Children take up the game for many reasons. The following information was presented by Vern Seefeldt, Martha Ewing, Steve Walk, Tim Hylka and Charles Trevor at the Annual Conference of the United States Soccer Federation in Colorado Springs, Colorado, April 29, 1999. Obviously, winning comes as a very low priority for children who participate in soccer. Children love to compete and play games, but winning is not a necessary component of their experience. More likely, they want to learn something about themselves and try to get better at something that is easily measurable.
Sport provides a way for all participants to test themselves and see how they do.
Competition is the challenge that children seek, not winning.