As many readers know, I've been a youth soccer coach for several years. The more I'm involved with The System, the more I realize how much b.s. there is and exactly to what degree the soccer community in this country is bathing in hypocrisy.
I recently received an email from the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association* reminding me that it's not too late to sign up for their fall state cup tournaments at the U11 (under-11) age level.
(*-ENY is affiliated with US Youth Soccer which is a member organization of the US Soccer Federation)
Last year, I went to the annual general meeting of the CDYSL, which is a regional league affiliated with ENY. They were discussing a proposal to make it so the U12 age level played 8 v 8 on a smaller field instead of 11 v 11 on a full sized one. From a development standpoint, it made sense. The full sized field encouraged smaller kids to just kick the ball as far as they can. The smaller field and smaller numbers would encourage dribbling skills and allow each player to be more involved in the action.
But this wasn't sold from a development standpoint. The CDYSL 'braintrust' thought it was great because it was only one of two leagues in New York that was going to 8 v 8 so their U12 champion would automatically gain a berth in the state cup final. This really says it all about the mentality of these people. There are certainly a lot of coaches and officials that care deeply about the kids. But there are an alarming number that are just in it for their own egos.
If you read the position papers and general coaching advice given by both US Soccer and US Youth Soccer, they all talk about creating an environment for young players that de-emphasizes winning at all costs and creates an atmosphere where creativity and skills development are allowed to flourish.
There is a wide recognition that this country produces plenty of competent soccer players but a dearth of creative ones. It's also increasingly acknowledged that overcoaching, the overstructured nature of the youth soccer setup and its overemphasis on winning trophies in the US is the biggest single factor in suffocating creativity out of young players. Excessive adult influence doesn't just not help the kids, it actively hurts them.
These organizations recommend that youth teams play fewer matches and participate in fewer tournaments and have more training sessions with more free play where they can be creative, where they feel free try new things without fear of recrimination. In other words, give them more time to experiment and less pressure to win meaningless youth trophies.
This is precisely the skills development model used in places like France, Portugal and the Netherlands, countries that have a fantastic record of producing talented and creative young players in recent years.
Instead, the US has followed the same development (and tactical) model as England . In addition to being a place where barriers are needed to keep youth soccer parents separated from children like caged animals or hysterical fans of boy bands, the English soccer community is undergoing a great self-flagellation about exactly those deficiencies I mentioned above.
So instead of modeling those who are getting it right, soccer in the US is modeling those who have gotten it spectacularly wrong.
If the best soccer minds in both this country and in the top foreign soccer nations are pushing the 'less is more' approach, especially for younger players, then why in heaven's name is someone holding a state championship for 9 year olds?!
Everyone mouths the right things, but look what gets put into practice.
The most prominent periodical in the country that covers the sometimes Beautiful Game is hardly immune from this hypocrisy.
Soccer America publishes numerous columns and editorials lecturing readers that players should have fun, that winning trophies should be secondary to enjoyment and skills development, etc.
But the same magazine that runs warm and fuzzy pieces, often in the same issue, runs huge cover stories on who won all the youth national championships, creates an arbitrary ranking of the top boys' and girls' clubs in the country and publishes prominent profiles of trophy winning youth clubs.
And this is why their feel-good columns imploring fair play and fun gain no traction.
Soccer America , like most in the soccer establishment, doesn't practice what it preaches. They don't really believe it and everyone knows it.
(to be continued)
1 comment:
You certainly shed light on a philosophical disconnect within youth soccer in North America, Brian. No doubt about it. And your point about the direction of UK football vs. the youth training structure of more successful up-and-coming countries is right on the money.
So what can you do?
As a coach, all you can do is walk the walk, unless you want to become a board member of your youth athletic organization where you might perhaps be able to affect some change at that level.
As a journalist you have the skill and the ability to do what you’re doing, that is, by virtue of your contribution to the conversation about this subject, you’re bringing a level of accountability to the sport.
The Positive Coaching Alliance provides people like us with a platform for change through their PCA Champions program. As a PCA Champion you can:
~ Introduce PCA to media outlets
~ Introduce PCA to schools and youth sports organizations in their communities
~ Submitting blog entries and comments on PCA's blogs and writing "My Youth Sports Story" articles
www.positivecoach.org
More to your point; I think youth soccer in North America has become a thriving cottage industry for many people, providing a nice side income while at the same time offering avenues for increased skill development and competition. While this trend probably started with all the right intentions, the detrimental impact this system is having on players’ creativity is undeniable, and should be addressed.
The challenge is going to be to get the youth soccer industry to listen, and that’s going to require grass-roots intervention by guys like us. No easy task, but essential to the benefit of the game.
I look forward to part 2 of your piece.
Don Lafferty
http://rookiecoach.org/blog
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