Athletes Lose Contact With Soccer Later In Life

    Coaching at the high school level, as I currently am as the interim boys' coach at City High, I've bumped into a number of former high school and club players who like to stay in touch with what's going on at their alma mater.
     Its been good to see some familiar, if somewhat older and hopefully wiser, faces but it's also been quite disturbing from a soccer standpoint. Why? Because many of these individuals no longer play.
     Just a brief time ago, these college students and college graduates were heavily invested in soccer. The time, the effort and not least, the money, that they put into their soccer education was considerable. Practice and games throughout the spring and summer, and into the fall. More of the same during the winter indoor season. Year round soccer. A way of life, not only for the player, but also for the family as a whole with schedules frequently built around the demands of practice and the weekend's games. Then all of a sudden, nothing. No practices. No games. No soccer.
     Back in the 1960s, a government study in England identified what became known as "The Wolfenden Gap," named after the individual who headed the research. The "Gap" referred to the void that existed for young adults in terms of athletic participation once they left school and no longer had ready access to sporting opportunities.
     Its more than a shame to think that some forty years on, the "Gap" is alive and well, though by no means soccer specific. The reasons and circumstances may have changed over time, but certainly as far as soccer is concerned, the bottom line is that way too many players stop playing before their time.
     The consensus among the soccer fraternity is that the "prime" years for a soccer outfield player are between the ages of 27 and 30. (Goalkeepers tend to be in their 30s when they reach the top of their games). It is at this time when one still has the physical capabilities of putting into
practice all the knowledge and experience gained. In simple terms, prior to these prime years, players tend to be on a steeper learning curve, and after it, the legs start to go.
     So, to think that so much soccer talent never comes close to realizing its full potential because players stop playing in their early 20s or even before, is disappointing to say the least.
     Certainly, work, school and family commitments can be an issue, and not everyone has the inclination to continue playing as other interests take on greater importance. But perhaps the biggest single problem in the Iowa City area is the perceived lack of opportunity. Yet there are area soccer leagues for adults, including but not limited to, the Iowa City Soccer League. And if the desire is simply to play for the love of the game, it shouldn't be necessary to worry about regular and/or rigorous practice schedules.
     If you truly love to play, I urge you to do so. I well remember the Director of the P.E. program at the University of Birmingham in England where I took my under-graduate degree, (he was a former captain of the England national team), telling me when I was psychologically struggling to get back into the soccer swing after breaking my leg for the second time: "make sure you play when you're physically able, because there'll come a time when you can't." And that's a fact that I'm coming to terms with right now.