Recreational soccer is that soccer program that is primarily devoted to the enjoyment and development of soccer players without the emphasis on travel or high level competition. The purpose of recreational soccer is to provide an opportunity for the participants to have fun, learn the sport and develop life skills including a lifelong love of the game.
Other ideas come into play. Recreational Player – a player who is randomly assigned to a team without regard to his/her abilities and skills. Recreational Team – teams formed randomly to play soccer. Fun! – It is critical that players involved in youth soccer enjoy the game in which they are playing.
In Florida, we define recreational soccer as inexpensive soccer programs created for fun, exercise and development of all young players in environments where competition is firmly deemphasized. Individual players all play for different reasons, but a successful recreational soccer program must effectively encompass all three major elements of fun, healthy exercise and learning.