Youth Football : Views From an NFL Perspective

Written by Steve Beuerlein Former Carolina Panther and Owner of BP Pro Fitness

It is an issue that has been hotly debated for many years… since before I was a kid!  It is an interesting topic of conversation because there really is no right or wrong answer.  The question of “how soon is too soon?” to play youth football, or any sport for that matter, incites intense passion from the young and old alike.

When I look back on my childhood, I have vivid memories of so many great times playing all sports.  Basketball, baseball, swimming, diving and football were all huge parts of my world.  Today things are significantly different.  Back then, the only organized sports that kids could play BEFORE THE AGE OF NINE were swimming and gymnastics.  There was no youth soccer or tee ball.  No basketball leagues for 4 yr olds or tackle football at 5 or 6 years old.  We learned to play all of those sports with our parents, siblings and friends at our own pace in our neighborhoods, in the parks or even in the street.  There was no pressure to play a certain sport because there were no options… or maybe too many!  Boy, did we have fun!

Today that is not the case.  With the advent of all the organized youth sports comes the fear that, if your child does not play a certain sport at an early age, he or she may fall so far behind that it will be too hard to ever make up the lost ground.  Although I disagree with this theory (I waited until 6th grade to play tackle football and did not play again until 9th grade!), I do understand why so many parents may feel this way and it is justified.  Just remember that the kids will eventually determine their own sport(s) of choice when they are old enough.

As parents, our top priority should be to expose our kids to as much as we can, both in sports and in life. The goal is to provide the opportunity to find where it is that their passion lies.  No matter what the activity may be, it is on us to give them the best possibility for success by placing them at the proper level of competition with quality instruction.  Just as important is to emphasize the importance of having fun, good sportsmanship, teamwork, the value of hard work, respect for opponents, and how to be a good winner and loser!

Let’s remember that we are creating memories for our children… make sure that they are great ones!