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<\/p>\nBAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK\/KBFX) \u2014 Soccer is surging in popularity among kids nationwide, and local coaches in Bakersfield say they\u2019re seeing that growth play out on their fields as more families sign up for their youth league this summer.<\/p>\n
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Kids ages 3 to 14 kicked off their summer soccer season on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. Organized by Rise Up Athletes, this year’s program is the largest season the organization has hosted to date.<\/p>\n
KBAK\/KBFX<\/p>\n
New data from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association shows kids ages 6 to 12 remain the largest group of outdoor soccer players in the country, with about 5.5 million participants. <\/p>\n
The report also found outdoor soccer participation grew to nearly 17 million people in 2025, up about 16 percent from the year before.<\/p>\n
At Rise Up Athletes in Bakersfield, coaches Grayson Todd and Jordan Guevara said sign-ups have grown over the last few years. <\/p>\n
This summer is expected to be their biggest season yet, with about 26 teams for kids ages 3 to 14.<\/p>\n
Coaches said major events like the World Cup help spark interest and give young players a way to connect with the sport and their favorite stars. <\/p>\n
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Kids ages 3 to 14 started their soccer summer season on Wednesday June 10, 2026. The season is put together by Rise Up Athletes, and this year, is their biggest season yet.<\/p>\n
KBAK\/KBFX<\/p>\n
\u201cThe World Cup helps,\u201d Guevara said. <\/p>\n
He said the influence even shows up in what kids wear on the field. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur jerseys, this season coming up, are exactly right because of the World Cup. So my only reason they get to watch their heroes, but they can also wear the jersey while they’re watching it. They get to play the games just like them,\u201d Guevara said.<\/p>\n
For the kids, the appeal is personal. <\/p>\n
One young player said, \u201cIt makes me feel strong and it helps me to really trust my teammate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coaches said soccer is about more than just the game, and they believe it gives kids a safe place to connect with others, build routines and form lasting relationships. <\/p>\n
Guevara said some of those relationships continue even after players leave the program. <\/p>\n
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\u201cKids that age out, we do bring them back, and we have them as referees, or we have them, coach,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Parents watching from the sidelines said they\u2019re eager to see what the season brings. <\/p>\n
Talking about her child, Nini Alvenl said, \u201cHe’s actually neurodivergent, and so this is actually helping him socialize and gain friends.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK\/KBFX) \u2014 Soccer is surging in popularity among kids nationwide, and local coaches in Bakersfield say they\u2019re…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":356845,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":["post-356844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=356844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/356845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=356844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=356844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=356844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}