Well, we started a new soccer season this year for my youngest son...Kindergarten age. We had a rough first half but came on strong in the 2nd half of our first game yesterday. One thing I noticed was that our fields had shrunk by about 30%...which is weird as we have moved up a year in play. So, I asked .....and it turns out that we have a new director of coaching and he thinks all kids at this level are able to do is learn to dribble the ball? Huh? Teams last year were already passing, dribbling and playing defense..... So, on his own he decided to shrink the fields.....instead of 30 yards long they are now 20, instead of 25 yards wide they are now 15, based upon : Link to kids soccer field recommendations So, I am in a quandry, not only has the pitch gotten smaller making it near impossible for our kids to dribble around the defense without hitting the sidelines, but the new guy also downgraded the kids uniforms from the cool breathable nylon to cotton T-shirts, and if that is not enough, they ordered black, BLACK...in 97 degree heat...are you kidding me. Do you guys think I should let this guy know about how all the coaches feel? We have been talking about it in email with our commisionar and tons of people are complaining but no one is stepping up to say anything. Oh, heck, who am I kidding I am gonna let him know. DD PS...we won 25-20 in our first game, not that we were keeping score...at least the kids weren't.
Of course you should say something, especially considering other coaches agree. It is kind of odd in a league that someone would establish this stuff on their own without a consensus of the coaches/parents.
You know what is funny? In the UK they keep score, and play on a bit bigger field to teach them to dribble and pass into space. No wonder they are better at the game than we are....we are asking our kids to kick the shins of other kids instead of how to play the game. Sad. DD
Yea say something. Doesn't anyone remember the Seinfeld ep where the Yankees wore cotton? Bad performance!
Have you see England play lately? 2-0 against freaking Andorra? Playing in a tighter space can actually help to teach better and tighter control. You have to learn how to use the space you've got. Granted, that's probably not happening with 5 & 6-year olds, but it is a way of training. I agree with teaching the ability to use space. It's something that's been missed by US trainers for ever. I didn't really have a trainer that taught it correctly until my late teens...and he was British. Then again, I didn't have a proper trainer until my late teens.
20 x 15!!!!!! For 6yo's? You can practice on that....i suppose...but no wonder your kids are posting WNBA scores. Our 5's and 6's play on 45 x 20. (6v6 including goalies --most sought after position for young boys!). You do have goalies now, don't you? He probably means well. And we run 3v3 to 5v5 with and without goalies on small fields during practice. But (IMO) he shouldn't be changing this about without talking to the coaches. A sure recipe for having to do everything yourself before long. And noone wins there. Tricky thing risking being too critical of a volunteer -- but I'd have a talk.
We run 3v3 with no keepers. And the kids score a lot for sure. But this year it is like roll it out ...score...roll it out...score.....I mean 5 of my 7 kiddos could score from the end line without much effort, as the fields are dry as a bone to boot. Last year at least the kids could get out in space and run, and then have room to pass the ball... This year there is no room at all, it is cramped. You should see the emails we got from the new director on what kind of drills we should be doing at this age....they are fun little games but not teaching the game at all...... I emailed our commissionar and said that my guys had passed up most of this stuff over a year ago.....and he was like....just do whatever. DD
Leroy, it is the guy at Austin United, I would not feel comfortable posting it on the message board. I am sure he came in and made changes based upon his experience etc, and did it with the best intentions. And I can live with the crappy T-shirts instead of uniforms (even though they cost the same) and even the black T-shirts...come on FALL weather....... But the small pitch is ridiculous...the kids have no room to manuever and soccer is 100% about getting into space....not kicking shins. DD
I remember you saying that your kids are a bit more advanced than the majority of the teams you are playing against. if you are not already doing so, maybe you should challenge them to accomplish things during the game so that they take more out of it. for instance, require them to complete a certain number of passes before they can score, or limit their touches to where they need to find other players. if it is 3v3 with no goalie, the worst thing they can do development-wise is just play kick ball. while the league might restrict the way you play, you can still challenge your kids to get the most out of it.
The kids I coached in the UK kept score, and standings and were doing what my kids are doing over here. The bottom line is I believe that the director of coaching here is teaching to a LCD standard and the kids are much more capable of doing more. And, there are other soccer clubs in Austin that ARE doing more.....a lot of parents spoke to me about the fields......and their size...they were universally against it... The director made the decision in the dark....and is now trying to justify it with some made up story about it being better for the kids. How does shrinking the playing surface by a full 40% from what they played on last year help the kids? Now all the kids are stuck in the middle kicking each other in the shins...it is 100% ridiculous. It isn't soccer it is glorified kick ball...and hope someone scores......let the kids excel at their own pace. Kids will rise, or fall based upon expectations....and it is no wonder our national team has had troubles if they are taught this type of game at an early age. DD
