Youth Soccer News: The Importance, Role and Responsibility of Being a Coach, Part 1

The role of a youth soccer coach can be so powerful and important, SoccerNationNews asked two world class soccer legends Shannon MacMillan and Paul Caliguiri - both of whom represented the USA in the World Cup and the Olympics - to share their opinion on the role of being a coach.  The Role of Being a Coach is a new series of conversations with landmark coaches on the impact of their role in the beautiful game.

Part 2: The Role of Being a Youth Soccer Coach with Alberto "AB" Bru, Colin Chesters and Christian Lavers

Part 3: The Role of Being a Youth Soccer Coach with Michael Duggan, Marc Gonzalez and Ron Pulvers

SNN: What does being a coach mean to you?

Paul Caligiuri: Being a soccer coach is a privilege and a great responsibility. 

Shannon MacMillan

Paul Caligiuri waving with Thomas Dooley from the bench @ the USA vs Mexico Legends Game at the Home Depot Center, April 2012.  USA Shutout Mexico 2-0.

Shannon MacMillan: It is a great responsibility to be a coach.  Parents are putting their trust in you to help their children, which is something I do not take lightly. 

Paul Caligiuri: Youth soccer coaches have an important role to positively impact the development of young soccer players in their overall soccer experience.

As a coach, it is important to be a solid role model for our players. The way we conduct ourselves has a huge influence.

SNN: What is the importance of being a soccer coach?

Shannon MacMillan: The importance of a soccer coach is to be a teacher.  We have an amazing opportunity to help educate our players, not just on the field but also as young people.  There are so many life lessons that can be extracted from participating in team sports. 

Paul Caligiuri: The important that soccer coaches always look for ways to improve. For instance, coaches should always strive to be the best possible communicators. It is important to have integrity, and to be open and honest with players and parents.

SNN: What is the responsibility of a coach?

Paul Caligiuri: A coach's responsibility extends beyond just the playing field. Soccer coaches are teachers, and the soccer field is the classroom. Players need feedback. One method to be a successful coach, is to provide players with a pre-season individual and team goal, then follow up with a mid-season report, and finally, at the end of the season an evaluation. 

In terms of development, it is important to keep in mind that although soccer is a team sport, the team is made up of individual players and it is a coach’s responsibility to be available to answer questions from players and parents, and to promote open communication.

Shannon MacMillan: The responsibility of a coach is to find a way to reach all of their players.  Every player is different and is motivated differently.  A great coach can really find a way to motivate each individual player as well as the whole team. 

Paul Caligiuri: The best coach's are those that put more time into the game off the field than on the field.

SNN: Any final thoughts to share?

Shannon MacMillan: The game of soccer has been incredibly gracious to me throughout my career so I felt it was important to be able to give back to the game.  I want to be able to share my experiences, both positive and negative, and help my players reach their full potential and enhance their love for the game.

Paul Caligiuri: Through all my years in coaching, being a part of various Soccer Development Committees, and through my travels across the USA, players’ technical (skill) development is in great demand – especially for players U15 and older. 

U.S. youth soccer players still remain technically behind other countries in comparisons to the global soccer powers, and with the lack of any such technical developmental initiatives, this gap will continue to increase. The fact that U.S. youth soccer players are technically behind hinders the implementation of the tactical part of the game. 

Therefore, I encourage all players to practice on their skills on a regular basis in order reach their potential and to become a more creative soccer player on the field.  

Related Article: The Role of Being a Youth Soccer Coach with Alberto "AB" Bru, Colin Chesters and Christian Lavers; The Role of Being a Youth Soccer Coach with Michael Duggan, Marc Gonzalez and Ron Pulvers

My birthday gift from my neices and nephew!

I miss going to RSL games with my brother and his family! But we got it to stick! 35 minutes away from the Home Depot Center they remain die hard RSL RioTers!

Strike The Ball Like Clint Dempsey

By Ricky Clarke.

Clint Dempsey has become the first American player to score a hat-trick in the English Premier League. Dempsey produced an outstanding display of technical ability (watch how David Beckham strikes the ball almost the exact same way), movement and game awareness. Scoring three goals against Newcastle United in a rout this Saturday.

Below, I’ve outlined his key movements and decision-making process during his second goal.

Dempsey - Movement Pattern #1

Dempsey makes a great run across the defender, anticipating a pass from Zamora.



Dempsey – Movement Pattern #2

Dempsey recognizes the space created by Johnson, Zamora finds him with a pass.




Dempsey – Technical Adjustments #3

Dempsey arrived balanced. Non-kicking foot placed next to the ball and with his eyes on the ball.



Dempsey – Movement Pattern #4

Dempsey gets his body in-between the ball and the defender, and then strikes across the goal keeper scoring his second goal of the game.



Client Dempsey – Technical Striking Session



Ricky Clarke is a USSF ‘A’ License, USSF Youth License and NSCAA Master Diploma coach. Ricky is the DOC of Mission Valley United, leading several teams to state championships. Ricky also coaches for the Northern California ODP programs and is a state course instructor and NSCAA associate staff coach. Visit his Blog here.


This article was found on the World Class Coaching Blog.

Your connection is what they will remember.

Take one second and think about the best teacher, coach, or mentor you ever had.

Now come up with one memory of them, fast.

(Got it?)

What’s your memory? Is it something your coach/teacher/mentor said? Something they did?

Perhaps what you remembered wasn’t anything particular they said or did, but just their face — specifically their eyes, and how those eyes looked at you — or, rather, looked into you. Which is to say: the lasting impact of our teachers might not be contained in their words, but in the connections they form with us.

When you look around today, a lot of coaches and teachers and bosses seem to be doing everything but connecting. Go to a soccer game, for instance, and you tend to see coaches on the sideline doing a lot of talking (shouting out mid-game advice, orchestrating the action), but not a lot of connecting. Certain CEOs and managers are similar, though perform do their sideline orchestrating via email. But is this wise? Is it useful?

I recently met a terrific soccer coach by the name of Iain Munro, who coaches at YSC Sports Academy in Philadelphia (a burgeoning soccer hotbed in its own right). Munro, who’s in his sixties, played and coached at the top level in England and his native Scotland (working with, among others, Alex Ferguson and Jock Stein). I put the question to Munro this way: if the average coach says 100 words to his players, how many words should a master coach say?

Munro looked into my eyes; he let me know he really heard the question and was giving it due consideration. He placed a friendly hand on my shoulder, and I got an ineffable feeling that I was about to hear something important. Then I did.

“Ten words,” he said. “Fewer, if possible.”

The truth is, great coaches and teachers don’t spend their time talking. They spend most of their time watching and listening. And when they communicate, they don’t just start talking. First they connect on an emotional level, to one individual at a time. They deliver concise, useful information, and they make that information stick. Kind of like Munro did when he communicated with me.

So with that in mind I’d like to offer the following checklist; a filter to use before you start talking.

· 1. Are you connected? Do you have the person’s complete and undivided attention?

· 2. Do you know — deeply understand — where that person is in their development right now, and what the next step is?

· 3. Can you, in five seconds or less, deliver a clear, memorable piece of useful information to help them take that step?

Watch Munro work with his soccer teams and you’ll see him sidle up to a player during a drill, without interrupting the larger flow. He puts the hand on their shoulder, connects to them, and delivers a nugget of helpful information. Then he steps away, allowing the player to take that nugget and start applying it.

Munro’s players, of course, will remember him for the rest of their lives. Not because he makes them better (which he does) or because he’s so entertaining (which he is, too) but for the same reason you remember your greatest coach: because he’s not about himself, he’s really about the people he’s trying to help.

Why Winning Isn't a Priority in Youth Soccer

By Coach V
BlastTheBall.com
View original posting by clicking here.

"Winning is not everything? What a bunch of junk."

I remember uttering those words in my mind many years ago after listening to the usual coaches' meeting before the season started. I thought to myself, "If winning isn't everything, then why do they keep score and why does this youth league have tournaments at the end of the season?" When I walked out of the meeting I knew that EVERY coach had the same thing on his mind. They were already planning their "killer tactical plans" for their Under-12 soccer team.

Think of this mistake as a process, kind of a life cycle that many good coaches go through. Remember most of us start out as bad coaches. We don't really know what we're doing, we just know we are trying to get to a certain point. Along the way and through the years we just kind of figure it out. We go through coaching education, certification, watch videos, read books, watch other coaches, and rely on what we learned as soccer players. Eventually we become pretty good at what we do.

The problem that evolves in this pattern is the natural cycle of the parent/coach. We generally start out with our children at a young age. We teach them basic technical skills and focus on the simple things. We expose young players to the game by having fun, but at the same time teaching the basic skills that make them a skilled individual player.

Now the little ones start to mature, the season rolls on, and here is where the poison starts to trickle in to our coaching: Our human nature.

Resisting the Urge to Win

Human nature is the one thing that is very hard to change. However, to be a truly great youth soccer coach we must learn how to overcome our desire to win, or at least win at all costs, which really is a natural behavior.

Our job as youth soccer coaches is to teach young players individual skills and make sure that these skills are not only taught, but also repeated to the point that they become instinctive. We should make sure the young soccer experience is fun and well rounded.

Moving a weak offensive player to the forward position is easy to do when you are up 6-0. However, making this move when you're losing 3-2 is seen as suicide by many. But if you are not allowing rotations on your young teams, you are doing the kids a disservice.

Spending a great deal of time on technical skills is easy at first. However, when we start to lose games we feel we are weak on tactical strategy and we have a tendency to make practices all about tactical work. The much needed "technical training" just seems to disappear.

Here are a few things that add to this difficulty.

*Parents, a HUGE contributing factor, want their child to be on a winning team. If a team is losing all their games, it's not their child's weak technical skills that are the problem. It is the coach and his game plan that is causing us to lose.

*We as coaches/humans want to win or be successful in the eyes of others. Unfortunately this is often based on what people see as the public grading--the win/loss record.

*We often don't sit down with all the people involved and communicate what our goals are for the season. If only a few parents understand that we are not there to win but to learn, then it simply will not work.

A truly great youth soccer coach understands his job is to teach his young players individual technical skills. Our job is not to teach a 10-year old extended tactical vision for the game, but instead give him the mastery of the tools that it takes to play the game.The creativity and vision for the game will only truly come once this process has ended and they can focus on the GAME as a whole. It's hard to be creative when you keep tripping over the ball while dribbling.

Yes, we do give them some basic vision points for the tactical side of the game. However, it does no good to try and teach them a play that has one player feeding in a ball 30 yards, while another player receives it and finishes, if neither can complete the basic skills to make this play happen.

Many of our technical foundations are thrown out the window when the season starts. We start focusing on scrimmages, set up, positioning and plays. We start lecturing 9-year olds about the "thirds of the field", forgetting that all they are looking at is the ball at their feet.

Coaches have a natural human nature to win. That does not make them bad people, just bad youth coaches. Most of us want to succeed at what we do, we just often define the "definition of success" incorrectly.

Until we can break this cycle of winning at all costs and pressured competition, our kids will continue to suffer. Until the definition of "success" in youth soccer is redefined, there will be kids that are being set up for failure at the expense of adult winning.

Why Can't We Do It?

In order to make this work, everyone has to buy in. There needs to be a strong message--preferably in writing--that explains this trend and how every person contributes to this problem.

Everyone from the program director, to the coaches, the parents and the players need to understand the definition of a successful youth soccer program. A simple parents meeting at the beginning of the season is not enough. Often many miss it and many players will only have one of the parents attending. There needs to be a strong written summary of your goals and all should read, sign and return.

Everyone should realize that while some tactical education will be covered, it will be age appropriate and more on a general, basic and visual understanding level. It should be understood that younger player development will be largely technical-based and competitive games are simply a place to try our newly learn technical skills, not a measure of results.

I will warn you that this is easier said than done. It often takes years of coaching before we realize what we are doing wrong. We when finally realize this mistake we now face the daunting task of selling this theory to inexperienced parents and coaches. (A job no one really wants.)

A Step in the Right Direction

Youth soccer has finally been facing up to these problems around the world. Many international development programs and U.S. Youth Soccer programs are slowly getting this message out to clubs, leagues and coaches. However, this powerful message seems to fall short when it comes to reaching the parents. Coaches must humbly face this reality and focus on moving this message to the parents. Without the parents buying in 100 percent this movement will fail.

I have had the pleasure of working with many soccer programs and players from around the world. It always amazes me at what a poor job the leagues do at communicating these critical points to parents, and coaches as well. A short parent meeting or a 10 line code of conduct will never get this point delivered. Developing a full and thorough plan and getting 100 percent on board is the only way it will work.

You will always find some youth coaches that somehow justify themselves around this basic youth soccer principle. They will still wear their "badge of victories" proudly and debunk this essential and critical understanding. Remember they are not bad people, just bad for youth soccer. They can't help it, it's their nature.

Sadly we as soccer coaches must come to grips with the fact that we are not training a winning team for our sake. Our job is to help young players by teaching them individual technical skills. We then graciously turn them over to another coach hoping they are better with what they have learned.

Young players will remember a good soccer coach for the rest of their lives. That is what we as coaches call our reward. Not winning.

As the Soccer Improves, So Must the Club

Our players are improving with every touch. We have embraced the Player Development Revolution, now it is time to set benchmarks.

In soccer communities around the country, there is a lingering question, “how to measure success?” There are theories and philosophies and studies, but the reality is that we won’t truly know until a child reaches their teens. However, I believe that there can be benchmarks or goals to achieve that will better the chances of an individual’s reaching their potential to play at their highest level.

Recently, in a coaching committee meeting I unveiled the next step to improving the club. The concept puts a measuring and benchmarking system in use. The intentions is to help coaches, parents and players better evaluate their current level of play and set goals that help them reach their potential.

One of the most recent tools that we have added is iSoccer. This program does a number of wonderful things if fully taken advantage of by a player. However, the part that I want to focus on is the ability to quantifiably test and measure an individual in 16 core areas, these areas reflect the very foundation of every successful soccer player. The emphasis on “raising the level” of each player through training and testing is simply amazing, as it will transform a player from being decent to good, good to great, and excellent to elite. This is how we have decided to measure our players’ individual development. We believe strongly that if players train at home, are frequently tested and can see themselves reach their individual goals on iSoccer, it will allow the coach to focus on training the “thinking” part of the game and fine tune team style of play and tactics. -More on iSoccer in an interview with iSoccer CEO, Scott Leben-

Players must be accountable for their own skill development, by training at home before a coach can be criticized for not teaching the players how to play the game. The document “Champions are Grown in their Backyard” is a must read, as it puts an emphasis on what will truly make your child great at soccer!

As mentioned above, this winter our Coaches Committee plans to unveil a benchmarking document. Our job, now that our club philosophy is established and we are developing quality players, is to help teams/coaches measure their success as well as map out the road to achieving a team’s potential.

As the club and culture of our community evolves, so must our aspirations. The benchmarking system will provide a list of expected outcomes at certain ages and levels of soccer. It will allow coaches and parents (the adults) to see where each player is during their development. A combination of iSoccer evaluating and benchmarking (i.e. making the Infinity SC premier team of your age, attending tournaments of interest, competition in state cup, making the Olympic Development Program team for their age, making the High School team, gaining exposure from college coaches, earning a soccer scholarship and so on) will allow everyone to know what to expect as well as know what is expected to get there. This type of road map will allow adults involved to keep things in perspective. They can be confident that the system is working because their player is meeting goals set by themselves as well as by the club.

Having accurate expectations will also allow parents to prepare for the demands of future (time, travel and money) endeavors. Many clubs promise college scholarships or high school soccer relevancy. Infinity does not promise. However, we are developing, through research and experience, a road map for achievement. We must also empower each player to work for these types of rewards. The club must provide a vehicle (teams) that makes the players desired destinations accessible.

To help the players (and their parents) that have aspirations of playing college soccer we are establishing a college liaison committee. This committee will start generating contacts with college coaches as well as assist college bound players with the recruiting process. The committee will also be in charge of empowering a person to be the Infinity SC college liaison representative of the club.

Emphasizing player development and focus on Long-Term Development has been our focus for the last three years. It will continue to be the emphasis as we move forward as well. But now that our players are maturing (51 Infinity SC girls playing High School Soccer for their respected schools) it is time to provide a higher level of expectation and a road map on how to get there. Infinity SC is committed to evolving as our players develop.

Any adult with interest, experience, expertise in college recruiting who would like to help with this project are encouraged to email coachjginn@gmail.com so they can be invited to join a College Liaison Committee.

“The future has been written…

…forever futbol!”

-Ginn

"Some youth academies worry about winning, we worry about education."

In a recent interview with the Guardian, Barcelona and Spain icon Xavi exposes his romanticism of the game and shares his thoughts on Player Development. Here are some highlights from our fellow revolutionary:

“It's good that the reference point for world football right now is Barcelona, that it's Spain. Not because it's ours but because of what it is. Because it's an attacking football, it's not speculative, we don't wait. You pressure, you want possession, you want to attack. Some teams can't or don't pass the ball. What are you playing for? What's the point? That's not football. Combine, pass, play. That's football – for me, at least.”

“Some youth academies worry about winning, [Barcelona] worry about education. You see a kid who lifts his head up, who plays the pass first time, pum, and you think, 'Yep, he'll do.' Bring him in, coach him. Our model was imposed by [Johan] Cruyff; it's an Ajax model. It's all about rondos [piggy in the middle]. Rondo, rondo, rondo. Every. Single. Day. It's the best exercise there is. You learn responsibility and not to lose the ball. If you lose the ball, you go in the middle. Pum-pum-pum-pum, always one touch. If you go in the middle, it's humiliating, the rest applaud and laugh at you.”

“If you go two years without winning, everything has to change. But you change names, not identity. The philosophy can't be lost. Our fans wouldn't understand a team that sat back and played on the break. Sadly, people only look at teams through success. Now, success has validated our approach. I'm happy because, from a selfish point of view, six years ago I was extinct; footballers like me were in danger of dying out. It was all: two metres tall, powerful, in the middle, knockdowns, second balls, rebounds … but now I see Arsenal and Villarreal and they play like us.”

“I'm a romantic. I like the fact that talent, technical ability, is valued above physical condition now. I'm glad that's the priority; if it wasn't, there wouldn't be the same spectacle. Football is played to win but our satisfaction is double. Other teams win and they're happy, but it's not the same. The identity is lacking. The result is an impostor in football. You can do things really, really well – last year we were better than Inter Milan – but did not win. There's something greater than the result, more lasting. A legacy.”

“Education is the key. Players have had 10 or 12 years here. When you arrive at Barça the first thing they teach you is: think. Think, think, think. Quickly.”


READ THE INTERVIEW in full and JOIN THE REVOLUTION.

FA head of elite development Gareth Southgate has his work cut out trying to change the future for football

Original article can be viewed on The TELEGRAPH NEWSPAPER web site.

A couple of years ago, the junior football club with which I was associated took an idea to our local youth league. It was that instead of seven-year-olds playing in seven-a-side matches with referees, baying parents on the touchline and results collated into league position, clubs should organise weekly friendlies at four-a-side.

The philosophy behind it was that without the pressure of parentally-imposed competitive structures, children might more enjoy their football, and, with many more touches of the ball available with fewer players on the pitch, develop their skills. There was nothing non-competitive about it: every child would want to win every game they played.

It would be immodest to claim it as our idea. That’s what they do in Holland, in Spain, in Germany, countries that seem to have a reasonable idea how to produce footballers. But when the proposal was raised, the wannabe Fergusons who made up the committee, those managing their little league sides in neatly pressed tracksuits with their initials on the chest, snorted derision.

“Kids want to see their name at the top of the league in the paper,” one said, to much agreement. In fact, most of the committee members thought it would be a better idea to institute competitive leagues for even younger age groups: “How else will they learn how to win?” When it came to a vote, ours was the only one cast in favour. We lost 23-1.

That, in microcosm, was English football : a latticework of self-interest. Never mind the wider good, what about my medals? And I thought of the episode when I heard that Gareth Southgate, the Football Association’s newly-appointed head of elite development, is touring the country, trying to persuade leagues to adopt a policy of small-sided games for young children. Good luck with that, I suggested when I met up with him earlier this week at the launch of the FA’s coaching licence scheme. There are oil tanker captains with easier jobs turning around their ships.

“Actually, there are signs of encouragement,” he said. “I meet lots of young coaches out there who are forward thinking. Yes, there are others set in their ways, but there’s an acknowledgment we have to catch up with the rest of the world. And to do that, one thing is for sure: we can’t carry on with what we’ve been doing.”

Southgate’s task is not a minor one: it is to create a system which nurtures skill. Presently, among Englishmen aged 18 to 25, only a handful demonstrate ball-playing ability to match their European contemporaries. Actually, it is probably only Jack Wilshere who can hold his head up in international company. It is not much better below that: England’s Under-17s were this week evicted from the World Cup by – who else? – Germany.

Partly the issue lies with the Premier League academies, whose processes are under review. But in many ways the problems have been entrenched before young players arrive at elite clubs.

“The under-17s are at the end of the cycle,” Southgate said. “We need to concentrate right at the start of the process. There are so many steps along the way, there’s no scientific path. But I know this: if we don’t give them the right skill base from five until 10 [years of age] it won’t be there whatever you do thereafter.”

In order to do that, Southgate needs to do nothing less than effect an entire change of culture. Through a programme of coach education, he needs to persuade the self-interested parents and junior officials, vicariously living through their offspring, that they are not serving the best interest of the child. He needs to make things fun, with the emphasis on the development of skill. He needs, in short, to reverse the adultification of junior football.

“Parents and coaches have to understand that their child’s enjoyment, what they can learn from the game as people, in terms of team work, defeat and victory, is more important than anything,” he said.

“I do think we have a major cultural issue. We need to end the way in which the little kid is berated for losing the ball on the edge of the area, or the kid is applauded for hoofing it off the pitch.

“Until we alter that mindset then we’ve got a tough task if we want to produce skilful players. None of this will guarantee us a World Cup-winning team. But I’m dead certain that if we don’t change we’ll never have one.”

And as to the critique that the methodology he endorses promotes non-competitiveness, Southgate has a pertinent rebuttal.

“Look at the Williams sisters, they were brought up in an environment of positive reinforcement of hugs and love, they weren’t allowed to play in tournaments until they were 14. And no one could say they lack the will to win,” he said.

“We are trying to put in place ways to create an environment in which every kid – elite or not – can realise their potential within the game. To make football better for every child who plays it. If we don’t achieve anything else, that’s a worthwhile thing to do.”

Listening to Southgate it occurs to me that the FA seems to have done something unusual: made the right appointment. Only time will tell if anyone is prepared to listen to him.

THE PLAYER DEVELOPMENT REVOLUTION: In the fi rst of a series of articles, David Newbery and Tony DiCicco, from USA coaching organisation SoccerPlus,

THE AUTHORS:

DAVID NEWBERY
For over 20 years David has studied and worked in youth education, soccer development and coaching. A former University Professor and CEO of a Youth Sports Company, he is the Director of Player & Coach Development of SoccerPlus.

TONY DICICCO
Tony is the most successful coach in USA Soccer history, most notably leading the USA Women’s national team to 1996 Olympic, plus 1999 and 2008 World Cup success. He is the Head Coach of the Boston Breakers professional women’s team.

The word ‘revolution’ can be synonymous with such terms as anarchy, chaos and confusion, yet our revolution is encouraging a new approach where players have the opportunity to succeed, and where equal opportunity is not an objective but a reality.

We aim to raise standards and expectations, we challenge the way things have always been done and offer an approach where every player and coach has the opportunity to succeed, continuing to play and love the game by becoming serious about player and coach development.

Player Development is now common in soccer vernacular, yet our research has revealed that only 5% of youth soccer clubs are providing a programme built on firm player development foundations – in short, the phenomenal growth in soccer participation is not being supported by a more sophisticated approach.

The application of a ‘town’ soccer model is prevalent, where the primary objective is having fun. These programs are mainly coached by parent volunteers who have a limited understanding of child development and education, with little or no oversight by a coaching authority.

But parent involvement is the bedrock of youth football, and it cannot be understated the critical influence early youth sport experiences have on a participant’s enjoyment and adoption of physical activity. Simply, we need to get serious about player development.

Every coach and every organisation is unique and the aims, objectives and availability of resources (finance, volunteers, facilities etc) are different. A ‘one size fits all’ solution is clearly not the way forward.

“Soccer needs to get serious about player development.”

However, there are some recommendationswe offer to address common issues:

1. Adopt a Philosophy - The philosophy is critical to the long-term approach and it should guide decision making. For example, if the philosophy includes a ‘competency based approach’ to coaching and player development (something we strongly advocate), regular assessment for all players would need to be a significant part of the learning process. We would encourage coaches to develop and redefine the approach annually. Buy-in is critical, as important for parents and players as it is coaches.

2. Create a long-term strategic plan – Teams lacking long-term direction are set to repeat the same year - every year. Making time to ‘think’ will offer insight to a number of critical questions, including coach education and planning for player development. Creating a three- to five-year strategic plan, which involves parents, coaches and players, will provide the framework to make essential decisions and offer a roadmap for success.

3. Adopt or create a Player Development
Curriculum - In general terms a curriculum consists of everything that promotes intellectual, personal, social and physical development of the participants. And as well as session plans, it includes approaches to teaching, learning and assessment, objectives and program values. A detailed development model will create tremendous value and help in raising standards, performance, and expectations, as well as removing the guesswork.

4. Create an in-house Coaching Education
programme – Without great coaching it is unreasonable to expect meaningful player development. A formal education program for coaches is vital to develop expertise and knowledge. A combination of workshops, presentations, online resources, licensing courses, mentoring, practical coaching and demonstrations are needed to raise the standard of coaching and playing.

5. Provide coaches with access to
coaching resources – There are obvious benefits players will receive from a planned approach to development. Having all coaches accessing developmentally appropriate activities and sessions will create a degree of consistency that sometimes does not exist in volunteer organisations.

6. Provide oversight – a coaching authority – It is essential for bigger teams and organisations to clearly identify a ‘Coaching Authority’. This does not need to be a professional, but should be someone able to dedicate significant time during the season to assist coaches and players during practice sessions and games.

We believe firmly in parent volunteer coaches and non-profit organisations, but local coaching needs to start applying more appropriate strategies that are
relatively simple and cost-effective to implement.

Crucially, if we hope to raise standards and expectations, fun and educational attainment must be mutually inclusive outcomes of participation.

www.soccerplus.org/services

Soccer America: Youth Insider

Former U-17 coach Roy Rees: USA should be further along
article can be viewed at www.SoccerAmerica.com

By Mike Woitalla

How many players on the U.S. team currently competing at the U-17 World Cup will make a significant impact on the full national team?

Judging from the average of the previous 13 U.S. teams that have competed at each of the biennial world championships since 1985, the answer would be one.

Roy Rees coached the USA at four U-17 World Cups, from 1987 through 1993. He guided the young Americans to historic victories over Brazil in 1989 and Italy in 1991. After the USA, led by Claudio Reyna, beat Brazil, 1-0, in 1989, Brazil’s coach Homero Cavalheiro said, “The United States deserved to win today. They were better as a team; they were better individually.”

Asked how he imagined the future of American soccer two decades ago, Rees says, “I would have expected it to be further along than it is now. They've done well but could have done much better.

"They have developed a whole bunch of very average players but not the great players you need to get that little bit extra. There's a lack of creative players."

Mike Burns and John O'Brien, who played for Rees in the 1987 and 1993 tournaments, were also among the U-17 alums who had the most success with the full national team.

Rees was succeeded by Glenn Myernick (1995), Jay Miller (1997), John Ellinger (1999, 2001, 2003), John Hackworth (2005, 2007) and Wilmer Cabrera (2009, 2011).

Ellinger's 1999 team, which was the first that went into full-time residency in Bradenton, Fla., finished fourth and remains the only squad to win a knockout stage game. It included Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Oguchi Onyewu and Bobby Convey. That class proved to be an aberration.

Miller’s 1997 squad included Taylor Twellman and Danny Califf, who went on to long pro careers but had limited success with the full national team. Ellinger’s 2001 and 2003 squads included Eddie Johnson and Jonathan Spector, respectively.

Hackworth’s 2005 team included Jozy Altidore and Neven Subotic, now one of the top defenders in the German Bundesliga, but he plays his national team ball for Serbia.

Rees, a Welshman who served as an English FA staff coach and worked for FIFA as an international coaching instructor before taking over the U.S. U-17s, cites many reasons why the USA hasn't made more profound progress in producing exceptional players. Topping the list is an emphasis on athleticism rather than on skill and understanding the game.

"America had the reputation of being better athletically than everyone else, because at the Olympics they ran faster, were stronger, and threw things farther,” he says. “Those are things that have nothing to do with soccer. At the youth level, big, strong and physical may win games. But the smaller players develop skills to combat the big and the physical, and when they get the growth they’re the ones who get the results."

He also warns of the perils of advocating an orthodox approach to player development:

"It was, 'Coach this way, or get out.' There are different ways of developing players, which is obvious when you see how great players have emerged from different countries."

He says that the insight into the game that great players acquire is something that they develop naturally when they're young, not from being told how to play, but by being given the freedom figure the game out.

“What matters is being able to perceive the game, to predict what happens next," says Rees. "They need to be placed in a situation where they can see it for themselves rather than having it laid out for them. That needs to happen at the youngest levels. They need to be allowed to express themselves and not be tied to the coach’s instructions, or they’ll play like robots.”

Now retired and living in Southern California, Rees is watching this U.S. U-17 team on TV. Not judging it by the scorelines, but whether there are within the group some players with that little bit extra that hints of greatness.

* * * *
The USA opened its U-17 World Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic on Sunday with goals by Alejandro Guido and Esteban Rodriguez and late sub Alfred Koroma. In their second Group D game, the Americans face Uzbekistan on Wednesday (4 pm ET, Galavision, ESPN3.com).

Uzbekistan lost its opener, 4-1, to New Zealand, which got a hat trick by Stephen Carmichael. Carmichael, making his first start for the Kiwis, hadn’t been part of the squad during qualifying nor for a pre-tournament tour to Qatar.

Go HERE for U-17 World Cup results and schedule.

(Mike Woitalla, the executive editor of Soccer America, coaches youth soccer for East Bay United in Oakland, Calif. His youth soccer articles are archived at YouthSoccerFun.com.)