Sport Participation and Specialization Characteristics Among Pediatric Soccer Athletes

Background:Soccer is an increasingly popular sport for children and adolescents in the United States. Little is known about participation patterns related to sport specialization.Purpose:To investigate soccer participation levels and sport specialization characteristics among youth soccer athletes.Study Design:Cross-sectional study.Methods:Adolescent athletes aged between 12 and 18 years completed an online survey addressing participant demographics, sports and soccer participation history, and level of specialization. Descriptive analyses characterized participation, while chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests assessed the influence of specialization, sex, and grade on survey variables.Results:Overall, 83.7% of 746 respondents participated in an organized soccer league outside of school, and 37% played in multiple leagues concurrently. Nearly three-quarters of respondents trained in soccer more than 8 months of the year, with those who participated in club soccer being more likely to train more than 8 mont...