Which stats to track in youth soccer, by age
Stats can help a youth coach see what is really happening instead of what it felt like from the touchline. They can also turn a game into a scoreboard of who did what. The difference is mostly which numbers you track and who sees them. Here is what is worth counting at each age, and why.
Under 8: involvement, not outcomes
At this age the goal is touches and enjoyment. If you count anything, count how often each player is involved: touches, attempts to dribble, times they went to win the ball. Results and goals mean little, and a goal tally per player mostly measures who is oldest in the age group.
Under 10: start counting what the team does with the ball
- Passes completed and attempted. Is the team starting to pass, and is it working?
- Lost balls, and where. Losing it in their half while trying something is fine; losing it in front of your own goal is the habit to work on.
- Shots, for and against.
Keep it to the team. Share individual numbers only privately and only to encourage.
Under 12: add the shape of the game
Players can now understand space and positions, so numbers about the team's shape become useful:
- Possession: the share of the time you had the ball.
- Pass completion by area: playing out from the back versus in the final third.
- Shots on target and where they came from.
- Duels won and lost.
- Width and depth: how spread out the team is in and out of possession.
Under 14 and up: the details
Older players can handle more: regains (winning the ball back) and how quickly after losing it, set pieces for and against, line-breaking passes, sprints and distance covered. Use them to set specific goals with the team, not to rank players.
What to leave alone
- Public rankings of players by any number.
- Goal tallies for young players: they reward the forwards and the early developers.
- Too many numbers. Three to five you look at every week beat twenty you look at once.
How to use the numbers
Look at trends over several games, not one game. Pair every number with a clip: "we lost the ball 14 times in our own third" lands better with a 20-second clip of two of them and one where we got it right. And lead with what is improving.