As more and more young athletes get cellphones, it opens up a new line of communication for coaches. However there are risks there as well. SoccerDad takes a look into some of them.
Entries for February, 2009
ECNL to Fill a Void for Girls Soccer?
A new proposal is being presented to elite clubs across the country to form an elite girls national league that is similar in structure to the current USSF Development Academy for boys. Except it’s not the USSF that is presenting it.
Crazy Schedules as Art
Who knew that a calendar could be art? Not great art, but hey, people buy art made by monkeys throwing fruit or paint at canvas. Here’s a snapshot of my family’s schedule for this week.
Using Dead Words To Quiet A Sideline
A friend of mine recently attended a coaching class where they handed out a list of ‘Dead Words’ for coaches to share with their parents. The idea is you ask your parents not to say certain words in an attempt to stop them from sideline coaching or distracting the players too much. It’s an interesting idea.
Youth Soccer Coaches and the Economy
In the second part of our series, Youth Soccer and the Economy, we look at how coaches may be impacted by these rough economic times and what they can do to ease the strain on both themselves and their team.
Insights On Becoming A Referee
Charlie Slagle, the CEO of North Carolina’s largest soccer league, Capital Area Soccer League (CASL), has a soccer radio show that is broadcast every Saturday morning at 7AM called Back of the Net. His most recent show looks into what is required to become a soccer referee and how far you can go.
Forming A Soccer League In Tanzania
If you’ve been involved in organizing any type of youth activity or sport, you know it can be a difficult task. Imagine if you had to organize a league in the mountains of Tanzania! Brown student Abby Hein set out to do just that last summer as part of a school fellowship and recently published an essay about her experiences.
Son, About That Cup…
Tweet It amazes me how many boys don’t wear cups in soccer. My son refused to wear his in Tae Kwon Doe until he saw someone else in his class ‘take one for the team’. Now he wears it. Maybe I should have shown them both this: Of course I say that knowing last night […]
Sitting Back or Taking Risks?
Sometimes as a coach, you realize you can only push your team so far and they have to push themselves to really improve as players. The question is, are the risks worth it to try and get them pushing themselves. How can you get them to do that? Here’s the story of a team taking some risks to improve. Will it work? Only time will tell.
Dodge Ball As A Soccer Drill – Genius!
SoccerDad shares a drill that had his soccer players begging to keep doing it while working on a rather difficult skill – volleying. It’s Soccer Dodge Ball!
Youth Soccer Coach Orientation
Tweet While I’m sharing documents, here is a presentation recently put together by our league’s Director of Coaching that was presented to all of our league’s coaches this season. It’ll be the basis for our league’s Youth Soccer Coaching Handbook, which we’re currently writing. Some things are specific to our league, but overall it’s an […]
Updated Soccer Team Manager Handbook
If you’ve ever managed a soccer team, you know it can be a daunting task. This handbook from a North Carolina soccer league can help any new team manager understand what is involved.
Concussions in Young Athletes Often Undetected
Derek Poore at the Louisville Courier-Journal has an interesting article out about concussions in youth sports
US Youth Soccer Grants for 2009
US Youth Soccer has announced their 2009 Grant program for TopSoccer and Soccer Across America. if your organization serves or plans to serve special needs kids and/or kids from low-income areas, consider submitting an application.