Outer Banks Soccer

The Outer Banks has a history of great youth soccer programs. Since 2016 both Manteo and First Flight High School have won state championships.   During recent years, when these teams don’t make it to the state final, they often are beaten in the playoffs by a high school team that wins the state championship. This is particularly impressive given the fact that the Outer Banks is competing against schools with kids from national hotbeds for soccer talent like Raleigh and Charlotte. Winning high school soccer games is not the only measuring stick for youth sports’ success here. The Outer Banks also has players go on to play at well-known college soccer programs. Why is soccer such a successful youth sport here?  This article will discuss some of the reasons why the Outer Banks soccer is so successful. The end of this blogpost is my take on local opportunities for the child who has more than just a casual interest in the game.

Why is soccer so successful on the Outer Banks?

Parent Involvement

If an Outer Banks child wants to play soccer at a more competitive level, then they’ll have to travel to get good competition.  Most teams travel two to three hours to tournaments or league games.  That’s because there’s just not many competitive youth soccer teams in Northeast North Carolina. It takes a tremendous time commitment from parents to get players to games outside of the Outer Banks. Furthermore, many parents are happy to carry teammates to games making it easier for parents who have to work. This investment in time also reinforces with the players that it is important to play well. Parents end up driving kids to practice a few times a week and giving up many weekends each year traveling for soccer games.

Beach Kids

Enjoying the beach prepares kids physically for good soccer. Soccer is a sport where balance, speed and quickness are important. Kids that skimboard are running in the sand at top speed to get a good ride. Doing this over and over is a great way to increase quickness and speed. Surfing also helps with soccer.  It helps kids develop balance and upper body strength. Having kids play at the beach all day helps them develop muscles while having fun. These fun beach activities help players develop speed, quickness, balance and strength without the drudgery of working out.

Coaching

Over the years, the Outer Banks has had some very dedicated coaches work with local players.  One constant coach on the Outer Banks for over the years is Steve Smalley.  Steve played for UVA under Bruce Arena.  He also grew up playing club soccer at a very high level in New Jersey.  Steve continues to coach kids through his Outer Banks Soccer camps. Most of our Outer Banks top youth players fell in love with the game at his camps.  Steve also serves as the coaching director for a local club.  From this position he is able to help other coaches be successful. There have been many other excellent club and high school coaches over the years. A good coach likely invests thousands of hours into their players over their soccer career.  That’s not an easy thing to do unless they are passionate about it, or it is their career.

Club Soccer

There are not as many choices of things to do for Outer Banks for kids as there is in a metropolitan area. Fewer distractions result in kids putting more time into this sport. For nine months of the year many of these club players are practicing two or three times a week and traveling to games on a handful of weekends. These club players make up a large portion of the high school teams. Playing club soccer is where these high school players get a large portion of their technical and tactical training.

What are the options for Outer Banks club soccer?

The two most common options for Outer Banks kids to play club soccer are to play for a local club or play for a club in Virginia Beach. What’s best for one player may not be best for another. Here’s a little bit about the pros and cons of both.

Virginia Beach Clubs

In Virginia Beach there’s a choice of a number of larger clubs that are more or less run by soccer professionals. These clubs are run like businesses and can be a little pricey. Here’s a not so flattering article about the professionalization of youth soccer. However, within this model, you are likely to get a coach who does not have a player on the team and coaching may be their profession. Often these coaches will be looking to move up the coaching ladder. There’s never a time when every parent is happy with a coach, but a Virginia Beach club should have more checks and balances for their coaches than an Outer Banks club.

Probably the biggest negative of playing for one of these teams involves hours and hours in the car each week going to and from practices. Parents also miss out on developing friendships with other Outer Banks soccer parents. Parents develop good friendships with other parents on those tournament weekends.  Since most players on these teams will be from Virgina, parents miss out on developing local friendships.

For the player who is 100% dedicated to soccer or wants to move up the levels of youth soccer then this might be the best option. In reality, it’s less than 3% of the players who want to put the time and effort into playing in college or at an elite level. If your player has a ball at their feet for hours every day, then considering a club in Virginia might be the right choice. These larger clubs usually offer better competition and more opportunities to move up the levels of national youth soccer.

Outer Banks Clubs

There are quite a few benefits of joining the local soccer club.  Probably the best benefit is that the players typically get to play together until they graduate from high school. As a result, those kids develop lifelong friendships.  Another benefit is playing with the same players year after year is that these teams play better. That’s because the players know each other’s tendencies and can anticipate the next play. This can be a big advantage for teams in this sport. Parents also save a bunch of time and money getting kids to and from practices and they’ll make good friends in the community.  Those friendships will last long after their child’s soccer experience is over.

I wish Outer Banks soccer clubs would encourage involvement of volunteers outside of current soccer parents. Having more non-parental leadership would eliminate most suspicions of player favoritism and increase club credibility in the Outer Banks community. Getting people involved who don’t have an immediate gain from their involvement will make the organization much more effective. There’s no way clubs could function without many parent volunteers.  Unfortunately, the dynamic of having parents in charge limits the effectiveness of small-town clubs.  Here’s an article that alludes to some of the issues that often happen with parent volunteers.

Summary

Being involved with Outer Banks soccer is a great thing. I encourage you to get involved even if you don’t have a child eligible to play Outer Banks soccer. There’s nothing like watching our youth succeed in the high school playoffs or watching a player grow up to play for a good college soccer program. It’s also a great opportunity to expose your child to excellence in this sport and build life-long friendships. I hope to see you on an Outer Banks soccer field soon!