England Bans Trophies in Leagues for Youngsters

England failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championship and many in the country started to wonder if there was something wrong with their system. Apparently, the focus on winning at the younger ages was hampering the development of the players. England's failure to make the Euro2008 championship woke some people up.

From FoxSportsNews.com -

LONDON (AP) - England has banned young children from playing for league and cup trophies in soccer in a bid to remove pressure from parents and coaches.

The ruling issued Friday by the Football Association affects under eight-year-olds and is intended to develop their skills on the field.

"It's widely accepted that we need to improve the skills and technique of players in this country," said Trevor Brooking, the former England and West Ham midfielder who is now the FA's director of football development. "At the moment we are not at the same level as other countries.

"In the youngest age groups, there's too much emphasis on winning leagues, often to satisfy parents and coaches. That's what we're looking to change. We need better, more skillful players coming through."

England fans have been waiting since the 1966 World Cup for another trophy. The dearth of talent has alarmed Fabio Capello, who replaced Steve McClaren as England coach in January.

But while Capello embarks on World Cup qualifying in September, the future generation of players will have to play a less intense version of the game.

<"Every game played is competitive, but undoubtedly having league tables (standings) at this age is not helping their development," Brooking said. "It is the league tables being stopped rather than matches."

After the disaster of the 2006 World Cup for the US Men's team, many people pointed out the same stresses in the youth ranks and how it would ruin players as they grew up. It is time to allow the kids to just play. Countries like Brazil, Spain, and Argentina have either very small youth soccer programs or none at all. Maybe that is why they field the best and most creative soccer players.

As American Pro Soccer Forges Ahead, Its Past Deserves a Nod

John Feinstein, a sports columnist for The Washington Post, talks about his love/hate relationship with soccer. Feinstein states that as United States continues to grow as a soccer nation with new stars like David Beckham, we must acknowledge our past with former stars like Pele and Cruyff.

I really want to like soccer again.

Every spring I make a vow that I'm going to make my way to RFK Stadium to watch D.C. United play. I stop channel-surfing and watch for several minutes at a time when I find a Major League Soccer game on television. I read Steven Goff, who has covered the sport so well for years now in The Washington Post, to get a sense both of the MLS and what's going on in the sport around the world.

I'm not saying all this as a set-up for some one-liner about all the 1-0 games or the fact that a World Cup final can be decided by a penalty-kick shootout (which is ludicrous). Essentially, there are two ways people look at soccer: Either as the most wondrous sport ever created or the most boring. The soccer-ites insist that those who don't get the beauty and artistry and athleticism of the game simply aren't paying enough attention. The anti-soccer-ites make fun of the lack of scoring and wonder what's so spectacular about 90 minutes of running and kicking.

Both are right. Both are wrong.

Link to entire article.

U8 Academy

Part of any successful BINS program is the use of an Under-8 Academy. Starting with the 2008 Fall Soccer season at GSL, the Under-8 Academy will be launched. The Academy will be a series of eight sessions over an eight week period (one practice a week) that will focus on the primary skills of dribbling, passing, and shooting. Participation in the Academy sessions are completely optional, but players are encourage to attend as many sessions as possible during the season. There will be no additional charge to attend the Academy sessions.

Academy coaches will cover the basics of each skill set and work with players to ensure that they are developing the appropriate skills that will make them better soccer players over the long term. Coaches at the Academy have years of experience in player development. Some Academy sessions will be taught by coaches of local competitive clubs.

One of the reasons that the Under-8 Academy (as well as the overall BINS program) is being started was that coaches at the older age groups were getting seriously concerned about the lack of skills that players coming out of younger age groups were showing upon joining the older teams. Coaches were having to go back over the "basics" of dribbling, passing, and shooting with the players. This prevented them from working on the tactical development that U10 and U12 players needed. Similar to school, a 3rd grade teacher should expect an incoming student to be able to read and write, a U10 coach should expect an incoming player that did two years of soccer should know how to dribble and pass. Sadly that was not happening. Many players got quickly discouraged and left soccer completely.

The purpose of the U8 Academy is to address and fix those issues going forward. More information about the U8 Academy will be coming out as the season approaches.

Coaching Clinic Announced

The first GSL Soccer coaching clinic will be held on Saturday, July 26th. The clinic will start at 9 am at GSL Church. There will be a 2-hour class session, then a one hour lunch break, and then a 2 hour field session at GSL (Snowden) Field. Participants are expected to participate in the field sessions and wear soccer cleats.

There will be another coaching clinic for those that can not attend the July 26th session. Time and details on that clinic are still being worked out.

The purpose of the coaching clinics is to set a firm foundation for parent-coaches on how to coach youth soccer. Coaching philosophy and methodology will be discussed, as well as injury prevention and treatment. Participants will be given a basic soccer rules test.

The hope is that the 4-hour clinic will encourage coaches to continue their education and seriously consider becoming licensed by the US Soccer Federation by attenting the 18-hour long "E" Licensing course later in the year.

To sign up for the coaching clinic, contact Coach Prather at amprather@yahoo.com

GSL Summer Clinics Announced

Free Grace-St. Luke’s Summer Soccer Clinics for JK to 6th Grade

Saturdays / Sundays
June 21 & 22, June 28 & 29, July 12 & 13, July 19 & 20
GSL Field

Get a head start on the Fall 2008 GSL Soccer season by registering for the FREE Soccer Clinics this summer. All clinics will be taught on Saturday or Sunday evenings. Dates are June 21 & 22, June 28 & 29, July 12 & 13, and July 19 & 20. There are no clinics over the July 4th holiday weekend. See below for the times and dates for each age group.

All clinics are limited to 15 students – first come, first served. All clinics are co-ed. Sign up for one clinic day or all four days in your age group.

Saturday Sessions –

Under 10 (Rising 3rd and 4th Grade) – 4 pm to 5 pm
Under 12 (Rising 5th and 6th Grade) – 5 pm to 6 pm

Sunday Sessions –

Under 6 (Rising JK and SK) – 4 pm to 5 pm
Under 8 (Rising 1st and 2nd Grade) – 5 pm to 6 pm

Each clinic is age specific and focuses on skills that those ages should know. All clinics follow the US Youth Soccer philosophy of No Laps, No Lines, and No Lectures. Children should wear either cleats or any soft-topped shoe. No sandals or CROCS. It is encouraged that shin guards be worn due to the scrimmages the children will play in. Water breaks are regularly given, so bring a drink. The use of sunscreen and mosquito spray is also encouraged. Parents are welcomed to stay and watch and in many cases asked to participate.

Coach Aaron Prather heads all clinics. Coach Prather holds accreditations and licenses from both the US Soccer Federation (USSF) and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). He has coached both boys’ and girls’ teams at various ages and skills levels.

To sign up for a clinic, contact Coach Prather via email at amprather@yahoo.com