Pickup Soccer: most popular type of soccer.
Among the active soccer player audience we conducted a study on, the data shows 54% of that player pool played pickup soccer the past year (with soccer league (40%) and club soccer (36.5%) coming in as second and third). This tells us how much pickup soccer is popular among the soccer players as a medium to enjoy the sports. This was actually a higher number than we expected; considering the researched pool is a group of active players who most likely play more than twice a month, we expected more of the organized type of soccer, such as club soccer, leagues and tournaments, would have more participation among the pool. It just confirms how pickup games make soccer accessible to not only casual players, but also to more committed players. So, we went further into finding out how players find those games and why they even play pickup games.
How games are found right now.
How players have been finding pickup games has been in a traditional way and has stayed that way: word of mouth. When we asked the active soccer players how they find local pickup soccer games, 49% answered that they get information on games through word of mouth, followed by online community (45%) and social media (37%) (note that players were allowed to choose multiple options). Even in this era of digital prosperity, it is quite surprising that players still find pickup soccer through their friends and teammates network.
Why players want to find and play pickup games.
As you might have expected, pickup games are usually far from trying to be competitive and playing to win a match, hence, many people play to stay in shape and socialize. When the pool of active players were asked what their favorite thing about player (pickup) soccer is, staying in shape consisted 40.5% and meeting new people (social life) consisted 40%. Sports is fun because of the aspect of competing and striving to win, but pickup soccer was more of a stage that is casual among the types of soccer that is played.
ENDALGO as a necessity to the pickup soccer scene.
Perhaps, finding a pickup game through friends can be the most effective way, but players without that network or newcomers to specific areas may not be able to leverage that channel of finding games through word of mouth. Also, pickup games can vary in styles and skill levels; as mentioned earlier, the majority of the audience may want to have a good time and socialize, while trying to stay in shape, but that doesn’t mean some players want to play competitively and play in a more serious way. ENDALGO has the ability to list and recommend local soccer events and pickup games based on user location. Moreover, on the games that pickup groups, teams and clubs host on ENDALGO, they can be specific on the type of games and events they are providing, so that the audience can filter through their needs, benefiting both the players and the hosts.
Conclusion
Although the information we found were through active soccer players, the results seem fitting even for beginner and more casual soccer players. Pickup soccer is undeniably one of the most effective and fun ways for all soccer players and audiences to stay active and engage with the beautiful sports. Hope this information got more people to think that soccer is more approachable even without skills and experience. We recommend giving ENDALGO a try to see what’s happening in your area and furthermore, RSVP’ing to a game to have fun and even meet new people to play soccer with. Please reach out if you have any questions to hello@endalgo.com.
