The best case for Futsal in support of Football I have heard in a while!

Sourced from http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/zelic-opinion-display/Surpassing-excellence/42494

A colleague in Football and Futsal drew my attention to this article. Ned Zelic is the author and he makes another insightful observation on the development of young players. 


I have watched a number of COE teams play over the last two weeks. We have some very good young players - girls and boys. They seem to be well coached. But one thing sticks out like a sore thumb as you watch them play - a few too many have a poor first touch and when they do get it right, make decisions far too slowly. These players arrived at these program with these deficiencies. Do they get fixed in the COE program or sent back to Clubs? And who is helping the Clubs, aside from the best endeavors by the volunteer coaches at Club? 


A further general observation - the COE Under 10 boys appeared to have a better grasp of the "basic core skills" than other age groups. Its no coincidence that this group has had a lot of technical training and their coach is the Capital Football Skills Acquisition Program Coach. Now its time for the Girls Under 10 program. More of this please, lots more.


As one Club coach pointed out to me as we watched play - how do you move the squad forward when their are a number of players who have significant technical deficiencies? Good question that one. Do you push forward and hope it gets better, devoting precious time to individual technical correction. Or do you slavishly follow the National Curriculum, ticking the "to do list" and in doing so ignoring the outstanding technical deficiencies, like an unreliable first touch and a lousy instep pass? How do you make the rest of their development work if the basics are left behind? How good is the team going to be at playing out from the back, building play from the back or retaining possession,  achieving passing sequences beyond  three passes, when  a few too many young players lack the technical ability to make to make it happen - to reliably receive and pass the ball. "Relaxed and comfortable" it is not! Well, the simple fact is you can't make it work. Makes you think. 


As a parent remarked to me: "Do you move on to integral calculus when you can't add, subtract, multiply and divide?" Well, not if you want pass pass Mathematics or become an Engineer. 


This started me thinking on this topic - again!  Do you ditch the players and going looking for better ones or persist with what you have and for how long? This is a big challenge for the COE and the requirement to follow the National Curriculum. The National Youth Championships always look as though they are getting closer and their never seems to be enough time. This is difficult terrain for Coaches.


Whenever we have a visiting Asian football team, and we have had a few in recent times, we all look aghast at the level of technical competences of the young players. They highlight not simply how far we have to go, but what we continue to perhaps ignore. Ned Zelic makes mention of the Koream teams in the Kanga Cup - always a thrill to watch.


So what is the Futsal connection? Simple! What game specifically and quickly enables these core technical skills to develop in our young players - its Futsal.  We need more Futsal at young age groups not less. Works for the Brazilians and the Spanish.  I watched the Boomerangs FS play this weekend in the Football NSW Futsal premier League, against the Campbelltown Quakers in the Under 12, under 14 and Uner 16 girls and boys age groups. It was fantastic. There were State reps evident in both Clubs' teams.  Fast footwork, sharp first touch, many touches on the ball, fast decision making an essential requirement and rapid transition. The capacity of Futsal to accelerate the learning process is unarguable. Futsal is Football steroids! We need all this as part of the foundation technical development of our players. We need Futsal, its good for Football.


  Ned Zelic observes:


"Football is made up of many components, along with all kinds of individual strengths and weaknesses varying from player to player. But a standout component in the game - is a player’s first-touch of the ball."


"The game is continuously getting quicker, teams are physically fitter, closing you down and getting behind the ball faster, which puts more focus on the speed of a player’s thinking process and the quality of the first-touch – a touch that will either open up a world of options, or end up being a lost opportunity."

Surpassing excellence

In late 1997, I was invited to play in a charity match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. 80,000 fans were in attendance to watch Eric Cantona, Hugo Sanchez, Fernando Hierro, Edgar Davids - to name but a few - participate in a wonderful event.

Later that night at the post-match dinner, I was lucky enough to be seated next to an absolute legend of the game – Eusebio - the Portuguese superstar.

Eusebio was polite, talkative and humorous. We discussed many things about football and life in general.

Before the night was over and everyone parted ways, I asked him a question - I wanted to know what he viewed as the most important factor in him becoming what he was - a true superstar of the game. “Always aiming for the next level” was his response. I didn’t dig further or ask him to go into detail - his answer hit the spot regardless.

It’s about pursuing and achieving excellence, then seeking ways to surpass it. It’s about scraping the limitations then breaking through them.

That was exactly Eusebio’s frame of mind, the frame of mind that is needed to improve as a player and continue improving. This mentality applies to all players, regardless of level of quality. The goal must be maximizing potential and then looking beyond - tackling, pursuing and achieving what may seem unachievable.

Football is made up of many components, along with all kinds of individual strengths and weaknesses varying from player to player. But a standout component in the game - is a player’s first-touch of the ball.

The first-touch sets a path, starts a story - depending on the quality - will either open a door or have it slammed shut in your face.

Great players like Eusebio were and are continuously seeking ways to be on a new level, a level that enables you to be in command of a golden attribute in football - unpredictability.

Being unpredictable is the master-key to success, capable of bringing down any opponent, whereas predictability will never hurt or surprise anyone – predictability won’t conquer the opposition.

Brisbane’s Mitch Nichols, in the 7-1 demolition of Adelaide, used his first touch to get forward into a position of danger and win a penalty. His first-touch would have been a second for many others, many would have trapped the ball then taken a touch to attack the space - Nichols bypassed the trap - he was a step ahead, on another level.

Troy Hearfield’s first touch to set up a goal for the Mariners last weekend was another example of what the quality of the initial contact can do to the opposition. It was sublime and the catalyst for tearing apart the Wellington defence.

Jeremy Brockie and Dylan Macallister also both mirrored the damage and havoc that can be caused when electing to keep the ball "alive" and not "killing" it.

In a recent Champions League game, Bayern Munich’s Toni Kroos scored a sensational goal against Napoli. But forget the actual goal, it’s how he put himself into position to score with an outstanding example of bypassing a sequence of play.

Kroos turned his first-touch into the second phase - the next level of play - which completely caught the opposition defence off guard - and he did it at high speed. It was like Kroos flew from Sydney to London without stopping in Singapore - and made it. His touch was a super- jumbo jet that didn’t need refuelling.

These examples show what taking your first-touch to the next level can do – by bringing a factor of unpredictability into play - resulting in an absolute nightmare for opponents.

It’s about breathing life into a sequence of play, understanding the meaning of the first-touch, the importance, the magnitude, the damage it can cause to the opposition. Often, I think it’s taken for granted - a kind of “Let’s get the ball under control” mentality, “Then go from there”. It shouldn’t be.

German national team coach Joachim Low pointed out in an interview several weeks ago, that “Space on the pitch has become smaller, the time to act scarce” and continued by saying that, “Developing individual skill in training is more important than the system”.

I agree 100 per cent. The game is continuously getting quicker, teams are physically fitter, closing you down and getting behind the ball faster, which puts more focus on the speed of a player’s thinking process and the quality of the first-touch – a touch that will either open up a world of options, or end up being a lost opportunity.

Give your players a goalscoring mentality

Sourced from www.footy4kids.co.uk

Scoring goals requires technical skills - the ability to dribble, run with the ball, receive a pass, find space and strike the ball correctly with the appropriate part of the foot or body.


But goalscoring also requires a certain mental attitude.


Top class players such as Lionel Messi play with the certain knowledge that they are going to score goals. It's just a question of when and how many. This "goalscoring mentality" is what separates Messi (and players like Rooney, Ronaldo, Drogba, David Villa, and Ronaldinho) from players who have similar technical skills and has made him into one of the most valuable players in the world.


But even if your players are as young as eight or nine they can be helped to develop the self confidence that will allow them to perform to their potential in every match and for a striker, that means converting scoring opportunities into goals.


Hans Westerhof – a respected Dutch soccer coach – says:

"If you want to improve an individual player, you will have to work on his self-confidence. Self-confidence is really nothing more than knowing what it is you have to do (your basic tasks) and knowing that you can do it. The coach must send his players on to the pitch with the right basic tasks. Players must not be given orders they are unable to carry out."

This is true for players of all ages but especially true for young players.


Children have to be taught the mechanics of soccer  but they also have to be given the self-belief to use their skills on match days.


That means allowing players to take chances and express themselves without fear. To do that you have to manage the pressure that children inevitably feel on match days.


The message from you to your players before they take to the pitch should be simple: If you are within range and you can see the goal – shoot! It's OK to miss. If you don't shoot, you'll never score.


The confidence to act on this instruction to "shoot on sight" can be given in training sessions by playing small-sided games (SSGs), involving 4v4 or 5v5 matches on a short, wide pitch that has really big goals at each end. Award two points for a goal scored from within your own half and one for a goal scored in the opponent's half of the pitch. 


You can also encourage a shooting mentality by only playing possession games such as keepaway if they include an element of goalscoring.


Teaching your players how to keep the ball is essential but possession without an end result - a goal - is pointless. So play 4v2 or 6v3 games by all means but always allow players to shoot at a goal when they have completed a set number of passes.


If you teach your players the skills they need to need to score goals then lower their anxiety level in matches by making it clear that you value attempts at goal as much, if not more, than actual goals you will soon have a team that thinks "this isn't so hard!".


Once that degree of self confidence is reached, goals will follow.

Matilda's Coach - Tom Sermani - Talks About The Womens Football Pathway

This program is broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz) across the Australian Community Radio Network on Tuesday at 7:00PM.

Tonights program is about the women’s football pathway in Australia.

We speak to Tom Sermani, Coach of the Matilda's. Who better to know about this subject?

The Matilda's are blazing a bright trail for Australian Football, they have just completed a terrific World Cup campaign and are the current Asian Cup Champions. Women's Football is growing at the rapid rate across Australia, and in no small measure due to the success the W League and the Matilda's.

The growth rate of women's football in the ACT is substantial.

The Coach of the Matilda's is a very significant person in the development of Women's Football. The development pathways must work if we are to have the best of our female players making it through to the highest levels. Tom Sermani talks about the women's development pathway and in particular, where it must grow to if all our best young players have an opportunity to be as good as they can.

This is a very timely interview and from exactly the right person. Tom Sermani likes the way the women's game is being developed in the ACT.  That's a good start.

The requirement for community based clubs to be involved in the development pathway is something he makes mention of, and in particular, he makes special mention of Woden Valley FC and Belconnen United FC. Of course there are a couple of other clubs hot on their heels – new PL arrival Gunghalin United FC , the solid Western Creek and Belwest clubs come to mind.

The interview is timely from another angle. We have just completed the FFA National Junior Championships for the Girls Under 14 and Under 15. The Under 13 Girls were conducted earlier in 2011. The importance of the NJC at these ages groups is made very clear by Sermani – its all about the development pathway. So be in no doubt - we in the ACT should be taking it very seriously. Listen to what he has to say.

The question that follows for us here in the ACT region is this – are we doing all that is required to identify and develop our players at age, in preparation for these girls age championships?

If we are not, and there is reason to think we are not at this point in time, we place our young players at a significant point of disadvantage. Why? Well, Tom Sermani makes a simple but obvious point, not often mentioned in discussions – the national selectors are looking at these age groups to identify potential Under 17 World Cup players. The identification and planning and development starts well below 17 years of age.

So, if we are doing less than we should or could for the 13 / 14 / 15 girls age groups, leading to the NJC each year, then we are under-preparing our young players and making them less identifiable as talented players going forward. Which is a bit troubling, since parents pay for the cost of development training and attendance at the NJC. Parents want to be assured that what they are spending their scarce disposable income on, is value for money - they want their children to be as well prepared as possible. Football development is a discretionary expenditure in families - is the program good enough, are the coaches good enough, will the program enable their child to improve, will the players get enough of the right sort of training and games to be competitive, will they be provided with a detailed periodised program before the commencement of the development program, are the facilties up to standard and so on.

To do better, requires more time with players and coaches and greater resources than are expended at this time. But you can't transfer all costs to parents.

Given the rapid expansion of the women's game in the ACT, the issue is now a critical one. The first critical section of the pathway is for Capital Football to ensure the Under13/14/15 age group talent is identified and developed for the NJC, playing for a Club at the appropriate level during the normal season, and continuing their training in the off season (perhaps including Futsal for the Boomernags FS?).

Every young player in these age groups (13/14/15) who has been  to an NJC and selected to a National squad level (where / when they pick a national age team) or an All Star selection at age at the NJC, surely must warrant an ACTAS training agreement. My understanding is that this is not true at this time. It must happen.  What is the point of being selected by the technical assessment team at the NJC, only to find that judgement is ignored at the NTC level? The process must work at Capital Football and then going forward , in our case, to ACTAS. Capital Football has considerable influence over both of these elements in the development process - and so it should! This is a Capital Football leadership issue.

Each member federation tackles all this develop in their fashion and in the context of the FFA national curriculum and development plans. Tom Sermani is experiecned enough to know that the community level development processes, which constitute those early techncial interventions in a player's development, together with strong State Premier League competitions, will accelerate development and help retain and sustain players. As they say - everything counts!

Sermani also makes good sense on the role and composition of the NTC (ie ACTAS here in the ACT). Parking senior Canberra United and National level players is a thing of the past. The NTC is for the development of young players.

Importantly, their will be an Women's NTC Challenge, just as there is for Men. Age limits will apply, so there is even greater incentive to tidy up the roster at the NTCs.

This raises an interesting point here in the ACT. The Coach of Canberra United is also the Coach of the ACTAS womens program. It is an arrangement that has its attractions. While ACTAS continues to be a football parking area for National players and more recently W league players for Canberra United, it seemed to make good sense. However, if, as Sermani indicates, the NTC really is for the development of young players (because there are now better options for W League and National players), then the NTC (ie ACTAS) and Canberra United must be seen as completely separate football activites - which they are! That is only to the good of Womens football in the ACT region.

Tom Sermani is pleasure to talk to and he sees the development of the women's game more clearly than anyone I have heard speak on it. Better than most – he illustrates the essential difference between a “coach” and a “trainer” of football players. Informed and pragmatic – a powerful combination in a coach. He gets results at the National / International level and is very conscious of the subtle differences in the use of that word "develop" as the players moves forward to the elite level.

I think you will enjoy what Tom Sermani has to say.

Download Podcast here:

The Pathway For Talented Junior and Youth Players in the ACT Gets A Bit Harder

Sourced from http://www.ccmariners.com.au/

My colleague at the Nearpost National (Eamonn Flanagan) pointed out a breaking "player development" story in Football at the Station this evening. You can read all about it on the Nearpost Blog. Its a sensational Football story for all junior and youth players on the Central Coast of NSW. It has significant strategic implications for talented ACT junior and youth players.

The Central Coast Mariners FC have established a Football Academy.

This is noteworthy because the Mariners have made a few trips to the ACT as part of their pre-season and there has been  some hope that this connection might mean more than a few exhibition matches and visits to the nation's capitol. The Mariners Academy solution makes good sense, is a decision that works for Football among their constituency and is not unlike the Academies established by the big EPL Clubs and other big Clubs in other Premier Leagues around the world.

The important detail to note for us in the ACT is that this is a joint venture between the Central Coast Mariners and Central Coast Football. It does not include the Capital Football! That's no criticism of the Mariners - what they have done makes good A League business sense. But what a shame for the ACT.

Question - Have we missed another opportunity?

Here are some details (taken form the CCM press release) you will find very informative and leaves you in no doubt as to which Football constituency is being "developed" and "serviced" by this Academy:

  

"Central Coast Mariners together with Central Coast Football (CCF) have today penned an historic agreement that will help bolster the Yellow and Navy’s Hyundai A-League playing stocks for generations to come.
In an Australian football first, the Heads of Agreement signed this morning ensure that from October 1 this year, CCF’s representative Youth League programs will be integrated into and form a key component of the Mariners ambitious Academy initiatives.
Under the Central Coast Mariners brand the program will be the sole elite football Academy in the region, providing high-level training and playing opportunities to both male and female footballers.
Indeed, in its initial stages the Academy will consist of U-11 to U-18 male teams, and U-12 to senior female sides competing at the highest level permitted by Football New South Wales...."

"...Under the terms of the agreement, CCF will provide the budding Mariners with access to Pluim Park, Lisarow for all representative games. Additionally, access to Jubilee Oval, Long Jetty and Leagues Club Park, Gosford for all of the Academy’s training and playing requirements will be supplied.
In return, the agreement is underpinned by the Mariners guarantee that 80 per cent of all players in the representative programs will be Central Coast residents, ensuring that a transparent development pathway from the junior to the elite level of football in the region is created...."

There is no A League franchise in prospect for the ACT. That's been known for quite a while.

The next best and perhaps most achievable option is an A League Youth League team based in the ACT. But there seems to be little movement on the youth league front. As many observe, that leaves the Under 17 to Under 20 age groups without a viable and coherent Football development pathway. In these circumstances, entry to an A League Youth team, any A league Youth team, is more remote both by distance and opportunity that is was yesterday.

The announcement of the establishment of the Mariners Academy, with the collaboration / participation of the Central Coast Football (CCF), which guarantee's "..that 80 per cent of all players in the representative programs will be Central Coast residents..", makes it so much harder for talented young players from the ACT region. There is no mention of any percentage reserved for ACT players, but perhaps someone can work on that possibility.

The game is moving on and the further it gets along the development road, the more likely we seem to be a risk of being left stranded on this matter - options close.

The President of Capital Football made it very clear in her interview with the NPL, that the development issues for the talented Mens U17 to U20 development opportunities, is a top priority. I have no reason to doubt it. This is not a simple CF operational issue. It will require the consideration and creative thinking of the Capital Football Board. We cannot spend much more time admiring the problem. The game is moving on.

Here is the the Central Coast Mariners FC Academy Vision:

"The primary aim of the Central Coast Mariners FC Academy is to provide a clear and structured pathway towards our National Youth League and Westfield Women’s League programs. Whether or not the ‘dream’ is fulfilled, every player needs to look back fondly on life at the Academy, and feel that the experience was a positive one."

The Mariners are recruiting Coaching staff. The specifications for the positions make interesting reading

Some Junior / Youth Development Issues

This program is broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz) across the Australian Cummunity Radio Network, on Tuesday 19 July 2011 at 7:00PM.

This program is very much about the development of junior / youth players. Not surprising, since we have just concluded another fantastic Kanga Cup and with that has come the realisation for many young players and parents that there are lots of good players beyond the boundaries of the ACT, particularly from Asia. The Around The Grounds, grand final special edition is at  http://www.capitalfootball.com.au/userfiles/KANGA%20CUP%20-%20GRAND%20FINALS.pdf

The two Korean teams (under 12 and Under 13 age groups), based as they are on Primary Schools that specialise in Football, were as ever, a delight to watch and so well disciplined and polite in all their dealing. So much to admire. The obvious visible difference is the much higher level of individual technical skill. The Head Coach of the AIS Jan Versleign spoke on this difference last week.


It was also interesting to note the difference between some interstate teams and ACT Div 1 Club teams at age. The Under 14 boys demonstrated just how advanced the top level age teams were by comparison to the best ACT club age teams in the Cup competition. This is not a criticism, just a fact and it points out how important the Kanga Cup is, because we get a chance to play these teams. It would be good if we had more of these opportunities, particularly for our representative age teams.  This is not news, but it does underscore the development gap.

We are getting better, but again, as we observed in our last program, the changes required by the FFA National Curriculum and Development plans will take several generations, not a quick fix. So, does it look like we are making progress here in the ACT? How can we make it better?
Picture beow is the ACT 2011 Under 14 Girls team (will publish the U15 team photo as soon as it arrives)

During the Kanga Cup, most of the best of our Under 14 and Under 15 Girls represented the ACT at the FFA National Junior Championships in Coffs Harbour. This is a very important Football competition where the best at age play for their State. Important conclusions are draw with regard to the implementation of the National Curriculum and Development plans. The senior womens' coaches do take note of emerging players at these competitions. In the case of the ACT girls, several made the "ALL Stars" teams for the final exhibition match. The one thing that is gleaned by coaches and parents alike, is how much "effective preparation", and I stress the word "effective", is undertaken by each State development process. All reports thus far indicate that the young ACT players gave their very best. Well done all the players and coaches and many thanks to parents of the players for their tireless support.
Were our Under 14 and Under 15 Girls squads as well prepared as they might have been is one question?
It seems unlikely and that requires some explanation.

The other question is how we can improve for 2012?
Our preparations / forward planing should have already commenced. It would be a good thing for CF to hold a parents forum for the parents of players in these teams and glean as much information as possible for 2012, a survey would assist, but holding a parents forum would be best. Parents like to know that what they have expereienced can be of use to others, and perhaps their own children if they are in representative teams again. And do it quickly because parents are already on to the next thing with their children.

The tensions that surround the talented junior players can be oppressive for the player and confusing / frustrating for parents. Every parent wants the best for their child and so it is in Football. But it s an expensive business for a family with a talented player and much more so when there is more than one child to provide opportunities for off a tight budget. Then of course, what is the best development opportunity for the child, in the context of every other little thing that goes on at school and so one. Not simple. How much is too much training, and what is the best training at age and how and who can or will provide it and at what cost. The preparation of ACT teams for the Nationals is swept into these considerations and often not reported on well by parents (or young players). This is the landscape travelled by the parents of emerging athletes in all disciplines and Football is no exception.

With these questions in mind, I have selected excepts from two interviews the NPL has conducted with two very authoritative sources – Aflred Galustian and Shinji Ishubashi of Coerver, and George Huitker the Director of Co-Curricular of Radford College. They speak on aspects of the development of the young Football player. The starting points are different, but their points of intersection and agreement are many. They  give pause for thought among all parents of players. Draw your own conclusions.

Once again, well done to all that played in the Kanga Cup 2011 and the U14 and U15 Girls ACT rep teams at the FFA National Junior Championships.

Download Podcast here:

President Capital Football and Head Coach of the AIS Talk to the NPL

This program was broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz) across the Australian Community Radio Network, on Tuesday, 12 July 2011 at 7:00pm.

"Goals Soccer Center Chooses California Ultimate Turf to Install 80,000 Sq Feet of TigerTurf for 11 Fields at First U.S. Facility. Goals Soccer Centres is the United Kingdom’s largest five-a-side soccer program. The Los Angeles facility will be accessible to people of all skill levels and ages who want to play five-a-side soccer. The new U.S. Goals Soccer Center complex is situated on 3.5 acres and also includes a player-guest lounge, locker rooms, batting cages, and parking lot."

How do we get some of this for our game in the ACT? It was pointed out to me by a very astute person in Football that the O'Connor Playing Fields (including O'Connor Enclosed) is an excellent spot to set up a Football / Futsal hub for the game. Move Capital Football there too. Great idea. Maybe something like that picture above.

We need more than Hawker Enclosed right now! Our grounds are falling apart. Here is a before and after shot from Epping, Victoria. Multiple field developments are they way ahead, no more one field builds - that's the lesson from Hawker Enclosed!

President of Capital Football, Rachel Harrigan, speaks on two critical resource issues that are plaguing our game in the ACT - Grounds Facilities (playing surfaces) and Referees (recruitment and retention). Progress is slow on grounds facilities, funding required is signficant and apparently dependent on ACT Government involvement. Makes that $26m to the AFL look very exspensive for Football in the ACT in the years going forward. Is there another way ahead? President Capital Football is looking for ideas.

The Head Coach of the AIS, Jan Versleijen talks the NPL on player development, following a tour last year by a sensational Japanese High School team (12th ranked in Japan). Versleijen has come under some harsh criticism since the the Joeys were eliminated from the U17 World Cup, much of which fails to take sufficient account of the points Jan makes int his interview. We are on a change in Football (via the national curriculum and development plans) that will take generation to take effect and require some "cultural" adjustment in the game in our society. For those that have taken the trouble to observe the AIS training sessions or indeed, played the AIS (and my Club has done exactly that), there can be no doubt that these young men are as well prepared as can be done at this point in the evolution of Football in Australia. What Versleeijen can't do much about is the lost time in the many years before he gets the best we have at age. A lot has to change before the AIS gets hold of our best at age. It takes patience, time and persistence to get to the top of the Football tree at this age group. Our progress thus far is commensurate with our progress in reforming Football according to the national curriculum and development plans. Versliejen provides the answers in this interview. Patience and persistence is required. Play the possession game on the field and the long game off the park!
Download Podcast here:

The Stats: FC Barcelona 3-1 Manchester United May 2011 - Fascinating Analysis

Sourced from http://www.totalbarca.com/2011/news/the-stats-fc-barcelona-3-1-manchester-united/

This is terrific piece of game analysis. The diagrams drawn from the on field movement plotted from the game are a revelation and go a long way past simple passing statistics, powerful as they are in attesting to Barcelona's superiority. The movement patterns and where on the field they occurr are pivotal to deconstructing the Barca system of play. These are players who are trained to work as hard off the ball as with it and then win it back quickly if it lost and start all over again. Relentless. Wonderful stuff.

You don’t need me to tell you that Barcelona utterly dominated their English counterparts in Saturday’s Champions League final. So I won’t tell you: I’ll show you some charts and diagrams instead! The passing, shooting and assist numbers for this match go a long way in showing just how Pep’s crew dismantled Manchester United. The stats for the game also reveal some subtle changes in the way Barcelona played this match that help explain the team’s ultimate victory.

Barcelona Passing Dominance

Only a fool would have failed to predict that Barcelona would hog possession in this contest, but the extent to which they imposed their passing game on the match is incredible. The team completed 719 out of 813 passes, with all three central midfielders in sparkling form. In fact, Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets completed more passes between the three of them than the entire United squad combined. Xavi’s total, 142 out of 150 sets a new record for the Champions League this season. In contrast, Ferguson’s team completed only 110 passes in the attacking half, its fewest in any Champions League match this year.

Ned Zelic Makes Sense - In The Wake of the Australian Under 17 Mens Performance at the World Cup 2011

Sourced from the SBS World Game http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/ned-zelic/blog/1063627/We-must-educate-our-kids

Ned Zelic is regarded as one of Australia's most gifted players, he represented the Socceroos 34 times over a decorated career that spanned Europe, Asia and the United Kingdom. The NPL interviewed Ned a couple of years ago, have a listen to it and when you read what follows, you will know that this is a heartfelt contribution, seasoned with hard Football experience at the most senior and elite levels of the game.

Ned Zelic had something important to say on his SBS World Game Blog. It has meaning for us here in the ACT, particularly as we talk of how to give our best Under 17 - 20 mens players a pathway beyond the Capital Football Premier League.

Zelic points out that the disappointing performance of the Australian Under 17 Mens team is not solved immediately by sacking the Coach, everyone involved takes responsibility for the outcomes. This outcome is deserving of a great deal more thought and Zelic starts the ball rolling, drawing it all the way down to junior football.

Zelic draws our attention to a number of points that you will hear many ordinary coaches talk about as they implement the FFA National Football Curriculum - every week in community football! Ned makes an important distinction between what I would call "training" and "coaching" among those that guide junior players and teams. Then there is that further distinction between "winning" and "development" in junior / youth Football.

Please read this article - it will give you food for thought.



We must educate our kids06 Jul 2011
00:00-Ned Zelic


I left McKellar stadium in Canberra deeply concerned. I had just watched the Joeys get past Malaysia and Laos in the first phase of Asian qualifying, but they were far from convincing.
Now that we’ve been bounced out of the FIFA U17 World Cup with a 4-0 defeat to Uzbekistan, the question is: ‘who’s fault is it really?’ The coach Jan Versleijen? He carries responsibility, but it would be too easy to lay the blame squarely on him.

Soccer Talent Requires Three Key Ingredients – Ignition, Meaningful Practice and Excellent Coaching.

Sourced from http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/

I'm sure you've often heard expressions like: "She's a natural striker" or "he's a great defender, just like his dad. It must be in his genes".

I'm not going to delve too deeply into the old and rather tired "nature v nurture" debate here, (if you want to check it out, a Google search will reveal hundreds of articles on the subject), I'm just going to say that children are NOT born with the ability to play soccer, any more than they are born with the ability to play the violin or run 100m in less than 10 seconds.

Genes can give a child red hair or blue eyes but to suggest children can be born with a "triple stepover" gene is a little silly, to say the least.

But while genetics are not the deciding factor in whether a child excels at soccer (or anything else) it is a fact that some boys and girls are born with certain advantages.

Children who are genetically predisposed to have a strong body, powerful lungs, etc., and have parents prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to regularly take their children to soccer practice have a head start in the race to be a soccer star. And you will see plenty of them at coaching sessions for pre-schoolers and kindergarten kids.

But genetic advantages and parenting style is not the end of the story. Far from it.

While good genes can help two and three year olds keep a step ahead of their peers, genetics plays a very minor role in producing talented young soccer players.

Instead, soccer talent requires three key ingredients – ignition, meaningful practice and excellent coaching. [1]

Ignition

Ignition is the spark that makes a child want to excel at soccer. It could be a film (such as Bend It Like Beckham), the desire to please a parent, an internal drive to be the best or the realisation that becoming good at soccer might lead to a desirable lifestyle. It could also be the influence of a role model. Someone like you, perhaps.


Meaningful practice

Understanding the importance of practice for young players requires an understanding of how children learn motor skills.

All motor skills – from walking to heading the ball into the back of the net – are generated by electrical impulses that originate in the neural pathways in the brain.

Over time, and with lots of meaningful practice, a substance called myelin insulates these pathways, stopping the electrical impulses from leaking and thereby allowing a young soccer player to perform the relevant skill or technique more quickly and accurately.[2]

Put simply, a child with myelin-wrapped soccer pathways plays the game "instinctively" and well. She's got broadband. On the other hand, a child without myelin-wrapped soccer pathways is still struggling to get by on dial up.


Myelin can be produced at any age but the prime age for myelin formation is between four and 12, an age range that can be properly be called The Golden Age for children who are learning to play soccer.

Technical skills learned during this period can be quickly and firmly embedded, i.e. wrapped with myelin.
The relevance of this to youth soccer coaching is clear: time spent teaching tactics to young players is not being spent wisely. At the youngest ages, all a coach's energy should be focused on proper technical training, or myelin building. [3]


Coaches should also note that it's much easier to wrap a soccer-specific pathway in myelin than unwrap it. That's why bad habits are so difficult to break and why you should teach correct technique from day one.


But it is not sufficient to simply put in lots of hours practising skills and techniques. Even 10,000 hours of practice is not enough.[4]
Rapid myelin growth occurs when children practise their soccer skills in a challenging – even uncomfortable – environment.


This is best achieved by playing a variety of small-sided games (SSGs) instead of using drills. Soccer-like games hone technique, expose faults and force children to find solutions to problems.
Futsal, 4v4 and five-a-side move young players outside their comfort zone, encourage risk taking, experimentation and are thus much better for skill acquisition than traditional drills or playing eleven-a-side on vast, uninspiring pitches.

Excellent coaching


The final – and most important prerequisite for producing talented young soccer players – is excellent coaching.

The good news is that excellent coaches are not necessarily the most qualified.
They don't even have to be particularly knowledgeable. Most talented players didn't have coaches with outstanding win/loss ratios or coaching degrees when they were five, six or even 12 years old.

But their coaches did possess a set of recognisable characteristics:

Excellent coaches are a source of ignition. They inspire their players, not just because they are kind and patient but also because they have high standards. One of the best youth coaches I ever met insisted his players turn up 10 minutes early for practice, always wore spotless boots [cleats] and they maintained eye contact with him when he was speaking. His players loved him.

Excellent coaches facilitate meaningful practice. They don't routinely give their players the answers, their players play a lot of SSGs and they know how to think for themselves.


Excellent coaches show their players how to perform a skill but they will leave it up to them to find out how to actually use it. And you will never, ever hear an excellent coach shouting "SHOOT!" or "PASS!" or anything like that during a match. They are more likely to be reading a newspaper.

Excellent coaches don't over-praise success. They know that doing that discourages young players from taking risks – in case they fail – and children who don't take risks learn very slowly, if at all.

Finally, excellent coaches understand why William Butler Yeats – an Irish poet and Nobel prize winner – said:

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."




References


[1] [3] D Coyle, The Talent Code, Random House, 2009
[2] Z Jonker, Cracking the Code, q.v. CMYSA, April 15, 2011
[4] Malcolm Gladwell devotes a section of his book Outliers to the notion that to become world class at anything requires 10,000 hours of practice.

Why They Stop

Sourced from http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/news/story.asp?story_id=3912
By Vince Ganzberg, Director of Education for Indiana Youth Soccer, proud member of US Youth Soccer

"Mom and Dad, I don't want to play anymore!"

After investing the time and money into any sport, this is the last thing a parent wants to hear, but it happens.
Frequently.

Children quitting organized sports occurs more often than one might think. Research has shown that approximately 70-75% of children will quit playing a sport by the age of 14. Why do they want to stop?

To answer that question let's look at why they start or why parents put their children into a sport in the first place.
1. Competence (learning and improving)
2. Affiliation (Being a part of something like a team or a club)
3. Fitness (agility, balance, coordination, and physical health)
4. Fun (This is the overwhelming reason why children play sports)

Notice that "winning" is not one of the reasons.

When children leave a game, they want to know two things: 1) When do we play again? 2) Where is the snack? Children are not as concerned about winning as adults may think. Children all want to compete, but they each have their own interpretation of competitiveness. For most, if one team is red and the other is blue then "game on." Children strive to do their best when they step into "competition." They also want competitive matches. Remember when you were a child playing in the backyard and the game was too lopsided? What did you do? I remember stopping those games to start a new one with different teams or balance the game out. I think many of us forget what emotions we went through growing up as a child and how we viewed competition.

Let's get into why they stop. Research says children stop playing sports for a variety of reasons. Six of the seven primary reasons are "ADULT CONTROLLED" behaviors. Can you guess which one isn't?

• Lack of Playing Time
• Overemphasis on Winning
• Other Activities are more interesting
• Lack of Fun
• Coaching/Adult Behaviors
• Dissatisfaction with Performance
• Lack of Social Support

If you guessed "Other activities are more interesting" then you are correct! Give yourself a pat on the back. There are times when a child just finds something new that they really like. The rest of the reasons are adult controlled behaviors. When adult controlled behaviors are forcing children out of a sport, adults are putting themselves before the needs and development of children.

Lack of Playing Time

This is an adult controlled behavior due to the coaches and parents wanting to "win" the game. Do players want to win? Absolutely! They all strive to do their very best to win. Research has also shown that children today would rather play than sit the bench for a winning team. Allow your players to play in the game for their own sake. As a coach you need to see their "soul" on the field and allow them to get into the game so they can get better. Not putting children into a game is like not allowing them to take a test in school. There is nothing wrong with having some players earning more time, but all players should be given a minimum time to play.

Overemphasis on Winning

"Winning isn't everything, it is the only thing". That is the famous Vince Lombardi quote which was also misquoted. He actually stated "The will to win isn't anything, it is the only thing". So many coaches feel as though their whole self-worth is out there on the field, and if they don't win as coaches, then "they" not the children are a failure.
The same goes for adults on the sidelines. A recently statistic showed that 25% of coaches quit due to adult expectations with regard to outcome. The late Bill Walsh stated that "Twenty percent of every game is by chance." In the 1980 winter Olympics, the Russian hockey team would have probably beaten us 9 out of 10 times but that day, it was America's day to win.

As a coach or parent, you can't control the outcome. If it is the other team's day, it's simply their day! Only two teams need to win in our country, and those are our Men's and Women's national teams. Soccer is a team sport that is "player" driven - once the ball starts rolling, there is nothing people outside the lines can do. Give them the game, and let them determine the outcome!

Lack of Fun

Children view sports differently than adults. Most children, if not all, start playing a sport because it looks fun. There is a saying "Get them playing-keep them playing." Get their interest and then maintain it.

There is also a saying that "Drills destroy skills." No lines, laps or lectures. Soccer is a free flowing game where the players make decisions and decide the outcome. Instead, use training sessions that put players in an environment where they can make decisions and maximize touches on the ball.

As Director of Education traveling around the state, I am always surprised at how many coaches use the age-old practice plan starting with "laps." Coaches and adults need to know that endurance training is only effective at 12 to 18 months after PHV (Peak Height Velocity), which is about 13 years, 6 months for boys and 11 years, 6 months for girls. For the younger ages (6-10 years of age), you can work on their fitness (not just endurance) with the ball, rather than running laps.
"Teach don't talk." Our children live in a very busy world today. As a result, the ability for them to listen to coach talk has declined. Teach them in training, but make your points short and sweet. Also, include them in the process of learning by asking them questions on the topic you have for that training session.

Finally, let them play! "Over the past two decades, children have lost twelve hours of free time a week, including eight hours of unstructured play outdoor activities. The amount of time children spend in organized sports has doubled, and the number of minutes children devote to passive spectator leisure, not counting television but including sports viewing has increased fivefold from thirty minutes to over three hours," (Elkind, 1).

It is a different world we live in now. As a coach, you can give them some of that "free time" back by allowing them to play as soon as they arrive. I observed a club who does this, and their players are begging their parents to get them to training early because they know they get to play the game at the beginning. The game is the best teacher; so as a coach, allow them to play and express themselves and to have FUN!

Coaching/Adult Behaviors

For some reason, some adults and coaches transform from Winnie the Pooh to a grizzly bear when a game rolls around. Everything from yelling at officials' bad calls to conversing with parents from the other team is widely seen throughout youth sports. Remember this - without referees, there is no game!

Put yourself in someone else's shoes. Imagine that your child (who is a new referee) is getting verbally abused by adults because a hand ball was not called during a U6 match? As a parent, you have taught your children to be respectful of their elders and to give their very best on the field. Verbal abuse of the officials on the field leads to referee loss. Did you know that nearly 75% of the referees in Indiana are under the age of 16? We must provide a tolerant, respectful, safe environment for these referees to use as a training ground, and it starts with each and every one of us. It takes a village to raise a child, whether they are players or referees.

Be a role model for your child. Try to view a game like a "grandparent." They just want to go and see their grandchild be happy. Let's take a lesson from this. They have been there, done that. Experience is a great teacher. As a parent you want to see a child's "soul" when they are out on the field and not just their face. Kids can only play freely when we, as adults, allow them to control their own destiny.

The numbers don't lie, only a small percentage of players will go on to play in college, and even fewer than that will play at the professional level. Refer back to the reason why you enrolled your child in a sport in the first place. I am sure for the majority of you; it was for one the four reasons at the beginning of this article – competence, affiliation, fitness or fun. Please remember that your child is not you! Your childhood is over - give your kids the game.

Dissatisfaction with Performance

Stay away from "PGA" or Post Game Analysis in the minivan/SUV after the match. Coaches, stay away from the "PGA" closing statements after a tough loss. Children remember this, and feedback isn't always what they want to hear. Children know when they make a mistake in a match. Repeating it again verbally isn't the answer. Try to shift gears and turn a negative into a positive. Let it go, and make sure that they know you still love them no matter how many mistakes they make. There is a reason why the X Games are popular with children. The most prevalent is that they can determine their own outcome, be creative, and make mistakes, without anyone analyzing their performance.

Lack of Social Support

There is "tough" love and there is "TOUGH" love. Most athletes that make it to the next level mention their parents gave them "tough" love but were supportive of them every step of the way.

This actually ties in with dissatisfaction of performance. Be there for your kids through the tough times and the good. It is easy to be supportive of them after a victory, a game winning goal or an important save. Remind your children that tough times don't usually last, but tough people do. When children feel abandoned by their parents/coaches that is when they often go to something else. Sometimes, that something else isn't a positive activity.

We all can help create a better environment to make sure that children begin playing and keep playing, staying active, keeping healthy, and making them lifelong participants in athletics.

Have Fun!

Reference:

Elkind, David, Ph.D. 2007. ""The Power Of Play: how spontaneous, imaginative activities lead to happier, healthier children"". Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press.

The Equal Playing Time Issue - When Words and Deeds Don't Match - Young Players Suffer and for What?

 Sourced from  www.footyforkids.co.uk

The equal playing time debate


According to Colleen Hacker, NSCAA National Academy staff coach and professor of sports psychology at Pacific Lutheran University, children play soccer:

 

• To have fun.
• To be with friends.
• To experience the excitement of competition.
• To enhance their physical fitness.
• To demonstrate their competence

 Sadly, however, about 75% of children who play soccer stop playing the game before they get to the age of 13.

 

A recent study found the top five reasons for this high drop out rate were:

 

1. Lack of playing time.

2. Overemphasis on winning.

3. Other activities are more interesting.

4. Lack of fun.

5. Coaching/adult behaviors [1].

 

There's nothing we can do about reason 3 but we can do something about all the rest, especially the number 1 reason why children stop playing: lack of playing time. In fact, if we make sure all our players get a fair amount of playing time, we will go a long way to removing reasons 2, 4 and 5 too.

 

Logically, there is no good reason to keep a child on the bench for longer than absolutely necessary. Children learn new skills and practise what they've learned in training sessions on the pitch. They won't learn anything sitting on the bench, except that their coach obviously thinks they aren't good enough to play for the team.
 

As Jim Thompson, executive director for the Positive Coaching Alliance says:

 
"Kids love to play. They don't like to sit on the bench. Moreover, most of the benefits of playing a sport are tied to competing in games. Kids who sit benefit less from sports than kids who play. I don't see how anyone can argue with this."

 
So why do some coaches persist in playing their "best" players all the time and ignoring the needs of their new or not-so-skilled players?

 
There is only one answer: they want to win matches so much that they dare not take a risk with a player who might make a mistake and cost the team a goal.

 
When I put this to "coach A" – an U10s coach who unashamedly picks teams to win matches – he defended his policy by saying that if he gave more playing time to his weaker players his team would lose matches they could have won. And if that happened he would be in danger of losing his best players – they would move to a team that did play to win every week.

But even if that is true (and I'm not sure it is) what does it matter? A team that puts player development ahead of results will certainly attract more children and, if the coach is good at his job, he will develop them into proficient players.

Coach A also said that part of his job was to help his players understand that the team is "bigger" than the individual and the interests of the team should always take precedence.

He followed that by saying his players had to earn the right to make the starting line-up, it wasn't going to be given to them, but if his team was winning easily he would give his subs a few minutes at the end of the game "to prove themselves".

 

At this point I took a deep breath. For a start, nine year olds need "meaningful minutes" on the pitch, not five minutes at the end of a game that is already won. And children earn the right to play by coming to training sessions and trying their best, not by being the most talented.
 

Effort, for a young child, equals success and to deny a hard-working child the chance to play in a match with their friends seems to me to be heartless in the extreme.

It is also counter productive. Eventually the bench warmers will quit and only the "stars" will be left. What if one or two of them decide to leave with their benched friends or a couple of players pick up injuries?

 

Where will the team be then?

 

And rather than teach his players that the team is more important than the individual, this coach would be better making sure his players know that he values effort over achievement and every player, no matter what their level of expertise, are important to him and the team.

 

As players get older or move up to a higher level of competition, it may be acceptable to give skilled players more playing time than the less skilled. But even if 12 or 13 year olds don't get equal playing time any more, the allocation of playing time still has to be fair.

 

Giving the same players five or six minutes at the end of a match is not sufficient. Playing time needs to be meaningful. When the subs go on, the game needs to be in the balance, the result still uncertain.

 

Whatever your policy is on playing time, it needs to be communicated effectively and in a timely manner. So before the season begins make sure your players and parents know how you will decide who is in the starting line-up and how you will manage your substitutions.

 

Whether you coach kindergarten soccer, rec, travel, college, high school, academy, mini soccer or eleven-a-side on Saturday mornings please remember one thing: your players want to play, not sit on the bench.
 

So give them – all of them – fair, meaningful playing time.