Sport Participation and Specialization Characteristics Among Pediatric Soccer Athletes. Issue 3 (27th March 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: McLeod, Tamara Valovich; Israel, Michael; Christino, Melissa A.; Chung, Jane S.; McKay, Scott D.; Lang, Pamela J.; Bell, David R.; Chan, Charles M.; Crepeau, Allison; Davis, Elizabeth; Fletcher, Amanda L.; Laniak, Jessica; McCaffrey, Kelsie; Pacicca, Donna; Riederer, Mark; Rizzone, Katherine; Rush, Jeremy K.; Zaslow, Tracy
• Is Part Of: Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine. Volume 7:Issue 3(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-03-27
• Subjects: sport sampling -- overtraining -- American development model -- long-term athlete development model; Sports medicine -- Periodicals; Orthopedics -- Periodicals; Arthroscopy -- Periodicals; Arthroplasty -- Periodicals; Knee -- Surgery -- Periodicals; 616.7
• DOI: 10.1177/2325967119832399
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2325-9671

Abstract

Background: Soccer is an increasingly popular sport for children and adolescents in the United States. Little is known about participation patterns related to sport specialization. Purpose: To investigate soccer participation levels and sport specialization characteristics among youth soccer athletes. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Adolescent athletes aged between 12 and 18 years completed an online survey addressing participant demographics, sports and soccer participation history, and level of specialization. Descriptive analyses characterized participation, while chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests assessed the influence of specialization, sex, and grade on survey variables. Results: Overall, 83.7% of 746 respondents participated in an organized soccer league outside of school, and 37% played in multiple leagues concurrently. Nearly three-quarters of respondents trained in soccer more than 8 months of the year, with those who participated in club soccer being more likely to train more than 8 months of the year. More respondents were classified as high specialization (37.5%), followed by moderate (35.6%) and low (28.6%) specialization. No differences between sexes were noted for level of specialization or quitting other sports to specialize in soccer, but male athletes were more likely to train more than 8 months per year compared with female athletes. Respondents in older grades (9th-10th and 11th-12th grades) were more likely to be highly specialized and quit other sports to focus on soccer. No differences between grade levels were found among respondents training more than 8 months per year. Conclusion: The study findings suggest that many youth soccer athletes participated in multiple teams or leagues at the same time and trained more than 8 months of the year. Characteristics including participation on a club team, level of specialization, and male sex were associated with a greater likelihood of exceeding the 8-month training recommendation.