Norway’s youth sports system is something the United States should emulate

In the Norway sports system, no game scores are recorded and no standings are published until kids turn 11. Everyone knows which team is winning. That’s not the point. The emphasis is on something else entirely.

Over the past three decades, as American youth sports have evolved into a $40 billion industry with parents pushing themselves to the brink of bankruptcy to pay for club fees and private trainers, Norway has gone in an opposite direction, radical in its back-to-the-basics simplicity.

Children here are encouraged to play multiple sports. Scores and standings are withheld when they are young. Participation is heavily subsidized by government and local communities, keeping costs low for families. At tournaments, parents can camp beside the fields instead of paying for hotels, and the emphasis is on giving children a reason to keep playing rather than finding out which of those children might be cut out for the pros.

As for those who might argue this kinder-and-gentler approach somehow produces a lesser caliber of athlete, well, tell that to the country that earned more medals than any other in the 2026 Winter Olympics, and whose elite soccer team just finished in the top eight at the World Cup.

Top replies, most upvoted first

• (+4) The United States will NEVER emulate something like this. For 2 reasons...the first is already in the article itself and the 2nd may be controversial Over the past three decades, as American youth sports have evolved into a $40 billion industry (https://www.nj.com/sports-news/2026/05/private-equity-is-making-millions-off-youth-sports-lawmakers-announce-plan-to-stop-it.html) $40B industry? That's almost 10% of Norway's 2025 GDP! No $40B industry is going to go away quietly. Not when politicians can be bought and legislation controlled. The second reason the US will never emulate Norway's...
• (+3) Youth sports isn't regulated under one organization. Norway has 5M people. It would be a small state. This post is ridiculous
• (+3) Should we? 100% Will we? Not a chance.
• (+2) There's an interesting theory that migration to the US in the 1800s from Scandinavia removed the bulk of the people that were hard wired to explore and that those remaining have been more genetically inclined to cooperate. This youth sports approach would fit the theory.
• (+1) I think there's certainly a problem with American youth sports. But let's not pretend this is actually a perfect representation of Norwegian sports. Haaland is probably the most famous Norwegian athlete around today and is one of the best footballers in the world. He began playing academy soccer for his local major club at the age of 5. This article, maybe intentionally, sort of implies they aren't doing high level training at those age groups. It's possible the academy didn't keep score of games, but Haaland and plenty of others started specializing specifically to play soccer at a pretty...
• (+1) Nothing in this article even comes close to resembling journalism. Just a random writer making a random comparison with zero context. Pretty embarrassing.
• (+1) Stop. OMG. Keeping score in youth sports is not the apocalypse or a problem.
• (+1) EDP Futures already does this
• (+1) All the ‘Uncle Rico’s’ of America would never let this happen.
• (+1) Not a chance
• (+1) Private equity has taken over youth sports in the US
• (+0) Camping next to most of the places my daughter plays lacrosse at would be its own circle of hell. Just spent 10 hours roasting out on a hot turf field complex? You know what would be refreshing? Roasting all night at a campground next to that hot turf complex. Only to report back to the turf the next morning. F that.