A Referee's Job Is Never Done!

Sourced from http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/cockup-as-ref-tells-player-to-pierce-off-20110623-1gg7t.html

Thanks for this Alan! Ouch! Not sure how to classify this one. I guess if you stand around the Football fields long enough you see it all. Makes the checking by refs for the right coloured undergarments a bit tame. I wander how this got written up for the discipline hearing and do we have a mandatory sentence for this offence. Brining the game into... well what?

Cock-up as ref tells player to pierce off !

It's a refereeing call that has been branded one giant cock-up.
A player from a Melbourne team was left furious at the weekend when he was forced to sit out a game for having a genital piercing.
Advertisement: Story continues below Aaron Eccleston, who plays for the Old Hill Wanderers reserves in Oakleigh, had jumped up to challenge for a ball, however he mistimed his leap and was hit squarely in the privates.

Eccleston pulled down his pants to "check that it was still there", according to the opposition Swinburne Reserves, when the referee spotted his genital piercing.
Video taken from the sideline, and posted online, shows Eccleston being marched from the field by the referee into the change rooms as the watching crowd chuckles.

The pair then re-emerge before the referee shows Eccleston a red card.
Yang Wu, the president of Swinburne University Soccer Club, said the opposition was angered by the decision.
"We're the opposition team so if their player is sent off it's an advantage for us. We were like, well, you know, it happens," Mr Wu said.
"He pulled his own pants down.
"The player had jumped up for a ball and didn't time it well and it hit him square on that part. So I think he was in shock, he pulled his pants down to check that it was all there. And I think the ref just saw it from there."
Despite the setback, it did not appear to affect the Old Hill Wanderers' performance, with them romping home for a 3-0 win.

"We were beaten quite comprehensively," Mr Wu said.

The soccer club's website reportedly documented the win under the headline: "Old Hill Reserves Triumph despite Cock Up". However that headline had been amended today to read "Old Hill Reserves Triumph despite Red Card".
The Old Hill Wanderers have been contacted for comment.
The controversial decision comes after another incident last month when an umpire ordered an Australian Rules footballer from the field because his mohawk was considered too dangerous.
Simpson Tigers midfielder Nathan Van Someren was sent off during the third quarter of a weekend match against Otway Districts "because his hair was too dangerous" and might have poked another player in the eye, Tigers co-coach Leigh Walsh said.
The decision came as a shock to the 25-year-old who had played with the hairstyle for three years, and had played during the first and second quarters of the match.

Poor Behaviour Around Junior Football by Parents is a World Wide Problem For the World Game

This program will be broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz) across the Australian Community Radio Network, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 at 7:00pm.

In this program we continue with the problem of unacceptable behaviour by parents and coaches toward junior players and referees.

We have previously listend to the English FA's "Respect" campaign media on this subject. They take it very seriously and so they should.

In Australia, the FFA has made no real effort to confront these issues on a National and federation member level. That is not to say each State / Territory is not concerned for these matters, they are, but we have no unified national approach. It is a serious ommission on the part of the FFA.

In this program, we listen to media produced by that innovative US State football orgainsation Georgia Soccer, titled "Attitudes". Its first rate.

Here is the Georgia Soccer Mission:

“Georgia Soccer provides ethical leadership and fair standards to support development and growth of soccer as a life-long sport for all who love the Game.”


Georgia Soccer describes itself this way:

Georgia Soccer is the authorized state youth and adult association for Georgia within the United States Adult Soccer Association, United States Youth Soccer Association, and through them is part of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). Also, Georgia Soccer serves as the official National State Association of USSF making it responsible to act on behalf of USSF and provide licensing courses for coaches and certification courses for referees.



In turn, the United States Soccer Federation is the recognized national soccer association within the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA), the worldwide governing body for soccer. Essentially, we serve affiliated member organizations throughout Georgia in both program and administrative support activities.

All of our affiliates organize and operate their own programs. Our assistance primarily helps strengthen their ability to provide good, well-rounded soccer experience for their membership. Most importantly, our youth & adult soccer affiliates benefit most by sharing their experiences and knowledge with each other.


If want to know more about Georgia Soccer go to http://www.georgiasoccer.org/default.aspx

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Parent and Coach Behaviour In Junior Football - Always a Problem

This program was broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz) across the Australian Community Radio Network, on Tuesday, 17 May 2011 at 7:00PM.

The season has bearly commenced and a full compliment of "Football fools" are out of hibernation and prowling the sidelines of junior / youth Football.

Young referees are the easy target for these cowardly, ignorant and obnoxious "bullies". They proclaim their stupidity without restraint or consideration for the damage and hurt they do to these young referees. Its no wonder that we loose so many of these referees and then see many games at all levels of the game without a referee.

These same people do more to ruin a good morning or afternoon's Football than a cyclone. Clubs seldom to grips with them, its not easy, but if you asked officials, they could probably draw up a pretty good list of names. But these bullies need to be stopped in their tracks and given the opportunity to moderate their behaviour or be banned from Football.

The really troubling aspect of acceptable behaviour on the sidelines in junior football is that it comes from either the Coach or a Parent. Rarely do you see a casual football spectator turn up at a junior game, for the express purpose of venting their misreable unfulfiled football ambitions on an unsuspecting group of young players. This is usually the preserve of a team coach or a parent.

Their is nothing more disgusting in Football than the spectacle of a parent ranting at the Referee, or assuming the role of coach and bellowing inane and often, devestatingly offensive and hurtful remarks to their child or other young players. And these fools don;t stop after the game has ended - you can bet that their is a forensic game debreif in the car going home. Who would want a parent like that?

In this program, we take a look at this nost distasteful aspect of junior football. Anything you can do at your Club to encourage parents and coaches who get out of control on match day, is something worth doing for the children. No one should have to endure some of the rubbish that passes for adult support of Football from the sideline at the game. And make sure you go upt o the young referee and say well done.

 

Download Podcast here:

When Coach, Club Administrators and Players All Get On The Same Wavelength - Magic Things Happen

Sourced from http://www.a-league.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=39226

Victorious Brisbane Roar players celebrate winning the A-League minor premiership.

The Club, the Coach and the Players all have to work in synchronisation if supporters are to see the best the Club has to offer in a season. Same for us at community level.
The massive turn around by the A League club, Brisbane Roar in season 2010/2011 is nothing short of astonishing. The previous season saw them on the brink of collapse, a new and very experienced coach was appointed, a deliberate and massive turnover of the playering roster was undertaken, not a whole lot of money to be going on with and that's before a ball is kicked in the competition.

There is a lot of lessons to be learned from the Brisbane Roar campaign this season that can be applied to your club.

There have been a couple of savage blowups among our Clubs in the off- season and in particular, one Premier League club. These unhappy times usually follow a lack of success the previous season. People leave declaring the club is "stuffed". Well, how could it be any other way when these all so important people depart??? But clubs soldier on and thank goodness they do. There is always another season. When the finger pointing has stopped and no one is interested in listening to the tiresome gossip eminating from the disenchanted departees, the club repairs and rebuilds. This can be done in a season, as seems to be the case with Brisbane Roar. Other times, particularly in community based football, it may take a few years.

No one gave Brisbane Roar a hope at the start of the season - now look where they are. They are a smart bunch up there in Brisbane.

A great Football story that resonates at every level in the game.

This short article (excepts from) captures the essentail elements.

Chemistry key to Roar success

Saturday, 5 March 2011
by Liam Daly, Sportal

A quality starting 11 and proven Hyundai A-League stars certainly aren't taken for granted by the Brisbane Roar, but coach Ange Postecoglou says an all-round team chemistry has been the key to their 2010-11 success.

The Professional Footballers Association named seven Brisbane players in their team of the year, and on that statistic alone it would be easy to assume that the quality of their roster has been responsible for their record-breaking, one-loss season. ......

But for Postecoglou (Coach), the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Offseason recruitment – and the Roar did plenty, bringing in 12 fresh faces – was more than a star search; it was a calculated mission to find complimentary talent.
 "It's a little bit different (to picking a rep side)…with a rep side, sometimes you don't know if the chemistry's right. It's not just about having the best players," said Postecoglou.
 "Sometimes, in terms of your recruiting, you fall into the trap of just going for the players who are good players, but do they necessarily fit into what you're doing."
 "Our chemistry has been good all year, and that's the key to our success, it's not so much just having the quality of players we do have. And we do have great quality throughout our squad, but the chemistry's right."

"They all play our style of football and they all react well to one another, and I think that's the key for us." .........


"The big thing for us is that everyone's ready to go, and as we've proven quite consistently this year, and even in the last game, it's not just a matter of who starts, it's a matter of who comes off the bench that makes a big difference, and we've been better at that than all other clubs," he said.

"....... we've been good all year with people coming off the bench and contributing to the side. I'm sure come grand final day, we're going to have the 15 or 16 blokes who are selected ready to go and ready to make a contribution."

Football Scholarships to US Colleges (Universities) - It's A Sensational Option!

This program was broadcast on 2xxfm (98.3mhz) on Tuesday 23 November 2010, across the Australian Community Radio Network.

Many young Australians dream of playing Football at the highest level, in Australia and overseas. It's a worthy ambition. Regrettably, only a very, very  few realise this dream. Its a long hard road, paved with disappointment more often than reward. It's hard enough to get into an A league Youth team and then you don't get paid a living wage. Professional Football is a highly competitive environment, often depending on more than demonstrated ability and perhaps a little too much on "timing", "connections" and what we would just simply refer to a plain "good luck".

Underpinning this ambition is many years of single minded hard work, too the exclusion of so many other things that would ordinarily occupy the lives of young people. "Natural talent" as some call it is not enough. Without that single-mindedness, persistence in the face of injury and rejection, and, a first rate football work ethic - nothing is possible! Simple as that.

Family support is critical to success. Parents and family provide the love and support to sustain the young Football player's ambition. Families dedicate considerable limited disposable income to make the "dream" of professional Football a reality. Playing good Football costs lots of money and don't let anyone tell you anything else! I am always in admiration of the many parents I have met that do all they can with what they have to make the best in Football for their children. Sometimes, love and desire can results in some very poor decisions for the best of reasons. The sacrifice is not without disappointment. As most young Footballers do not  realise their ambitions, it is the parents and families that catch them and move them forward into the future, a future not necessarily without football (though this happens a bit too often), but not playing for a Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona or AC Milan. Not even the A League!

The message is clear for all of us with children that want to achieve in Football - plan for a future without professional football as a means of earning a living. Keep young players focused on good academic outcomes at high school, no matter how mnay promises of success are trailed out in from of the young player. Professional football seems to have no shortage of sharks and false profets, and they care nothiong for your child's future byond the next football game.

Education provides options in the future. Football usually does not attend to this critical consideration for the vast majority that play the beautiful game. So keep them at school and doing as well as they can. Plan a career that will see them earning a living wage, that will give them a chance of economic prosperity, independent of playing good football. Anything else is madness!

This brings me to the tonight's program. I have noticed more and more young payers talking about trying to get a sports sholarship to a US College. Good idea, but as you see (if you are not already familiar with the environment), it takes a lot of planning in advance. It can't be done at short notice. To help us get some understanding of this prospective option, we speak to a US based organisation called "National Scouting Report (NSR)", a specialist agency that facilitates young Australian Football players (soccer in the USA), to apply for US College (University) sporting scholarships. It is a real option for young players with good academic results (I didn't say brilliant!) and playing good football. NSR places athletes in many sports in US Colleges on sports scholarships. Its well worth considering, before you think about heading off  to Europe on the vague promise of fame and riches. This  is an absolutely fascinating interview.

One of the players below is at a US College today.

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Some Advice For Dealing With Parental Complaints

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


I coach a young Futsal team, all the boys are from the same school and the abilities vary enormously.
They are all good lads. We have only trained so far and our first game is this week. The boys are keen and train hard. Everything Ok so far - or so I thought!

Just when you think its going well, a parent gives you a ring and does a heartfelt downlaod on how unhappy her boy is at the moment and the other boy(s) criticising him because he isn't  a good player, and of course - its all awful, they are not putting up with it and what am I (coach) going to do about it. Hmmmm!

I try to explain that the situation she has just recounted to me did not happen as she described it, I was there, neither her or her husband attended and in Futsal you are close enough to hear just about everything at training. She reminds me that her son is "not a very good player" and "makes lots of mistakes". I try to explain to her that while her boy is not very strong technically, in this case the weakest in the group, he trains well, is very well behaved and is getting better. I also remind her that bridging large technical deficiencies will take a lot of time and practice, much more than he will get from me in one season, so its best to reconcile herself to that now and appreciate the forward progress when it happens and keep him playing. I go on to say that while the siutation was nothing like the one she described, the thing that mattered is why and how her son feels as he does at the moment and what we can do about it. She agrees, but not happy, still feeling that her son is on the     receiving end of what I suggest to her can only be described (were it true) as Bullying. Just didnl;t happen, but I know for certain that we are a long way from home on this one.
I remind her that the game is not played in silence, that the boys all make plenty of mistakes in training and will make plenty every game, and that they do express their exasperation with themselves and about each other when they are playing or training. Players have expectations of each other. In my view it is withing reasonable bounds. No good though, she is back on how awful things were at training for her son.
I try in vain to tell her that what was said to her son by other players at training was not significant nor unusual nor more so than the others. I feel I have failed to make my point. This is not what this parent wants to hear - but what do they want? I ask her or her husband to come to training as observe it for themsleves - other parents do when time permits! No response.
I take another tack. I say that if she can accept that the level of commentary directed at her son by any other player (and in total) was neither unreasonable nor excessive, then what we are dealing with is her son's concern that he feels he is not as competent as other players. Its how he sees it at the moment.  If he feels this way, we must deal with it, but deriding the other boy(s) and suggesting that my coaching allowed or enabled it to happen, is both incorrect and in this case unhelpful.  
The parent responds by saying that he son had a dreadful football season and in her view, "for all the same reasons". Hmmm! There is some baggage here. Ok I say to myself, lets get this to a place where I can assist the boy, because the thought that he will feel misreable during the Futsal season is not acceptable.
I also remind her that the more experienced players are "competitive". I coach to "develop", and leave the "winning" to them when they play. I make the point that these young players are all very hard trainers and play the way they train. I close by saying that this is a team environment and her boy has joined a group of lads who, while they are certain not to the best team, will be competitive and their experience in the game so far has taught them what is needed to "win". I say to her that this is healthy, there is nothing wrong with a good work ethic and we must ensure her son becomes part of that environment and not allow himself to be cast as a "victim" because he feels he is not as comnpetent as other players.
As I listened to this concerned parent, I remind myself that the father of this lad was a serial pest on the sideline in football this season past. I had a coaching support role from the school in football and dealt with the team and coach the boy had this season. I recall (to myself only), how I had to reprimand the father for "inappropraite coaching" on the sideline (several times) and on one occassion for abusing a young refs assistant because he felt the offisde call was wrong. I can only imagine the talk on the drive home. I wonder to myself if this father (or indeed the mother) has ever asked himself how his son feels about his conduct. I know the answer is no, my experience is they never do. I can think all this but can't say it to this concerned parent (mother) on the phone.
The discussion ended amicably, but I feel certain that it will surface again.
Obviously the boy is distressed because he feels he is not as good a player as some of the others. I can do some things to make him feel more at ease. I know I can speak to two of the experienced players (very responsible boys) and enlist them to assist him feel good about his contribution as the season unfolds. Peer group support works well if done well. I can make some adjustments without appearing over concerned to the other boys. I reckon the boy is strong enough to go past this problem, he never misses training, works hard in training and never complains at training and that all counts for a lot. It will take time and I don't want him to stop playing. As to the parents, well, that's a work in progress. Sometimes its like that!
So I rang a couple of coaches I know and did a bit of reading. It doesn't matter how many times over thte years you encounter this kind of situation involving parents, its always difficult and worrying. You can never be complacent. But it can take the gloss off coaching and that's just not fair to all the other young players. Here is something I found that is useful.



Some Advice For Dealing With Parental Complaints
Almost every parent occasionally disagrees with your decisions as a coach (whether or not you hear about it). Usually, the parent is simply putting the interests of the child first - and seeing things from the child's point of view. Most parents don't complain, and are more likely to leave the team if they are unhappy with how things are handled. So, it is good to have parents who will bother to give you feedback (even if it can be painful to hear). Most of the time, this feedback is well-intentioned - and the parent simply wants an explanation for what has happened or wants to offer some suggestions about alternate ways to do things. Most of the time, this advice is well-intentioned (and the parent had no desire whatsoever to take over the team - or to try to order you around).

How to Build a Player, The Post Match Talk by a Junior Football Coach, Young Players Going Overseas, An Australian Football Story and What is a Loyal Club Supporter?

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

This program is an interesting, informative and amusing mix of interviews.
First is Arson Wenger talking about how you build a football player. Now this short piece might stand as the most succinct and accurate description of player development ever made by a Coach. It's impossible to not to reflect on the age group that covers our Summer 20s (17 to 20 years), for it is an age group that is particularly important to Wenger.
Then we move on to three short extracts from the FA Respect campaign. In this section, a parent coach has just finished a blistering post match speech to his young players. You hear the observations of the young player (his son), an FA Coach education official and an FA Club Welfare officer. This is important stuff! Its hard to criticise parents and others who stump up for a junior coaching gig each season - but we really do have to get it right or we will kill off our children's enjoyment of the game.
It's timely to remind parents and young players that the FFA and FIFA have strict rules governing the transfer of players under the age of 18 years of age to play with overseas clubs.  This ABC interview with the FFA CEO covers on off on the issue. If you are told otherwise, ring Capital Football (Technical Director or the FFA). Its a jungle out there - be very careful.
Finally, something that will definitely engage your interest in Football, taken from the book -  "Why England Lose: And other curious phenomena explained"  by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski. This is a terrific read and a good football reference book for the bookshelf  "in the pool room'! I've selected two extracts that will tickle your fancy - An Account of the Socceroos under Gus Hiddick, and, an interesting piece of analysis on Football Spectator Loyalty (very topical in our A league). Its a first rate piece of work.

Download the Podcast here;

Win at All Costs – Going Away?

This item was sourced from http://www.worldclasscoaching.com/blog/?cat=24

Win at All Costs – Going Away?

Posted by Mike Saif on August 30th, 2010

An article by guest blogger, Andy Barney. Barney is the president of Legends Soccer Club and Happy feet and is the coach behind the two best-selling DVDs, Legendary 1v1 Moves and TRAINING Legendary 1v1 Moves.

In the next few decades I believe that competitive youth sports will ditch its “win at all costs” ethos. This will be replaced by methods with love at the core of all teaching and player interaction.

The youth sports paradigm has been gradually changing and trending towards fairness, respect and equitable treatment of children. Positive progress has been slow but we are incrementally changing and adopting youth soccer coaching methods that enhance similar values to those of loving families. It is good for siblings and teammates to compete intensely if the process is the crucial area of focus. This is where honorable, skillful, caring, supportive development is as important as battling, competing and improvising to learn and grow.

Rather than developing a tribal mentality where the outcome, e.g. victory, justifies the means; we need to foster a family approach where the journey and personal growth, as opposed to the weekly victory, is paramount.

In great family cultures the leaders (mothers and fathers) serve their children by providing them experiences and opportunities to maximize and optimize their potential. This loving, kind, caring and supportive, but challenging and demanding role, is the one that will be most beneficial for players.

This may be controversial in competitive sport but shouldn’t the central components of family love be extended to teams? If we do so children enjoy a fairer, more ethical, respectful, optimizing and maximizing experience.

The love and fairness at the center of the Legends approach has made it possible to develop intensely competitive and successful players who have been fully able to transfer their talents into a fulfilled life.

Our primary purpose is to develop every one of our players into a brave, creative leader. Our individual creative individual approach focuses on equal playing time, diverse creative development and the ability to play many different roles, (including those of the quick creative passer and intense aggressive defender). We have proven that our creative risk philosophy develops exceptional players and lifetime leaders.

It may be counter intuitive in a competitive sport but the central component of what we do is love.

Timely Grand Final Advice - How to Take A Penalty Kick!!!

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


Given the number of penalty shoot outs lately, this might be useful before this weekend.

How to take the perfect penalty

Whether playing in the park with jumpers for goalposts or at the end of a tense cup final, your players need to know how to take penalties.
Successful penalty taking is not simply a case of running up and shooting. There are a number of techniques that can be taught to even very young soccer players that will dramatically improve their chances of coping with the pressure and help them convert spot kick into goals.

A study by the University of Exeter found that penalty takers who looked at the goalkeeper during their run up often ended up shooting straight at the goalkeeper. Their advice to penalty takers was to try to blot the goalkeeper out to the point where he or she is not there at all.

Another study by the boffins at John Moores University in Liverpool offered a more scientific approach to scoring from the penalty spot. They suggested that:

• The perfect penalty is struck at 65mph from a run up of no more than six paces.
• The taker should strike the ball less than three seconds after the referee has blown the whistle.
• The taker should approach the ball from an angle of 20-30 degrees and aim high to the goalkeeper's left or right side.

An interesting study by Anna Stodter & Matt Pain of Loughborough University suggests that penalty takers can overcome the pressure of the situation and score more goals if they use cue words such as 'head' (for head down over the ball), 'centre' (strike through the centre of the ball) or 'easy' (effortless).
This study did find that while using cue words was off putting for some players in a practice situation, they did help when the pressure was on by keeping a players' mind 'on the job' and stopping their thoughts from wandering or becoming negative.

The penalty king - how did he take spot kicks?
Alan Shearer scored 54 times from the penalty spot during his league career and scored a dozen for England.
The majority of his penalties were scored in exactly the same way – he ignored the goalkeeper, took a short run and smashed the ball into the top left of the goal as hard as he could. Even though goalkeepers knew how he would take a penalty, they couldn't save them.
The lesson?

• Having a set routine helps when you're under pressure.
• Confidence and focus is the key. Don't try to deceive the goalkeeper.

 References [1] Brian Quarstad, How to Take the Perfect Penalty Kick?, http://www.insidemnsoccer.com/2010/05/16/how-to-take-the-perfect-penalty-kick/
[2] http://www.teachpe.com/soccer_football/penalty.php
[3] Anna Stodter & Matt Pain, Taking penalty kicks under pressure - think about It!, Loughborough University

Cheating Is Spoiling the “Beautiful Game”

I've watched several instances of this miserable behaviour in the last three Capital Football Men's Premier League games I have watched. It is truly pathetic behaviour. I've not seen one red card handed out for it yet and some of the incidents were pretty hard too miss.

Sourced from http://www.worldclasscoaching.com/blog/

Cheating Is Spoiling the “Beautiful Game”

Well, it’s finally got to the stage where I have to say something. I am steadily losing my respect for the “Beautiful Game”. I am finding it difficult to enjoy watching any soccer game lately…including these World Cup games. Actually, when I think about it, it’s been bothering me for years and I suppose it has finally reached a tipping point.

I’ve had just about enough of the diving, play acting and pretending by most of the world’s top players. Let’s be clear about this, it is dishonest, it is cheating. And it is spoiling the game.

I can’t think of one game I have seen on TV in the English Premier League, Champions League, World Cup and Euro Championships, in the last 5 years where there hasn’t been a plethora of diving and play acting. Players will fake a dive in the box in the hope of being awarded a penalty kick…cheating. Players will fake being hit in the face (Kaka incident) to get other players red carded…cheating. Players will appeal to the ref for a corner or throw-in when they know for a fact, they last touched the ball before it went out…cheating. Players will roll over 3-4 times on the ground pretending to be in agony when they were barely touched and not hurt…cheating.

This cheating is pervasive in soccer and it seems more so the higher the level of play. It is ruining the beautiful game and I am losing respect for it.

A Fascinating Piece of Research and Analysis on Futsal and Futsal Players At the Elite and Sub Elite Levels In Australia

Capital Football Futsal League Manager forwarded an excellent piece of research recently undertaken by Sera Dogramaci, who advises that:

"A few years ago I conducted a study on the match demands of futsal in Australia as part of my Honours year at University. This study has now been published as a journal article, which I have attached for you to use and distribute to futsal coaches/players across ACT. I also submitted my doctoral thesis this year which is currently being marked by my examiners. My PhD study included a comparison of the match demands of Brazilian, Spanish and Australian futsal players."

Outstanding work! Should be more of it! Makes you think! Very generous of the author to share her work with the football and futsal community. Should be more of that as well!

The following is the Abstract of the article referred to by Sera and published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010 National Strength and Conditioning Association

TIME-MOTION ANALYSIS OF INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL LEVEL FUTSAL
SERA N. DOGRAMACI, MARK L. WATSFORD, AND ARON J. MURPHY
School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism, University of Technology, Sydney, Kuring-Gai Campus, Lindfield, New South Wales,Australia

ABSTRACT


Dogramaci, SN, Watsford, ML, and Murphy, AJ. Time-motion analysis of international and national level futsal. J Strength Cond Res 24(x): 000–000, 2010—Futsal is the Fe´de´ ration de Internationale Football Association’s officially recognized five-a- side indoor soccer, which although increasing in popularity worldwide, lacks the Australian or other English language research necessary to enable the growth of the sport. The purpose of this study was to establish a comprehensive overview of the demands of futsal by a time-motion analysis on 8 Australian National Team players and 10 State League Team players over 4 futsal matches. The study analyzed 6 locomotor activity categories, focusing on total distance covered, total duration of activities, total frequency of activities, effort distance, and effort duration. The national team covered a 42% greater overall distance than the state league team. In terms of relative data normalized for match duration, only the standing duration value was significantly different between the teams. Furthermore, futsal players of elite and subelite level in Australia perform a change in activity every 8–9 seconds on the court, and the national team athletes attained a higher, yet nonsignificant, average match-play velocity. This may be because of the national futsal athletes participating in an extended game duration, potentially suggesting that higher levels of competition facilitate a higher intensity of match play and greater physiological demands on individual players. Apart from the differences in timing structure and overall metabolic work, there was no real difference between the levels of competition within the Australian futsal analysis, although at higher levels of competition, there may be a need for more recovery because of the elevated intensity of the match. When comparing the data with other countries, however, Australian futsal players produce less distance and duration than Spanish futsal players.

KEY WORDS indoor soccer, effort profile, team sport performance, intermittent exercise

Kanga Cup Wrap and Supporter Behaviour at Junior Football

This program is given to a very important subject, a subject that has the attention of every football association in the world – the behaviour of coaches, parents and spectators on the sidelines at junior football matches. But most importantly – parents.

If you have attended a coaching course in recent years through Capital Football you would have been given the right message about how to conduct yourself with junior players, the importance of setting achievable goals, positive feedback and encouragement, focussing on development not winning, playing the game in good style and spirit, and of course, talking less, resisting the temptation to micro manage the players during the game – letting the game be the teacher. Everyone talks about making sure the young players have fun. There is no fun in being yelled at, humiliated and made to feel inferior because the team did not win on the scoreboard.

There is no course of instruction for parents of young players who stand on the sideline. Too often, far too often, it is the adults that suffer a loss of control, living as too many do, vicariously through their child. There is nothing worse for the young player or football, than to have feral parents on the sideline. They punctuate their gratuitous advice to young players with open criticism of the Referee and match officials, who are more often than not, young players themselves. They soon leave the refereeing ranks under the weight of the abuse and vitriol that is hurled in their direction by adults. What so many of the adults, mostly parents of players, do is nothing short of Bullying!

We speak to Adam Castle, coordinator of the Kanga Cup. It was a good tournament with the most sparkling football to be seen in the 10 to 14 age groups. Regrettably, it was punctuated by some very poor behaviour by parent supporters. In spite of that, football found a way through and the finals produced some seriously good football in the junior age groups.

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Done With Grace and Style!

Do it with grace and style - a good word or a word of praise goes a long way - and costs you absolutely nothing!

As the Kanga Cup heads to finals and our local competitions work there way through the second half of the competition and finals places, there is something all coaches and parents on the sidelines should note from the World Cup. In a World Cup marred by some spectacular examples of poor sportmanships and lack of grace, emerges, just in time, examples set by National Coaches which set the standard of behaviour for us all.

The words from Spain's Coach, Vicente Del Bosque, following his team's hard earned victory over a terrific German team, are just outstanding! And Germany coach Joachim Low is also in a class of his own.


Sourced fromt he SBS World Game:

But while Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque was delighted with his side's performance he was taking nothing for granted where the final is concerned.
Del Bosque said: "You must celebrate victory but with moderation and don't forget your responsibilities. We are sportsmen and we want to reach out for the World Cup."
"There is hardly anything more precious than to win the World Cup. We should not be bragging and too conceited, let's just play the next match."
Del Bosque also described what it meant to Spain, which has failed so often at World Cups when it appeared to have a good chance of glory.
He said: "This country has changed enormously. We have great things and one of them is sports. We are privileged to have so many good sportsmen. Football is the local motivation. Spain deserves to be triumphant and to make it to the top."

Low, whose side was also beaten by Spain in the European championship final two years ago, said: "Spain are a wonderful team. They are the masters of the game. You can see it in every pass. They can hardly be beaten. They are extremely calm and convincing. Spain were just better than we were and they deserved to win.
"In 2008 they won the European Championships in a very convincing way and they have been unchanged over the past two or three years. They play in an automatic way and I am confident they will win the title.
"Over the past two or three years they have been the most skilled team of all. They circulate the ball quickly and we were not able to play like previous matches. We were not able to get rid of our inhibitions."


Now that's the way to do it!!!

Is This the Worst Miss Ever?

I think the handball is the least of this player's problems - but then to complain to the Ref!!!

Just embarrassed I guess. Probably French!

Science Gives Clues To World Cup Success

Science gives clues to World Cup success


Updated Mon May 10, 2010 3:57pm AEST
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/10/2895277.htm

Penalty kicks, such as Francesco Totti's in the 2006 World Cup, can make or break a team (Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)
Few moments in soccer are as extraordinary as the penalty, the moment when a dream can crumble or glory is made - and a player is either cursed as a choker or enters the pantheon of legends.
In the nearly 119 years since the very first penalty kick, in a match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Accrington Stanley, the 11-metre spot determines more and more tournaments, including the 2006 World Cup final.
As the importance of the penalty has grown, so has research. Scientists see it as a duel between shooter and goalkeeper where biomechanics and psychology can give either side a critical edge.
A mathematical study of penalties at Liverpool's John Moores University puts the death nail into the "blast it and hope" approach.

The New Epidemic...Sideline (Mis)Behavior

We have had a lot to say about unacceptable (and anti social) behaviour on the sidelines. Parents and Coaches are the prime offenders and Referees are often the target. This is an issue that is not going away fast if my observations of an Under 13 Div 2 Boys game last weekend is anything to go by. Most of the poor behaviour I witnessed on this occassion was in the form of inappropriate commentary from the coach of one team. It clouded an otherwise good game. This coach was a model of the very sort of coach the FFA's new direction through the National Curriculum and coach education is trying to eradicate from the game at the junior levels.

The following article is from that terrific Football organisation - Georgia Soccer. It's right on the money! Why don't we see this sort of material written by our own coaches on the Capital Football website?????


The New Epidemic...Sideline (Mis)Behavior

http://www.gasoccer.org/secondary.aspx?id=976&coll_id=21

We recently received an invitation for one of our ODP teams to participate in a prestigious tournament in England and were surprised to learn, upon reading the fine print, that said tournament was a ‘scout and parent free zone’. Imagine that! A sideline without parents. Could it be that the reputation of the American parents’ sideline behavior has spread all the way across the great pond? Or is it a case of ‘parents-are-the-same-everywhere’ syndrome. Regardless, the bottom line is: The Director of the Tournament does not want any parents on the premises when the players are engaged in play. Having had the opportunity to study first hand the sideline behavior at youth games across Georgia, I can see his point.

Capital Football Disputes and Discipline Process - Part 1

Broadcast on Tuesday, 27 April 2010 on 2xxfm (98.3mz) through the Australian Community Radio Network

This program examines the current Discipline and Disputes process used by Capital Football and the documents that govern all who play, coach, administer or spectate at Football in competitions or fixtures sanctioned by Capital Football. It’s a big subject, complex at times and too often misunderstood.
In this interview, Alasdair Grocock, the CF mens League manager talks about the CF D&D procedure and he knows it better than most because he has to administer it for the men’s league. Alasdair is a pragmatic individual, very experienced in football administration, he’s a referee, takes the time to think about the player’s perspective and I suspect, very hard to fool. The CF D&D processes are under review.



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Give Junior Footballers A Break

The following World Game Blog by Vitor Sobral touches on a very sensitive matter and one that has meaning for us in the Capital Football region. Have a read and see what you think. For all the comments on this article go to http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/vitor-sobral/blog/991447/Give-junior-footballers-a-break

Conside these matters:

• Why are charges at Junior Clubs increasing and when do we acknowledge that $150 - $180 per season per child is just too much to pay to play the game?
• If the FFA wants to "develop the game" then it really has to minimise the particpation cost impact on familes at the grass roots level.
• Does our current Premier League structure assist Junior Clubs develop players?
• Why should financial charges be made to parents in order for their children to particpate in the Capital Football High Performance Program?
• If the FFA is as serious as they say they are about the development of junior football (where else do senior players come from to play for Australia?) then why don't they underwrite the cost of the HPP in each State and Territory?
• Are we losing players from the game at a young age to others sprots or no sport at all because the cost of playing descriminates against those families without disposable income to pay?
• Why should it cost a junior player a cent to play for an ACT representative team?
• Same again for Futsal?

Give junior footballers a break       63Comments


22 Apr 2010

Recently I was reminiscing with a mate about the Brisbane club we both played for.
He is still at the club and as he was telling me how it was going, he mentioned that some of the players in the lower tiers of Brisbane football are getting paid.
I was shocked. Not only that players at this level are being paid but by some of the amounts, which are beyond belief. I felt sick.
By whatever means these clubs are getting the money, the last area it should be invested in is securing the club a few meaningless minor titles.
These are community clubs that exist to give the population a place to play football, to have fun and to socialise. Not to win trophies.

The Craft of Coaching

This is an excellent article by the National Coaches Assocition of America.
If you Coach, use the article as a template for self reflection. If you are a supporter or parent of a player who goes to games, use it too reflect upon your team's Coach, then figure out a way to help the Coach. But don't dump on the Coach becuase things may not being going well.


The Craft of Coaching

Many qualities and attributes are needed in moving players to new levels


Bill Beswick, renowned sports psychologist formerly of Manchester United and now with Middlesborough FC, has a saying which should inspire all coaches:

“A good coach is able to take a player where they have never been before and will not get to on their own.”


This in many ways gives meaning to what it is to coach and encapsulates the primary purpose of the coaching profession. This article explores coaching as a craft, a professional endeavor which requires pride of performance, acquisition of highly-valued skills and has an objective which is both enormously satisfying and develops an insatiable appetite for more.

At an NSCAA Academy a few years ago, a disgruntled graduate from a highly successful Division I college program said, “I didn’t learn one thing in four years of college; I haven’t improved since I left high school.” It was astonishing to discover how disenchanted this player had been with his college experience. He had played in several Final Fours, one of which his team won. It is clear that serious players want more from a coach than winning trophies. They want to prepare for the next level. They want to get better.

Many would argue that the ultimate acid test of a player is “What impact did you have on the game?” Surely the ultimate acid test of a coach is “What impact did you have on your players?”

Observation - Match Analysis

I watch a lot of Football matches, sometimes I see what's happenning, other times the pattern is harder to identify. I know I have got a lot better at analysing the game, simply by watching a lot of games and forcing myself to look away from the ball during play and focus on aspects of play for periods of time. Patterns and habits emerge.

I watched a couple of PL games from Round 2 and the variation in opinions following each game were amazing - they ranged from the emotionally affected to unfathomable. Players play and they are always cetral to performance, just as they must always be first in line to take responsibility. Few opinions seeemed to be supported by any vestige of game analysis based a recording and recounting of elements of play acroos the game. Most were based instead on a mish mash of the old player not playing well, the odd massive error, criticism of coaching decisions and an unfounded bias against the playing system employed during the game. As though one thing is ever the answer - about as credible as the "lone gunman'" on Delaley Plaza!


But its a tricky business and people see the game differently and have different playing preferences and prejudices. Removing the subjectivity is linked very precisely to the careful observation and recording of match statistics. At the very serious end of Football, game analysis is an intergral part of coaching, team and player development, aided as it is now by technology.

I'm not sure how many clubs in our Premier League conduct game analysis in a coherent fashion, but it must surely be a development that's time has arrived.

Game analysis assits in bringing clarity to the game just played and informs the next.

This item (extract) is sourced from:
http://www.nscaa.com/

Observation - Match Analysis

To discover what the players need to practice, the coach must observe them play in a game. The game tells us what the players need. The observations the coach makes during a game will give the practice session a focus. Consequently, the soccer coaching model on game day is quite different from football, basketball or lacrosse, which encourages a high degree of interaction between players and coaches. Possibly baseball or ice hockey are better models for soccer, wherein the coach quietly observes the game, writes notes and occasionally exhorts players to perform.