Joanna Fortune: My son lost contact with his pals when he quit the local football team

I've suggested taking up a new sport, but he says he's not interested. What would you suggest?
Joanna Fortune: My son lost contact with his pals when he quit the local football team

Joanna Fortune: "Maintain existing connections off the field — given he will not have the opportunities to connect with his peer group that the team sport allowed, consider setting up a pizza and movie/gaming night in your home. He can invite his friends from the team over to yours and they can hang out together for a couple of hours."

Tue, 05 Aug, 2025 - 15:02
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Joanna Fortune

Child psychotherapist

My 12-year-old son is going through a difficult time. Just before the summer he decided to quit playing with the local football team as he found the match preparation and matches too stressful. Also, he was often left on the sidelines or taken off early, which only made things worse.

The trouble is that most of his friends played football — and without the training sessions, he's lost all social contact with them.

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