Something that we need to consider for our U8 youth teams, simply no standings and certainly only friendly festival type games for this age group.
cheers Tony C    7/02/08

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How do I pick a summer sport camp?

I apologize for the reference regarding English soccer, but this is relevant to the youth soccer environment in Arizona.
We are now in a critical stage of debate for Player/Coach/Parent development and we all should be strongly favoring a small sided game format that will effect every level of player. Coaches simply need to look at less competition for the younger age groups. We all love this game but at what cost?

Please view this video clip from England looking at the "State of the Game" at the grassroots level of soccer.. The British Government says the approach to coaching young players must be overhauled after England's failure to qualify for the Euro 2008 finals.   http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid958992159/bctid1549584266

It is abundantly clear to me that we have a remarkable group of soccer leaders in the Arizona community who can effect Player Development in a positive way. Every year Arizona produces hundreds of players who will continue to play soccer as a life long sport, many play in College and we can even boast several players in the professional ranks! However, we are also losing players in many situations due to our over competitive coaching philosophy!

We can do so much more for the game !
Below is a link to a Player Development video- It approximately 35 minutes in length.
http://www.ssnsports.com/video2/GASoccer/PlayerDevelopmentPhilosophy.wmv
cheers Tony C    5/07/08

A world class coach gave me this advice!
Good luck this weekend!  
cheers Tony C    5/01/08

Well done girls !!      cheers Tony C    4/17/08

Expectations Lose to Reality of Sports Scholarships - article from Sports.
cheers Tony C    4/16/08

Touchline trouble - article & video from

Parents regularly go to watch their youngsters play football, but sometimes they cross the line - quite literally - and enter the field of play or shout abuse at players and officials.

"At this age, player development is directly related to how much fun and enjoyment each player experiences," explains AYSA DOC Tony Colavecchia. From there it's simple; small sided games on a smaller field give each player more touches, more involvement and more fun!"Eleven-a-side soccer is an adult game, devised by and for adults. The objective of small-sided games is a stair step approach for young players to grow into the adult game", Tony stated.In 8 vs 8, players get more playing time which encourages maximum individual participation, more individual involvement which improves fitness and more opportunities to score; or stop a score.The move which is strongly supported by US Youth Soccer is based on educational research on the way children learn -- just as with their academic learning. "It is difficult to teach tactical concepts on a huge field. In a u11 game I recently watched (playing 11 v 11), some players barely touched the ball. The game was decided by a goal that went sailing over the goalkeepers head. He had no chance; he was simply not tall enough to make the save. The goal was too big"."We want to develop creative, confident players who can truly develop soccer skills on the appropriate size fields. When I see under 11s play on a full field, I see lots of big spaces and too many players simply not involved in the game" "My only hope is that this truly supported by the Coaches and especially the Parents. Some Coaches and Parents see this as not the real game because it is not 11 v 11, it is in fact, the total opposite".

"The majority of other States have been playing 8 vs 8 at U-11 & U-12 for the past 7 or 8 years so we have some catching up to do", Tony Concluded.

Tricks with the ball give players confidence.
Our players need to practice more with the ball, without the presence of a coach

U.S. WOMEN MOVE TO TOP SPOT IN FIFA RANKINGS: After a victorious run at the 2008 Algarve Cup in Portugal, the U.S. Women’s National Team has moved into the top spot in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings released on Friday, March 21. The USA moves past Germany, who finished fourth at the Algarve Cup. Sweden (3), Brazil (4) and Norway (5) round out the world’s top-five. The FIFA Women's World Ranking was first published in July of 2003 and now ranks 150 FIFA member associations on the basis of several factors including victories, home advantage, strength of the opposition and the importance of matches. The ranking is published four times each year. According to FIFA's Big Count survey in 2006, 26 million women and girls around the world currently play soccer....and Good news for the MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM

U.S. U-23 MNT QUALIFIES FOR THE 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: The U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team clinched a berth at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing after finishing the CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament with a 3-1-1 record, allowing just two goals in five games while scoring six. The draw for the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament will take place on April 20. The 2008 Beijing Olympics will be played from Aug. 6-23 in five venues across China, and will mark the USA’s first trip to the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament since 2000

I thought these tips would be helpful for the weekend.    Remember to enjoy the game in the heat of the moment !
Fifteen Things To Keep In Mind While Watching From The Sidelines
cheers Tony C    3/07/08

http://www.indianayouthsoccer.org/Assets/Golf.mpg    Have a great weekend!    Cheers Tony C  2/29/08

Take a look at this article from ... A Heavy Price for Love of the Game

Cheers Tony C  2/25/08

Session Plans

In a previous article on ESPNsoccernet I explored the role of the coach. I will again turn to this area. Top coaches vary greatly. Some coaches are aggressive and loud and others placid and quiet. I think Gerard Houllier (manager Liverpool FC) summed it up well when asked about what advice he would give a young coach. He said,

“Firstly, be yourself and don’t be afraid to make mistakes- that is how you learn.”In my eyes this means coaches shouldn’t just try to mimic other coaches but be the person they are. Yes, learn from other coaches and adapt your style to suit your needs. We all develop over time. Developing as a coach is the same as developing as a person. I think coaches should also remember that there is a massive difference between coaching young people and coaching adults. Children react differently to adults- that is obvious. Therefore, why do some coaches insist in behaving like they are the next Alex Ferguson. Giving an 11 year old the ‘hair dryer treatment’ is not appropriate. An 11 year old differs from an adult- obvious but too many don’t seem to see this.Gerard Houllier went on to offer other advice stating:“As a young coach you are more concerned about how you look, and about getting everything right. When you are older, you are more concerned about the players getting it right. Don’t try to be liked try to be respected.”These are all interesting observations. Coaches are concerned how they are viewed. They want people/players to respect them and listen to their views. In fact they are no different to anyone else in this respect. Therefore, giving a good first impression is of vital importance to the coach. He/she can achieve this by being well organised and having planned the session properly based on the theme to be learnt, the needs of the players and the amount of players in attendance. Therefore, session planning is an important skill all coaches must learn. The best coaches at all levels plan what they are going to do. Planning can range from writing in detail what you intend to do to having in your mind the forthcoming session. However, a word of warning, not writing something down and ‘thinking on your feet’ is not easy and even the most experienced coaches would find this difficult. The key is be prepared. Carlos Alberta Parreira (Brazilian National Team Manager) reinforces this point in the following statement:“ I believe that, at the top level, experience counts for a lot-dealing with top players, making decisions, communicating, PLANNING (my emphasis). Knowing everything that is going on, working with details, and knowing what to do in certain difficult situations.”

At the lower level it even more important to plan as coaches have less knowledge and experience. You can write whole session plans with a diagram and an evaluation afterwards or merely jot down a few notes. Individual coaches must decide for themselves what they think is the best for them. As Gerard Houllier said, “Be yourself”, but also be honest with yourself. Not all sessions will go well but you can prevent many problems by properly preparing and planning your sessions.

 Parents and Coaches, a must see!    VIDEO CLIP