All dads kind of hope for a kid who shares their football fever. Son or daughter (because yes; daughter’s enjoy football too sometimes), nothing beats the idea of taking your little one for a kick around. Just imagine how much fun it would be if your youngster was right beside you cheering when you watched games on television. These are parenting goals, and you’re a lucky man indeed if you’re able to enjoy them with your youngster.
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This is especially the case now that Premier League season is in full swing. The Saturday games are a go, the Premier League betting stats are ready and waiting, and the chances are that Saturdays now mean quality time with your footie-loving youngster.
The problem is that watching football through a screen can only satisfy your sporting needs to a certain degree. That’s why, this season, you might be considering whether your youngster is old enough for their first game. Sadly, this isn’t an easy decision. There’s no set age restriction, after all, and parents seem to vary significantly in their opinions of what’s suitable. Searching the subject will show you that some parents start their kids at seven months (probably not recommended) while others wait until much older. In general terms, it seems that the consensus lies at around five years old.
But, assuming that your child is ready the moment they hit five still might not be enough to guarantee they enjoy themselves. Every kid is different, after all, and no one-size-fits-all age range is guaranteed to work out. Instead, then, it might be worth asking yourself these questions before booking tickets this season.
Is your child showing interest in a particular team?
You should start by considering whether your child is showing interest in a particular team. If they’re just cheering whenever you do and going along with football because they like the quality time, they’re not going to love a live game. The fact is that, when you’re at home, they can get up whenever they lose interest. At a live game, that isn’t an option, so you need to make sure they’re riveted for the entire time that you’re there. This is far more likely if your child is actively selecting a team to support and seeking football outside of your influence. At the very least, this will give the live game a focus which helps to keep their attention. Are they asking for kits and keeping an eye on premier league scores without you? If yes then the chances are that they’re ready. If no, then you might want to wait a few more years until you see signs of this. If your child really does love footie, you can rest easy that it’ll happen. Until then, though, the chances of a live game going well are pretty slim.
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Could they sit still for long enough?
Football loyalties aside, it’s also worth considering whether your youngster could sit still for long enough. The fact is that a football game is a pretty different experience to the other fun activities you try with your kids. This isn’t like a day at the zoo where they can run around. Instead, a football game involves a whole load of sitting and paying attention to one thing. And, when kids are young, that isn’t always suitable. Attention spans are, unavoidably, shorter in young children. That could fast turn a football game from a fun trip into a parenting nightmare. That is especially the case when you consider that, as well as the hour and a half of gameplay, the day will involve waiting around, queueing, and more. A good judge here would be to consider how your child gets along at the cinema first. If they’re able to sit happily through a two or more hour film, you’re probably good to go. If they start fidgeting after an hour, though, you might want to hold off on the football for now.
Are they old enough to understand all the noise?
When it comes to sheer noise levels, it doesn’t get much worse than a live match. The crowd will be cheering and chanting throughout, not to mention the eruptions of joy or outrage you can expect when scores go in. And, of course, there’ll be the constant anger towards the ref. All in, that’s a fair amount of sound for a kid to deal with. In many ways, this is the real issue with taking an incredibly young child to a game. That amount of noise could soon overwhelm or even frighten them. As such, you need to be sure that they’re old enough to understand and join in with it all rather than shy away from it. One good judge here is if they’re at the age where they shout at the ref and cheer about goals themselves. You might also want to have a conversation where you discuss how loud it will be and see how they react. If they don’t seem bothered, then it might be time to book up. If they look at all worried, though, try again next season.
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Are they actively asking?
Actively asking to attend a game is, by far, the best indicator your youngster is ready. Believe it or not, kids seem to know pretty well when they’re prepared for something like this. As such, a child who is requesting to view a football game is probably ready to do so. Bear in mind that you may still want to explain things like the noise and the time spent waiting etc. But, if your child is requesting tickets, it’s a sign that they’re interested enough in the game to stay captivated all day. It’s also an indication that they’re passionate enough to join in rather than shy away from all that sound. Plus, there’s no worry that you’re forcing them into something this way. And, that could be the best chance you have at enjoying a fantastic first game with your favourite person.
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