Heads Up June 2011

background, we are getting a somewhat more mature “soccer” player. By getting rid of single age groups, you now allow players who are ahead of the learning curve the opportunity to play with older players.

Conversely, you also allow a player who is not developing quite as fast the opportunity to play with players of the same ability.

Get rid of “strict” team rosters and allow clubs the opportunity to group the players by abilities so all have a sense of belonging to a group. This by the way is the element that most human beings seek throughout life.

In our current model, we “cut” players and have them seek other opportunities. Many times, after the age of 12, that answer is to leave the game altogether.

Leagues can then offer a U10, U12, U14, U16, and U19 divisions but allow clubs flexibility to move players week to week (club pass concept). This would be a change due to parents and coaches egos and their desire to have “teams”. It is absolutely true that players want to be on teams and have a sense of belonging. This can be achieved by simply having a core of players play with each other throughout the season but also allowing for an occasional child the opportunity to try getting out of or into their comfort zone.

A state association can still have a single age group format for cups and tournaments. For the state, presidents, and challenge cups, just have the “cup freeze” date be at the time of kickoff. The transfer rules, however, would have to be amended by the National Championship Series of US Youth Soccer.

Tournaments, which we all know are revenue sources for clubs can also offer single age group divisions.

Clubs would simply organize their pool of players into a tournament roster.

While some may call this a radical approach to improving youth soccer, I truly have believed for quite a few years this is the way Indiana should show the rest of the country how it is done.

Idea #2 Amend Small Sided Games for league play My first task as the director of education for Indiana Soccer in 2002 was to organize small sided games for travel/select league play. “Thank you very little”! The emails I received right off the bad almost made me wonder why I wanted to come back to this great state. Well, it has been nine years since my first document and while clubs may not be winning at the younger age group levels when they go to out of state tournaments, the base overall of players has improved. The whining, for the most part, has ceased and children have actually survived!

Currently U9 and U10’s play 6v6 and U11 and U12’s play 8v8. The time has come to go to odd numbers instead of even for league play. I would recommend that the future of small sided games in Indiana be 7v7 for U9 and U10’s and 9v9 for U11 and U12’s.

Odd numbers offer a better playing shape and for the U11 and U12 age groups the 9v9 model is an easier transition to the 11 aside game. I have always been a proponent of odd numbers instead of even for these age groups because of these two reasons.