Just got back from Italy. In addition to catching the sites, where possible, out of curiosity, we tried to visit a few stadiums and dig the locals for soccer info (most of the locals either spoke English or we could get by on Spanish and DF's Italian proficiency). Talked to quite a few people, including a mom who had 3 kids that play.
Granted, it's a limited sample, and granted anecdotes make for lousy proof, but here are a few observations:
1. It seems that most kids play for the elementary or neighborhood teams. There's no illusion of any of those kids making the pros, and university teams don't exist in the same way ours do (it's more like intramural sports played just for fun and without scholarships or hired coaches). In fact, the mom I talked to was moving to Puerto Rico so her eldest might get a shot he couldn't in Italy. The future pros attend the pro club Academies. Most people I spoke to seemed genuinely surprised we had so many clubs. They didn't really get what the US was trying to accomplish with the DA system or why we would need so many DA teams. The thing that I got the most push back on was the pay to play system...the response uniformly was why would any pay to play soccer....and if the kid is that good to merit professional coaching and development, shouldn't the team be providing a free pass/scholarship.
2. Nearly every neighborhood and beach community had a small sided pitch. Large sided pitches were very few and far between but everyone had these little ones, mostly turf (with a box for the penalty area), sometimes concrete (with a futsal penalty area), with quarter sized goals. Some were old, but virtually all very well kept up. The large sided pitches were usually locked and not available for public access.
3. Granted Europe was under a severe heat wave, but dear son went to the parks early in the morning and late in the evening hoping he could get in on a pickup game. None to be found. I asked a few of the locals. They said the kids don't play soccer during the summer, even at the beach communities. They were surprised about my stories about kids in California playing tournaments in the heat...the reaction was genuinely why would you do that to kids. There are pickup games, I'm told, but generally after school while schools are in session, which is also the duration of their season. They mentioned that even if they wanted to there'd be no way to keep a team together in summer as that's when people take their extended holidays.
4. There's a genuine love for the game there that I don't really get from US soccer players or parents. Maybe that will change now that this generation has grown up with soccer. But the attitude seemed more to play for the love of it rather than what it can get for you....college or a trip to the pros. They also seemed surprised that, unless the kid is in an Academy, we would push them as hard as we do (such as with private trainers or daily practices) and that the training is so regimented and scheduled.
Again, just setting out my impressions based on several conversations and visits over a couple of weeks. Not at all intending to make broad conclusions, other than there do appear to be genuine differences in the US and Italian approaches and attitudes. Welcome divergent or supplementing views/observations.
Granted, it's a limited sample, and granted anecdotes make for lousy proof, but here are a few observations:
1. It seems that most kids play for the elementary or neighborhood teams. There's no illusion of any of those kids making the pros, and university teams don't exist in the same way ours do (it's more like intramural sports played just for fun and without scholarships or hired coaches). In fact, the mom I talked to was moving to Puerto Rico so her eldest might get a shot he couldn't in Italy. The future pros attend the pro club Academies. Most people I spoke to seemed genuinely surprised we had so many clubs. They didn't really get what the US was trying to accomplish with the DA system or why we would need so many DA teams. The thing that I got the most push back on was the pay to play system...the response uniformly was why would any pay to play soccer....and if the kid is that good to merit professional coaching and development, shouldn't the team be providing a free pass/scholarship.
2. Nearly every neighborhood and beach community had a small sided pitch. Large sided pitches were very few and far between but everyone had these little ones, mostly turf (with a box for the penalty area), sometimes concrete (with a futsal penalty area), with quarter sized goals. Some were old, but virtually all very well kept up. The large sided pitches were usually locked and not available for public access.
3. Granted Europe was under a severe heat wave, but dear son went to the parks early in the morning and late in the evening hoping he could get in on a pickup game. None to be found. I asked a few of the locals. They said the kids don't play soccer during the summer, even at the beach communities. They were surprised about my stories about kids in California playing tournaments in the heat...the reaction was genuinely why would you do that to kids. There are pickup games, I'm told, but generally after school while schools are in session, which is also the duration of their season. They mentioned that even if they wanted to there'd be no way to keep a team together in summer as that's when people take their extended holidays.
4. There's a genuine love for the game there that I don't really get from US soccer players or parents. Maybe that will change now that this generation has grown up with soccer. But the attitude seemed more to play for the love of it rather than what it can get for you....college or a trip to the pros. They also seemed surprised that, unless the kid is in an Academy, we would push them as hard as we do (such as with private trainers or daily practices) and that the training is so regimented and scheduled.
Again, just setting out my impressions based on several conversations and visits over a couple of weeks. Not at all intending to make broad conclusions, other than there do appear to be genuine differences in the US and Italian approaches and attitudes. Welcome divergent or supplementing views/observations.
Maybe if you guys ventured out of these tourist infested destinations to countryside or urban centers like Milan, Genoa, Turin maybe your report would look different. Italian experience is different from Spanish, or Belgian, in Southeastern Europe kids play soccer 24/7, there are local clubs, village clubs, big renowned pro clubs, indoor leagues, small academies, big club youth academies...so yeah there is also difference between Western and Eastern European soccer experience.