Three Social Health Benefits of Soccer for Youth Athletes - Yahoo! Sports

There are a lot of health benefits that soccer can provide a youth athlete, including many social health benefits. Soccer is one of the best sports for a youth athlete to get involved with, because it can help him or her maintain positive health and wellness. When it comes to soccer for a youth athlete, the social benefits can outweigh the physical benefits, which might be why he or she decides to participate.

Here are three of the best social health benefits that soccer can provide a youth athlete, whether he or she is on a team at school or through another organization.

Can Teach Teamwork

Soccer can help a youth athlete develop teamwork skills, which is very important for social interaction during school, and during his or her adult years. Teamwork is built through soccer by the fact that it only takes one person to mess up, in order to potentially destroy the play, and create a score for the opponent. Youth athletes that participate in soccer will find they can build off of each other, help each other learn, and create an environment built around winning. Not all sports are centered on teamwork, but soccer relies on each person doing what he or she is supposed to at all times. Soccer can also teach a youth athlete to be more positive to his or her teammates, and it can help him or her develop constructive criticism skills, which is also important for social interaction.

Can Help Develop Communication Skills

A youth athlete that is playing soccer is also going to have better communication skills, which can help him or her in many social situations. Communication is needed in soccer because each player has a role to play, and needs to fulfill the role successful, in order for the team to win. A youth soccer athlete is also going to have to communicate with coaches when there is a problem, and be able to communicate his or her specific needs. Communication is also a part of teamwork, because without effective communication skills, the soccer team will not be cohesive. A youth athlete will also need to know how to communicate physical limitations and strengths, in order to become successful at soccer. As a youth athlete becomes more involved with soccer, he or she will increase communication skills, which can enhance performance, and also help him or her bond with other players.

Can Teach Equality

Equality is also a very positive social benefit that a youth athlete can learn while playing soccer, which can help him or her learn about relationships. Both men and women can play soccer, but sometimes a younger youth athlete does not realize this, and often lacks equality skills needed in society. While playing soccer, a youth athlete can learn that women and men are similar, and that regardless of your gender, you can play sports. A youth athlete can also learn that equality means that no matter what you look like, you can become successful, and be very productive at soccer or other sports. A youth athlete is also likely to find out that having physical or mental disabilities does not exclude someone from sports, and it can help him or her learn to treat people in those situations as equals. A youth athlete will meet a lot of people while playing soccer, and this can help him or her learn about equality as a social issue, and can help him or her succeed later in life.

Jeanne Rose has certification in nurse assisting, worked as a dietary clerk in a hospital for three years, and went to vocational school for Allied Health.