The Twinsburg A.C season will start August 1.  Schedules will be posted on OHTSL website about Aug 6th.    Team managers will be reaching out to families soon with practice days.

The mission of the Changing the Game Project is to ensure that we return youth sports to our children, and put the ‘play’ back in ‘play ball.’   John O'Sullivan is the founder of the organization.  Here is an expert from a blog post he had earlier this year.   Full post can be read here

Is FOMO Ruining Youth Sports?

BY JOHN O'SULLIVAN /  TUESDAY, 17 JANUARY 2023 /  PUBLISHED IN COACHING, MINDSET, PARENTING, PROBLEMS IN YOUTH SPORTS

(Yesterday I had the opportunity to present to a group of orthopedics, physical therapists, athletic trainers and coaches on FOMO: Fear of Missing Out, and why I think it is driving early specialization, burnout and dropout for our young athletes. I figured it was a good excuse to share an old blog of ours on the topic, enjoy!)

……. I suffered from FOMO: the Fear Of Missing Out!

On that day, and many days since, I’ve had FOMO moments watching my children play sports. I saw other kids their age who were better players, and wondered “what have I failed to do?” I still see other kids who play only one sport, improving quicker than mine, and worry mine will fall too far behind. I see kids attending additional skill training sessions and summer camps that mine do not. And I worry that my kids may be missing out.

I know I am not alone in feeling this way. I hear from parents all the time who feel stressed and anxious about their child’s sports experience. Are my kids falling behind? If they don’t do extra training now, will they make the travel team? Will they make the high school team? Will they have a chance to play in college? These are very legitimate concerns for the modern day sports parent. They might even keep you awake at night.

But here is the thing: they are just kids. They are fine. They need to want to do these things, not be forced to. Your child’s path is not supposed to be every other child’s path. Yet the Fear Of Missing Out is such a persistent feeling it scares me. It makes me feel inadequate as a parent. It makes me worry I’m letting my kids down. You too?

I should know better. I have seen too many times how too much, too soon ends in injuries or burnout for kids who are forced down a path they didn’t choose, or who were never asked: “do you want this?” I have seen too many 12-year-old zombies walking around fields, with no joy in their step, and their love of the game long gone.

FOMO is one of the primary drivers creating a toxic youth sports atmosphere and making so many children walk away from sports far too soon.

We must overcome the fear.

As parents, we love our kids and we have great intentions, but FOMO causes us to focus only on the present, and not the long term. FOMO compels us to make all the decisions and steal ownership of their sporting experience. FOMO leads us to suck the enjoyment out of the sport in pursuit of dreams of stardom and scholarships. FOMO drives many sensible folks to take kids away from playing with their friends, search out the winning team, and make them specialize in spite of all the evidence to the contrary. FOMO makes us feel that we are letting our kids down by not providing them with every single opportunity, regardless of costs, time commitments, and the stress endured by our family.

Parents, I give you permission to take a deep breath, look at the evidence, and choose a different path. I give you permission to love your kids for where they are today, and not what they could be tomorrow. I give you permission to love yourself, even when you say no to a coach or a great opportunity because you simply cannot add one more thing to your plate or that of your child. I give you permission because the fear of missing out is ruining youth sports. It is time for all of us well-intentioned, well-educated parents to put a stop to the FOMO………….

………..The next time FOMO sets in, take a deep breath. When you start to worry your child cannot miss this one weekend opportunity, or if he doesn’t go to the all-star camp at age 10, or he is falling behind, take a moment and reassess. Is her career really about to come to a screeching end for taking a few weeks off? Even Mia Hamm took a season off from soccer as a child because she was burned out, and it worked out OK for her.

We cannot allow the Fear Of Missing Out to be the primary driving force in youth sports. We cannot let the small percentage of charlatans in the coaching, camp and sports facility world continue to manipulate us with fear, and convince us we are bad parents if we don’t go to every event, play year round, or get in front of college scouts in middle school. If your child has the talent, drive, and love of the game, he or she will play long enough and hard enough to get noticed. The only thing for certain is that all kids who quit or have career-ending injuries before high school do not play in college!

Please, everyone, take a deep breath and let’s reclaim sports for our kids. Let’s ignore the FOMO. Ask your kids what they want, and support the things they are passionate about. If they want to do certain things, and they are within the realities of your family budget and time, by all means, try to make them happen. But if your child looks at you and says “I really want some time off, I really want to take a break from soccer,” then let him do it. Let her be with her friends.

Don’t let the Fear Of Missing Out in youth sports be the cause of your child missing out on his or her childhood. That would be the greatest tragedy of all.

When  players were registered with the club this year, parents signed off on our code of conduct.   We encourage our players, parents, and coaches to review this document.  Please remember that our families represent our community at all games and tournaments.  Many referees are teenagers, and all players are kids.

As children grow, their interests will increase and vary.  Twinsburg A.C. believes strongly that children should be able to pursue these interests even if only for a year or two.  If soccer is an interest, there are various levels to choose from in the Cleveland area.  Soccer in the United States has 3 basic levels – Recreational, Travel, and Premiere/Club.   Premiere/Club has many levels within it as well from local leagues, to multistate regional, to national leagues.  Each family must find the best level or mix of levels for their player AND the family.  It is easy to be caught up in the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) that all these factors can create.  There is always soccer available for all players.  Spending more time and money does not necessarily increase development and especially enjoyment.

In Twinsburg, our recreational level is AYSO.  This provides soccer for 4 year olds up to high school age children.  Games are within the city and between other teams within AYSO.  This level requires the least financial and time commitment, but offers children the chance to play soccer for many years.

Twinsburg A.C. is part of OHTSL, Ohio Travel Soccer League.   Our teams range from 3rd to 8th grade.  We have balanced teams at the younger ages.  This allows for full development of all players.  In 5th grade, The Club moves to  1st and 2nd team formation as numbers allow.  Twinsburg A.C. Soccer teams play other communities from around Northeast Ohio.  Travel can range from Canton to Geneva to Sandusky. The play level of OHTSL varies.  Most ages have 5 divisions.  The Club philosophy is based on development of players with an eye towards them playing in high school.  Therefore, we strive to place teams in the division that will challenge them.  This means many teams may only win half their games as they learn the game. The goal is developing each player and helping them grow their confidence and ability both on and off the field.

Some families play Premiere and Twinsburg A.C.  Premiere Clubs have a cost of  at least $2000 a year with required tournaments, uniforms, and other factors sometimes pushing that price to over $7,000.   If a player does play for two teams, communication with coaches/Team managers is critical.  Each family must find the correct situation for them.

More information about Twinsburg A.C. can be found on the About Us page.