(
Throughout the year we'll hear from eight bloggers as they share about their family's time in the brand-new Riley Children's Health Sports Legends Experience® and how it inspires them to explore these sports back at home.
This post was written by Children's Museum Blog Ambassador Matt Todd. Follow his posts on the blog and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @mattdantodd.
As I’ve shared before, our family has a long history with baseball. We’re also big football fans. And we love basketball. I mean, hello? It’s Indiana, after all. Basketball is in our blood. There’s a sport that’s making a big leap into our family’s favorite sports.
Soccer.
If you’d suggested this five years ago, I probably would have laughed at you. A lot. I had played soccer when I was younger. And I only lasted one season. My kids, however, have learned to love soccer. And the Soccer Experience has helped them appreciate the sport even more.
This experience is great for all ages and all skill levels. From learning the basics of dribbling and passing to perfecting your accuracy against permanent goalies to showing off your DaMarcus Beasley-esque fancy footwork, there’s enough fun for the whole family at the Soccer Experience. There are plenty of goals to be scored for young and old alike.
And you can celebrate with your friends and family by shouting “GOOOAAALLL!” as loudly and as frequently as you’d like. Because goals are worth celebrating. Especially at the Riley Children's Health Sports Legends Experience®!
Like I said, we’ve become soccer fans. Our youngest counts down the days to Saturday morning when she can play soccer with her friends. There really is something special about the game of soccer. You can feel it on the soccer field at The Children's Museum. You can feel it in soccer fields around our community.
This is true all over the world, really. Soccer is truly an international sport. Our family learned this firsthand a few years ago when we visited Ethiopia. We learned rather quickly that if a child approaches you with a soccer ball, you drop everything and play a quick pickup game. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a grassy field, in an alleyway, or in a hotel courtyard. You.drop.everything. And you play. Even if you’re a security guard. Or working the front desk at a hotel and wearing a skirt and heels. You play soccer. No questions asked.
If the soccer bug hasn’t bitten you to that extreme, the Soccer Experience is a great place to get started. Give it a try. You’ll probably find you like it more than you want to admit. And if you’re already consumed by international futbol, we already know this is the first place you’re going to visit in the new sports experience. You won’t be disappointed.
And on your way home, you might decide you need another ball so your whole family can share in the joy of soccer in the backyard or the field around the corner. And if you stop to get a ball, you’re probably going to have to check to make sure it’s the right size. And if you check to make sure it’s the right size, you’re probably going to have to balance the ball on your head. And if you balance the ball on your head, your dad is going to have to take a picture.
Eat your heart out, DaMarcus Beasley.
Ball control, agility and speed—these skills and a lot of training help make the greats, well, great!
With World Cup in full swing, there's no better time to get out and practice your footwork in the Soccer Experience! Check the calendar and buy tickets in advance to save money with Plan Ahead Pricing.
