Behind us lies a summer of sun, swimming and small ridges adorned by Mbappé, Haaland and Messi running around the country. With the European Championship in football as one of the highlights, motivation is at its peak to bet on a football career. But just as sour as the smell of my son’s football equipment, is the constant smell of something rotten “in the state of Denmark”, or Norwegian children’s sports if you like. Because that is what it is, children’s sports, until the year the children turn twelve. The Norwegian Football Association refers to the sport’s regulations on children’s sports when the sport’s values are mentioned. Here it is clearly stated that “Sport’s children’s rights apply to all children, without discrimination”. Nevertheless, teams are constantly topped up, hospitalization must be done in age groups and the developmental steps must be taken at least three at a time in order for six and eight-year-olds to get “good enough” matching. Because it’s so much fun to be good. But it is not as easy to become good when you are only an extra in the film about the talent’s path to the biggest football clubs in Europe. Just have fun At the upper secondary school where I work, very few of the roughly 800 students play sports. Could it have a connection with what is happening in children’s sports? There are many sides to things, we know that, and there are many coaches out there who do a fantastic job for our children, who are patient and fair, even when goals are scored. As far as I am concerned, I have no problems seeing the coach’s father’s argument when he talks about differentiation, academy stays abroad and the importance of facilitating the pod. But do you see my side of the story when you ask me: “Oh yeah, you’re the kind of person who cares about them just having fun?” I am unsure. It is probably easy to be dazzled when you see your own diamond shining in the summer sun. After scores are celebrated by booing the opponents’ grandparents, shouting “siuuu” like Cristiano Ronaldo. They can really put on a show these little footballers. Let children be children I’m all for facilitating. That is our task as parents. We give football as a birthday present, and although we would really rather enjoy a cup of coffee in peace and quiet in front of our mobile phone, we join the loop to take on the role of star players such as Courtois, De Gea or, as we wish, Peter Schmeichel. But you also make things easier by letting your child climb trees instead of watching YouTube. Or maybe the kid was so busy making witch soup that the training was forgotten? Shit, there smoke that career abroad. You facilitate by letting your child be a child. Because children have big dreams. Many girls and boys probably fantasize about scoring the decisive goal in the Champions League final, where they sit on the stairs and shake rubber granules out of their shoes. When Dagny Mellgren scored the golden goal and the victory against the USA in the Olympic final in Sydney was a fact, it really accelerated my dreams of one day doing the same. Spoiler alert: It didn’t happen (and I think it’s too late now). Of course, it gave me motivation to brave massive swarms of mosquitoes in Indre Finnmark to achieve a new trick record, and maybe it made me better. But most importantly, I remember a grandfather who arranged and weighed me at four in the morning, so I got to see that match in Australia. The road to top sport 1-2 out of 15,000 Norwegian footballers ends up in the national team. So yes, there is actually a possibility that it is precisely your little De Bruyne who can do it. And yes, those who achieve success in sport are often good as children. However, research in the field shows that investment in talent creates very few top athletes and is the most important reason why children stop playing sports. The road to achieving the dream is therefore long and tortuous. There are far too many who believe that the pod can become the new Haaland. Obstacles will appear regardless of whether you are just the parent who supports your children by driving to matches and talking about the positive ideals of sport, such as friendship and good attitudes. Or if you yourself take part in the dream of your child becoming a top player. You could have played in the Premier League, you too, if only it hadn’t been for that schlattersen. The children end Something with significantly lower odds than the toddler being nominated for the Ballon d’Or is that he will grow up. The others on the team too, although they probably don’t play football anymore. Neither do any other sports. Could it have something to do with the fact that from the age of six they had to watch their friend “hospitalize”, while they themselves were never good enough? Or because when he was eight years old he didn’t get to play as much as the best on the team? A major problem today is the collective inactivity among young hopefuls, who spend their days in the light of a screen. Can we do something at an early stage to keep our children in sports as long as possible? Can we think a bit more long-term and, for example, not skip any steps in the development ladder? Gold fever can probably affect the best of us, but that does not mean that you will find precious metal. But you can do considerably more harm than good along the way. Published 28.09.2024, at 11.29
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The next Haaland – Statement
