There are more than 100,000 Floridians who play organized youth soccer.
For years the number of participants in Florida grew, especially since the 1994 World Cup, as the game has become more mainstream and discussed by people beyond the parents and players themselves.
However, the current recession has put a crimp on many family budgets—and by a smaller extension their ability to pay for registration fees. But as the New York Times recently noted the global recession has yet to hit the realm of professional soccer.
Once again it may be up to the professionals to bring more attention to the game here in Florida.
If people thought a run in the Confederations Cup brought attention to soccer, just imagine the possibilities should the United States replicate, or better, its performance in the 2002 World Cup.
However, it may take more than a World Cup run to get Florida in the same conversations as Texas, California and even the Atlantic seaboard when it comes to producing talent that will play on the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Of the 59 players in the Player Pool, only three are from Florida. Of those three only forward Jozy Altidore has a realistic chance of being on the 23-man roster that will head to South Africa in five months.
(For what it’s worth, Altidore is from New Jersey and moved to Florida as a youngster before starring in Major League Soccer and since moving on to the English Premier League.)
For a warm-weather state with so many soccer players—albeit far lower than the number of people who play football—it’s perplexing how few people from the Sunshine State feature for the national team.
Laughs and Liveliness,
-Wb
