If your child did football every week for years, are you glad they did

[Pringlepopping]

Or do you regret the amount of time you spent on it

Played football I mean, you know like in a kids team

My son played on a team from aged 7 to 15 he should be playing in under 16s this year but decided to stop. I dont regret it at all. He made friends, learnt how to work in a team, learnt how to deal with winning and losing etc and obviously kept him fit and active. I'm not sure what there is to regret. Football is usually quite cheap to participate in and only 1 or 2 training sessions a week and then a match at the weekends.

Now if my other son who is a swimmer decides to quit I can see why there might be an element of regret due to the thousands of pounds a year it costs and the training everyday and the galas that take up the entire weekend and sometimes require hotel stays and being away from my other son etc.

My ds’s are 17 and 20

Theyve played twice every week since they were 4. They still do, eldest on his uni team

They are not professional of course, but I’m a great believer in competitive sport, especially for boys in channeling their ‘inert’ aggression

no regrets at all

Yes absolutely glad. Ds2 played foitybon a Sunday from age 6 to age 18. I always went to watch unless I utterly couldn't (eg running in race). Very happy to support him in something he loved so much.

He now plays a different sport and I watch him in uni matches too (luckily he is quite near). Last year he got into a prestigious team and even played abroad.

His sport keeps him fit, teaches him discipline and resilience and has made him a great group of friends. All good.

My ds has played for our local team since he was 5. He’s 16 now. His brother played for the and team but quit at 13. There are numerous benefits, physical and mental. He loves the camaraderie. They train once an week and he plays in matches on Saturdays and occasionally Sundays. When both dc played, the logistics of getting them both to matches in different locations were very tricky but we managed. There’s absolutely nothing to regret. I hope he continues to play into adulthood (I think he will).

DS played from being 4-18, absolutely no regrets. Apart from the obvious benefits of fitness, team work etc it also gave him a focus outside of his school which is extremely academic and could easily become overwhelming without an outside interest and a separate group of friends away from that.
From a selfish point of view, we've met some of our closest friends through the many hours of sitting on the sidelines in all weathers!

My son has played rugby every week since he was 5. He's now 23 and still trains twice a week and plays at weekends.

It has taken a lot of his (and our) time but he obviously does it off his own accord now and has so many friends from the local area. Especially important after he finished uni and started his job. Plus he's stayed fit throughout.

No regrets now (although I remember times when he was younger that I resented it).

It’s not something I have any emotions about, other than a mild regret at chilly hours on pitch sidelines, same as I have no feelings about chess, guitar lessons, sailing and rugby — DS’s call in all cases.

So glad. Mine still plays, under 15's now. I have a 60 mile round trip tomorrow as away game so yes it's a commitment from parents for sure but I actually really enjoy it and so does my ds. Lots of his friends have given up and rarely leave their bedrooms now so I'm glad he is still interested and keeping fit. Helps balance out the screen time and gets him out a couple of nights a week for training which is handily a 2 min walk from our house.

No... football is brilliant for kids. It has been so beneficial for my Ds. Never regretted it

Really glad DSs (1,2,3 & 4) played football & went to training during the football seasons of their youth. I used to enjoy watching them play. They often did football camps during the summer too. DS4 was fortunate enough to go to one in Seville.

They now enjoy 5-a-side, or knockabouts with their mates

Why do you ask, OP?

My DS is 17 and has played football since he was 6 for 8 years off that was at a very high level 5/6 days a week, I often feel guilty that he missed out on a lot of things but he loved it and it was what he wanted to do, in many ways it has and still is good for him, it really brought him out his shell and he made lots of friends from all over the country, he's really into health & fitness which I believe will now carry on to the rest of his life.

Not football but both my kids are heavily involved in sport, one more so than the other.

no regrets. They’ve made friends, kept fit, visited parts of the country and other countries.
if they quit tomorrow they’ve had so much out of it already.

My daughter plays 3 x per week.

I can't imagine what regrets I'd have over this.

Nor regrets about taking her to Scouts or swimming.

DD has played since she was 7, she’s almost 12 now. No regrets at all, and no plans to drop it. She’s made friends, understands teamwork and is extremely active as a result. So many of her friends do not do any active hobbies and I think I would regret that more.

DS is nearly 8, so only a season or so in. He plays four times a week though! Again, no regrets. It’s good for him. He’s tried other stuff but football just hits the spot.

Yes my 2 eldest boys are in their twenties now and still have lots of friends from their football days and a keen interest in football. Eldest ds has a media job with a football club and does commentary etc. DD also did football for many years but has no interest now.

It was good for DS1who was geeky but sporty and it helped him to rub along with the jock types.
It was a disaster for DS2 who was very gentle and unsporty and it crushed his confidence because he got ignored or spent entire matches on the sidelines. One of my parenting fails was encouraging him to continue rather than putting a stop to it earlier.

No regrets here after almost 10 years on the sidelines...
DS is now 14 and I love that he trains on two week nights and has matches each Saturday and Sunday.
He has a variety of friends across the county as he plays for a team North and South of where we live.
Downside is we drive plenty of miles for away games but he loves it, is healthy, social, it benefits his mental health greatly as he does sometimes struggle.
Due to the structure of his week he tends to not wander the streets and equally isn't on his games console 24/7.

We’re
8 years in with DC 1 and 2, 2 years in with DC3
Don’t regret it at all- it’s been brilliant for all of us. Exercise, social stuff for them and me, rain or shine, teamwork- and they have learnt loads about being resilient, inclusive, and committed.

No regrets, only that DD's girls team folded yep weeks before the lionesses won the Euros! The coach moved away, no one else was prepared/able to take it on.

DD played in a girls team from 7-11. @Hellocatshome and others have given all the benefits of team sports. She won't play in a mixed team (although is allowed to under FA rules), and no other gilts teams close enough to realistically get to training after work. She's a bit cast adrift now, getting less keen on sport, sometimes refuses to get up on a weekend and incredibly rude. I'm sure it's the lack of football in her life, but she point blank refuses anything else.

Both my sons do this. No regrets for me as I only go to home matches so not really time-consuming.

Yes, I am very glad of all the time and money I spent.

He was never gold star, but he became a very sound player, and I saw it enable him to walk up to any other group of children, with confidence and join in a game- I saw this on camping holidays, friends weddings when he knew nobody, and when he moved in to university halls, for example.

He is an adult now, and football is still a big part of his social life. It is fun, healthy, cheap exercise and I would say it is still life enhancing

Also, he persuaded me to start at around age 50, and I play regularly now too

I am a teacher - and see a lot of teenagers go off the rails - if they show an interest in sport, any sport, encourage it as far as you can. There are so many worse things they can be getting sucked into if they are bored, and have a lot of energy to spare

DS is 21 and still plays pretty often. We had some lovely trips just sitting chatting in the car and some freezing cold trips where we wished we could stay in bed, we just laugh now. No regrets.

Yes he's still playing in a team at 24. I didn't go every week to see him play....other commitments.