Do Irish kids not play soccer anymore unless its organized?

pgj2015

I know they play it at training for their club etc but im talking about playing football in parks, on the greens in estates, gardens. I never see it in the town I live. when I was a kid I was always playing soccer in my garden with friends/neighbours. is it the same in the rest of the Country? no wonder our National mens team have never been so weak, how can we compete when the kids in Brazil or kids in African are playing football with plastic bags stuck together as a ball.

triddles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058264870/do-irish-kids-not-play-soccer-anymore-unless-its-organized

What area ya talkin? I see it a good bit where i live -North Co Dublin. Im sure tbf with the advent of social media , tablets etc its played less unorganised. I think perhaps organised has actually increased cos the parents know the kids are at screens too often.

Balmed Out

My garden and that of several neighbours has large grassless patches so it's still played. If their not doing homework their playing world cup, heaven and hell etc.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664205#Comment_119664205

Really? I live in the west of Ireland. I don't think I have seen kids playing soccer on an estate green in a few years.

Princess Calla

They still play in the park/field beside us.

It's a shame dog owners don't pick up after their dogs though as the park is covered in poop.

Bins at both entrances which are only a minute walk from each other so no excuse.

triddles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664215#Comment_119664215

Yeah its fairly common! I feel like ud see less though , like often see 4 or 5 playing probably heads and volleys. Would ya see them playing any type of sport?

SuperGrover

All the time on the green outside my gaff.

I haven't seen a group of kids play any sport where I live.They tend to group and get into doing dodgy things in the estate.But there isn't much to offer for bored kids like bowling alleys,skating rinks,clubs,etc.I know there are soccer,hurling clubs but alot of kids aren't into and are left to their own devices.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664225#Comment_119664225

No, the greens are usually empty. last time I saw a kid on an e-scooter with his phone in his hand. I though that was quiet sad.

Mam1996

My 14yr old has a bunch of friends (5or 6) and they're frequently out on the green area for hours on end playing soccer and have been for years. I love to see them, it reminds me of when we were young

Fallout2022

The falling off of kids playing three and in really mirrored or perhaps directly caused the decline of society in Ireland.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664242#Comment_119664242

We didn't have any bowling alleys or skating rinks when I was a kid either but we always had a football and played it every day.

Its funny how the premier league is so popular but yet kids don't ever play football where I live unless its training at their club.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664310#Comment_119664310

I grew up the same,we made our own fun in those days.But today things are far different,kids get bored more easily and while certian things are offered,the spacing of sessions is too far and inbetween.Kids lose interest and fall back to group mentality.Aside from the school sports there is very little to engage kids who aren't into sports,IMO.

Motivator

It’s definitely a think of the past where I’m from anyway. Back in the mid/late 90’s the largest estate the city had a massive football tournament each summer. Games went on all day every day and there could have been 100+ Children playing. I’m talking lads that were aged probably 12 - 17. The way the green Is set up it has houses surrounding it on three sides and then the road runs along the other side. I vividly remember cars pulling in to watch some of the games. There were referees drawn out of hats at the start of the summer and all the goals were made by the lads playing. Local businesses would donate the materials and the lads would build them perfectly. Small sided goals and young lads reffing games it was brilliant.

Back in those days there were no drugs, no scumbag behaviour, just innocent fun. There was serious organisation in those tournaments and they were legendary around town. This would have been back in the days of Blur and Oasis and when the summers always seemed to be great weather for months on end.

I passed the same green earlier this summer and there were no games of ball, just young lads sitting around on their phones smoking fags. It’s not the same at all unfortunately. There’s not even hurling being played on greens anymore. Kids are either in playing the PlayStation or out smoking fags. I remember being dropped up to friends to watch some of the World Cup games in 2002. I’d go up for the early kick off. Get breakfast and watch the match, then go out and play ball. Go back for the second game and then get lunch and then watch the third game before playing more ball and then topping the day off with a bag of chips before being picked up as it was getting dark. Different times and some great memories of those days.

I also think in World Cup years, there were 32 counties represented and the games would be played on the same day the real World Cup games were played. No way would you get that kind of stuff happening now with that many kids involved. Kids nowadays have too much, back then people didn’t have anything or if they did have something it wasn’t a lot.

Strumms

My green at home is huge and there has been a new generation of young people around now but weirdly, football isn’t a thing… this despite the area having a real regeneration of young kids…loads about alright … riding bikes, scooters…sitting on walls….sport doesn’t seem to be as important as even in the summer, tennis courts in the park, mostly empty..

can’t say I know why because I’m not very well connected to that generation but for 30 years, from 2pm to dusk in the summer there would always be a couple of matches on the go, massive green…one match was the older kids, teens and the other the younger lot…. Also on Saturday afternoon about a 30 minute wait for a tennis court over in the park.

we still had consoles we played, tv etc….so what’s happening ?

i wonder might it be due to having for a few years now , a particularly unimpressive and uninspiring Irish team..remember from 88-94 we qualified for two world cups and a European championships, beating England, Italy, and giving anyone a game…Getting to a quarter final of a World Cup and last 16… also the players had personality, gravitas, a degree of accessibility and inspired us…playing for Ireland AND Manchester United, Liverpool, Celtic, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs… Juventus even in Liam Brady’s case…

I grew up on a road where a top quality international player had his family home, when he returned in the summer he’d sometimes would spend maybe an hour to have a kick around on the green with us the kids. You’d be talking about it for months…I’m betting you wouldn’t see that now, they’d probably be fined by their club.

That inspires people, the same player won a league championship and an fa cup if memory serves…kid who I was friends with then and played with us that day, a year younger then me, only recently retired having won Irish caps and enjoyed a long career in English football.

But yeah kids now don’t seem to embrace the simple joy of a kick-about with mates.

Count Dracula

It depends op, but there are certainly more organised sports than years ago, this could be a contributing factor.

Parents appear to be more anxious about the welfare of their kids than when I was younger. With the onset of scaremongering from everything from the local nonce to being knocked off their bike etc. Alot of parents can go over the top.

I have a friend who drops everything to pick up his daughter and constantly runs around after her, she is now 22. I mentioned it to him and got the coldest stare I ever saw him deliver, in fairness not my business.

I remember there were adds on the telly years ago about crossing the road and the funniest was the dude fetching his frizby from the local power station. My mother blamed the Frrizy and banned them.....

They would be molly coddled for sure. My Grandad only had one pair of shoes and they used to be his brothers.

I'm a blow in and was raised in a different enviroment,but some of the problems are the same here.Some kids are missing direction so they fall into whatever environment they are more easily comfortable with if there is no alternative.But if more events were offered outside of sports then they would avail of their peers and instructors to guidelines to be decent.I don't want to blame all parents but there are some who aren't bothered by what their kids are up to as long as they aren't bothering them,

Strumms

Growing up, you could say I want to be like…

McGrath, Keane, Given, Irwin, Houghton, Aldridge, Quinn, McCarthy…

Debate Irelands best starting eleven, now ? I couldn’t, back then our players were revered. The team excited us.

The five forwards between then have scored 15 goals for Ireland, they and the rest of the side are mostly journeymen.

kids don’t have the inspiration but they have other distractions .

Larbre34

They would, but their overprotective parents don't let them out of their sight.

Any green space not covered in sweatshirts and footballs with worn goal patches in all summer long, is a waste.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664439#Comment_119664439

Id say if an Irish player kicked football with local kids now, they wouldn't even know who he was. Not many premier league players in the Irish squad now.

Count Dracula

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664599#Comment_119664599

I think that is more to do with the money the Premiership has now than a drop in quality. Much more S Americans, Africans, French, Spanish players to compete with now.

If you look at say Euro 88, many of the Dutch team were still playing for Ajax, Eindhoven, Feyenord etc. Granted Gullit and Van Basten were in italy I think. But the same can be said for the best Germans, Italians etc. In fact in italy at the time you were only picked for the national team if you played in Italy. This only changed the last few years in Italy, it is still frowned upon when Italians leave Italy to play elsewhere.

Houghton, Whelan, Aldridge , McGrath, Moran, Sheedy, etc were all playing for top tier 1st division teams ( the premiership at the time ).

These days the world is smaller and players follow the money, that means less opportunity for Irish players in England.

I am still amazed the Premiership does not attract some of our more talented GAA players.

Perseverance The Second

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058264870/do-irish-kids-not-play-soccer-anymore-unless-its-organized

The Decline among young people not playing soccer is trend across most of Europe.

It's down to a combination of restrictive measures and more non-sport related activities.

It's no coincidence that a huge increase in the numbers of cars on the road means that playing a bit of street football is near impossible. More car traffic on the roads make it near impossible to have a kick about the road for fear of getting run over. With increased numbers cars it also means you have more people worried about the cars getting damaged by footballs.

Also just a simple fact that kids have a much wider array of things to enjoy. The continued rise of Videogames, More film + TV stream platforms, Youtube, TikTok etc.

This trend applies to pretty much all sports.

Flinty997

We've a few local greens where kids play soccer often enough. Lot of GAA in the area too, so you see that also.

But don't think soccer is played on local greens anything like the numbers when I was a kid. We played one estate against the other. But these kids are playing with their clubs training or matches 3 times a week 6 times if they play two sport's. They probably want a break from it.

From memory I played nothing like as much for my clubs and schools. Maybe I was just at a low level. So any chance I got to kick a ball on green I would do it.

Mister Vain

Ahh the good old days when we used jumpers for goal posts. Soccer being played on almost every green in the village. Now all the kids are vaping and flying around on those electric scooters.

thebaz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664722#Comment_119664722

Tik Tok/Smart phones over a game of Football !!! - Im so glad I grew up when I did - The same smart phones tell us obesity is on the rise , then that football/sport cause concussion - increasing anxiety - so much healthier to play /compete outside, than in the 'safe' virtual world.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664867#Comment_119664867

True. they would be a lot better walking as well, no need for them to be using e-scooters.

Flinty997

Not all kids love football. They used to be forced into it and hate it. Lot of bullying goes on around football. Those of us who do/did like it. Don't remember that part of it.

con___manx1

Kids are always playing soccer outside my house. They broke the mirror on my car one day. I just move my car now when I see them playing on the street. Id rather see them playing football on the estate than up to no good.

Donald Trump

No. The kids that might have been playing soccerball have reverted back to their more natural instincts and roles of robbing cars and ramming Gardai.

They'd be more into organised crime than soccerball to be fair

completedit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664669#Comment_119664669

This was such a good post and then you randomly mentioned the GAA. Why would Premier League teams, elite premier league teams go to an amateur sport and pick guys that play a sport played with the hands and with a stick when they can literally scour the globe for people who have specialised in the sport they are actually participating in. Your whole post basically talked about how these teams have global talent in a way they never did but for some reason end with surprise that they haven't signed some random hurler/gaa lad who probably played football at a decent/okay/relatively high level but not good enough to think he should pursue it full time. ofc Ireland misses out on some talent but not that much imo. I've never heard any story of a GAA player who was exceptional at football choosing GAA. I mean exceptional to the point that it would be a no brainer to pursue football. I'm aware plenty of good football players have probably eventually decided to pursue GAA in their teens.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664669#Comment_119664669

Im not sure it has to do with the money in the premier league. Like is Josh Cullen as good as roy keane or liam brady? is troy parrot as good as robbie keane? Even if there want so many south americans and africans in the premier league, im not sure the Irish team wouldnt still be playing in the championship and league 1.

completedit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664980#Comment_119664980

They were elite players and probably would still be. Look at the English League in the 90's it was a glorified pub league, the lads are unfit, dad bods, scrawny, movements and awkward. It has a beauty to it, in a way it feels more like football than the uncanny valley stuff that we see today in elite soccer. Players like Matt Holland and Kinsella would not be captains for mid table teams in today's Premier League. They'd be average players in the upper end of the Championship.

Swaine

They can't stay away from their phones long enough to play sports. No wonder our national team has gone to sh1t. Also, over protective parents doesn't allow for young lads going out for a kick around. Paedos, rapists around every corner 'cos that's what the internet told them.

Iggy Pop

Funny how things change. When I was young all the kids around would be playing soccer on the green constantly. In the summer we would play from morning until it was too dark to see the ball. Jumpers for goal posts and no limit on how many on a team. Good times.

Gregor Samsa

Not sure if this thread is specifically about soccer, or kids playing informal sports in general. But in my estate (town in the west), there's always loads of kids out playing hurling. A fair few kids play basketball on the road too, not to mention the kids out on bikes/scooters/running around (52 Bonkers, etc).

Saw a couple of the neighbour's playing "kerbs" the other week. That's a game I haven't seen since my own childhood in Dublin, which was one of my favourite games growing up - our estate didn't have a green area, so all games had to be played on the road itself. You couldn't play it now where I grew up - too many cars parked on the road (few of the houses have driveways), and I'd never seen kids playing it here before (I did try to introduce my eldest daughter to it years ago, but she was having none of it). I was tempted to join in.

Greyfox

Yeah it's definitely on the decline. We had our spot in the park for years.. we stopped playing there 15 years ago and the spot has never been used since.

From my own experiences, people tend to complain about teenagers all the time.

If they're playing football people moan that they're loud and the ball hit the car etc

It's been the same in every estate I've lived in.

Sadly, this is probably the main reason we see less playing sports these days.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119666558#Comment_119666558

I doubt that would put them off playing. Adults would be more easy going these days than to not want kids kicking a football around.

BaywatchHQ

A few years ago my cousin's were playing soccer in the GAA clubs youth field and an old man hounded them off it. The man then approached their father in the pub and was telling them him to make sure to stay off the field. My uncle argued with him that he wouldn't be saying that if his children were related to one of the big GAA families in the community.

I think this old man was a county player in the 60s or 70s.

thegame983

I'm currently living with my parents and when I look around the neighborhood at the 100s of detached and semi detached houses they're mostly filled with elderly couples in the 60s' plus. There are plenty of greens and recreational areas, but very few children. (just a few people walking their dogs)

In fact my parents house used to be my grandparents house who had 7 children and now there's none living here (unless you count me!)

Greyfox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119667658#Comment_119667658

Years ago their use to be a pathetic bunch of GAA heads that use to give out when football (soccer) was played on their pitches, after a few years they copped on and stopped complaining.. the lads then moved on and played somewhere else

kirving

Aside from smartphones being a big influence, the fact is in that in suburbia now there is far less green space provided.

I did some calculations using Google Maps just now to measure areas of some housing estates I'm familiar with. I'm not bothered getting any more scientific tbh.

The housing estate where I grew up was 22% green space. Two local estates build in the 80's were 16% and 13% (but 13% estate has access to more green space adjacent).

The medium density place build in 2010? 8%

But crucially, the newest place has nowhere you can kick a ball. Look at it below. It's a stroke by the architects really - young families will think the swing set is great, until it's no longer maintained, or the kids grow up, and have nowhere to go outside and play cashing with their friends or kick a ball about. So they turn to the smartphones.

Peer-reviewed super scientific data below....

0ph0rce0

The greens used to be full of lads playing ball everyday alright. Never see it at all anymore.

It wasn't just football.

Used to love when Wimbledon was on during the summers, If there was any local workers around you'd ask them for some of that orange plastic barrier stuff, Grab two poles a bit of paint and a lawnmower, head down the field and make a court. Place used to be packed all day for weeks. You couldn't get a game.

Great craic.

Muahahaha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119666558#Comment_119666558

yeah in my town there are quite a few skateboarders and they use a concrete structure near the shopping centre to do tricks. On the local Facebook community group there are always Karens giving out about them when they're causing no one any harm, one has even suggested getting the Gardai to arrest them for skateboarding. The Karens just see lads with long hair and baggy clothes and automatically go into a tail spin moaning about them online. The town itself is completely litter and graffitti free, the Karens should be thanking their lucky stars that they're skateboarding instead of going around with spray cans tagging every building in sight.

Mister Vain

Kids are too mollycoddled these days.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119667938#Comment_119667938

Yeah, then the Tour de France was on after Wimbledon and we'd be up and down the road on the bikes. Good times alright. Simpler times too in a lot of ways.

Gregor Samsa

I remember during the Falklands War, we all dressed as Argentinians and invaded the house of some English guy down the road. He called his mates, and they came and kicked our arses back home. We all had a laugh about it after. We were a bit cheeky, but we had respect for people back then.

You’ve the war in Ukraine now, and the kids these days are all inside playing their Sega Megadrives and posting on the Bebo. We’re going to hell in a handcart.

yourdeadwright

Kids still play but its defiantly less,

Back in our day you had to rush home form school to get a decent spot on the green there was that many different games going on ,

Quitelife

Where young lads used play on a green in our village is now taken over with Pikey Horses and their owners in tracksuits selling drugs.

Parents not to mind the kids are afraid to go near the green area & our garda station was closed down in 2013 so most kids play video games on their TVs with each other and partake only in sports when organised training takes place at hurling & soccer field.

moslo

In my estate, there's definitely been a reduction in impromptu soccer games on the green and I've put it down to more kids gaming or being brought to organised sport, even when the kids do play soccer on the green they have self-assembly goals with nets and sometimes dress in some EPL team's kit.

To be honest, I don't miss it. My house is beside the green and from June to September, I used to be driven demented by kids kicking the ball against the side wall of the house or jumping into the back garden to collect the ball. Even when the kids play nowadays, the parents are often there and tell them not to kick the ball against the man's wall, whereas before the parents were never to be seen.

maninasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664722#Comment_119664722

Internet addiction, especially on the mobiles.

Kids glued to mobiles and tablets and getting too sedentary. I see it in the kids around me, I don't let my kids near those things.

If you are a parent and let your kids onto them at a young age...what do you expect.

It's like crack cocaine for the mind for us adults never mind children.

Sure there's something to the safety aspect and 'organised activities' becoming predominant too.

I doubt kids these days often organise their own activities. Whereas 'wen I was a lad' we organised all our own activities from natural leaders amongst the kids. No adults ever got involved!!! Leagues, competitions, tournaments, and the range of sports we played were endless, on the street, in the parks.

Also Ireland lacks multiplex indoor leisure centers, basketball courts, swimming pools, adventure type parks for teenagers, decent skateboarding facilities, those kind of more diverse activities for kids not into GAA. I've been around and that stuff is better in most countries. Not to say GAA isn't a great organisation it just doesn't cater to all kids does it.