Pickup soccer is one of the largest sporting communities that we have in the United States, with over a million of people playing on a regular basis. What does that mean for the overall growth of the sport? It depends on what you are looking for; pickup games range from the youth level all the way up to competitive matches for teams and clubs to recruit for bigger events. The popularity of pickup soccer has exploded in recent years, allowing anyone with an interest in the game to enjoy a casual and fun experience while also keeping in shape. Pickup soccer has also played a key role in creating youth and adult soccer leagues, and thanks to an increase in attendance by both men and women, pickup soccer has managed to cross gender lines unlike any other sport in the world. It’s become a way of life, a culture, and for some players it’s their “match day”. If you go to the larger cities you will even see the urban lifestyle hipster lifestyle being implemented and developing an atmosphere that we have haven’t seen in the past.

If you would like to start a pickup game in your area, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we are going to provide useful tips and guidelines to help you get started, including how to attract people who are interested in pickup soccer in your area, how to find an ideal space for your pickup soccer matches, and the equipment you’ll need to ensure the safety of all players involved.

Attracting Players for Pickup Soccer

One of the first things you’ll need to do when starting a pickup soccer game, is to get the word out that you are organising a pickup soccer session. This will ensure that you have enough interest from people in your area before you start looking for a place to play or start buying the necessary equipment. You will need a minimum of 8 players to attend your pickup soccer game to create a 4v4 soccer match.

However, if you can attract between 10 and 16 players to create a 5v5 or an 8v8 pickup soccer game, it would be ideal. One fantastic way to stay organized is to direct all potential players to your group on ENDALGO, from there you will have all of your event information and chat room in one place to connect with the players.

Create your pickup group with ENDALGO.

Finding an Ideal Space

Once you have enough people who are interested in playing pickup soccer, you will need to find a central space to play. There are several ways to find the perfect location for your pickup soccer games. You can look at a map displaying your neighbourhood and simply pick a park that is large enough for your pickup soccer games.

If you are unsure with regards to the availability of the park, locate a spot with nearby backup fields to ensure you have an alternative should the park be occupied on the day you wish to play. If you come across pickup groups on ENDALGO that are in your area, then contacting those organizers can be an option to get a local’s recommendation on where to play, or to even join them. Soccer can be played on any surface; the grass, hard ground, and even the sand.

Do I Need Equipment?

Your next question might be, what about equipment? Any soccer player know that you do not need much to play. Someone has a ball, if you don’t have any goals, then shoes or bags will work too. The simplicity of this sport is the reason why it’s a beautiful game to play. As your group stays consistent, asking the player for a couple of dollars to buy some small goals is not a bad thing.

Making a pickup game should not intimidate you, it’s a lot easier than you think. Remember, we all want to play, we are just waiting for someone to pick a day and time to play.

Organize your pickup group on ENDALGO now for free!