Infinity Soccer in The Herald Journal

Infinity has taken Cache Valley by storm
By Jason Turner

It's only been two years, but the Infinity Soccer Club has taken Cache Valley by storm.

The non-profit organization is already one of the largest soccer clubs in the Beehive State as 29 teams, consisting of athletes from approximately 300 families, compete under the Infinity name. Those 29 teams consist of boys and girls ranging from the ages of 4-19.

There are currently 20 coaches - all are licensed or are working on their licensing through the United States Soccer Federations (USSF) - associated with Infinity, four paid professional coaching directors and a seven-person board, which meets once a month and deals with the financial and business side of the club.

Because it was still green compared to other clubs around the state, Infinity is still evolving, but its primary objective will never change.

"Our real goal is to instill a passion for the game and a love for the game that (the youth will) want to continue to play and compete and represent their high schools and represent this community through their high schools, as well as reach the potential of possibly getting college scholarships if that's something they aspire to," said Jeff Ginn, the club's technical director.

Because Infinity - which basically originated when Soccer Academy and Valencia combined resources - has become the valley's biggest club so quickly, there have been concerns expressed by others in the community. Ginn is quick to stress he understands why people would be skeptical, but wants to dispel those misconceptions.

"There are people out there who look at us as a bad thing, and I can understand because there are a lot of clubs throughout this country that give club soccer a real bad name," he said. "We are not heavily into recruiting players and going and picking up players and doing those things that usually give clubs a bad name.

"... We want our product to speak for itself. We want people to understand who we are and what we're about."

The other big notion Ginn hopes to dispel is Infinity is an "exclusive club," and one that just cares about winning.

All youth from the valley are welcome to try out for one of the teams, and those tryouts, which happen every spring and fall, are currently taking place and will continue through June 4. As far as being obsessed with winning, Ginn said this is simply not true, particularly at the younger ages, where player development is by far the most important thing.

In fact, Infinity's Mission Statement reads: (Infinity's goal is) to facilitate individual player development through high quality training, coaching, teammate and competition.

"The beauty of the club is that we no longer care so much or focus so much on winning at all costs, which is quite frequently a big concern at the youth levels," Ginn said. "And our goal from the ages 8 to about 13 years old is to develop elite players that love the game, so when they get to 14, 15, 16, 17 and older, they're elite players that can play and dominate in the high school level, and if they so desire, earn a college scholarship."

Infinity is essentially broken down into three age groups/tiers, starting at the Academy Soccer level (ages 4-9). The primary focus with this age group is to teach the kids the fundamentals and skills of the sport and develop a love for the game.

The other two age groups, the Infinity Elite (ages 10-12) and Infinity Soccer Club (ages 12-19), are more geared for those who have the aspirations and skills needed to compete at district and state levels. Those in the oldest groups are involved in Utah State Cup competition, where they play in a league featuring the top club teams in the state - premier being the highest division.

Teams that are successful at that level earn the right to compete in regional and, in some cases, national tournaments.

As is the case with other clubs, Infinity players pay monthly dues, the cost of which is determined by age and the level of play. Club fees are always a dicey subject, and Ginn insists Infinity does its best to cut costs "without damaging the product."

In years past, many of the top players from the valley traveled to the Ogden, Salt Lake and Provo metropolitan areas to play on long-established club teams like La Roca, Sparta, Rangers and Storm. With the formation of Infinity, Ginn is confident similarly-skilled players can now stay in the valley and receive the same training and opportunities.

"Our ultimate goal is to provide the service so (the elite players) don't have to travel down there," Ginn said.

Over the past two years, Infinity has proven it can compete with those bigger metro clubs. In the spring of 2009, Infinity had a pair of teams (a U11 and U12 girls squad) advance to the finals of State Cup competition.

Three Infinity teams - a U11, U12 and U13 girls squad - are currently alive in spring State Cup competition and have advanced to the quarterfinals.

Some other Infinity teams have recently enjoyed a great deal of success outside the valley, including a Travis Baxter-coached U15-16 girls squad (champions of the Las Vegas Mayors Cup), the Caleb Cowley-coached U13 girls squad (runners-up at Presidents Cup in St. George) and a Jeff Woods-coached U13 team that ended up winning the Presidents Cup.

Infinity also helps give elite local players the opportunity to be a part of the prestigious Olympic Development Program (ODP). The ODP program is the starting point for the U.S. Soccer Federation in determining the national team pool, and who represents the country in the Olympics and World Cup, should they qualify.

There are currently 14 Infinity players who represent the Utah ODP team at their respective age group, and they are Stacy Bair, Jordan Houston, Jessica Brooksby, Kaitlyn McKuskey, Rebecca Jenson, Madilyn Klein, Taylee Halverson, Kylie Griffin, Kyler Erickson, Anna Davidson, Breanna Sims, Lexi Sims, Demi Lopez and Brynnlee Welch.

Bair and Brooksby are currently in the Region III - the country is divided into four regions, and each region has about 60 kids in its pool - pool, and Bair recently became the first valley player to receive an invitation to the National Development Camp. Bair, a sophomore at Sky View, was one of 80 kids in her age group selected for the national pool. Approximately 18-22 players are selected to the ODP state team at each age group.

Simply put, Infinity has helped local players earn respect and recognition from the rest of the state. Ginn recalled talking to an aunt who recently moved from New Jersey to Draper. That aunt has a son who expressed interest in playing club soccer, and when she told the coaches in the Draper area who her nephew was, she received some positive feedback.

"And he pretty much just (told her), ‘Infinity has given Logan an identity at the state level,'" Ginn said. "... We've been watching the athletes of Logan come in and do really well, but it seems like they finally have a focus and a large-term aspect to their community.' But it was a big compliment when ... the state soccer teams and clubs acknowledge Logan and Cache Valley and that the first thing they think of is Infinity soccer."

Another one of Infinity's primary focuses is teaching parents proper soccer etiquette and helping them become better "adult learners," which is a phrase coined by the USSF. Ginn described "adult learners" as parents who have a desire to learn the game and adapt to USSF guidelines and suggestions.

"At all sports, you see coaches and parents telling the kids what to do all the time, where to go, how to get there," Ginn said. "You here the words, ‘send it, shoot it,' so many times that the kids stop thinking on their own and they don't know how to make decisions for themselves.

"... (Our goal) is to teach them that the kids are smart, they'll figure it out."

Something else Ginn and Infinity hopes to accomplish is to unify the soccer community. When Ginn, a native of Orange County, Calif., moved to the valley a few years ago, he felt there was a bit of a division among those from the north and south ends of the community. The former Iowa Western Community College assistant coach - Ginn helped lead the Lady Reivers to a gaudy 70-9-6 record in his four seasons at the school - endeavors for players and coaches from all around the valley to "be working on the same page, have some synergy."

On the flip side, Ginn also feels club soccer has fewer issues here than the bigger metro areas in the state.

"One of the reasons why a choose to come to Logan or to accept this position was because I knew if we got in here and got organized that we could change the culture without a lot of conflict, because there was no major club in here winning all the time and preaching something other than developmental soccer," he said.

Another thing that appealed to Ginn about Cache Valley was its enthusiasm for the sport. Recent studies have suggested the valley has the nation's highest per capita rate of soccer players under the age of 13. Ginn went on to praise District 7 for doing "an amazing job of facilitating soccer for our rec programs," and for trying to adapt to USSF's policies and suggestions.

Perhaps more than anything, though, Ginn wants people to realize that Infinity's end game is to promote soccer as a life sport.

"Soccer is a life sport," Ginn said. "You go throughout this world and you see 60, 70-year-old men and women playing soccer still, and it's because they love the game. They may not have the mobility, but they can still play it.

"... It promotes healthy living, it promotes activity lifestyles. And with the obesity and everything that's going on with our culture, soccer can make such a difference."

Other directors for the club are Sherri Dever (Director of Coaching), Marla Nelson (Director of Goalkeeping) and Lisa Godfrey (Director of Operations). For more information about Infinity, go to www.infinitysc.com.

The original article can be found at: http://news.hjnews.com/sports/article_0688f02e-695d-11df-a7e9-001cc4c03286.html

Soccer Champions Grow In Your Backyard

Have you ever watched youth soccer games and noticed a few players who really stood out as talented? Did you watch with amazement as they dribbled through the crowd of defenders and then finished with that perfect shot? The fact is that all sports, not just soccer, have certain athletes that just seem to amaze us. We as parents want out kids to develop as well, but how do we start? How do we get them to improve? The answer may be right outside your window in your backyard.

The common thread among great soccer players…

First, let’s take a look at Tiger Woods. Wait a minute, why a golf player? Because his name is known world wide and we can all relate to his story. For most of his developing life who was his coach and trainer? Who was his only putting coach as he progressed into the Pro years? The answer to both was his dad, Earl.
Was Earl Woods a professional golfer? Not at all, he was a career Army man that had a passion for the sport. He loved golf and he loved his son. He was able to blend time spent together and building a passion for the game, with learning and improving. Much of this time was right in their backyard “messing around”, having fun and exposing a child to new skills and thoughts. There were hours and hours of performing repetitive skills in the form of games and challenges. The same applies for so many great soccer players of our time and we as parents can learn from this example.

Parents are the key...

Ask any great soccer player who played a major role in their soccer growth and 90% of the time the answer will be “Mom or Dad”. When we developed the SoccerU series we specifically had this in mind. Whether it was the level of support or the time at night and weekends spent in the back yard just “messing around”, parents are often the engine behind developing talent, not the coach.

Each night I drive by our local public fields and sure enough there is a parent and child on the field working on skills or just “messing around” together. These small little sessions play such a major role in a youth player’s development, I can’t stress them enough. Last year I worked with several former Division One college players and the same was true. Their “parents” were the reason they were able to achieve such success. None of these parents were “pro soccer players” so how did they help that struggling child? I will explain.

Watch your next few soccer practices…

Let’s say that a young soccer player, over their development cycle, needs to learn and master 75 core skills. These will include everything from learning the difference between an offensive header and defensive header to receiving a pass under pressure and proper first touch. Whether the skill is basic like dribbling or advanced like performing a volley kick, each of these individual skills must be shown, taught and practiced repeatedly. However, you’ll notice that over the course of a soccer season players may only learn one to four new skills. Often after learning them, they seldom return to practice them in a repetitive session. At that pace they will hit the “competitive level” without ever really refining all the core skills.

Now, don’t go blaming the coach…

The first thing you realize when you become a soccer coach is that you are missing one thing, TIME. Working in the “group” means that all the players must be trained together. All their levels of skills, behavior and learning must be viewed as a whole, and one on one / individual training is almost never done. One to three hours a week for few weeks in the spring and fall is simply not enough time. You are also supposed to get this “motley crew” to play together as a team and hopefully win at least one game.

You will quickly see how many youth soccer players can hit the middle school and even high school level with very few refined technical skills. As players get older the focus switches to “competing”. We often see less and less time spent on core technical training which is a huge mistake.

1000’s of touches and hours of repetition…

Charlie Cook, the director of Coerver Training US, emailed me last year. He was reflecting on watching the national team and a player that received a long air pass. The player, with out any effort, gently touched the ball once and killed it into his path. “An amazing sight to see.” However he quickly pointed out that this was not a god given talent. This player was not born with this touch nor did he learn it by just “playing the game”. He learned it by practicing it over and over. Thousands of touches and repetition until this skill was a part of his nature, “instinctive”. His point was clearly made. To have a skill become “natural or instinctive” it must be repeated over and over until we no longer have to “think about it”. It becomes a habit that the player performs without thought.

This is where the back yard begins…

We, as parents must become teachers. We must be able to identify skills in their raw form and learn how to perform them correctly ourselves. We then must be able to tell and show a child visually how to properly perform the skill. After many short repetitive sessions it will eventually allow them to feel it and let it become part of their nature. Until we do this, it will never become an instinctive habit.

Parents however, sometimes feel “lost” and don’t know where to begin, how to progress or even how to teach these skills. You do not have to become a “professional soccer player”. You simply must learn to teach what your child will not be taught during the “normal development cycle” of their soccer career. Hence the 10 hours of skills breakdown on SoccerU.

Watch out for the frustration…

A simple warning for parents is to be aware that younger players often become frustrated easily. Our goal is to keep it fun and make sure the child feels like these are THEIR sessions and not forced on them. Keep them short and mix them in with what the child wants to do. Maybe they want to be goal keeper, maybe they want to take penalty shots on mom or dad. Whatever it is, keep the training divided in half. Half learning and repetition and half fun and games. Create challenges and even have fun goals to achieve. There is nothing better than a challenge between the child and parent.

There always is a parent…

In the US pickup games and free play soccer has almost become extinct. The extra hours of needed play and skill work now has to come from the parent. Parents often search for the “perfect soccer camp” spending hundreds even thousands of dollars on camps that might only last 2 – 5 days. These are great for social development but offer little improvement in what the players need.

When I meet a talented young soccer player I always ask them, “Who taught you how to play?” Every single player over the past two years has responded the same way, “My Mom / Dad.”
Make sure you realize the importance of “off program” training and make sure you understand the importance of the backyard. Cherish this time as not only soccer training, but bonding as well. Always remember that they are KIDS first, not soccer players, and nothing says “good work” like a stop for ice cream on the way home.



This article was originally found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV4C6oi_j2g&feature=player_embedded#!

Don't be a 'Joystick' Coach

By Alex Kos

I first heard the term "Joystick Coaching" a few years back. What a wonderfully descriptive term. As with video games, joystick coaches want to dictate and control the movement of all players on the field. Hence the term "joystick."

However, there is very little joy to be had by players when they are coached in this manner.

Joystick coaching has reached epidemic proportions (and parents are just as guilty). Why is this happening?

* Look at other popular youth sports such as football, baseball and basketball. Football and baseball coaches are joystick experts. Even in basketball where the game is more fluid (like soccer) and, therefore, more difficult to control and manipulate, coaches still try their best to dictate the action. Since many soccer coaches come from these backgrounds, it is only natural that joystick coaching carries over into soccer.

* We are a sports nation hung up on X’s and O’s. Joysticking is a natural by-product of this fascination. How many times do you see defenders standing in one spot because that is where the defenders were positioned on the dry-erase board?

* Soccer is not an easy sport to learn. No matter how many times coaches tell young players to spread out and not play bunch-ball, they still do. As such, coaches feel compelled to ‘help’ position and move their players about.

Besides early player retirements, there are other consequences of this "helping" behavior.

* In a sport that is very fluid where the action happens so quickly, players must be able to think on their feet and solve or address problems immediately. However, the more players are told what to do, the less they will be able to think for themselves.

* Players lose their sense of purpose. They are out there to play a game and try their best yet are constantly being told how to play.

* Once one adult starts maneuvering players on the field, other adults feel empowered to do the same. Soon, players are being told how to play and where to stand by coaches, parents, and complete strangers. And often, the three groups are giving three completely different instructions. What is a player to do?

These are some simple tips that will help coaches curb the joystick epidemic and truly help players.

* Lead by example. Limited joystick coaching during games as much as possible.

* Set ground rules for your assistant coaches and parents. Explain the drawback of joystick coaching and having multiple adults "help" players with conflicting instructions.

* Rather than telling players what to do and where to play, ask them how and where they should be playing. Let them think of the answer and assist only if they don’t know the answer.

Coaches (and parents), leave your joysticks hooked up to your game consoles at home for use with FIFA 10. If you don’t, you’ll be using the actual joystick much more since Saturday mornings will soon be free.

(Alex Kos' experiences as a player, coach, referee, parent and fan are shared in his blog, Improving Soccer in the United States, where this article first appeared.)

Sharing the Vision of the U.S. Youth Soccer Association (Part 1 of 2)

Fun: The Focus of Recreation Soccer

Recreation soccer years are some of the most important years of a kid’s life in sports. In two weeks the beehive state will have five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten year olds outside playing soccer and what we will see is a swarm of kids fighting over the ball… hopefully having fun! Some will kick it the wrong way, some will fall down, some will chase butterflies and some will be more interested in what mom and dad are doing on the sideline. It is inspiring to view soccer through the mind of a youngster as they view it so much differently than we do. Kids love to play! Hopefully, we as adults can let them enjoy their “play time.” The true success at the younger ages is determined by how much they enjoy their time on the park. Below is an excerpt from the U.S. Youth Soccer Association’s “Vision Document” that should help remind us that we need to let kids be kids.

There are already a multitude of articles saying that winning and losing are not the correct measures of success in youth soccer, instead we should measure the development of the players. OK, perfect. The next obvious follow-up question then is, “How do we measure the development of a single player?” If US Youth Soccer can answer this question in a way that is helpful to committed coaches and understandable to parents with limited playing experience (and paying the money to have their kids involved), they may be able to turn this overly organized youth soccer system of ours into a much more effective development program.

-Cary McCormick
Arlington, VA


“TRUTHS” about children and sports

-Fun is pivotal - if it’s not “fun,” young people won’t play a sport

-Skill development is a crucial aspect of fun - it is more important than winning even among the best athletes

-The most rewarding challenges of sports are those that lead to self knowledge

-Intrinsic rewards (self-knowledge that grows out of self-competition) are more important in creating lifetime athletes than are extrinsic rewards (victory or attention from others).

During childhood allow the kids to have a good time playing the game while instilling the passion to love playing soccer on their own. Only a passion for the game can lead to success. “Success is something players take ownership of and in time it becomes personally meaningful. Success is a process, not a product. The process of doing one’s best is the key to success. The determining criterion of success is whether a player gave his or her best that day. Doing one’s best is the most important statement a player can make about the importance of an activity and the meaning it has. With years of experience comes self-knowledge and self-awareness. So players learn over time what it means to do your best, to give 100%.”

Winning isn’t everything, but trying to is!

–Rainer Martens, sports psychologist

Motives for Participation in Youth Sport

Reasons for Participating in Non-school Sports
(study of 3,900 7th to 12th graders)

Boys
1. To have fun
2. To do something I’m good at
3. To improve my skills
4. For the excitement of competition
5. To stay in shape
6. For the challenge of competition
7. To get exercise
8. To learn new skills
9. To play as part of a team
10. To go to a higher level of competition

Girls
1. To have fun
2. To stay in shape
3. To get exercise
4. To improve my skills
5. To do something I am good at
6. To learn new skills
7. For the excitement of competition
8. To play as part of a team
9. To make new friends
10. For the challenge of competition

Truths & Motives for Participation
1. The motive to have fun and to enjoy participating in sport.
2. The motive to learn new skills and to improve on existing sports skills.
3. The motive to become physically fit and to enjoy good health
4. The motive to enjoy the challenge and excitement of sports participation and competition.
5. The motive to enjoy a team atmosphere and to be with friends.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PARENTS

-Remember the “truths” and talk to your children with them in mind. After a game, ask questions about “fun,” “skill improvement,” “learning experiences” and “having a good time with friends.”

-See yourself as part of the team and supportive of the coach; avoid setting up a conflict in your child’s mind between his or her parents and coaches. If you want to affect the coaching, volunteer to help.

-Develop perspective: remember what you could do at your children’s ages; don’t judge them by what you can do now. Kids will not become great players overnight. Develop an understanding of what your children want from sports—not all children want the same things. Determine if they want to be involved at all.

Basic Urges of Children

-Movement
-Success and Approval
-Peer Acceptance & Social Competence
-Cooperation & Competition
-Physical Fitness & Attractiveness
-Adventure
-Creative Satisfaction
-Rhythmic Expression
-To Know

Note: winning alone is not a motive for participation by boys and girls.

We are asking our players to compete before they have learned how to play.

-Jay Miller, U17 Men’s National Team coach 2001

In general the benefits of youth sports for children include character building, dealing with obstacles, dealing with losing, humility in winning, dealing with competition, leadership growth opportunities, cooperative skills, social skills and so on. We employ soccer to develop well adjusted, good citizens.

Coaches, thank you so much for helping our young kids develop in to great citizens. The sport is beautiful because it teaches us so much about life. I hope that we can take advantage of this time and allow the kids in our district learn great life principles as they improve their skills and develop a passion for the “beautiful game” that is soccer.

US Soccer's 12 Year Plan... how do we contribute?

The video above provides some significant information of how the US Soccer Federation has planned to find success during the 2010 World Cup. I want to note the time frame of the 5:35-6 Minute mark where they say, "The idea is to create an environment that emphasizes training and development rather than wins and losses. And it's got one goal in mind and that is to produce the next generation of National team players ready to compete against the best players in the world." It continues on, "Bradenton (youth academy) would hopefully grow itself out of existence and we wouldn't need it. We wouldn't need a dream team for 17 year olds if a couple of thousand 17 year olds were in a better environment."

So the question I pose is that if the US Soccer Federation's map to success is not focused on winning at age u17, and is instead focused on providing an environment geared towards training and player development then why do we not follow suit at the youth levels?

I suggest that tradition in youth sports is that adults drive the expectation of winning so high that the youth feel that they are not accepted unless they produce results on game day. Do not get me wrong, I am all for competition and wanting players to want to do what it takes to win. I am an American, I LOVE winning! But in so many circumstances we fail our kids by putting them in environments where they will win the majority of the time and emphasize the need to win. I would like to argue that a healthy balance of wins and losses helps our young players develop faster than if they are winning all of the time.

I will also argue forever that until our country embraces the idea that if we emphasize developing the players on our team to be technically sound and comfortable on the ball that the wins will come when the games are actually relevant.

Int he 2008 publication of Soccer America Magazine there is an article that recognizes a report from the US Soccer Technical Committee:

"Our players are not good enough at the highest levels -- we need to get better," reads the introduction to the Technical Committee's Player Development Report.

The report outlined changes the committee believed are needed at different age groups. Notably, for ages 6-12, the assessment summary included "Need more free play, less structure ... Encourage passion and experimentation." At ages 13-17 (the development stages): "Need to eliminate clutter in the environment -- elite players are stretched too thin."

The article later reads,

To counter the "growing trend of clubs playing an excessive quantity of games in lieu of consistent training patterns," academy teams will not play in any other leagues or State Cup competitions. Players will be allowed to play high school ball, for U.S. national teams and in a few other situations.

"It was never more clear to me that things in our youth soccer structure needed to change than at our first U-15 camp last summer," says U.S. U-15 boys national team coach Jim Barlow, "when about half of the players, on the very first day of national team camp, told their coaches that they were tired of soccer. Too many games, too many leagues, too many tournaments and camps, too much structured soccer had already taken its toll on this group of talented young players."

Bob Jenkins, U.S. Soccer Director of Youth Development, found that the club coaches whose teams participate in an excessive amount of competitions -- placing an emphasis on results over player development -- often agreed that their players were asked to play too many games. But they go along with it because the parents who pay them judge them on their teams' trophy-collecting ability and believe that if the children miss a showcase event they may miss a chance to be discovered by college or national team coaches.

My next question is why does US Youth Soccer promote National Championships at such young ages and at what age does Brazil first host a national championship tournament?



The video is a sobering display of the difference in culture. In the video it mentions that TEAMS are not formed/emphasized until the age of 13. If that is so, how are their players so good?

May I suggest, as Georgia Youth Soccer suggests, that it because of the multiple environments (and culture) that kids PLAY in develop them far more than the structured environments that we put them in. The video shows the different environments that kids grow up PLAYING in.



So we investigate Brazil. Of any country they arguably produce the most professional players in the world AND have five stars above their crest (each representing Wordl Cup Championships). So what does Brazil do different than the U.S.A.?

I would argue that the secret to their success is an emphasis on the ability for players to be confident and comfortable on the ball so they can perform when they make quality tactical decisions and that the ability to make good decisions comes from a less controlled and more free environment for them to express themselves when the ball is at their feet. The Brazilians emphasize the word "relax" or "calme" in Portuguese (watch video below).



There are a ton of things that we need to do to improve the development of the players in our country. But the one thing that will start a cultural swing in our country is the emphasis on players instead of teams. It should be our goal to make soccer enjoyable for all players, however we should not sacrifice the development of any player for any reason, especially to get a result on game day.

I raise the questions; What is our 12 year plan in our community? And how do we go about implementing a 12 year plan that reflects a combination of the US soccer academy structure and the insight of the Brazilian culture?

I am hoping for some replies that can generate some dialogue. I hope that you will assist in the process by expressing/sharing some of your own ideas, questions and concerns so please feel free to respond by clicking the COMMENTS link below. Also, if you want to view the entire Goergia Youth Soccer "Player Development " video it is below.

Infinity welcomes MLS Cup to Riverwoods

By Jason Turner
sports writer

When the MLS Cup Tour makes its way through Cache Valley on Friday, representatives of Real Salt Lake - the reigning champions of Major League Soccer - will be there to make the experience extra special for several local youngsters.

Not only will the MLS Cup be displayed at five different elementary schools in the valley, it will exhibited for an extended period of time at an auction and dinner hosted by Wasatch Property Management and the Infinity Soccer Club.

The Cup can be seen by the public starting around 3:30 p.m., and the silent auction is scheduled from 4:30-6 at the Riverwoods Conference Center. Following the auction, Infinity SC - a non-profit organization home to 29 teams from the valley - will host a dinner from 6-8:30 p.m. Cost for the dinner is $20 and is open to the general public.

Jeff Ginn, technical director of Infinity, developed a friendship with RSL employee Scott Reynolds several years ago when Ginn was the head soccer head at Iowa Western Community College. Reynolds, RSL's sales manager, and Ginn were reunited when Ginn moved to Utah, and the professional soccer club and Infinity have formed quite the partnership ever since.

"When I moved back to Utah, we ran into each other again and reunited those ties, and so we've had a good relationship," Ginn said. "Scott Reynolds and I have had a really good relationship over the few years.

"... They've just really bent over backwards to be part of Infinity and reach out to our club. They've been very accommodating for us."

Those who attend the dinner will receive a Real Nation T-shirt, a ticket voucher for RSL's homer opener against the Seattle Sounders on April 10, and will have their picture taken with RSL's mascot, Leo the Lion, and the club's three trophies.

The other two trophies are the Eastern Conference Championship Cup and the Rocky Mountain Cup. RSL captured the Rocky Mountain Cup by winning the 2009 season series with the rival Colorado Rapids.

All proceeds from the auction - select items will also be auctioned off at the dinner - will go to Infinity. The club will use a lot of the money it raises to help parents with monthly dues, Ginn said, and Infinity plans on donating a portion of it to District 7 of the Utah Youth Soccer Association. Infinity also plans on using a portion of it to improve soccer fields and equipment in the valley.

Real Salt Lake has aided Infinity in its fundraising efforts before, and plans on contributing at least $10,000 to the cause, according to Infinity's Web site, www.infinitysc.com.

"Each team has the liberty of doing their own fundraising activities, from cleaning the Spectrum, from selling items like Fat Boy Ice Cream, so a lot of different individual team things happen," Ginn said. "We did one other thing with Real Salt Lake last summer. We had an Infinity Day, where we got a percentage of the tickets that we sold and our kids got to go play on the field during halftime and we got to walk out with the (RSL) players holding their hands in the pre-game, so there's a really neat tie with Real Salt Lake and Infinity Soccer already."

The fact that Bill Manning, president of RSL, will be a guest speaker at the dinner would attest to this. Ginn praised Manning, saying hearing him speak makes the cost of the event more than worthwhile.

In addition to honoring RSL's breakthrough 2009 season, the event will focus on the recent achievements of Infinity players. Each team will recognize an offensive and defensive MVP, plus give out a "Forever Futbol Award" and name a most improved player.

Infinity enjoyed a lot of success in 2009 as several of its teams did well in State Cup competition and 14 of its players were selected to the Olympic Development Program (ODP) pool at the state level. All of those players, plus coaches and board members will be honored Friday.

In addition to Manning, Sky View sophomore Stacy Bair will speak at the dinner. Bair, a mainstay in the regional ODP pool, recently returned from Coral Springs, Fla., where she was invited to attend the prestigious National ODP Development Camp.

Those interested in the event, Infinity members or not, can purchase tickets by calling Celeste at 750-5151or by visiting the Elements Restaurant.

Ginn made it a point to thank Wasatch Property Management, the Riverwoods Conference Center and the Elements Restaurant for making this event a reality.

SV’s (and Infinity's) Bair invited to a prestigious national camp

Stacy Bair has dreams of playing soccer at a very high level, including aspirations of one day suiting up for the U.S. National team.

As lofty as that might appear, the Sky View sophomore certainly appears to be on the right track.

Bair received some big news recently when she was invited to represent Region IV at the National Development Camp Feb. 16-20 in Coral Springs, Fla. Bair left Cache Valley at 3 a.m. today for the Sunshine State.

Only 17 players from Region IV — which consists of 12 western states — were invited to attend this development camp for the U16 National team, and Bair is believed to be the first one ever from Cache Valley, according to Bair’s mother, Janet, and local club soccer coach Robson Chaves.

Needless to say, Bair is ecstatic for the opportunity to join such a select group of players. Bair caught word of the invitation when Janet Bair received an e-mail from Joyce Bordley, the girls administrator for Region IV’s Olympic Development Program (ODP).

“I was really excited,” Stacy Bair said. “I was a little nervous because I didn’t know if anybody that I knew would be going ... but then I found out that there were a couple people that I know who are going to the same camp, so I would be fine.”

Bair caught the attention of scouts for the camp by showcasing her ability at the Region IV ODP Championships, Jan. 16-19 in Phoenix. The striker played for the Utah 94 team and was a big reason the squad from the Beehive State advanced to the championship match.

During Utah’s five matches, Bair scored three goals and assisted on two others. Utah battled perennial power California South tooth and nail twice in the tournament, losing 1-0 in group play and in the finals.

Fellow Sky View forward Jessica Brooksby was also on the team, which notched victories over New Mexico (2-1) and Washington (5-0) after a tough 2-1 setback to Arizona.

Brooksby, a freshman, also played well in Phoenix, scoring a goal en route to being named to the 94 all-tournament first team.

Bair also played on the 94 squad a year ago, helping it advance to the championship match, as well. That team was handily beaten by California South 4-1 for the title, but Utah was a lot more competitive this time around.

The Richmond native credited better team cohesion and new head coach Heather Cairns and her staff for Utah 94’s improvement.

“I think that we just had better organization than we did last year, and the coaching was better this year, I thought,” Bair said. “And we played more as a team because we got to know each other better than last year.

“Because it was all kind of just put together (last year) and we didn’t know each other that well, but this year was a lot better, I felt.”

Joining Bair at the national camp is fellow Utah 94 teammate Maris Hamblin (Lone Peak), and Juan Diego products Monique Morrison and Victoria Shimkus. Morrison and Shimkus both played for Utah 93 at the recent ODP tournament, and all four players are in the Region IV ODP pool for their respective age groups.

As a sophomore for Sky View, Bair was one of the 4A’s most dangerous strikers. Bair led the Bobcats in goals and assists with 11 and seven, respectively.

Bair’s success has led to opportunities to attend several camps throughout the country, in addition to the national camp. The costs involved with Bair’s soccer endeavors are starting to take their toll, however. As a result, the Bair family is looking for local businesses to help sponsor the camps.

“You want to give them every opportunity to succeed,” said Janet Bair, who made it a point to thank all of those who have helped fund Stacy’s trips.

The original article can be found by clicking here.

En Route: MLS Academies Look To Set The Standard

Youth soccer in America finding an identity.
By JR Eskilson
Feb 9, 2010 2:36:00 PM
(GINN HIGHLIGHTS ARE BOLDED)

Three years ago, U.S. Soccer began an initiative called the Development Academy. At the forefront of the progressive youth soccer adjustment was the introduction of MLS academies to the scene.

Currently, there are only two American MLS teams without academies in the Development Academy, and both of those clubs have plans to join the system soon. So with the introduction of professional clubs to a youth structure that had been around for years, would there be backlash? How would the professional teams do against established clubs?

Goal.com asked youth directors around MLS their thoughts on the project and on the future.

After discussing the Development Academy with various directors around the league, the message was clear: MLS teams want to develop players. “We are different in that player development is paramount and winning will be a by product of development, not the opposite.” Brian Crookham, Colorado Rapids’ Director of Youth Soccer, told Goal.com on Monday. A not so subtle jab at youth clubs that still polish their trophy case more than help their players advance.
(HEY, INFINITY SC IS WORKING ON IT)

John Maessener, D.C. United’s Director of Youth Soccer agreed, saying, “We are serious about player development and have shown that our system, even as it is relatively new, is a very good environment for top level players to develop.” Oscar Pareja, FC Dallas’ Director of Player Development, chimed in with, “The professional clubs should set the highest standards in soccer here in USA.”

The general consensus among the teams is that MLS clubs want their players to know the purpose of the academy is to help them reach their full potential. The emphasis that may have been stressed in the past on results is no longer an issue.

An important change to the previous system, that most of the clubs singled out as one of the best parts of the Development Academy, is the professional training environment that MLS clubs could offer. While it hasn’t always been that way, Crookham stated, “the bottom line is that the daily environment must be better if we want to produce better players and I think there has been some movement in that direction.”

Maessener was very upbeat about the potential of developing players in professional training: “In order to be able to produce world class players, you have to have world class training programs for players to develop.” He went on to say, “This country is used to being the best, I’m confident if we do the things that we all know need to be done, we will be a world power in the next 10-20 years.”

Pareja stated that FC Dallas gives a player a chance “to develop in a professional way, offering all our resources to reach their potential.” Development Academy offers Sparq training, as well as statistical analysis to their teams. Pareja singled out Sparq training saying, “Identifying areas where we can work on is crucial for the coaches.”

One of the major challenges that MLS academies have faced is dealing with local clubs that have been in the area for a long time. Youth clubs are a business, and they are not fans of competing businesses so when MLS academies were developed, there was a backlash. (WE SHOULD BE FINDING A WAY TO JOIN ODP WITH MLS DEVELOPMENTAL ACADEMIES)

Rapids’ experience with the local teams seems to be the status quo, Crookham explained, “We had clubs that jumped up at the beginning wanting to be partners, and we had clubs that circled the wagons and protected what they feel are their territories.” Obviously, the lack of support is not ideal for clubs that should handle the top youth players. However, as Maessener noted, some of these clubs have been doing this for a very long time, but they are beginning to understand that the MLS teams are “serious about player development.”

This is not an idea that is going to change over night, the process of MLS clubs winning a territorial battle might never be over. However, they have begun the process to stake some claim in the local areas.

Possibly the most promising future of the Development Academy is the chance at an all-MLS youth league. Maessener said that clubs are “always talking about ways to separate MLS Academies from the rest to set the standard in this country as it is around the world and as it should be.” Crookham added that MLS clubs are not necessarily in the best interest of the Development Academy.
Instead he offered, “Oversight that is good for a traditional youth club doesn't fit with our goals or philosophies.” For these clubs, the goal is player development and getting players ready for the professional level. There are obviously certain clubs in the Development Academy that don’t have the same beliefs, which does make the competition between these clubs vastly different in terms of goals and success.

Maessener pointed out that the MLS teams have begun to distinguish their clubs by introducing the MLS Youth Cup. (D.C. United won the event in 2009.) Another element unique to MLS clubs is the ability to transition to a professional contract from the academy teams. Maessener talked about the benefit of in-house player development for MLS clubs, “the Home Grown Player rule helps to bring the best, most serious players into our systems and makes it possible for the very best young players to sign professional contracts directly from their Academy teams.”

While it all sounds great on paper, there is still a ton of work to be done by the clubs and the Development Academy. In an ideal world, a hierarchy would be established with the MLS Youth Academies taking the lion’s share of talented players in this country. Maybe it is time for USSF to step up to the plate and help guide the clubs in the right direction. However, there are far too many clubs too uneasy about letting go of control in youth soccer. So the question remains; can the academies be successful with half the teams concerned about results and the others stuck on development?

J.R. Eskilson is the youth soccer editor.

For more youth soccer news visit Goal.com's dedicated page.

Kids understand it is just a game

By Paul Nelson

WEST VALLEY CITY, UT -- You'll find many loud and supportive parents at the Acord Ice Center in West Valley City during their hockey season, cheering on their children. Why did these parents really sign their kids up to play? What is their main reason? Many parents are looking at the big picture.

One father said he signed up his daughter up for hockey "just to get some experience" for high school and college hockey. One mom had high hopes for her son. She said, "Hopefully he'll excel and be the next NHL superstar."

As for the kids, a few might be focusing on their long term sports dreams. One girl who plays goalie said, "I'm trying to do it just to go to college because I think I'm really good at it."

But for most kids, their main reason to play is very different. While they do have dreams of playing sports in the future, having fun is the main motivator.

One player said, "I just thought it was really fun, so I tried it."

The New York Times reports a recent survey was taken by a sophomore at Fairfield College Prep School in Connecticut. Out of more than 700 kids surveyed, 95 percent of boys and 98 percent of girls said having fun was the main reason for playing sports.

Infinity '00 Girls met The Lady Aggies

On Tuesday, January 26th the U10 Girls were invited to come 20 minutes early, to their scheduled training session, to watch the Utah State University Aggies Women's Soccer team finish up training. The young Infinity Girls were captivated by the speed and intensity that the Lady Aggies were demonstrating right in front of them. The lady Aggies were intense, focused and skilled. It was fun for coaches, players and some parents to see what the college level of training is like.

The opportunity to meet someone that you admire, or find a new hero is priceless. As the Lady Aggies completed their training, the Infinity girls waited patiently to receive autographs from the finest soccer players in our community.

Not only do the Lady Aggies get to feel like rock stars to ten your old girls that admire them for 15 minutes, they get the recognition that they deserve. It is our hope as the premier soccer club in Cache Valley to continue to build a strong relationship with the USU Soccer program.

Much thanks to the Lady Aggies, Coach, Heather Cairns, Coach Josh Walters, Coach Marla Nelson and the USU staff that has made it possible for us to use the Stan Laub Center.