SURVEY: Youth soccer community optimistic about returning to play this fall

According to a nationwide survey conducted by SOCCER.COM, youth soccer families across the country are optimistic about returning to play this fall.

While the coronavirus pandemic has already put the spring season in serious doubt for many areas of the country, 80 percent of parents who responded to the survey said they expect youth soccer to resume by August.

Some leagues and tournaments are hoping to play games on a modified schedule in June or July. A majority of parents – 61 percent – said that they believe youth soccer will resume in their area by mid-summer.

Meanwhile, most players are using their time at home wisely. SOCCER.com’s survey revealed that 81 percent of youth soccer players are continuing to develop their skills with at-home individual training.

While stay-at-home orders remain in place for most regions, 63 percent of players are still keeping in touch digitally with their teammates. Around 29 percent of players are staying connected to soccer by watching rebroadcasts of old matches and playing soccer video games.

As for overall soccer participation, the COVID-19 pandemic is not expected to cause too much of a major decrease moving forward. Around 94 percent of parents said that it’s somewhat likely or very likely that their kids will return to youth soccer once the lockdowns are lifted. Only 5 percent said their kids are very unlikely to continue playing.

For more findings from the SOCCER.COM survey, Click Here.