Blog

Youth soccer training tips, development insights, and updates from the FlickTec team.

An empty college soccer stadium at golden hour with a ball on the penalty spot, illustrating a guide to college soccer scholarships

College Soccer Scholarships: How the Money Actually Works

Division I stopped setting sport-specific scholarship limits in 2025, Division II caps soccer at 9.0 and 9.9 equivalencies, and Division III offers none at all. Here's what that actually means for your family's bill.

An empty collegiate soccer stadium at dusk under floodlights with the goal net and corner flag in the foreground, illustrating how long a college soccer game lasts

How Long Is a College Soccer Game? NCAA Halves, Overtime and the Clock

College soccer is the full 90 minutes — but the clock stops instead of adding time, and a regular-season tie just stays a tie. Here is what the NCAA rulebook actually specifies, and how much of your evening to block out.

A pair of worn youth goalkeeper gloves hanging over the crossbar of an empty soccer goal, raising the question of whether your child should play goalkeeper

Should Your Child Play Goalkeeper? What to Weigh Before They Commit to the Gloves

U.S. Soccer's own coaching guides keep every player rotating through the goal up to U11 — and don't introduce goalkeeper-specific physical training until U15. Here is what the position actually demands, what the Laws require you to buy, and how to tell if it suits your child.

A coach's clipboard and whistle left on an empty bleacher bench beside a youth soccer field at dusk, the quiet moment before a parent talks to their child's soccer coach

How to Talk to Your Child's Soccer Coach (and When to Let Them Do It)

US Youth Soccer's guidance is blunt: don't approach the coach after the game. Here's when to raise a concern, which topics belong to you and which belong to your child, and what the data says about parents who push.

A championship trophy on the centre circle of an empty soccer pitch at golden hour, representing State Cup in youth soccer and the path to the National Championships

What Is State Cup in Youth Soccer? Qualifying, Presidents Cup and the Path to Nationals

Since 2025–26, winning State Cup sends your team straight to the US Youth Soccer National Championships — the Regional round is gone. Here's how qualifying works, how the Presidents Cup differs, and the roster and cost rules that catch teams out.

An empty youth soccer pitch beside a league standings board with numbered bracket placards, representing youth soccer divisions and flights

Youth Soccer Divisions and Flights Explained: What Flight 1, Premier and Select Actually Mean

"Premier" is the top tier in Oregon, invitation-only in Southern California, and the fourth tier down in Ohio. Here's what youth soccer divisions and flights actually mean, and how teams move between them.

A folded youth soccer jersey and kit bag left on an empty team bench, the returned uniform that comes with switching youth soccer clubs

Switching Youth Soccer Clubs: Release Forms, Transfer Windows and What It Costs

Most clubs cannot refuse to release your child, but an unpaid balance can stop the move cold. What the national policy, three state associations and US Club Soccer actually require.

Youth soccer cleats, shin guards, a water bottle and a banana on a folding chair beside a tournament field, illustrating recovery between soccer games

Two Games in One Day: Recovery Between Soccer Games at a Tournament

Muscle glycogen rebuilds at only about 5% an hour, so a two-hour tournament gap can't undo the first game. Here's what the research on young players says to actually do between matches — and what helps less than people think.

A floodlit stadium scoreboard clock glowing above an empty pitch at night, illustrating how long a professional soccer game lasts

How Long Is a Professional Soccer Game? MLS, Premier League and World Cup

Ninety minutes is the rule, and nobody has played exactly 90 in years. Here is what the Laws actually say, why Premier League matches now run past 101 minutes, how MLS decides a playoff tie, and how much of your evening to block out.

A worn soccer ball and a pair of outgrown youth cleats on a grass pitch in low evening light, illustrating how a growth spurt changes a young soccer player's game

Growth Spurts and Soccer: Why a Good Player Suddenly Looks Clumsy

Your child grew three inches and suddenly can't control a ball. Here's what peak height velocity actually does to performance, how long it lasts, and why the real risk is being judged during the dip.