas Soccer Club offers tips for parents in choosing the best club, team or activity for their children and their families:
- Decide if your child would like to compete or participate in a recreational atmosphere. Some clubs offer both opportunities. When children are young, recreational leagues can be a good fit to introduce them to the sport and give them the potential to grow into a competitive player, already familiar with the league and coaches. For instance, Downtown Las Vegas Soccer Club offers a youth program for ages 4 to 9 as well as a competitive team for kids ages 5 to 18.
- Are the coaches paid employees or are they contractors? Parents who know the answer to this question will have an idea of the club’s commitment to their teams as well as the loyalty the coaches have to their jobs and their players. Having paid coaches, such as the case with Downtown Las Vegas Soccer Club, is rare in the soccer world but has been a successful strategy.
- Research what opportunities the club brings to the table. Are there local competitions? Are there chances for scholarships down the road? If so, are the coaches able to guide players to their goal of playing for a college team? Also, do the clubs offer scholarships for families that can’t afford to allow their children to participate?
- Is the club committed to helping your child succeed off the sports field? Some clubs offer mentoring and tutoring, as well as grade expectations, to help the players succeed in school. At Downtown Las Vegas Soccer Club, youth-to-youth mentoring and tutoring are available. Success in school is important if a player wants to eventually play for a college team.
- From a competitive perspective, does the organization or club have a track record of players progressing to play at the collegiate or professional level? This will help parents decide if the club meets the player’s aspirations, even if they are choosing to play recreationally.
“The most important thing is to find a club that matches your family and your child’s needs,” said Gary Soresman, executive director of Downtown Las Vegas Soccer Club. “They can learn and they can progress, but if they’re not having fun in a positive environment, players won’t enjoy the experience.”
The Downtown Las Vegas Soccer Club, a non-profit organization, operates under the belief that the youngest players are the future of the club, and the academy strives to aide each and every player who attends the professional year-round program, structured by a nationally recognized coaching staff. Former club players have gone on to play at the collegiate, Olympic and professional levels in the United States and abroad. The club’s academy is supervised by the Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer team.
More information about the soccer club and any tournament information can be found at downtownlvsc.com/.