It's often said that the #1 reason for playing any sport, including soccer is fun.  I agree.  However, I think this idea of the game being fun does need to be defined and put into some context.  This is probably the number one subject I hear about from parents.  It's usually framed in the idea of how do they encourage players to get out with the ball and train at home, yet not push them so much that they begin to dislike the game. Because the thing is, while number one is fun, it's very rare that anything in which you want to excel is going to be all fun all the time.  In this episode of The Soccer Specialist Podcast we'll take a look at the balance between fun and development and how the two can co-exist!