I n f i n i t y S o c c e r

Local soccer team shines in Mesquite - The Herald Journal: Sports

2012-02-07T13:59:00.000-08:00

Local soccer team shines in Mesquite - The Herald Journal: Sports: When talking about her U15 girls soccer team, head coach Sherri
Dever asserted:

Valley Soccer Team Is Making Some Regional Noise

2012-02-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

Valley Soccer Team Is Making Some Regional Noise

Parents driving coaches away from game

2012-02-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

Written by
Patrick Hite
Columnist

Rob Bennett has one less job these days. The Covington High School science teacher, who is also the city's mayor, resigned as the school's boys' basketball coach in late January.

Enough was enough.

Over the past 20 years Bennett has spent time as both the boys' and girls' basketball coach and, for the most part, had support from parents and fans.

After taking some time off to get his master's degree, he returned to the bench four years ago. In the time away from the game something changed. That support he received in the past was gone. Bennett and his coaching staff were questioned by parents about something after every game.

"It was either over playing time, what I said to their child on the bench, why they didn't start, why they didn't play in this quarter, why did you play this player because he missed practice or missed 30 minutes of practice because he went to get tutored in English, why did you keep a freshman on the varsity," Bennett said. "It was unbelievable."

There were even parents who accused Bennett of allowing poor behavior and language on the team bus, accusations that were proved false with the help of videotape.

Said Bennett, "Why am I going to be miserable doing something I love to do and, for the most part, was pretty good at?"

Unfortunately, Bennett's story isn't unique. There are plenty of stories of coaches quitting because they are tired of putting up with unreasonable parents and fans.

Ironically, Nathan Hale, the Covington assistant coach who has taken over the team for the remainder of the season, has been close to a similar situation in the past. His father, Bill Hale, was driven out by parents as Fort Defiance boys' basketball coach more than a decade ago.

In 2003, Mike Hamilton, the girls' basketball coach at Rockbridge County, even went as far as suing a troublesome parent.

Go to any high school basketball game and you can't avoid it. The other night, while covering the Rockbridge County at Waynesboro boys' basketball game, I sat in front of two Rockbridge County fans who complained about the officials almost every trip down the court. I should have known what I was in for when, before the game started, one of the ladies pointed to an official and said, "That's the one who threw me out of a game at Wilson Memorial."

Earlier this year, during a Stuarts Draft-Waynesboro game, I heard a parent of a Waynesboro player wishing out loud that her team played more like Stuarts Draft, who runs an up-tempo style. I guess it didn't matter that Waynesboro has gone to back-to-back state tournaments, including a spot in last year's state championship game.

Wilson Memorial athletic director Greg Troxell has been trying to figure out why there have been so many problems with fans and parents lately.

"Is it what I call the ESPN factor?" Troxell said. "Everyone watches ESPN and hears how it should be done and now everyone is an expert. Is it parents trying to live their youth again through their kids? Is it economic pressure and the hope that their kid is going to get a full ride to college and save them money? I don't know, but it is getting worse, and the lack of respect for officials and coaches is alarming."

Steve Hartley offered another possibility.

"With so many different little leagues in the country now, parents are having to coach more than they used to," the Stuarts Draft athletic director said. "In turn, they seem to think they have more knowledge of the game."

Of course, none of the parents and fans who are actually causing problems will recognize themselves when reading this. It's probably too much to ask that all spectators cheer for their teams without criticizing officials, coaches or the opposing players.

When kids see their parents blaming everyone else for their team's lack of success, it's bound to affect them.

"The kids see this and are just a product of their environment," Bennett said. "Parents do not tell the truth to their kids like we coaches do. We now live in a politically correct world and people are not used to hearing the truth. They want to not face what is real and make excuses when things do not go their way. Rules are wonderful until they affect my kid. Then we want something else to be done."

School administrators try to solve the problems. Larry Landes, Fort Defiance's principal, said his staff has spoken in private to fans who act inappropriately. The topic is raised at all meet-the-team nights prior to the season, and administrators are at almost all athletic events, ready to step in and handle any problems.

"Use of profanity from fans, screaming at officials, belittling coaches is totally unacceptable," Landes said. "We preach sportsmanship with athletes, coaches and fans."

Not only are coaches quitting, but schools are finding it more and more difficult to get someone to coach in the first place.

Even athletes are giving up. A couple of years ago there was an athlete at Wilson Memorial who chose not to play because he was tired of his dad yelling at him from the stands. Troxell offered to talk to the father, but the kid said it wouldn't change anything.

"What parentsdon't realize is they are really embarrassing their child," said Troxell, who emphasized that a majority of fans are great, but it only takes one or two to make everyone look bad.

I've often said, only half jokingly, that high-school sporting events would be better if they were played without anyone in the stands. Obviously, no one wants to reach that point. Instead, it's time for the adults who are watching the games to grow up and actually act like adults.

"No coaches or officials are trying to cheat or do things to kids on purpose," Hartley said. "So just sit back and enjoy the game."

Original Article can Be Read at http://www.newsleader.com/article/20120205/SPORTS/202050332

Infinity Soccer is changing the culture in Cache Valley

2011-12-13T20:29:00.000-08:00

Infinity Soccer is changing the culture in Cache Valley

2011-10-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

Infinity Soccer is changing the culture in Cache Valley

As the Soccer Improves, So Must the Club

2011-10-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

Our players are improving with every touch. We have embraced the Player Development Revolution, now it is time to set benchmarks.

In soccer communities around the country, there is a lingering question, “how to measure success?” There are theories and philosophies and studies, but the reality is that we won’t truly know until a child reaches their teens. However, I believe that there can be benchmarks or goals to achieve that will better the chances of an individual’s reaching their potential to play at their highest level.

Recently, in a coaching committee meeting I unveiled the next step to improving the club. The concept puts a measuring and benchmarking system in use. The intentions is to help coaches, parents and players better evaluate their current level of play and set goals that help them reach their potential.

One of the most recent tools that we have added is iSoccer. This program does a number of wonderful things if fully taken advantage of by a player. However, the part that I want to focus on is the ability to quantifiably test and measure an individual in 16 core areas, these areas reflect the very foundation of every successful soccer player. The emphasis on “raising the level” of each player through training and testing is simply amazing, as it will transform a player from being decent to good, good to great, and excellent to elite. This is how we have decided to measure our players’ individual development. We believe strongly that if players train at home, are frequently tested and can see themselves reach their individual goals on iSoccer, it will allow the coach to focus on training the “thinking” part of the game and fine tune team style of play and tactics. -More on iSoccer in an interview with iSoccer CEO, Scott Leben-

Players must be accountable for their own skill development, by training at home before a coach can be criticized for not teaching the players how to play the game. The document “Champions are Grown in their Backyard” is a must read, as it puts an emphasis on what will truly make your child great at soccer!

As mentioned above, this winter our Coaches Committee plans to unveil a benchmarking document. Our job, now that our club philosophy is established and we are developing quality players, is to help teams/coaches measure their success as well as map out the road to achieving a team’s potential.

As the club and culture of our community evolves, so must our aspirations. The benchmarking system will provide a list of expected outcomes at certain ages and levels of soccer. It will allow coaches and parents (the adults) to see where each player is during their development. A combination of iSoccer evaluating and benchmarking (i.e. making the Infinity SC premier team of your age, attending tournaments of interest, competition in state cup, making the Olympic Development Program team for their age, making the High School team, gaining exposure from college coaches, earning a soccer scholarship and so on) will allow everyone to know what to expect as well as know what is expected to get there. This type of road map will allow adults involved to keep things in perspective. They can be confident that the system is working because their player is meeting goals set by themselves as well as by the club.

Having accurate expectations will also allow parents to prepare for the demands of future (time, travel and money) endeavors. Many clubs promise college scholarships or high school soccer relevancy. Infinity does not promise. However, we are developing, through research and experience, a road map for achievement. We must also empower each player to work for these types of rewards. The club must provide a vehicle (teams) that makes the players desired destinations accessible.

To help the players (and their parents) that have aspirations of playing college soccer we are establishing a college liaison committee. This committee will start generating contacts with college coaches as well as assist college bound players with the recruiting process. The committee will also be in charge of empowering a person to be the Infinity SC college liaison representative of the club.

Emphasizing player development and focus on Long-Term Development has been our focus for the last three years. It will continue to be the emphasis as we move forward as well. But now that our players are maturing (51 Infinity SC girls playing High School Soccer for their respected schools) it is time to provide a higher level of expectation and a road map on how to get there.
Infinity SC is committed to evolving as our players develop.

Any adult with interest, experience, expertise in college recruiting who would like to help with this project are encouraged to email coachjginn@gmail.com so they can be invited to join a College Liaison Committee.

“The future has been written…

…forever futbol!”

-Ginn

51 Infinity SC Girls Represented at four High Schools

2011-09-01T14:27:00.001-07:00

For a complete list of the girls and their coaches click here.
Pictured: Samantha Burton, Infinity SC '97 Premier, Coached By Sherri Dever plays for Mountain Crest High School as a Freshmen

Infinity is trying to change the soccer culture in Northern Utah...

2011-07-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

In an article found in TELEGRAPH NEWSPAPER in England we find an article that expresses the same frustrations that Infinity SC feels as it tries to develop a player development philosophy in Northern Utah.

FA head of elite development Gareth Southgate has his work cut out trying to change the future for football

A couple of years ago, the junior football club with which I was associated took an idea to our local youth league. It was that instead of seven-year-olds playing in seven-a-side matches with referees, baying parents on the touchline and results collated into league position, clubs should organise weekly friendlies at four-a-side.

The philosophy behind it was that without the pressure of parentally-imposed competitive structures, children might more enjoy their football, and, with many more touches of the ball available with fewer players on the pitch, develop their skills. There was nothing non-competitive about it: every child would want to win every game they played.

It would be immodest to claim it as our idea. That’s what they do in Holland, in Spain, in Germany, countries that seem to have a reasonable idea how to produce footballers. But when the proposal was raised, the wannabe Fergusons who made up the committee, those managing their little league sides in neatly pressed tracksuits with their initials on the chest, snorted derision.

“Kids want to see their name at the top of the league in the paper,” one said, to much agreement. In fact, most of the committee members thought it would be a better idea to institute competitive leagues for even younger age groups: “How else will they learn how to win?” When it came to a vote, ours was the only one cast in favour. We lost 23-1.

That, in microcosm, was English football : a latticework of self-interest. Never mind the wider good, what about my medals? And I thought of the episode when I heard that Gareth Southgate, the Football Association’s newly-appointed head of elite development, is touring the country, trying to persuade leagues to adopt a policy of small-sided games for young children. Good luck with that, I suggested when I met up with him earlier this week at the launch of the FA’s coaching licence scheme. There are oil tanker captains with easier jobs turning around their ships.

“Actually, there are signs of encouragement,” he said. “I meet lots of young coaches out there who are forward thinking. Yes, there are others set in their ways, but there’s an acknowledgment we have to catch up with the rest of the world. And to do that, one thing is for sure: we can’t carry on with what we’ve been doing.”

Southgate’s task is not a minor one: it is to create a system which nurtures skill. Presently, among Englishmen aged 18 to 25, only a handful demonstrate ball-playing ability to match their European contemporaries. Actually, it is probably only Jack Wilshere who can hold his head up in international company. It is not much better below that: England’s Under-17s were this week evicted from the World Cup by – who else? – Germany.

Partly the issue lies with the Premier League academies, whose processes are under review. But in many ways the problems have been entrenched before young players arrive at elite clubs.

“The under-17s are at the end of the cycle,” Southgate said. “We need to concentrate right at the start of the process. There are so many steps along the way, there’s no scientific path. But I know this: if we don’t give them the right skill base from five until 10 [years of age] it won’t be there whatever you do thereafter.”

In order to do that, Southgate needs to do nothing less than effect an entire change of culture. Through a programme of coach education, he needs to persuade the self-interested parents and junior officials, vicariously living through their offspring, that they are not serving the best interest of the child. He needs to make things fun, with the emphasis on the development of skill. He needs, in short, to reverse the adultification of junior football.

“Parents and coaches have to understand that their child’s enjoyment, what they can learn from the game as people, in terms of team work, defeat and victory, is more important than anything,” he said.

“I do think we have a major cultural issue. We need to end the way in which the little kid is berated for losing the ball on the edge of the area, or the kid is applauded for hoofing it off the pitch.

“Until we alter that mindset then we’ve got a tough task if we want to produce skilful players. None of this will guarantee us a World Cup-winning team. But I’m dead certain that if we don’t change we’ll never have one.”

And as to the critique that the methodology he endorses promotes non-competitiveness, Southgate has a pertinent rebuttal.

“Look at the Williams sisters, they were brought up in an environment of positive reinforcement of hugs and love, they weren’t allowed to play in tournaments until they were 14. And no one could say they lack the will to win,” he said.

“We are trying to put in place ways to create an environment in which every kid – elite or not – can realise their potential within the game. To make football better for every child who plays it. If we don’t achieve anything else, that’s a worthwhile thing to do.”

Listening to Southgate it occurs to me that the FA seems to have done something unusual: made the right appointment. Only time will tell if anyone is prepared to listen to him.

Soccer America: Youth Insider

2011-06-22T21:21:00.000-07:00

Former U-17 coach Roy Rees: USA should be further along
article can be viewed at www.SoccerAmerica.com

By Mike Woitalla

How many players on the U.S. team currently competing at the U-17 World Cup will make a significant impact on the full national team?

Judging from the average of the previous 13 U.S. teams that have competed at each of the biennial world championships since 1985, the answer would be one.

Roy Rees coached the USA at four U-17 World Cups, from 1987 through 1993. He guided the young Americans to historic victories over Brazil in 1989 and Italy in 1991. After the USA, led by Claudio Reyna, beat Brazil, 1-0, in 1989, Brazil’s coach Homero Cavalheiro said, “The United States deserved to win today. They were better as a team; they were better individually.”

Asked how he imagined the future of American soccer two decades ago, Rees says, “I would have expected it to be further along than it is now. They've done well but could have done much better.

"They have developed a whole bunch of very average players but not the great players you need to get that little bit extra. There's a lack of creative players."

Mike Burns and John O'Brien, who played for Rees in the 1987 and 1993 tournaments, were also among the U-17 alums who had the most success with the full national team.

Rees was succeeded by Glenn Myernick (1995), Jay Miller (1997), John Ellinger (1999, 2001, 2003), John Hackworth (2005, 2007) and Wilmer Cabrera (2009, 2011).

Ellinger's 1999 team, which was the first that went into full-time residency in Bradenton, Fla., finished fourth and remains the only squad to win a knockout stage game. It included Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Oguchi Onyewu and Bobby Convey. That class proved to be an aberration.

Miller’s 1997 squad included Taylor Twellman and Danny Califf, who went on to long pro careers but had limited success with the full national team. Ellinger’s 2001 and 2003 squads included Eddie Johnson and Jonathan Spector, respectively.

Hackworth’s 2005 team included Jozy Altidore and Neven Subotic, now one of the top defenders in the German Bundesliga, but he plays his national team ball for Serbia.

Rees, a Welshman who served as an English FA staff coach and worked for FIFA as an international coaching instructor before taking over the U.S. U-17s, cites many reasons why the USA hasn't made more profound progress in producing exceptional players. Topping the list is an emphasis on athleticism rather than on skill and understanding the game.

"America had the reputation of being better athletically than everyone else, because at the Olympics they ran faster, were stronger, and threw things farther,” he says. “Those are things that have nothing to do with soccer. At the youth level, big, strong and physical may win games. But the smaller players develop skills to combat the big and the physical, and when they get the growth they’re the ones who get the results."

He also warns of the perils of advocating an orthodox approach to player development:

"It was, 'Coach this way, or get out.' There are different ways of developing players, which is obvious when you see how great players have emerged from different countries."

He says that the insight into the game that great players acquire is something that they develop naturally when they're young, not from being told how to play, but by being given the freedom figure the game out.

“What matters is being able to perceive the game, to predict what happens next," says Rees. "They need to be placed in a situation where they can see it for themselves rather than having it laid out for them. That needs to happen at the youngest levels. They need to be allowed to express themselves and not be tied to the coach’s instructions, or they’ll play like robots.”

Now retired and living in Southern California, Rees is watching this U.S. U-17 team on TV. Not judging it by the scorelines, but whether there are within the group some players with that little bit extra that hints of greatness.

* * * *
The USA opened its U-17 World Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic on Sunday with goals by Alejandro Guido and Esteban Rodriguez and late sub Alfred Koroma. In their second Group D game, the Americans face Uzbekistan on Wednesday (4 pm ET, Galavision, ESPN3.com).

Uzbekistan lost its opener, 4-1, to New Zealand, which got a hat trick by Stephen Carmichael. Carmichael, making his first start for the Kiwis, hadn’t been part of the squad during qualifying nor for a pre-tournament tour to Qatar.

Go HERE for U-17 World Cup results and schedule.

(Mike Woitalla, the executive editor of Soccer America, coaches youth soccer for East Bay United in Oakland, Calif. His youth soccer articles are archived at YouthSoccerFun.com.)

Teach Principles, Not Aspects

2011-05-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

by Travis Clements

Travis Clements has been coaching in Cache Valley for the past eight years. Travis admits that when he first started coaching that he was the classic screamer, yeller, win at all costs coach. After his first season with coaching youth soccer he took the USSF D license and recognized the long term affects of how he was coaching were not good. The process of change began. He implemented the E and D license courses into his coaching and, more importantly, attended the USSF Youth in 2006. Five years after this course and three years in to training "the Infinity SC way" he wrote this article. Travis currently coaches very skilled u9 and u10 girls teams and is continuously looking at ways to improve as a coach and a trainer.

As a coach and trainer, there are only so many hours in a day, and only so many hours we have with our kids to teach them how to play soccer. If we want to maximize our time and get the most out of the sessions we have, those sessions need to be age appropriate and centered around universal concepts, which I will call “Principles” of the game.

When we see the professional game on a Saturday, what are we impressed with? As adults, we are naturally drawn to the tactics of the game, the formation used, attacking patterns, spacing and spectacular feats of skill and athleticism. We also have an appreciation of team chemistry, the melding of complimentary players and the unity of the squad. It’s a fallacy to project these aspects of the professional game into youth soccer if we hope to develop players into what we see and admire on the weekend. If we spend our time on these aspects of the game, our players will never get there. Why? They will never develop the foundation of skill and understanding of the game needed to play it at a high level.

Unfortunately the novice coach, as well as the coach who’s focused on immediate team success, invariably chooses to spend their time addressing “aspects” of the game. Aspects of the game are concepts or features of play that are not always true. The most common of these aspects is positional play. Information taught to a player to help them play a certain position, like Goalkeeper or Wing, is not very useful if they aren’t playing that position. Youth players need the efficiency of being trained principles that are *always* useful, saving specialized topics for when the basics are mastered. Common examples of narrow, inefficient training topics include the popular “Through ball.” At youth levels it is more accurately described as a “kick into space” because the players lack the technique and tactical understanding to make it otherwise. Some choose to spend all their time with set plays, restarts, and creating patterns of play in the mold of typical “American” sports. These methods don’t advance the development of players in a positive or efficient way. Some are worse than teaching nothing at all! Consider on defense, teaching players to kick the ball out of bounds to be “safe.” It conditions players to not read the game, to not trust their ability on the ball and confirms a lack of faith in them from coaches, parents, and teammates alike! They are denied the chance to execute technical skills under pressure. Those players become mindless robots, predictable and unable to think quickly or solve problems on the fly. They lack creativity, imagination and flair. How ironic that those traits so valued at the elite level are being systematically trained out of our players in youth soccer!

It’s easy to stand at a distance and be critical, point fingers and detail shortcomings. What is the solution? If we are holding the kids back by spending so much time teaching aspects of the game, what do we do to fix it?

In youth soccer the players must first be taught the founding principles of play. This takes years. Shortcuts taken during this stage of training will haunt the players for the rest of their playing career. Just like we teach addition and subtraction before taking on multiplication and division, (let alone fractions and variables!) we need to lay a foundation of basics before expanding and specializing. Technical skill is universal to the game and is only acquired, refined and mastered through constant contact with the ball. If we want our players to have ball skills and to be comfortable and calm on the ball, we must teach possession and dribbling before we teach passing. Good decision-making is a universal skill that is only acquired, refined and mastered by players when they are placed in situations that require it. They must be allowed to play without fear of failure, a master of their own environment, where the competition of the game and their internal motivation to win drives them to find ways to achieve success. A player who is expected to listen and obey during play is not learning to make decisions or solve problems.

Teaching players to play in positions is not necessarily bad. The correct teaching of positional play needs to begin at its most basic elements, its principles, with every player exposed to every position. It begins with attacking and defending individually, and then expands to include a teammate, then eventually teammates. It’s not about Forwards, Midfielders and Defenders. Good positional play is derived through players addressing questions posed by the game, not in relation to a painted line or an area on the field. Players need to be trained in ways that help them recognize space, pressure and support, regardless of their assigned position. Don’t teach them to play a position; teach them to play soccer!

Shortcuts to immediate success on the scoreboard have unavoidable long-term consequences. We must have the maturity to set aside our egos and adult competitiveness to benefit the kids. The topics needing attention by our youth are seemingly endless: Dribbling, Passing, Movement off the ball, overlapping runs, receiving the ball, first touch, checking into and out of space, communication, attacking the ball in the air, ball striking technique…

Teaching soccer through the principles of the game is a slower, deeper approach that requires patience and a long-term perspective of player development. It requires commitment and humility. It demands that coaches remain a student of the game as well as the craft of coaching. Kids need to develop in a system that is firmly committed to the individual's progress, NOT expected to learn to play a system and sacrifice themselves and their development for the sake of the team.

Travis L. Clements

Infinity Soccer u12 Premier Boys with guest coach Rob Karas: Possession with a Purpose

2011-05-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

Coach Rob Karas, Real Salt Lake's Youth Camp Director, visited Logan and ran three sessions for different Infinity SC teams on Wednesday, May 11th. The first was the following Session with the Infinity SC u12 Premier Boys. Infinity SC coaches were on hand to take notes, get some new ideas and take advantage of the opportunity to work with Coach Karas.

Infinity Banquet: Female Player of the Year, Caitlin McCuskey

2011-05-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

Infinity Banquet: Male Player of the Year Award, Kyler Erickson

2011-05-11T09:38:00.001-07:00

Infinity Banquet: Awards Ceremony

2011-05-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

Infinity Banquet: Male & Female Player of the year, Newcomer Coach of the Year, Male & Female Coach of the Year and Administrator of the Year Awards

2011-05-09T23:09:00.001-07:00

From Infinity SC Banquet May 9, 2011

Infinity Banquet Video: Meet The ODP Player

2011-05-09T23:04:00.000-07:00

Slide show for 2011 Infinity Soccer Club Banquet

2011-05-09T00:53:00.001-07:00

Letter from the Technical Director

2011-05-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

Club, a focus on players

Generating individual players is a top priority in our club. It is what sets us apart from other soccer teams/groups in our community. Even though team success is very important, what’s truly significant is what is happening with each individual in the club that truly makes Infinity SC special.

The ongoing process of developing people over a long period of time is something that the ordinary person understands. We are used to having a curriculum in our education program, piano lessons, scouting programs, skiing and snowboarding programs. If a student is excelling in the second grade, he/she is likely going to be tested to see if they can perform at another level. If an alto sax player is performing poorly at the start and is sitting third chair and suddenly improves they will move up to second and possibly first chair. If child moves from an orange belt to a green belt in Tae Kwon Do, we acknowledge the accomplishment without making his/her peers move up prematurely. In all of these examples, the focus is on the individual, not their group, and each individual is rewarded for their abilities within a curriculum. Why don’t we embrace the same patient scheme with youth sports?

The beauty of our club philosophy, enabled by having multiple teams, a technical director and licensed/experienced coaches, is that we have been through the bumps and bruises of forming teams, enjoying success, only to dissolve (in quality and/or quantity) as the teams mature in age. We understand that players may find themselves jealous of the teammate that moves up a team because they are excelling faster, questioning what their team is going to do without them. Or that also that parents may find their child moving up to be challenged more because all of the sudden they are no longer the star of the team. However, our club is focused on placing each player in the most ideal environment for their development as a soccer player. This, for some reason, is very difficult to grasp and it is our mission to educate and change the culture in our community. We want a club that focuses on player development first, and team success second. I say this openly, knowing very well that winning is important, and that we should be striving to win every time we are placed on the field, but not at the cost of our players development. Winning is secondary to each player’s skill development and decision making abilities. I will not go in to detail about this, but feel free to check my blog for articles that support the philosophy (www.coachginn.blogspot.com).

On Tuesday, March 12th I received a phone call from one of the u11 girl’s parents around 12:45pm. They were stumbling around the District 7 web site and recognized that we had a game in less than five hours. Due to the chaos the weather had brought, we had a game rescheduled without any notice at all. The next six hours were insane, but the commitment to the players that coaches and parents showed was more than just synergetic. We acted like a club determined to make things work, not just for this newly scheduled game, but for each player throughout the club that was affected by this added match.

The scenario was this: two of the u11 girls were already committed to play with the u10 boy’s team at the same time as their new game because the u10 boy’s team had a couple of injured players and a couple of absent players. They needed players, so as a club we provided two u10 girls that were “playing up” at u11 to play with the boys. These two girls helped the boys to a 9-2 win and contributed by scoring two goals and 2 assists. The comment from the u10 coach was that it was nice to be able to plug two players, regardless of gender, and be confident that they will be able to contribute due to similar training and playing styles. The girls train often enough with the boys that the boys are comfortable playing with the two girls while the girls were confident that they could play with the boys as well.

As the u10 boys kicked off so did the girl’s teammates (the u11 girls). They are playing in the u11 boys league this season to be challenged more after running the table in the girl’s league. The beauty of this game was that although they were missing two stronger players (the players that were playing with the u10 boys,) two players from the 2nd u11 team (u11 select girls) were invited. Even though the girls were down 2-0 at the half, the two select girls started over two of the premier girls, they fit in, contributed, and there was no drop in play. The two select girls contributed in an eventual 3-2 win over a very fast and physical independent u11 boy’s team. They train with each other, they compete with each other and they plan to play with each other when they move to 11v11 next year when they are u12 players. It is fun to be involved with these players, teams and coaches. Although the circumstances may not always be ideal, and that the team may suffer on game day at the younger ages, we are seeing individuals nurtured to become quality players that are comfortable playing in every position, on any team, under any circumstance and team players who openly accept the guest players and work with them.

The other amazing part in the chaos of that day was that every player made it to the game with only three hours notice. The parents and coaches among the three teams were great at tracking down player passes, doing the online paperwork to allow the players to use the developmental pass and simply making things happen. When we place the needs of the kids above our own needs, we find out that little miracles happen. Raising a soccer player these days requires players, coaches and parents (especially) to make some major sacrifices. It is not convenient at all to have kids running around. But if anyone saw the girls smiling at half time while they were down 2-0 they will admit that it is all worth it. The girls knew that they had out possessed and out played their opposition. They wanted to be winning, but they knew what they were accomplishing as individuals and as a group. This highly competitive group of players was smiling ear to ear, happy with the way they were playing. They regrouped at half time, were guided in a conversation on how to improve their attack and before we knew it, the opposing side was stunned with a 3-2 loss being handed to them.

On the very same day, another shining moment occurred. I had a training session planned for three other teams at the exact time of these games, but due to the field closures, I had to change it to a street soccer session. I asked a coach that I have been mentoring to help out. He gladly accepted and made it happen. The club unity and synergy was amazing. During this time the u12 Premier boys were training with the u12 Select boys, and the u9 boy’s team impressed everyone watching with their skills and decision making in a loss to a much more physical team.

We often hear the phrase, “it takes an entire village to raise a child,” and in similar fashion it takes a club to create a culture that will develop a player. Over the last three years we have overcome many hurdles in an effort to build a quality premier club for our community. We have changed the culture of youth soccer and continue to be constantly on the cutting edge of U.S. Youth Soccer Association philosophy and curriculum. In an effort to improve our coaches, players and educate the soccer parents we have followed and will continue to follow U.S. Youth Soccer’s BEST PRACTICES manuel while improving our services to our community. We have taken the approach of thinking and researching globally while serving locally. Our community is unique in that we can rally together and build something together if we understand what the potential outcome can be.

We believe that as we all work together, like in the examples above, and help our kids get the appropriate training, our coaches will receive opportunities to continue their coaching education and the club members find ways to volunteer (even in the smallest of ways) that we will continue to lead the charge within our community.

Understanding the many sacrifices it takes from everyone in the club, I am very grateful for the board members that serve diligently to represent the parental and administrative side of our club. They are priceless, and sacrifice countless hours to improve the experience of the players and their families. The coaches are the lifeline of our club; the sacrifices that they make to be on a field with your child are amazing and frequently taken for granted. As parents of the players, you have been outstanding with adapting to the many schedule changes due to weather this spring, and in general our parents make many sacrifices for their children and I applaud them for pulling it off. I can’t even imagine how strenuous it is to get your children everywhere. Last, but not least, the players- all of you work hard, play hard and train hard. I enjoy being part of your development on the soccer field.

As mentioned at the start of this letter, it is Infinity’s goal, as well as mine, to help you fall in love with the game while learning the game. However, I hope that you are learning important life lessons during your experience with Infinity SC that will help you be quality citizens now and forever.

Forever Futbol,

Coach Jeff Ginn, Technical Director

Letter from the Director of Operations

2011-05-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

What an exciting time to be a part of Infinity Soccer Club! It has been almost one year since I was asked to serve as Director of Operations and it has been a great year to be involved with our club. We have explored many options to improve what we offer you, and have asked for your input as we made some decisions.

Overwhelmingly the people that I talked to wanted to stay the course and work together to continue to make something special for our community in Cache Valley. As a result, we are moving forward, proudly wearing our blue and green and working hard to make sure we keep the players first and foremost in every decision we make.
As we get ready to start our spring soccer season I want to list for you just a few of the things we have in the works:

· May 9th we will be getting together as a club to celebrate the year in our annual banquet. This event will be held at the Riverwoods Conference Center, and we are so grateful to Dell Loy Hansen for his generosity in helping us make this happen. Please order your tickets today: http://www.infinitysc.com/banquet.html

· We have formed a relationship with Dr. Matt Rhea and Race Rx to help our athletes become better conditioned with his state of the art, sport specific conditioning programs. We currently have over 100 athletes working with Dr. Rhea and are excited about the overall performance enhancement our kids are experiencing.

· We have approximately 200 recreational players with District 7 signed up for our Infinity Academy during the spring season.

· We are working on a new website with lots of improved functionality. We are targeting rolling it out at the banquet (wish us luck!).

· Our coaches committee is meeting regularly to work on soccer curriculum and planning documents. We are actively planning for the future and the needs of the club.

· And finally we have great parents who are helping us with new marketing ideas and materials. Thanks to Tad Thornton and Ruth Ashton for all of their hard work. Ruth is responsible for this newsletter and I am so very grateful for her help!

Please feel free to contact me at lisa@infinitysc.com with any of your questions or concerns. And please don’t hesitate to let me know if we do something right along the way as well. Best of luck to all of our teams and
players this spring! Go Infinity!

Lisa Godfrey, Director of Operations

Letter from the Infinity President

2011-05-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents:

It’s an exciting time to have your child involved with Infinity SC. We continue to grow and develop as a club and there are obvious signs of a maturing organization. There are a lot of initiatives going on, many of them driven by you. As many of you have discovered, it’s good to get involved, be a part in the development of your children, and share your talents with the others. We all have heard the saying, “Many hands make light work”; this is very true within the club. I thank those who willingly share and encourage us all to be involved in some positive way.

We have wonderful coaches in the club. I attended a coaches meeting recently and was reminded how lucky we are to have such committed people who are willing to coach our kids. It’s also great when we see the efforts of our coaches and trainers pay off. In the words of Sam Snow, “Soccer is sport, winning is fundamentally important”. Recently our U14 boys Premier Team coached by Jeff and Jamie Wood, won the Icebreaker tournament in Mesquite, Nevada. Congratulations U14’s, it’s great to see your success; it instills within the rest of the teams a desire to do the same. Thanks for your leadership!

The board is working on many initiatives to enrich your experience with the club. We have your best interest at heart. You’ll see incremental progress and I’ll share more at a later time. Thank you for being a part of Infinity SC. Let’s make some noise!

Paul Gibbons, President

u6 & u8 Academy with Lady Aggies ~ Benny Hill style!

2011-04-22T12:01:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the USU Women's Soccer team for working with our youth!

Soccer America Magazine 'Whether boys or girls: be consistent, send clear message'

2011-04-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

Two Interviews by Mike Woitalla

INTERVIEW #1
A youth coach for nearly three decades, Theresa Echtermeyer is a director of coaching with Colorado United and also coaches the Mountain Vista High School boys and girls teams. She is a National Staff Coach and Instructor for the NSCAA. Echtermeyer spoke to us for the Youth Soccer Insider's ongoing interview series on key issues facing American youth soccer.

SOCCER AMERICA: If you had a magic wand, how would you use it to improve youth soccer in America?

THERESA ECHTERMEYER: This would have to be a magic, magic wand. I would like to see us all work together more so that we would be supporting our players of all ages and all levels.

You’ve got USYS, the Federation, US Club Soccer. You’ve got recreational, competitive. You’ve got professional, collegiate, high school, youth. There are so many different things that have the potential to pull us apart. Because sometimes when you’re competitive, whether to win a championship or to have players at your club, we forget we’re really all in it together.

SA: As someone who oversees the recreational program at Colorado United/Highlands Ranch Soccer Association, has coached competitive youth ball, W-League, and coaches high school ball -- you’ve been involved in many different areas of the game …

THERESA ECHTERMEYER: What I’ve seen is we really have more opportunities to learn from each other and help each other out, which at the end of the day helps the kids.

The more we share ideas and the more we work together the better it is for our kids. So we should always be asking two questions with every decision we make.

First, “Is this what’s best for the kids?”

Second, “Is this what’s best for soccer in America?”

REST OF INTERVIEW CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING HERE

INTERVIEW #2 Tom Howe helped found St. Louis' Scott Gallagher SC in 1976 and coached future stars such as Tim Ream, Brad Davis and Pat Noonan. One of his alums, Cal coach Kevin Grimes, calls Howe "a legend, one of the best youth coaches ever." Last year, after Scott Gallagher merged with Busch SC and Metro United, Howe left and started a new club, Woodson City Rangers. Howe, a St. Louis product himself who starred at SIU-Edwardsville and played in the old NASL, spoke to us for the Youth Soccer Insider's ongoing interview series with leaders of U.S. youth clubs.

SOCCER AMERICA: If you had a magic wand, how would you use it to improve youth soccer in America?

TOM HOWE: I wish everybody would try and play like Barcelona. If all the clubs across the country did that you’d have some pretty smart players when they hit the ages of 18, 19, 20.

And there’d be more people wanting to watch soccer in this country. Barcelona’s the best team I’ve ever seen. They’re just fun to watch.

Another thing about Barcelona -- they don’t have a lot of these gigantic athletes who everybody wants to get these days.

SA: What’s the key to playing like Barcelona?

TOM HOWE: The ability to play in tight spaces. You spend tons of time playing in small, tight areas, and then when you get on the big field it’s not a big deal.

I think more teams need work on the possession game. All the best teams in the world over the years have been great technical teams – like Spain, Barcelona. Teams like that play the best soccer.

At the youth level, too many people play more to win. My point is, if you teach your kids to play like Barcelona you’re eventually going to win.

SA: But while you’re learning to play like that you might not win …

TOM HOWE: That’s exactly right. Learning to play like that takes a long time, but once you get it, you’re going to be good. The problem is a lot of people don’t have the patience.

You tell your young players don’t boot it no matter how much pressure you’re under. We want you to get good at this. And at a certain age, you know what, they learn how to deal with it.

Look at how many players we have in this country. At this stage we should be a lot better than we are.

SA: Over the years, have you seen American youth teams playing better soccer?

TOM HOWE: At the youth level, I still see a lot of long balls -- not from all teams. There are more and more better teams each year, but I wish more would try to play good soccer.

We play against teams that boot the ball a lot, and they might beat you. But they won’t beat you five years from now.

You’re going to lose until you get to a certain age. Then you get to a certain level you’re going to be really good. You’re going to play the game the right way – and it’s a beautiful game when it’s played right. I don’t think it’s such a beautiful game when it’s played in a different way.

I can hardly watch college soccer except for a couple teams. Akron -- I like watching them play. They play well and they won the national championship playing like that. Why do a couple of teams play like that and nobody else does?

SA: Tim Ream is a remarkably good young American defender in that he relies more on smarts than brawn and keeps possession for his team after he wins the ball. He said you were his biggest influence as a coach in his youth days …

TOM HOWE: He was on one of our last really good [Scott Gallagher] teams. He said that because he learned that at Gallagher, where we made our defenders pass it out of the back. We’d get criticized for passing too much.

I think when you play like that you get good at it. I think that’s the proper way to approach it. Timmy’s just a very good passer out of the back. I think that’s why Timmy’s so calm on the ball. He’s been doing that since he was little.

REST OF INTERVIEW CAN BE VIEWED BY CLICKING HERE

Infinity SC's 2nd Annual Banquet Announced

2011-04-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

The banquet will be held on Monday, May 9th at 6:30 p.m. at the Riverwood Conference Center. Please check your game schedules and make any necessary adjustments so you can be with us.

Tickets will cost $15.00. The event space is being graciously donated by Dell Loy Hansen and Elements will be providing the food. More details on how to purchase the tickets will be forthcoming.

A silent auction will be held. Each team is responsible for providing 3 items for the silent auction. The money raised by the silent auction will be split 50/50 with the teams.

Teams are encouraged to get team sponsors for the event. We will be recognizing those sponsors at the tables and throughout the event space. Team sponsorships will begin at $100.00, but are not limited, so any higher amounts work as well. Teams get 100% of their team sponsorship money.

Any items provided by the board of directors will go directly to the club.

I will be forwarding forms to use for your silent auction items and team sponsorships early next week. I also have a list of businesses in town that have given in the past if anyone needs ideas. Plan on having all silent auction items turned in by Friday, April 29th.

Thanks for all of your hard work and dedication to Infinity Soccer! We are building a unique club that we can all be proud of.

-Lisa Godfrey
Director of Operations

Three Infinity SC Players have been called to U.S. Soccer camp

2011-03-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

Three Infinity Players have been called to a special camp with the U.S. National Coaching staff being held in Utah. Lexi Vance (u15 & u16), Kaitlyn McCusky (u15 & u16) and Annalee Davidson (u14) were all invited to e U.S. Soccer Training Center in the Salt Lake City area. The players profiles can be viewed by clicking here.

Congrats Girls!

A brief description of the camp is below:

U.S. Soccer Training Centers are designed to replicate national team training camps, and as part of creating this type of environment only players and coaches are welcome. Parents are not invited to stay and watch the training session.

As the National Governing Body of soccer in the United States, and under the auspices of the United States Olympic Committee, we are empowered and charged with developing the teams that represent the United States in all international competitions such as the Olympics and World Cup. The Training Center Program is an integral part of this.
process.

US Youth Soccer's Director of Coaching, Sam Snow to visit Infinity Soccer

2011-01-10T14:42:00.000-08:00

In preparation of Coach Sam Snows Visit in January he asked our community and club to review the following video(s) of a presentation he gave to a soccer club and community in Philadelphia.

The presentation is broken down in to 10 minute segments on YouTube. Thank you for taking the time to watch these videos as well as taking the time on the 20th to be in attendance. More info on Coach Snow's visit can be found at www.infinitysc.com

Videos
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

PART 6 is below "more training, less games."

Where there's a Wall, there's a Teammate

2010-06-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

By Claudio Reyna

A player can always improve his fitness by working out hard. He can comprehend certain tactics by studying the game. But how far he goes will be determined mainly by how well he has mastered ball skills. Those are acquired by playing, day after day, year after year.

A player who really wants to excel will spend as much time as possible playing small-sided games when he has playmates, and juggling and kicking against the wall when he's on his own.

I spent a lot of time hitting the ball against the side of the house when I was a growing up. If my mother complained about the noise, I'd hop down the retaining wall at the end of our property to the office-building parking lot.

I'd use that wall -- hitting the ball with both feet, seeing how long I could return the wall's passes without losing control. I found out later that so many pros spent lots of their childhood doing that.

Dennis Bergkamp, the great Dutch striker who scored and set up hundreds of goals for Ajax Amsterdam, Arsenal, and the Dutch national team, said that when he was a youth player at Ajax, they had little three-foot-high walls. He would knock the ball against the walls for hours. Every time he hit the ball, he'd know whether it was a good touch or a bad touch. He'd do it over and over, trying to establish a rhythm.

Whenever I saw Bergkamp slotting a perfectly placed ball past a goalkeeper or making a precise pass, I thought of him practicing against the wall.

Kicking against the wall is an excellent way to work on improving your weaker foot. You can back up and practice shots on goal, or move close to the wall and work on passing, because where there's a wall, there's a teammate.

You can practice trapping and work on your first touch by controlling the ball before you kick it, or hit it back first time.

Passing the ball against a wall from close distance takes timing and coordination. Hit the ball faster, and you've got to react faster and get a rhythm going. It almost feels like you're dancing.

Practicing the correct striking of the ball over and over helps it become second nature. It has to be, because in a game a player doesn't have time to think about his form or approach. Under pressure, everything is more difficult. Mastering technique while playing on your own is the first step to being able to do it right in a game.

(Excerpted from "More Than Goals: The Journey from Backyard Games to World Cup Competition" by Claudio Reyna, courtesy of Human Kinetics.)

(Claudio Reyna was named the U.S. Soccer Federations's Youth Technical Director in April 2010. Reyna played nearly 13 years in the top-tier leagues of Germany (Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Wolfsburg), Scotland (Glasgow Rangers) and England (Sunderland, Manchester City). He represented the USA in four World Cups, and captained the Americans to a quarterfinal run at the 2002 World Cup, where he became the first American selected to the FIFA World Cup all-star team.)

u12 & u13 Select Girls Playing Beach Soccer

2010-06-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

Mission Statement Revised

2010-06-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

Mission Statement: To facilitate individual player development through high quality training, coaching, teamwork and competition.

2010/2011 Infinity Coaching Staff Announced

2010-06-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

Infinity SC is proud to announce our coaching staff fo the 2010/2011 season. Please click here to view the Infinity Coaching Staff.

Infinity Hires Marla Nelson as the Director of Goal Keeping

2010-06-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

Infinity Hires Marla Nelson as the Director of Goal Keeping

Infinity is excited to announces that we have hired a professional and experienced Director for our Goal Keepers. Marla nelson is the Graduate Assistant at Utah State University and specializes in training the Aggie Goal Keepers. Marla will be responsible for developing and implementing the Goal Keeper Training Program. Specifically creating a curriculum for each age group as well as hiring/assigning goal keeper trainers that will help implement the program. To view Marlas profile, click here.

Goal Keeper training at Elk Ridge Park with Marla Nelson is now available - see the schedule

Infinity Soccer in The Herald Journal

2010-05-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Infinity has taken Cache Valley by storm
By Jason Turner

It's only been two years, but the Infinity Soccer Club has taken Cache Valley by storm.

The non-profit organization is already one of the largest soccer clubs in the Beehive State as 29 teams, consisting of athletes from approximately 300 families, compete under the Infinity name. Those 29 teams consist of boys and girls ranging from the ages of 4-19.

There are currently 20 coaches - all are licensed or are working on their licensing through the United States Soccer Federations (USSF) - associated with Infinity, four paid professional coaching directors and a seven-person board, which meets once a month and deals with the financial and business side of the club.

Because it was still green compared to other clubs around the state, Infinity is still evolving, but its primary objective will never change.

"Our real goal is to instill a passion for the game and a love for the game that (the youth will) want to continue to play and compete and represent their high schools and represent this community through their high schools, as well as reach the potential of possibly getting college scholarships if that's something they aspire to," said Jeff Ginn, the club's technical director.

Because Infinity - which basically originated when Soccer Academy and Valencia combined resources - has become the valley's biggest club so quickly, there have been concerns expressed by others in the community. Ginn is quick to stress he understands why people would be skeptical, but wants to dispel those misconceptions.

"There are people out there who look at us as a bad thing, and I can understand because there are a lot of clubs throughout this country that give club soccer a real bad name," he said. "We are not heavily into recruiting players and going and picking up players and doing those things that usually give clubs a bad name.

"... We want our product to speak for itself. We want people to understand who we are and what we're about."

The other big notion Ginn hopes to dispel is Infinity is an "exclusive club," and one that just cares about winning.

All youth from the valley are welcome to try out for one of the teams, and those tryouts, which happen every spring and fall, are currently taking place and will continue through June 4. As far as being obsessed with winning, Ginn said this is simply not true, particularly at the younger ages, where player development is by far the most important thing.

In fact, Infinity's Mission Statement reads: (Infinity's goal is) to facilitate individual player development through high quality training, coaching, teammate and competition.

"The beauty of the club is that we no longer care so much or focus so much on winning at all costs, which is quite frequently a big concern at the youth levels," Ginn said. "And our goal from the ages 8 to about 13 years old is to develop elite players that love the game, so when they get to 14, 15, 16, 17 and older, they're elite players that can play and dominate in the high school level, and if they so desire, earn a college scholarship."

Infinity is essentially broken down into three age groups/tiers, starting at the Academy Soccer level (ages 4-9). The primary focus with this age group is to teach the kids the fundamentals and skills of the sport and develop a love for the game.

The other two age groups, the Infinity Elite (ages 10-12) and Infinity Soccer Club (ages 12-19), are more geared for those who have the aspirations and skills needed to compete at district and state levels. Those in the oldest groups are involved in Utah State Cup competition, where they play in a league featuring the top club teams in the state - premier being the highest division.

Teams that are successful at that level earn the right to compete in regional and, in some cases, national tournaments.

As is the case with other clubs, Infinity players pay monthly dues, the cost of which is determined by age and the level of play. Club fees are always a dicey subject, and Ginn insists Infinity does its best to cut costs "without damaging the product."

In years past, many of the top players from the valley traveled to the Ogden, Salt Lake and Provo metropolitan areas to play on long-established club teams like La Roca, Sparta, Rangers and Storm. With the formation of Infinity, Ginn is confident similarly-skilled players can now stay in the valley and receive the same training and opportunities.

"Our ultimate goal is to provide the service so (the elite players) don't have to travel down there," Ginn said.

Over the past two years, Infinity has proven it can compete with those bigger metro clubs. In the spring of 2009, Infinity had a pair of teams (a U11 and U12 girls squad) advance to the finals of State Cup competition.

Three Infinity teams - a U11, U12 and U13 girls squad - are currently alive in spring State Cup competition and have advanced to the quarterfinals.

Some other Infinity teams have recently enjoyed a great deal of success outside the valley, including a Travis Baxter-coached U15-16 girls squad (champions of the Las Vegas Mayors Cup), the Caleb Cowley-coached U13 girls squad (runners-up at Presidents Cup in St. George) and a Jeff Woods-coached U13 team that ended up winning the Presidents Cup.

Infinity also helps give elite local players the opportunity to be a part of the prestigious Olympic Development Program (ODP). The ODP program is the starting point for the U.S. Soccer Federation in determining the national team pool, and who represents the country in the Olympics and World Cup, should they qualify.

There are currently 14 Infinity players who represent the Utah ODP team at their respective age group, and they are Stacy Bair, Jordan Houston, Jessica Brooksby, Kaitlyn McKuskey, Rebecca Jenson, Madilyn Klein, Taylee Halverson, Kylie Griffin, Kyler Erickson, Anna Davidson, Breanna Sims, Lexi Sims, Demi Lopez and Brynnlee Welch.

Bair and Brooksby are currently in the Region III - the country is divided into four regions, and each region has about 60 kids in its pool - pool, and Bair recently became the first valley player to receive an invitation to the National Development Camp. Bair, a sophomore at Sky View, was one of 80 kids in her age group selected for the national pool. Approximately 18-22 players are selected to the ODP state team at each age group.

Simply put, Infinity has helped local players earn respect and recognition from the rest of the state. Ginn recalled talking to an aunt who recently moved from New Jersey to Draper. That aunt has a son who expressed interest in playing club soccer, and when she told the coaches in the Draper area who her nephew was, she received some positive feedback.

"And he pretty much just (told her), ‘Infinity has given Logan an identity at the state level,'" Ginn said. "... We've been watching the athletes of Logan come in and do really well, but it seems like they finally have a focus and a large-term aspect to their community.' But it was a big compliment when ... the state soccer teams and clubs acknowledge Logan and Cache Valley and that the first thing they think of is Infinity soccer."

Another one of Infinity's primary focuses is teaching parents proper soccer etiquette and helping them become better "adult learners," which is a phrase coined by the USSF. Ginn described "adult learners" as parents who have a desire to learn the game and adapt to USSF guidelines and suggestions.

"At all sports, you see coaches and parents telling the kids what to do all the time, where to go, how to get there," Ginn said. "You here the words, ‘send it, shoot it,' so many times that the kids stop thinking on their own and they don't know how to make decisions for themselves.

"... (Our goal) is to teach them that the kids are smart, they'll figure it out."

Something else Ginn and Infinity hopes to accomplish is to unify the soccer community. When Ginn, a native of Orange County, Calif., moved to the valley a few years ago, he felt there was a bit of a division among those from the north and south ends of the community. The former Iowa Western Community College assistant coach - Ginn helped lead the Lady Reivers to a gaudy 70-9-6 record in his four seasons at the school - endeavors for players and coaches from all around the valley to "be working on the same page, have some synergy."

On the flip side, Ginn also feels club soccer has fewer issues here than the bigger metro areas in the state.

"One of the reasons why a choose to come to Logan or to accept this position was because I knew if we got in here and got organized that we could change the culture without a lot of conflict, because there was no major club in here winning all the time and preaching something other than developmental soccer," he said.

Another thing that appealed to Ginn about Cache Valley was its enthusiasm for the sport. Recent studies have suggested the valley has the nation's highest per capita rate of soccer players under the age of 13. Ginn went on to praise District 7 for doing "an amazing job of facilitating soccer for our rec programs," and for trying to adapt to USSF's policies and suggestions.

Perhaps more than anything, though, Ginn wants people to realize that Infinity's end game is to promote soccer as a life sport.

"Soccer is a life sport," Ginn said. "You go throughout this world and you see 60, 70-year-old men and women playing soccer still, and it's because they love the game. They may not have the mobility, but they can still play it.

"... It promotes healthy living, it promotes activity lifestyles. And with the obesity and everything that's going on with our culture, soccer can make such a difference."

Other directors for the club are Sherri Dever (Director of Coaching), Marla Nelson (Director of Goalkeeping) and Lisa Godfrey (Director of Operations). For more information about Infinity, go to www.infinitysc.com.

The original article can be found at: http://news.hjnews.com/sports/article_0688f02e-695d-11df-a7e9-001cc4c03286.html

Infinity welcomes MLS Cup to Riverwoods

2010-02-25T14:44:00.001-08:00

By Jason Turner
sports writer

When the MLS Cup Tour makes its way through Cache Valley on Friday, representatives of Real Salt Lake - the reigning champions of Major League Soccer - will be there to make the experience extra special for several local youngsters.

Not only will the MLS Cup be displayed at five different elementary schools in the valley, it will exhibited for an extended period of time at an auction and dinner hosted by Wasatch Property Management and the Infinity Soccer Club.

The Cup can be seen by the public starting around 3:30 p.m., and the silent auction is scheduled from 4:30-6 at the Riverwoods Conference Center. Following the auction, Infinity SC - a non-profit organization home to 29 teams from the valley - will host a dinner from 6-8:30 p.m. Cost for the dinner is $20 and is open to the general public.

Jeff Ginn, technical director of Infinity, developed a friendship with RSL employee Scott Reynolds several years ago when Ginn was the head soccer head at Iowa Western Community College. Reynolds, RSL's sales manager, and Ginn were reunited when Ginn moved to Utah, and the professional soccer club and Infinity have formed quite the partnership ever since.

"When I moved back to Utah, we ran into each other again and reunited those ties, and so we've had a good relationship," Ginn said. "Scott Reynolds and I have had a really good relationship over the few years.

"... They've just really bent over backwards to be part of Infinity and reach out to our club. They've been very accommodating for us."

Those who attend the dinner will receive a Real Nation T-shirt, a ticket voucher for RSL's homer opener against the Seattle Sounders on April 10, and will have their picture taken with RSL's mascot, Leo the Lion, and the club's three trophies.

The other two trophies are the Eastern Conference Championship Cup and the Rocky Mountain Cup. RSL captured the Rocky Mountain Cup by winning the 2009 season series with the rival Colorado Rapids.

All proceeds from the auction - select items will also be auctioned off at the dinner - will go to Infinity. The club will use a lot of the money it raises to help parents with monthly dues, Ginn said, and Infinity plans on donating a portion of it to District 7 of the Utah Youth Soccer Association. Infinity also plans on using a portion of it to improve soccer fields and equipment in the valley.

Real Salt Lake has aided Infinity in its fundraising efforts before, and plans on contributing at least $10,000 to the cause, according to Infinity's Web site, www.infinitysc.com.

"Each team has the liberty of doing their own fundraising activities, from cleaning the Spectrum, from selling items like Fat Boy Ice Cream, so a lot of different individual team things happen," Ginn said. "We did one other thing with Real Salt Lake last summer. We had an Infinity Day, where we got a percentage of the tickets that we sold and our kids got to go play on the field during halftime and we got to walk out with the (RSL) players holding their hands in the pre-game, so there's a really neat tie with Real Salt Lake and Infinity Soccer already."

The fact that Bill Manning, president of RSL, will be a guest speaker at the dinner would attest to this. Ginn praised Manning, saying hearing him speak makes the cost of the event more than worthwhile.

In addition to honoring RSL's breakthrough 2009 season, the event will focus on the recent achievements of Infinity players. Each team will recognize an offensive and defensive MVP, plus give out a "Forever Futbol Award" and name a most improved player.

Infinity enjoyed a lot of success in 2009 as several of its teams did well in State Cup competition and 14 of its players were selected to the Olympic Development Program (ODP) pool at the state level. All of those players, plus coaches and board members will be honored Friday.

In addition to Manning, Sky View sophomore Stacy Bair will speak at the dinner. Bair, a mainstay in the regional ODP pool, recently returned from Coral Springs, Fla., where she was invited to attend the prestigious National ODP Development Camp.

Those interested in the event, Infinity members or not, can purchase tickets by calling Celeste at 750-5151or by visiting the Elements Restaurant.

Ginn made it a point to thank Wasatch Property Management, the Riverwoods Conference Center and the Elements Restaurant for making this event a reality.

SV’s (and Infinity's) Bair invited to a prestigious national camp

2010-02-16T15:56:00.000-08:00

Stacy Bair has dreams of playing soccer at a very high level, including aspirations of one day suiting up for the U.S. National team.

As lofty as that might appear, the Sky View sophomore certainly appears to be on the right track.

Bair received some big news recently when she was invited to represent Region IV at the National Development Camp Feb. 16-20 in Coral Springs, Fla. Bair left Cache Valley at 3 a.m. today for the Sunshine State.

Only 17 players from Region IV — which consists of 12 western states — were invited to attend this development camp for the U16 National team, and Bair is believed to be the first one ever from Cache Valley, according to Bair’s mother, Janet, and local club soccer coach Robson Chaves.

Needless to say, Bair is ecstatic for the opportunity to join such a select group of players. Bair caught word of the invitation when Janet Bair received an e-mail from Joyce Bordley, the girls administrator for Region IV’s Olympic Development Program (ODP).

“I was really excited,” Stacy Bair said. “I was a little nervous because I didn’t know if anybody that I knew would be going ... but then I found out that there were a couple people that I know who are going to the same camp, so I would be fine.”

Bair caught the attention of scouts for the camp by showcasing her ability at the Region IV ODP Championships, Jan. 16-19 in Phoenix. The striker played for the Utah 94 team and was a big reason the squad from the Beehive State advanced to the championship match.

During Utah’s five matches, Bair scored three goals and assisted on two others. Utah battled perennial power California South tooth and nail twice in the tournament, losing 1-0 in group play and in the finals.

Fellow Sky View forward Jessica Brooksby was also on the team, which notched victories over New Mexico (2-1) and Washington (5-0) after a tough 2-1 setback to Arizona.

Brooksby, a freshman, also played well in Phoenix, scoring a goal en route to being named to the 94 all-tournament first team.

Bair also played on the 94 squad a year ago, helping it advance to the championship match, as well. That team was handily beaten by California South 4-1 for the title, but Utah was a lot more competitive this time around.

The Richmond native credited better team cohesion and new head coach Heather Cairns and her staff for Utah 94’s improvement.

“I think that we just had better organization than we did last year, and the coaching was better this year, I thought,” Bair said. “And we played more as a team because we got to know each other better than last year.

“Because it was all kind of just put together (last year) and we didn’t know each other that well, but this year was a lot better, I felt.”

Joining Bair at the national camp is fellow Utah 94 teammate Maris Hamblin (Lone Peak), and Juan Diego products Monique Morrison and Victoria Shimkus. Morrison and Shimkus both played for Utah 93 at the recent ODP tournament, and all four players are in the Region IV ODP pool for their respective age groups.

As a sophomore for Sky View, Bair was one of the 4A’s most dangerous strikers. Bair led the Bobcats in goals and assists with 11 and seven, respectively.

Bair’s success has led to opportunities to attend several camps throughout the country, in addition to the national camp. The costs involved with Bair’s soccer endeavors are starting to take their toll, however. As a result, the Bair family is looking for local businesses to help sponsor the camps.

“You want to give them every opportunity to succeed,” said Janet Bair, who made it a point to thank all of those who have helped fund Stacy’s trips.

The original article can be found by clicking here.

USU Autographs for Infinity Soccer

2010-02-03T17:30:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday, January 26th the U10 Girls were invited to come 20 minutes early, to their scheduled training session, to watch the Utah State University Aggies Women's Soccer team finish up training. The young Infinity Girls were captivated by the speed and intensity that the Lady Aggies were demonstrating right in front of them. The lady Aggies were intense, focused and skilled. It was fun for coaches, players and some parents to see what the college level of training is like.

The opportunity to meet someone that you admire, or find a new hero is priceless. As the Lady Aggies completed their training, the Infinity girls waited patiently to receive autographs from the finest soccer players in our community.

Not only do the Lady Aggies get to feel like rock stars to ten your old girls that admire them for 15 minutes, they get the recognition that they deserve. It is our hope as the premier soccer club in Cache Valley to continue to build a strong relationship with the USU Soccer program.

Much thanks to the Lady Aggies, Coach, Heather Cairns, Coach Josh Walters, Coach Marla Nelson and the USU staff that has made it possible for us to use the Stan Laub Center.

THE OFFSEASON: Recommended Backyard Games

2009-12-30T16:05:00.001-08:00

By Mike Singleton

The offseason is near, so here are ways players can work on their skills on their own. …

1. Juggling
a) Juggle the ball with all parts of your body (left and right sides). Try not to have more than five consecutive juggles with the same body part (i.e., feet, head, etc.).
b) Juggle with a friend or friends in a similar fashion to the basketball game “HORSE” — the player who drops the ball gets a letter.
c) Play one-touch or two-touch juggling with your friends, earning letters for drops.

How to Juggle video:

2. One-vs-One
a) Only use one foot — the ball cannot touch your other foot.
b) Have a goal (or a cone) which you can score upon from all sides.
c) Same as b, but have the same goal for both players.
d) Have two goals for each player, one on an end line and one on a sideline.
e) Have three goals for each player, one on an end line and one on each sideline.

3. Wall Soccer
Just kick a ball against a wall using both your left foot and right foot. Place hard shots against the wall (with accuracy and force). Try doing this three-touch, then two-touch, then one-touch. This game helps with trapping/receiving, positioning, striking of a ball with both feet, foot speed, being on toes, and concentration.

It also will improve your passing/shooting accuracy because of the high number of touches you will have on the ball and the high number of balls you play against the wall.

Vary your shots - high, low, left, right, inside foot, outside foot, instep, etc., and make yourself work at a high pace to get your body behind the ball before it rolls past you. Get closer to the wall to improve foot quickness and move further away to increase lateral quickness.

Video on using the wall:

4. Own the Ball!
Just you competing for possession of one ball (through shielding) with one other person. If you lose possession, do whatever you have to do get the ball back as quickly as possible. Correct shielding technique — body sideways, arm providing protection, ball on outside foot, knees bent, turning as defender attacks, using feel to understand where defender is going.

5. 2v2 or 2v1 Games
Any 2v2 and 2v1 drills or games will be extremely useful. The entire game can be broken down into 2v2 or 2v1 situations. The more skilled you are at these, the more success you will have in the larger game. Playing combination passes is key!

6. Paired Tag
Pair players up, giving each pair two balls. One player starts and is given a two-second lead to break away from his/her partner. The chaser (”it”) dribbles after the first player and tries to tag him/her with his/her hand. If tagged, the roles reverse and the player who was previously “it” has two seconds to break away before their partner tries to tag them. Players must always dribble their soccer ball during this activity.

7. Marbles
Players are in pairs, each with a ball. One player plays out his ball and the partner passes his own ball in an attempt to strike the ball his partner played out. Players should keep track of how many times they hit their partner’s ball. This game should be fast-paced, because players take turns at trying to hit each other’s ball without ever stopping.

If Players 2 misses Player 1’s ball, then Player 1 immediately runs to her own ball and tries to hit Player 2’s ball (Player 2 does not get to touch his ball after missing Player 1’s ball). After Player 1 has a chance, then Player 2 immediately tries to hit player 1’s ball right back. etc.

This game is continuous and players should keep score.

(Hint: If two balls are lose to each other, a player should kick his/her ball hard at the other ball so that when they hit it, it is more difficult for the other to hit their ball back).

A video demonstrating soccer Marbles:

8. Soccer Tennis
With a partner, set up two 10×10 grids that are separated by a net (or a line, couple of bags, string tied to bags - something serving as a net). Just as in tennis, players play the ball (though with their feet) into the other’s grid and the ball must bounce once in that grid. If the receiving player(s) allows the ball to drop twice, the server earns a point. Receiving players can play volleys. Limit your touch count to two- or three-touch.

Soccer Tennis Video:

9. SLAM
Get a partner or partners and play against a wall (or turn over a bench). Use one-touch to kick the ball against the wall.

Turns alternate between partners. Players earn a letter if the ball goes over the bench or goes wide of the bench/wall until they spell “SLAM.” Once they spell “SLAM” they are out of the game.

A video demonstrating SLAM:

(Mike Singleton is the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association’s Head State Coach and Director of Coaching. He is a Region I ODP Senior Staff Coach and a U.S. Soccer and US Youth Soccer National Staff Coach. This article first appeared in Mass Youth e-News.)

Other articles focused on improving skills outside of practice include:

Getting Kids To Play On Their Own

Practicing Solo: The 720 Challenge

Improving skills on your own: wall play

Getting players to juggle

Skill Priorities - The four letter word of soccer: KICK

2009-12-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

Skill Priorities
Everyone knows that the game of soccer has a number of basic skills, or techniques, that players have to learn, such as dribbling, receiving passes, making passes, shooting and heading. Players also have to learn to make good decisions during the game, such as when to dribble, when to pass, and to whom to pass. These players’ decisions are referred to as tactical decisions.

Skill Factor Video containing break down of skills and live footage of the best soccer players in the world. (this is a long video in high definition, to watch it without if having to buffer freuently press play now, once it gets going press pause. The finish reading the article and watching the video below and come back to it. I highly recommend this video as a stocking stuffer or as a gift this holiday season.)

The first principle of soccer development is that players should master the basic techniques before they can learn the tactical side of the game. Technique before tactics! Think of techniques as vocabulary, and tactics as the grammar rules for forming sentences and paragraphs. Now, imagine a young immigrant who arrives in America without a word of English. It’s pretty obvious that before we can teach this immigrant about the rules for joining nouns, verbs, and adverbs to form a sentence, we have to give him a chance to accumulate enough vocabulary. The bigger his vocabulary, the better will he be able to use grammar to articulate his thoughts.

In terms of soccer development, your child is just beginning his/her ‘schooling’. We use the word ‘schooling’ here because there are many similarities between a regular school and a youth club, which can be considered as essentially a soccer school. In fact, as you might have already noticed, throughout this letter we will be using many analogies from real life schooling and the principles of growing up to explain the rationale behind the program.

As far as techniques are concerned, some techniques should be taught before others. The first technique that children should learn is dribbling. The ability to dribble is absolutely critical since dribbling is the foundation skill and preparation for all the other fundamental techniques of soccer, such as receiving, passing and shooting. When players are receiving the ball and making preparation touches prior to passing or shooting, they are essentially engaged in a mini-dribble. Young players need to learn to dribble within a variety of playing situations, such as dribbling forward unopposed, changing speed and direction with the ball, shielding the ball from opponents, dribbling past an opponent, and dribbling to get away from pressure. A limited ability to dribble leads to a limited range of passing or shooting. There are also times in the game, when the player with the ball has no passing options and the only way out of tight pressure is to dribble.

Aside from the fact that dribbling forms the foundation for all the other skills, there are many other reasons why we need to focus on dribbling at U-6/U-8. First of all, it takes years to become a comfortable and confident dribbler. Players have to learn to combine body control, agility, coordination and balance with the mechanics of dribbling and the sooner they start, the better. Just like any complex bio-mechanical skill such as skating or gymnastics, the later you start, the harder it is to achieve perfect form. Secondly, the process of learning to dribble involves trial and error. At first, the players’ rudimentary attempts at dribbling will often result in failure as they discover the contrast between a soft touch and a hard touch on the ball. The players will slowly develop a ‘feel’ for the ball as they experiment at controlling and propelling it. Young players don’t get discouraged easily if they don’t succeed. Players of this age do not possess the analytical thought process to look back or think ahead. They live for the moment, inSome of you might ask “but what about passing?” Isn’t soccer a team game and passing a fundamental team skill? Passing implies an intention by a player to direct the ball accurately towards a teammate. It implies decision making. Do not confuse passing with kicking. Kicking means using the feet to propel the ball in a certain direction. You will not see any passing in a U-6 game, and very little in a U-8 game. Passing is simply beyond the ability of U-6 the here and now, and the fact that the last time they tried to dribble it didn’t work will not even enter their minds. But if we wait for the players to mature before we emphasize dribbling, many of them will lose their confidence if they do not succeed and will become reluctant to dribble. Thirdly, In 3v3 and 4v4 play, the fields are so small that dribbling is always an option since the ball is always just a few yards away from shooting range. Once the game moves to the larger sized fields, dribbling becomes less effective on it’s own and must be combined with passing to get the ball from point A to point B. And lastly, it’s better to go through the process of trial and error when game results are not important and standings are not kept. At the U-10 and older ages, game results assume more importance, making it hard for the parents and coaches to show patience and tolerance for mistakes, and putting added pressure on players to ‘get rid of the ball’ rather than risk losing it. Once games become competitive, the resultant environment is not ideal to start learning how to dribble.

Kicking is NOT a Soccer Skill!!!
Most coaches and parents of beginner players unknowingly emphasize the wrong skills. In a typical U-6/U-8 club play, the players are encouraged by both the parents on the sidelines and the coaches to ‘boot’ the ball up the field. Shouts of “get rid of it!” and “kick it!” are all too common. The further forward a player kicks, they louder the cheers. Players are so indoctrinated to ‘kick it forward’ that very few of them dare to get out of pressure by dribbling. The fact is that the players are asked to execute a skill (kicking) that they would automatically learn anyway as they grow up, even if they didn’t play soccer. If you don’t believe it, just go outside to your back yard, place a ball on the ground, take a few steps back, run up to the ball and kick it forward. I am willing to bet you that, even if you never played soccer in your life, you would still succeed in kicking the ball forward. Your kick might look awkward and your movement lack grace, but you still would manage to kick it forward.

The reality is that players are controlled like puppets by the adults to such an extent that they are not thinking for themselves and are afraid to do anything but kick the ball. Even throw-ins are routinely thrown straight to the other team by confused players who are conditioned to play the ball forward, no matter what. The kick-offs are no better, with players kicking the ball straight to the other team, American football style. Players who clearly have plenty of time on the ball with no pressure anywhere near, are still kicking it forward without any thought or skill. And this type of mindless play is usually not corrected by the coaches and is allowed to occur time and again. The end result is that we are ‘coaching’ the skill of dribbling OUT of the players. We take away the natural ‘comfort’ with the ball - forever!

Let’s be frank here. The underlying issue has to do with how you, the adults, look at the game and analyze it. It’s fair to say that you all accept that results at U-6 and U-8 do not matter and that there is no need to keep standings. But you also instinctively know that the easiest way to get the ball from point A to point B is to kick it in that direction. It’s hard for you to watch your child lose the ball in front of his own goal and for the other team to score. So, the next time your child has the ball in his/her half, you can’t help it and shout “kick it!”. But every time they kick it, they lose another opportunity to learn to dribble. The buzz word of our program is: ‘Soft first Touch’. Every time your player goes to the ball, his/her first touch on the ball should be a soft one, meaning, NO KICKING!

Some of you might ask “but what about passing?” Isn’t soccer a team game and passing a fundamental team skill? Passing implies an intention by a player to direct the ball accurately towards a teammate. It implies decision making. Do not confuse passing with kicking. Kicking means using the feet to propel the ball in a certain direction. You will not see any passing in a U-6 game, and very little in a U-8 game. Passing is simply beyond the ability of U-6 and most U-8 players. In terms of the level of difficulty, kicking is the easiest to learn, dribbling is next, and passing is the hardest to master for young players. Think of dribbling as ‘passing to oneself’. If players cannot pass to themselves, how can they be expected to pass to a teammate 15 yards away? What young players do is actually kick, not pass, and the cheers they hear from you when they kick only serve to reinforce this bad habit. For this reason, we ask you to stop shouting to your players to Kick the ball. If game results truly don’t matter, no one should be overly concerned if a player tries to dribble and loses the ball. First touch must be a SOFT TOUCH.

SOFT TOUCH VIDEO:

Infinity Director, Sherri Dever, Recognized in US Youth Soccer Blog

2009-10-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on the National Youth License Course
By John Thomas, the Assistant Technical Director for US Youth Soccer.

The below article can be found on the US Youth Soccer Blog. Click Here.

I just completed a National Youth License course in Sandy, Utah in August and had a discussion with one of the candidates who passed the course. I wanted to know her thoughts and any insight she might want to share. Here is what coach Sherri Dever, director of coaching for Infinity Soccer Club in Utah, had to say.

"JT, you asked for me to share some thoughts after participating in the National Youth License course held in Sandy, Utah, in August. After attending other U.S. Soccer licensing courses, I found this course to be similar in format, class work, field sessions, testing and instructors. I think the format was good in its progression, starting with younger age groups (U-6 to U-8) and progressing to older ages (up to U-12). I found the characteristics of each age group helpful, especially when we were actually on the field with the players and had hands-on experience with each of the different age groups. It was good to have to dig deep and let yourself think on a child's level, participate with the players and have some fun.

The age appropriate exercises were really accurate, and I can attest to this with a personal experience. During the final testing I had a session assignment for 10 to 12-year-olds. Because children that age did not show up to participate in testing I was left with 7 to 8-year-old children to try to run my topic with. These younger kids really struggled with the exercises. Had this not been a test, with an outlined session already written out on paper to turn in to my instructor, I would have adjusted it to fit their needs, as this is what I do every day at training. It is important that we are able to adapt to fit the needs of the players involved. Hopefully, this didn't cause me to fail my testing topic, as the instructor did mention that it didn't seem to flow well. I was frustrated that I was put into this situation as the exercises were too complex for the age group. This was a good example to me that we need to do age appropriate exercises with our players. I enjoyed the field sessions and games that were presented. It is always good to get new training ideas and always be a student of the game, at any license level."

Dever really helped out a lot at the course by videotaping the goalkeeper session Greg Maas, technical director for Utah, put on, as well as the daily candidate's sessions with the players.

Dever really seemed to enjoy watching our guest coach Masao Naykayama, from Japan's Youth National Staff, who attended the course to observe our teaching methods and run a U-12 possession section. I also enjoyed the session. It really reinforced the coaching style and methodology we use when training and developing our youth players. Dever is correct when she stated that there are many coaches who ignore goalkeeper training. Coaches can overlook the goalkeeper because of a lack of knowledge on what to do to train them, or more frequently because there are 10-14 other players that take up the focus during training time. Maas ran the goalkeeper session. Maas' style gave all watching many ideas on incorporating the whole team and simple activities that could be done by an individual or in pairs. Thanks for the comments Sherri, and I look forward to seeing you and the other coaches from your class on the field.

For more information on the National Youth License click here.

Sideline Policy

2009-09-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

Utah Youth Soccer Association (UYSA) has a sideline policy for games. Please view the image and read the information below to better understand where to park that lawn chair at games. Only those with coaching passes and players passes may enter the team area. Team managers are also allowed to visit the team area when medical attention is needed or the coaching staff asks them to enter for a brief moment.

Explanation of the diagram: The Sideline/player area is as follows, Team A and their parents will be on the same sideline. The team bench will be on the assistant referee side of the field. Team B and their parents will be on the same sideline as well, and the team bench will be on the same sideline as the assistant referee.

We continue to get great feedback from opposing coaches, clubs and referees that our parents are well behaved and understand that the game is an opportunity for the players to play, coaches to coach and parents/fans to cheer. We repeatedly hear from UYSA and other club directors, board and staff members that our club has some of the best sideline behavior and well educated parents in the state. Thanks for setting the standard and letting our kids PLAY.

"Experiment, Take Risks, and Be Creative"

2009-09-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

What this means and why...

Children that are allowed to experiment, take risks, and be creative with a soccer ball develop the most gifted soccer skills. Unlike other countries, the United States treats youth soccer players as if they are "robots" in the words of Eric Wynalda. Many children in the United States lack the idea of creativity in the game of soccer. They are taught to defend, pass, and shoot. There is a middle game between those three important topics... space and freedom. To pass and shoot a player needs space on the field, weather the space be 6 inches or 30 yards. Creating this space is easiest when a player is extremely comfortable with the ball at his or her feet. Quick touches, tight spins, sharp turns and instantly generated ideas can get players out of tough situations. This also seems to be what is enjoyed the most by the youth soccer players as well as any other player or spectator of the game.

Eric Wynaldas "robot" statement:

Eric Wynalda has a dream of changing the way soccer is coached and played in the United States. Eric believes, that players need to develop personalities and their own style. Players should not be over-coached, play like robots or move from team to team in search of the “perfect fit”. The perfect fit is found collectively in a group of players who are loyal to each others development and the team’s progress.

Coaching Parents About Playing Time Decisions

2009-09-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

By Jenifer Miller

Midway through a losing U-11 season, I decided to play for results with the rationale that it was more important to achieve a team success than it was to satisfy the whims of parents who counted their daughter’s playing time on a stop watch. Down three goals at halftime, the girls chipped away at their opponent’s lead and with 15 minutes left we were tied and on fire. A minute before the whistle blew, our opponent scored and we lost another heartbreaker. Nonetheless, I left the field proud of the girls’ play and the way they left everything on the field for their team.

Less than 24 hours after our best game yet, I received calls and e-mails from five different parents inquiring about the lack of playing time their child received the previous day. As it turned out, most kids played at least half the game...but who’s counting?

As coaches, we’ve all received those calls and when we do, we wonder how parents think that the playing time of their child is more important than the results of the team. As a U-12 travel coach, I believe that kids and their parents should understand that fair and equal are two different things. Fair is a term used to describe just or appropriate actions within a particular set of circumstances. Equal refers to a specified quantity. If we consider playing time as “fair” for an individual, referring to an amount of time that she plays that is more or less equal to the rest of her teammates, then it may not be “fair” to the team, especially if the child is not performing well during the game or at practice.

For the younger ages, I believe that playing time should be distributed on a more or less equal basis to provide the maximum opportunity to develop all players, not only the best kids. Even at that level, however, coaches still need to balance the good of the team with the developmental needs of the individual players. Sometimes a coach will play a child with stronger skills, more stamina and a better understanding of the game than a child who is still working to improve upon those skills. Is it equal? No. Is it fair? In my opinion, Yes.

By U-11 and U-12, the coach’s decisions behind starting and subbing players becomes more integrally related to the strategic chess match that takes place on the field. This changes at any given moment during a game. Sharing with players and parents the general rationale of why and how a coach at the travel level makes decisions goes a long way. This is especially important because many parents do not understand the nuances of soccer and therefore look at playing time with an eye biased toward their own children.

The following are various approaches I’ve taken to discuss with players and parents the rationale behind how and why I make player changes and determine playing time before and during the game.

When “Uncle Mo” is on your side, don't give him the boot
Uncle Mo, short for “Uncle Momentum,” may be a soccer coach’s best friend. Soccer is a very fluid game that often progresses and builds upon itself through time and as the on-field energy grows. When the “mojo” is flowing with a particular group of kids on the field then changing it abruptly to give a bench player his or her 15 minute quota will alter the flow of the game. Some of our less skilled players were on the field when the momentum turned for the better in our game because something magical was happening. For 15 minutes, everyone on the field clicked. The point, therefore, was not that I played my “best kids” to win but rather I had to manage the game by assessing what was working best in the moment.

Educating parents in advance that in soccer momentum builds and flows according to the dynamics of the players on the field (from both sides) will help them understand and appreciate the game from a different perspective. In addition, they’ll learn that coaches must manage the game according to the events and circumstances occurring on the field and not by whether a child has reached a quota of playing time.

Soccer's a lot like school - If you miss class are you prepared to take the test?
I make it clear at the beginning of the season that when a child misses practice for any reason (illness, school event, Grandpa’s 90th birthday, etc.) it is possible (this gives me some leeway) that he or she may not start in the next game or that playing time may be limited. I also make it clear that I am not punishing the child for missing practice, but rather looking at the situation from an educational perspective.

If this were school and a child missed class the day before a test then it stands to reason that the student might not be as prepared for the test than she would have had she attended class. It’s no different in soccer. When players miss practice, they’ve missed the lessons learned that day. Children already struggling with tactical concepts or having trouble with their skills might need additional time to understand tactical implications before the coach puts them into a pressure situation – the game. Having players sit on the bench gives them the ability to watch and observe before they enter the game. I often talk with the girls on the bench during a game and ask questions to see if they understand the tactical concepts we worked on in practice or what they’d do if they were in the game. Giving a player an opportunity to learn what she’s missed before putting her into a game is like reinforcing a math concept before taking a test.

Focus attention on positive reinforcement and not punitive behaviors
When one of my regular starters missed practice recently, I started a player that had been working hard at practice and in games but wasn’t playing much. She had come from our “B” team and was having trouble keeping up with the pace of the game at the level we were playing. I explained to the regular starter that I was not punishing her but rather rewarding the other player for her attendance and hard work. The starter understood and agreed. The new starter was so excited that she elevated her game to new heights, creating many scoring opportunities that ultimately led to a goal. Her skill level still does not put her on par with the regular starter, but giving her that one little reward, even at the perceived expense of another player, went along way to achieve positive results, both for the team and individual.

Explaining simple rules goes a long way
After another exciting and close match, not to mention a strong showing at a tournament, I received a call from a parent complaining about her daughter’s playing time. Although the player started and played quite a bit in the first two games of the tournament, she felt she was cheated out of playing time in the last two games. When I reviewed the situation with the mother, I realized the discrepancy in playing time came down to a question about our final match of the tournament, an overtime thriller in the semifinal.

Although the child complained to her mother that I didn’t play her fairly, the player also neglected to mention that I had intended to sub her at the end of regulation time but for five minutes couldn’t gain possession of the ball. Her mom also didn’t know that in a tournament only the players on the field may take PKs. As time ran out on the two, five minute golden goal overtime sessions, I didn’t have her daughter on the field because she wasn’t one of the PK takers. When I explained the rules, the mom started to understand better that I tried to play her daughter fairly, but in that given game, it simply didn’t work out because of the tournament rules and on-field circumstances.

We’ve all heard that life isn’t fair – and it isn’t equal, either. The best coaches may have different approaches when parents inquire about their decisions. I think it is better to answer the question before the problems arise. By pre-empting the situation and providing reasonable and educational rationales behind such choices at parent meetings, coaches set themselves up for successful communication opportunities.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the January-February 2009 issue of Soccer Journal.

Infinity players in the Herald Journal representing their respected high schools

2009-09-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

Solid 2nd half
By Jason Turner
Published:
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 4:41 AM CDT
It’s amazing the difference 10 minutes can make.

For the first 50 minutes of Tuesday night’s intra-valley showdown, the Sky View girls soccer team had a difficult time creating good scoring opportunities against Logan’s backline.

From the 50th to the 60th minute, though, the Bobcats were on fire in the attack, and that made the difference.

Stacy Bair buried a pair of perfect through balls during that timespan, leading Sky View to a 2-0 victory over Logan at Crimson Field.

“It was just like one of those little squalls,” SV head coach Doyle Geddes said. “That’s what it was, it was like a 10-minute squall where we were just all over them, and that was the difference tonight.”

It was the kind of intensity and ball movement Geddes was hoping to see from his club, especially after watching the Grizzlies (3-7, 1-4 Region 5) get the better of the Bobcats (7-4, 3-2) in the first half.

“It was a product of what we talked about at halftime because we were not happy at all with our possession in the first half,” Geddes said. “They outhustled us, they outpossessed us and they were basically beating us at our own game.”

Logan certainly didn’t look like a team that’s been down on its luck in Region 5 play. The Grizzlies held the Bobcats to zero shots on goal in the first half and had a few dangerous scoring chances themselves.

Sam Emmett darn near gave the hosts a 1-0 lead midway through the half when she drilled a swerving left-footed shot just outside the 18-yard box that appeared to graze the far post.

“Absolutely, this is the best game we’ve played all season when you look at the dynamic play and the hard work coming together,” LHS head coach Mitch Peterson said.

Peterson just wishes he could turn back time and take away the aforementioned 10-minute span. But, unfortunately for the Grizzlies, a poor five-to-10-minute span has made the difference in all four of their region losses this season.

“That’s the pattern we have, that’s the trend we have,” Peterson said. “It’s very close all the way through, zero-zero at halftime, maybe 1-0 at half ... but we’re competitive and then we lose something for eight minutes, six minutes and (the other team) gets a goal or two, and then we come back and fight again, but we can’t make up the difference.”

As dynamic of a finisher as Bair was in the second half, it was her teammates in the midfield who set the tone. Central midfielders Haley Voeller and Krista Whittle elevated their level of play a great deal, and both players were rewarded accordingly.

On Bair’s first goal, in the 55th minute, Whittle slid a through ball to the sophomore, who beat LHS goalkeeper Taylor Anderson on a perfect shot to the far post. Two minutes later, Voeller served a world-class through ball to Bair in tight space, who, once again, used her speed from the right wing to tack on an insurance goal.

“I was thrilled with Haley and Krista in the midfield because that’s where it begins, and they just settled the ball and started knocking it to free space and the whole team just seemed to embrace that,” Geddes said.

As for Bair, she proved why she is one of the region’s best offensive players, scoring her eighth and ninth goals of the season. In Sky View’s previous match, No. 30 had a goal and two assists.

“It feels good just to be there for the team and know that they support me,” Bair said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Sky View almost scored a couple more goals around the time Bair was heating up, as Macken Brady headed a Mia Felts corner kick off the crossbar, and Anderson had to make a nice diving save on super-freshman Jessica Brooksby’s low shot to the right post.

Logan struggled to find good scoring opportunities after halftime. Perhaps the host’s best chance came on a Katie Sorensen through ball to Tonya Anderson (pictured above - yellow #23), which SV keeper Megan Allred aggressively came off her line to break up. Allred was a bit shaken up on the play, but still helped lead the Bobcats to their fifth shutout of the campaign.

Although the Grizzlies were unable to find the back of the net, Peterson was pleased with how they “played for each other,” and, like Geddes, singled out the play of a few of his athletes.

“KD Tilley’s played amazing soccer the last three games,” he said. “She’s just coming alive. Hillary in the back, she was amazing. Hillary just works so hard all game. ... And I think Katie Sorensen and Jordan Houston, first half it was beautiful to watch the two of them work together.”

Mustangs 1, Tigers 1 (2OT)

Mountain Crest (6-1-1, 3-1-1) fired shot after shot at Ogden (4-3-2, 2-2-1) keeper Keri Lammert in the two overtime sessions, but Lammert was up to challenge — “my hat’s off to her,” MC head coach Dennis Giles said — preserving the draw for the hosts.

“I told the kids, ‘If you would have played this way the entire match we would have never went to overtime,’” said Giles, who added his squad struggled to adjust to Ogden’s narrow and short field . “I mean, we just dominated. It was incredible. ... These kids are capable of playing like that. It just seems like we cannot find that intensity that we need to find all of the time.”

Cassidee Nelson gave the Mustangs a 1-0 lead in the 34th when she got behind the Tigers’ backline on a Jessica Hoskin through ball. Hannah Lythgoe scored the equalizer for Ogden nine minutes into the second half.

Mountain Crest had a couple of shots find the woodwork after Lythgoe’s goal, but none were good enough to strengthen the Mustangs’ hold on second place in the league standings.

Infinity players in the Herald Journal representing their respected high schools

2009-09-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

SV notches key region win
By Jason Turner
Published:
Wednesday, September 9, 2009 2:47 AM CDT

SMITHFIELD — When Haley Voeller found the back of the net in the 74th minute, it almost seemed like the weight of the world was lifted from the Sky View girls soccer team — players, coaches and fans alike.

In a Region 5 match the Bobcats desperately needed to win, Voeller’s picture-perfect finish gave them that ever-so-important insurance goal as Sky View shut out Box Elder 2-0 Tuesday afternoon at Hansen Field.

“You just keep praying for the insurance goal, especially against a Box Elder team that we just seem to struggle with,” SV head coach Doyle Geddes said. “That was a relief to have that one, and the way it happened was really nice, too.”

It was one of Sky View’s best goals of the season as Krista Whittle served a spot-on 15-yard square ball to Voeller at the top of the 18, and Voeller one-timed a shot just over goalkeeper Natasha Litchfield’s head.

“It was nice because we work on it in practice, knowing that somebody is down there for the through ball,” Whittle said. “It’s good to know that when your team works hard at practice it’s going to show in a game.”

It’s the kind of goal that could potentially give the Bobcats (5-4, 1-2 Region 5) more confidence in the attack down the road.

Sky View dominated the possession battle and created a lot of scoring opportunities, unofficially outshooting Box Elder 25-7. However, the Bobcats struggled to put those shots on target as only nine of them were on goal.

Whittle pinged a shot off the crossbar at the 70-minute mark and, less than a minute later, Robin Hansen hammered a volley off the right post. Even Meagan Payne’s goal in the 43rd deflected off the near post before going in.

Missed chances like that gave the Bees (1-4, 0-3) hope late in the match as they only needed one good play in the attacking third to steal a point on the road. That’s why Voeller’s fourth goal of the season was such a relief.

“It’s a relief because we did take a lot of shots and we need to put more on goal, but when we have two goals up there, it feels like we have a lot more leeway, even though we want to do everything we can to keep our shutout,” Voeller said.

Sky View responded from its heartbreaking double-overtime setback to Mountain Crest last Thursday by taking it to Box Elder the first 20 minutes of the opening half. The hosts took the majority of its 11 first-half shots during that time frame.

Jessica Clements, Jessica Brooksby and Hansen all missed scoring by a matter of inches in the first 20 minutes. Clements sent a perfect cross to Brooksby from close to the left corner flag midway through the half, but Brooksby’s shot inside the 6 went right to Litchfield, who made some good saves.

“The big thing for us is we just needed to get three region points on the board,” Geddes said. “... We had a rough halftime because we’re sitting there nil-nil in a game where we know if we bring more effort and more intelligence we’re going to win, but we only have 40 minute to take care of that and that was nerve-racking.”

Megan Allred made five saves to preserve Sky View’s fourth shutout of the season, and center back Macken Brady stymied a handful of potentially dangerous Box Elder scoring chances.

“There are times where we just feel like, ‘OK, we just need Macken in defense, push everybody else (forward),’” Geddes said while laughing. “She’s just such a complete player.”

Infinity players in the Herald Journal representing their respected high schools

2009-09-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

Much better start for MC
By Jason Turner
Published:
Friday, September 11, 2009 2:37 AM CDT

HYRUM — In its previous Region 5 match, the Mountain Crest girls soccer team got off to a horrid start, allowing three goals in the first nine minutes to Bonneville.

Needless to say, the Mustangs were determined to rectify their early-game struggles two days later, and they did just that.

Mountain Crest put relentless pressure on Box Elder in the opening 10 minutes and it paid off with a Randi Kendrick goal at the 4:15 mark, which propelled the Mustangs to a 2-0 victory Thursday at Lynn R. Miller Field.

“It was very important that we started off strong because we felt like we kind of gotten taken advantage of (by Bonneville) because we were flat-footed, but we did really well coming out really strong today, and we knew we had to prove a point that we don’t play like that,” MC wing Mindi Beckstrom said.

In the first 10 minutes alone, the Mustangs (6-1, 3-1 Region 5) peppered Bees goalkeeper Natasha Litchfield with six shots on goal and earned four corner kicks. Litchfield narrowly punched out attempts by Beckstrom and Juliette McCann, but couldn’t stop Kendrick’s powerful shot from the top of the 18.

Kendrick received a pass from Beckstrom and fired a right-footed shot at Litchfield, who got her hands on it but couldn’t stop it from tucking inside the near post.

It was all the offense Mountain Crest would need as the hosts dominated the possession battle the majority of the game. The Mustangs unofficially outshot the Bees (1-5, 0-4) 28-7, but the visitors were able to get behind the MC backline on a few occasions.

The Mustangs recovered in time to break up most of the plays, but keeper Janelle Shorts had to make an aggressive play off her line in the first half, and Box Elder’s Quinnce Johnson missed a wide open look after halftime.

“We’ve got to make sure that our D-line keeps dropping so they don’t get behind us,” said MC center back Shelby Rudd, who made several good plays in the attack. “We need to stay close to them all of the time.”

Defenders Randi Edvalson and Karlee Campbell both took some big hits and were shaken up a bit, but should be OK, MC head coach Dennis Giles said.

“We’re banged up, beat up and thrashed a little, but we’ve just got to step up and play, and I think they will,” Giles said. “I’ve got some young kids who can come in, but they’re inexperienced.”

The Mustangs got an insurance goal in the 55th minute when Beckstrom rebounded a shot by Jessica Hoskin from about six yards out. Mountain Crest took 16 shots after the break, but only put three on frame.

“We’ve got to finish, we’ve just got to finish,” Giles said. “And that just comes with time, we need more time. We may run out of time, but the kids are doing great and they’re getting in there (in dangerous scoring positions), and that’s what I like.”

Mountain Crest could have easily dented the scoreboard a few more times in the second half. For starters, Makelle Eggleston (pictured above) pinged a point-blank pass from Hoskin off the crossbar, and Beckstrom misfired on a penalty kick in the 65th.

Litchfield dove to deny a shot by Cassidee Nelson in the first half. Morgan Olsen set up the attempt by dribbling right through the heart of the Box Elder backline.

“We had three or four point-blank shots that should have went in, but we’ll get it,” said Giles, whose squad notched its third shutout of the season. “Like I’ve said, one day this is all going to come together. One day, but I hope it’s sooner than later.”

Bobcats 4, Tigers 1

After spotting Ogden (4-3-1, 2-2) a 1-0 lead five minutes into the match, Sky View (6-4, 2-2) made the most of its trip to Weber State’s home pitch.

“It was just a speed bump, really, because we did a great job of just controlling this match,” SV head coach Doyle Geddes said. “It was a beautiful field, great venue ... and really, I think it gave us an advantage. ... We were able to spread them out, ping the ball around and when we started figuring out that our best scoring chances would come by putting the ball across the face (of the goal) from the wings, we ended up with some really nice goals out of it.”

Stacy Bair played a big part in three of Sky View’s goals, converting on a penalty kick in the 24th, and then delivering a pair of textbook crosses from the wing, which were headed in by Krista Whittle and Jessica Clements, in the second half.

“I know she was frustrated (in the last couple of matches), and so it was really good to she the ball go through her a bit more,” Geddes said of Bair. “And I think she helped the process by being very unselfish, and so the balls that she gave up came right back to her.”

Jessica Brooksby scored the Bobcats’ other goal on a great through ball from Robin Hansen in the 18th, said Geddes, who also singled out the play of reserves Shakiah Saltern and Jaden (J.D.) Larsen.

Infinity players in the Herald Journal representing their respected high schools

2009-09-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

Kendrick powers MC
By Jason Turner
Published:
Wednesday, September 2, 2009 3:16 AM CDT

Logan's Hillary Dodd, right, heads the ball as Mountain Crest's Randi Kendrick (10) defends during their match Tuesday night in Logan. (Eli Lucero/Herald Journal) Click here to view more photos from the match.

As fast as Jessica Hoskin is, it’s really easy for opponents of the Mountain Crest girls soccer team to focus on containing the senior forward.

That’s when players like Randi Kendrick have been able to rise to the occasion so far this season.

Kendrick scored two goals in the final 10 minutes of the match, propelling Mountain Crest to a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Logan in the Region 5 opener for both teams Tuesday night at Crimson Field.

“We’ve been working on that for quite some time ... because we know they’re keying on Jess because she’s fast, and they were watching her and they were doubling her,” MC head coach Dennis Giles said. “And here Randi steps up the way she did, and that’s what we need. And we’ve got a lot of kids capable of doing it, there’s a lot of them out there.”

The Mustangs have indeed proven they have a lot of players who can be dangerous in the attack, and that’s a big reason why they are now 4-0 on the campaign. Seven different players have already scored for Mountain Crest.

“Every single person on our team wanted to win,” Kendrick said. “This is a big game for us and our first region game, so we just came together as a team and everybody said they were going to work their butt off and just do their part.”

As for the Grizzlies (2-4, 0-1 region), it wasn’t the ending they were hoping for, but they improved substantially after setbacks to Morgan and Springville last week.

“I think we did a lot better,” LHS goalkeeper Taylor Anderson said. “In our practices lately, we’ve been focusing more on making it harder for each other and pressuring each other more, and I think our unity is getting better.”

Anderson was certainly a big reason why it was anyone’s match when the 70th minute rolled around. The senior was outstanding, coming off her line on a handful of occasions, with no regard for her body, to thwart dangerous Mustang attacks.

“That’s what we’ve been talking about is ... owning the goal, and no matter who’s shooting at you, you are telling yourself you are going to deny them that goal,” LHS head coach Mitch Peterson said. “It could be your teammate in practice, it doesn’t matter who it is. I mean, you have to take ownership of (the goal), and Taylor did that tonight.”

Unfortunately for Anderson and the Grizzlies, Kendrick was also up to the challenge. Logan spent the majority of the final 25 minutes or so chasing Mountain Crest, and Peterson felt his players got a little winded.

As a result, Kendrick was able to get behind the Logan back line on a through ball at the 71:35 mark. Kendrick’s initial shot was stopped by Anderson, but No. 10 stuck with the play and scored.

With less than two minutes to go in the game, Kendrick settled a pass from Hoskin and buried an absolutely perfect shot into the upper 90 of the far post.

“Logan, they were much better than I thought they were going to be,” Giles said. “... They’ve got some great players out there. I’m impressed with them, and they’ll be coming at us again, I’m sure. They put it together and they did well, but we finally came through and got our timing down and got them in the goal.”

Mountain Crest’s first goal was equally as impressive as the last. Kendrick tracked down a corner ball on the right side of the pitch, laid it back to Hoskin, who immediately crossed it to Mindi Beckstrom. Beckstrom then one-timed a volley just inside the far post.

The Mustangs were controlling the possession battle until the 21st. That’s when Maddie Daines headed a ball to Tonya Anderson behind the MC backline, and Anderson fired a shot past keeper Kjersty Cook from 12 yards out.

Logan then proceeded to win the possession battle for the rest of the opening half.

“I think all it did was give us the little confidence that we needed, and the realization to slow down and get back into our game,” Peterson said. “... Right then, we realized, ‘Oh, OK, we are in this thing.’”

Like her counterpart, Cook was solid in goal. The junior made four saves, including two in which she had to dive to deny well-driven shots by Sam Emmett.

Logan welcomed back senior Jordan Hartman, who had missed the first five matches recovering from surgery on her left arm.

Lakers 3, Bobcats 1

Take away the first 20 minutes and visiting Sky View outplayed the defending 4A state champions, SV head coach Doyle Geddes said. However, a trio of goals by all-staters Ally Shaw and Jaiden Thornock in that timespan proved to be too much to overcome.

Shaw and Thornock have now scored 14 of Bonneville’s (4-1, 1-0) 17 goals this season.

“We just had a lousy 20 minutes,” Geddes said. “Once we settled in, the game looked really nice, but that first 20 was absolutely ugly ... and you can’t do that against a team like Bonneville.”

The Bobcats (4-3, 0-1) trimmed the deficit to 3-1 in the 22nd when Robin Hansen scored on a pass from Megan Payne. Unfortunately for Sky View, it had a handful of near misses that would have changed the tide of the match.

For example, Stacy Bair and Shaylee Saxton both took shots that found the woodwork, while Haley Voeller narrowly misfired on a shot from about six yards away.

“We got one (goal) back,” Geddes said. “We could have gotten eight or nine back, but they have a solid keeper. It could have been a 5-3 or 6-3 game for us after our wake-up call.”

Infinity players in the Herald Journal representing their respected high schools

2009-08-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

MUSTANGS 6, BEARS 0

Thursday at Hyrum

Bear River 0 0 — 0

Mtn. Crest 3 3 — 6

First Half

MC — Morgan Eggleston (Mindi Beckstrom), 19:95

MC — Jessica Hoskin (Juliette McCann), 24:35

MC — Hoskin (Cassidee Nelson, Makelle Eggleston), 38:47

Second Half

MC — Nelson (Randi Kendrick), 56:05

MC — Karlee Campbell, 66:20

MC — McCann (Hoskin), 69:10

BOBCATS 3, MINERS 0

Thursday at Smithfield

Park City 0 0 — 0

Sky View 0 3 — 3

Second Half

SV — Stacy Bair (Jessica Brooksby), 42:00.

SV — Bair (Meagan Payne), 77:00.

SV — Brooksby (Haley Voeller), 79:00.

Infinity players in the Herald Journal representing their respected high schools

2009-08-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

Logan 1, Morgan 2

"The Grizzlies initially scored the equalizer late in the first half on a well-driven Maddie Daines (pictured to the left in yellow) free kick from 19 yards out, which tucked inside the near post. Nicky Bennett was ruled to be fouled just outside the box — the Logan faithful was hoping for a penalty kick — setting the stage for Daines."

“We had some great, great play from Sam Emmett, Ali Noorda came in off the bench and played very solid for us the second half.

Mustangs 5, Jayhawks 2

The Mustangs (2-0) struck quickly against the host Jayhawks (3-2), scoring in the 6th on a 25-yard free kick by Mindi Beckstrom, and the 9th on a point-blank shot by Juliette McCann. Jessica Hoskin assisted on the play.

Kasandra Anderson gave MC a 3-0 halftime lead when she buried a 30-yard shot off of a pass from Cassidee Nelson.

However, goals by Morgan Eggleston — assisted by Randi Kendrick — and McCann made sure Mountain Crest was never seriously threatened.

Giles raved about McCann’s second goal. Morgan Olsen dribbled to the end line and crossed it to McCann, who used the back of her foot to beat the St. Joseph’s keeper from inside the 6.

Read entire article here: http://hjnews.townnews.com/articles/2009/08/26/sports/sports01-08-26-09.txt

Infinity players in the Herald Journal representing their respected high schools

2009-08-24T23:45:00.001-07:00

Brooksby propels Bobcats
By Wade Denniston
Published:
Thursday, August 20, 2009 2:40 AM CDT
Sky View’s girls soccer team didn’t let the loss to powerhouse Alta keep it down very long.

The Bobcats bounced back less than 24 hours later.

Freshman Jessica Brooksby scored the first two goals of her career, as well as added an assist, to lead the Bobcats to a 3-1 road victory over the Orem Tigers on Wednesday afternoon.

“It was a really solid game for us, a consistent effort and it was really good for us to not have a letdown, especially after playing a real tough one with Alta at (Real Salt Lake’s) Rio Tinto (Stadium),” said Sky View head coach Doyle Geddes, whose team fell to the Hawks 2-1 on Tuesday night.

“... It was a good bounce back for us.”

Brooksby gave Sky View (2-2-0) a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute when she scored her first goal of the match. Sophomore Stacy Bair had the assist.

That duo hooked up again 10 minutes later when Bair, who was on the receiving end of a Brooksby pass, found the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.

“(Brooksby) returned the favor,” Geddes said. “... There’s a nice, kind of invisible thread between the two of those players.”

Brooksby, on an assist from Mia Felts, made it 3-0 in the 62nd when she scored her second goal of the match.

The Tigers (3-1-0) avoided the shutout courtesy of a Megan Sackett goal in the 75th.

For Orem, this was its second match in as many days. The Tigers are also in action today against Lehi in their region opener.

“I think what Orem did is they kind of looked past us because they open their region (today),” Geddes said. “I was surprised they even played us.”

Guided Discovery

2009-08-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

By Sam Snow, US Youth Soccer Technical Director

The traditional way sports have been taught is with the coach at the center of attention. The coach told the players what to do {command style} and expected them to produce. With the command style, the coach explains a skill, demonstrates the skill and allows the players to practice the skill. In contrast to 'reproduction' of knowledge in the coach-centered approach, the guided discovery approach emphasizes the "production" of new talents. The approach invites the player to think, to go beyond the given information and then discover the correct skills. The essence of this style is a coach-player connection in which your sequence of information and questions causes responses by the player. The combination of information and question by you elicits a correct response, which is discovered by the player. The effect of this process leads the player to discover the sought tactic or technique. Guided discovery simply means that you raise questions and provide options or choices for the players, guiding the players to answer the questions for themselves because they become curious about the answers. The novice player in a command style setting thinks too much about what they are trying to do, a form of paralysis by analysis. Instead if you guide the players in a player-centered training environment then they gradually become capable of holistic thinking in their soccer performance.

Holistic thought is opposed to the analytical type of thinking. Analysis means to divide the whole into parts which can be studied more closely. Holistic thinking considers the thing as a whole. Soccer performances {training sessions and especially matches} are better suited to holistic than analytical treatment because they involve an integrated set of movements which must all happen at the same time. There simply is not enough time during a match to perform each of the movements separately and then string them together. Holistic thinking has been linked anatomically to functions carried out in the right hemisphere of the brain. The brain has both a right and left hemisphere connected by a bundle of nerves called the corpus collosum. The right hemisphere coordinates movements and sensations associated with the left side of the body and the left hemisphere does the same for the right side of the body. In addition, the left hemisphere is known to control analytical thinking, which includes verbal expression, reading, writing and mathematical computation. The functions associated with the right side of the brain are nonintellectual ones or those having to do with sensory interpretation, coordination of movement, intuitive or creative thinking and holistic perception of complex patterns. This hemisphere can grasp a number of patterns simultaneously.[i]

Sports tradition has emphasized left-side brain functions to the exclusion of the other. We acquire pieces of knowledge one at a time. In soccer, the traditional coach teaches separate points of technique, ignoring the 'flow' needed in actual performance. Some coaches use the holistic approach. In soccer we draw upon right-hand brain capabilities of holistic perception, rhythm, spatial relationships, and simultaneous processing of many inputs. Left brain functions are largely uninvolved. Novice players often go wrong in trying to control their movements with a constant, specific internal awareness. They engage the left-brain functions of analysis and sequence to interfere with holistic coordination of physical movement, which is a right-brain function. Obscuring a player's awareness with too many instructions {over-coaching} will make him or her so preoccupied that he or she can't 'chew gum and run at the same time!' It's called 'paralysis through analysis'.

It is often argued that effective coaching is as much an art as it is a science. Guided discovery in coaching soccer is a balance of the two. In a broad sense our coaching style of the American soccer player must move away from the 'sage on the stage' to the 'guide on the side'.

""I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.""
Confucius

CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THIS

July Coaches Meeting Agenda & Powerpoint Presentation

2009-08-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

To view agenda click the following link: http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddp5t87f_116cp6kfqcb

To view the power point click the following link: http://www.infinitysc.com/page/Powerpoint--july-28th-2009.aspx

When viewing the power point please click each image as many of them have videos linked to them.

Infinity SC fares well in Utah's State Cup

2009-05-24T13:58:00.001-07:00

By Jason Turner
Published:
Sunday, May 24, 2009 2:33 AM CDT
It wasn’t the ending they were hoping for, but a pair of youth girls soccer teams from Cache Valley took a significant step forward in challenging the best clubs in the state.

Locally-based Infinity Soccer Club had two teams advance to the championship round of a prestigious state tournament. The two-week 2009 Spring State Cup concluded Saturday in Orem, and it’s the first time a local club — girls or boys — has ever played for a State Cup title.

“It’s kind of a neat thing because we kind of made history here in Cache Valley,” said Sherri Dever, Infinity’s director of coaching. “... It’s a great accomplishment.”

Unfortunately for Infinity’s U11 and U12 squads, they struggled a bit against a pair of teams from the renowned Utah Avalanche club in the finals.

The U11 Infinity SC 98 Premier team was defeated by Avalanche 98 Premier, 6-1, while Infinity SC 97 fell to Avalanche 97 Premier Black, 3-0.

However, both teams made plenty of noise at the tournament before bowing out. For starters, both squads were dominant during pool play. The U11 squad outscored the opposition 18-3 over the course of three matches, while their U12 counterparts didn’t allow a goal in three pool games and found the back of the net an eye-popping 19 times.

“The girls worked very, very hard,” said Robson Chaves, who coaches both teams. “They pushed it to the limit, their parents too, and look at the results. It’s very exciting.”

In the quarterfinal round, the U11 squad beat Hobble Creek Storm 98, 5-3, and then edged Sparta 98 Premier, 2-1, for the right to play for all the marbles. There were 14 teams in the U11 bracket.

It should be no surprise the 11-year-olds made it to the finals, considering they won the regular-season title with a record of 8-2 and had two of the top three goal scorers in the league.

Demi Lopez and Takesha Saltern netted a combined 31 goals during the regular season, with Lopez leading the way with 17. Other team leaders for Infinity SC 98 Premier are goalkeeper Samantha Loosli, defenders Brianna Sims and Berkley Hellstern and midfielder Hannah Anhder.

Evidently, the U11 team also displayed good sportsmanship at the Spring State Cup as none of the players were issued yellow or red cards.

As for the U12 squad, it rolled over Avalanche 97 Premier White, 5-2, in the quarterfinals before pulling out a 3-2 overtime victory over LaRoca Premier — one of the state’s most respected clubs — in the round of four.

Unfortunately for Infinity SC 97 Premier, it couldn’t replicate its strong play in the finals against the Avalanche team — a squad the local girls beat at home 4-3 during the regular season. In fact, this Infinity squad is 4-2-1 against Avalanche Black over the past two years, Chaves said.

When talking about the U12 team, Chaves gushed about the play of offensive leaders Erin Richenbach, Alexis Sims, Annalee Davidson and Hayley Oldham, midfielder Madison Siddoway and backline stalwart Katelyn Whipple. Sims also logs in some minutes in the back, while Viridiana Gomez and Rebecca Jenson shared the GK duties.

The U12 squad went 6-2-2 during the regular season and competed against 15 other teams at the Spring State Cup.

And while a chance at capturing that elusive State Cup championship will have to wait a little while longer, the possibility certainly became that much more realistic.

“The teams from smaller places can beat the teams from big places with proper training and proper technique,” Chaves said. “... I think we showed that this season ... and it’s a big thing for Cache Valley.”

For more information about the tournament, go to www.uysa.org and click on the Tournaments State Cup link.

Winning is Great, but it’s Not the Goal!

2009-05-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

By Pam Richmond Champagne, MCC, The Sports Parenting Coach

Recently the parent of an aspiring athlete told me it seemed “almost un-American” to say winning is not the goal. In fact, many would say we compete in a “win-at-all-costs” environment. Is this helping or hurting our kids’ performances and lives? Naturally we all prefer to win, but this is a critical distinction: winning is a byproduct or a consequence, not a goal.

Paradoxically you increase your odds of winning when you place 100% attention, not on
winning, but on the process – the learning and development, the continual movement toward mastery. During competition this means having a moment-to-moment, concentrated focus on executing skills and maintaining a positive attitude.

John Naber, a four-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming, exemplifies this vital concept. He shares, “My goal was never to win a race. My goal was to be the best I could be that day.”Disturbing news stories and studies show a focus on winning can produce un-sportsmanlike behavior, outright dishonesty, and unethical use of dangerous drugs.

Focusing on the outcome also decreases performance. It leads the performer away from the power of the present moment and creates performance-lowering tension by putting attention on something not under a player’s direct control.

I vividly recall one of my tennis matches that is a perfect illustration. In a close three-set final, I was just one game away from winning my match when all of my attention went to the outcome – winning the tournament. My strokes fell apart, I made a series of dumb errors, and the championship title slipped away.

As a parent you can help your child stay focused on the process. How? Be interested in
what she’s learning about herself and what skills she’s developing. Find out what he enjoys about his sport. Most importantly, model this process orientation for your child. You certainly don’t have direct control over how well your athlete performs, but you do have control over how calm you are during and after your child’s performance, what you say, and how encouraging you are. Next time you find yourself getting frustrated or annoyed at your child’s performance, ask yourself, what am I trying to control that I don’t have control over? Then zero in on what you do control. And remind yourself the winning focus is on the learning and the fun!

Pam’s Point: There’s a huge gap between loving to win and having to win, between
competing to do our best and competing to be “the best."

Infinity SC '92 Premier Girls Vs. Impact Black

2009-05-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

Tryouts in Youth Soccer

2009-04-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

Recently I received this note from a youth coach.

Mr. Snow,

I have been working with a recreational soccer organization the past two years. We have been focused on player development and getting all of the kids out there involved. Our program is over 60 percent Under-8, with the rest spread out over the U-10, U-12, and U-14 ranks.

After this past season, parents of one team of U-8 boys complained that they didn't think that all three U-8 boys' teams in our organization were balanced amongst each other even though they all had nearly identical records. Long story short, the parents are demanding a tryout scheme be step up before spring soccer starts.

There are three USSF certified coaches in the organization and we keep telling the parents and the organization's Board members that the idea of having tryouts for U-8 in a recreational league is silly, but no one seems to be listening to us. Is there anything that the US Youth Soccer Association may have in writing we can show them that may drive this point to them home? We have been having great success by focusing on Player Development and working with all of the kids on all of the skills. The three of us coaches that have gone through training think that the idea of tryouts on such a young age will hurt the program overall because it implies a win at all cost mentality.

Hello Coach,

The 55 state Technical Directors agree with your stance and have stated so in the Position Statements. Here are the ones pertinent to your situation.

PLAYING NUMBERS – SMALL SIDED GAMES No. 1
The intent is to use small-sided games as the vehicle for match play for players under the age of 12. Further we wish to promote age/ability appropriate training activities for players' nationwide. Clubs should use small-sided games as the primary vehicle for the development of skill and the understanding of simple tactics. Our rationale is that the creation of skill and a passion for the game occurs between the ages of six to 12.

With the correct environment throughout this age period players will both excel and become top players or they will continue to enjoy playing at their own levels and enjoy observing the game at higher levels. A small-sided game in match play for our younger players create more involvement, more touches of the ball, exposure to simple, realistic decisions and ultimately, more enjoyment. Players must be challenged at their own age/ability levels to improve performance. The numbers of players on the field of play will affect levels of competition.

Children come to soccer practice to have fun. They want to run, touch the ball, have the feel of the ball, master it and score. The environment within which we place players during training sessions and matches should promote all of these desires, not frustrate them.

• We believe that players under the age of six should play games of 3 v 3. This will provide a less cluttered and more developmentally appropriate playing environment. No attempt whatsoever should be made at this age to teach a team formation! These playing numbers should be implemented by September 1, 2009.

• We believe that players under the age of eight should play games of 4 v 4. This will provide a less cluttered and more developmentally appropriate playing environment. Players in this age group can be exposed to a team formation at the start of the game, but do not be dismayed when it disappears once the ball is rolling. The intent at this age is to merely plant a seed toward understanding spatial awareness. These playing numbers should be implemented by September 1, 2009.

• We believe that players under the age of ten should play games of 6 v 6. This will provide a less cluttered and more developmentally appropriate playing environment. The coaching of positions to children under the age of ten is considered intellectually challenging and often situates parent-coaches in a knowledge vacuum. Additionally, premature structure of U-10 players into positions is often detrimental to the growth of individual skills and tactical awareness. This problem is particularly acute with players of limited technical ability. We also believe that the quality of coaching has an impact on the playing numbers. We recommend that parent-coaches would best serve their U-10 players by holding a Youth Module certificate. These playing numbers should be implemented by September 1, 2009.

• We believe that players under the age of twelve should play games of 8 v 8. This will provide a less cluttered and more developmentally appropriate environment. The U-12 age group is the dawning of tactical awareness and we feel it is best to teach the players individual and group tactics at this age rather than team tactics. These playing numbers for the U-11 age group should be implemented by September 1, 2011. These playing numbers for the U-12 age group should be implemented by September 1, 2012.

REALIZING PLAYER POTENTIAL No. 3
To maximize player potential, we believe that State Associations and progressive clubs should work to expose their better coaches, who should hold the ""Y"" License, to their youngest players. It is also seen as important that mentoring programs be established for community soccer coaches to improve the quality of youth soccer training.

The developmental approach emphasizes the growth of individual skills and group tactical awareness. We feel too much emphasis is placed on ""team"" play and competition in the preteen years. We believe in an inclusion model for preteen players. From this perspective, the goal of youth soccer programs at all levels is to include players in matches at an age when experience is more important than outcome.

Further options for players in their teen years that are not interested in competing at the highest level, but still have a love for the game should be created. Perhaps older teen coed teams or high school based teams on a recreational basis.

AGE OF COMPETITIVE PLAY No. 4
While it is acknowledged and recognized that preteen players should be allowed to pursue playing opportunities that meet both their interest and ability level, we strongly discourage environments where players below the age of twelve are forced to meet the same ""competitive"" demands as their older counterparts therefore we recommend the following:
1. 50% playing time
2. no league or match results
3. 8 v 8 at U-12

FESTIVALS FOR PLAYERS UNDER-10 No. 9
We believe that Soccer Festivals should replace soccer tournaments for all players under the age of ten. Festivals feature a set number of minutes per event (e.g., 10 games X 10 minutes) with no elimination and no ultimate winner. We also endorse and support the movement to prohibit U-10 teams from traveling to events that promote winning and losing and the awarding of trophies.

I also recommend that you cite the information from the U.S. Soccer document Best Practices to educate your club membership. http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_280734.html I suggest you also contact your state Technical

Playing Up

2009-04-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked by a few of the parents on younger Infinity teams about players "playing up." I found an article that shares the view of the club and I have used it to educate these inquiring parents in regards to the philosophy of player development. I feel it is important to share this information with each of you as well. The below article is dead on. Please recognize when it says player instead of team or players. I also added some post article thoughts below the article as well.

Playing Up
by Bobby Howe

It has been ten years since I left Washington State Youth Soccer Association. The landscape has changed during that time and undoubtedly, the game is improving. Clubs with professional coaches are emerging.

Therefore, as we develop further, clubs must bear more responsibility for the development of play within the state. Not only must we be responsible directly for the improvement of the most talented players, but we must also play a role in the playing environment of all the players and an important role in coach education for our youngest players.

One of my first observations on joining the Emerald City club last year was that our club and others had a vast number of players playing above their age group - obviously with the intention of gaining an advantage in competition and experience.
The following are my views on this topic.
Soccer development will occur through the improvement of individual players at their levels of challenge. While chronological age is generally the vehicle to monitor progress academically and on the sports field, and while many children fall within that spectrum, there are some that rise above and some that fall below the expectations of the age group. It is the responsibility of every soccer coach to recognize the standard of each individual player within his/her team and place that player where he/she belongs.

I have asked our coaches in the club to observe players carefully and to talk regularly on the topic of player movement within our club. Should a player move up from a "B" team to an "A" team or should a player move up from one age to another?
The criteria always must be to challenge the player at his/her level. The questions the coaches must ask are:
Is the player physically able to play up?
Is the player psychologically able to play up?
If the player moves up the process should be monitored and discussed. If a player is asked to move from an "A" team to a "B" team or back down to his/ her own age group, the player must not feel or be made to feel that the move is a demotion. The decisions always must be in the best interests of the player, not the team.

The greatest enjoyment for any player is to be challenged at his/her level of competency. Anything below may lead to boredom and bad playing habits. Anything above may lead to disenchantment, losing a love for the game and ultimately, leaving the sport.

At the ages of U-11 to U-15 size plays a huge role in a player's effectiveness and often, size plays an important role in player selection. At the younger ages many bigger players are able to compete because of strength and physical presence. As a result, they do not have to try as hard, or work on their skills as much or think about the demands of the game to the same extent as their less physical colleagues.
While some of these players progress to a high standard, most do not. Bigger players can compete regardless of their playing habits at a young age. Unfortunately, if those habits are poor, they will not be able to compete at the age of sixteen at which time size is much less relevant and when total soccer ability and awareness is much more important.

Smaller players that can compete at a young age have a much better chance of being successful at the age of sixteen, because they have had to use their soccer talent and understanding in order to compete with the bigger players.

Most teams that dominate a league at a younger age rely on the abilities of bigger players. If those players are also very talented, they should play up to test their skills. The remainder of the team should stay at their own level to allow those players to improve.

It is important to note that, in most cases, the success of any young team in competition is due to the performance of some players, not the whole team. Therefore, the better players should move up, but the whole team should not.
All of our club decisions must be based upon the enhancement of the playing environment and ultimately, what is best for the player.

In conclusion, in the future at Emerald City Football Club, we shall discuss and allow the movement of players to a higher level, but we shall not permit the upward movement of teams.
More about Bobby's final paragraph in future World of Soccer Newsletters. "Not playing a whole team up? Hogwash!" I can already visualize some coaches beginning to foam at the mouth.

Ginn's after thoughts:
We will soon see players moving from team to team during the the winter break. The trick is to not look at the team aspect so much as the individuals (your child) development. If your team is scrimmaging older/better teams from the club and the rest of the valley they will develop faster. One more quote from the US youth soccer organization is found below. I have also put a link to the full 70 page document that you can download. This is the newest movement in youth soccer across the country.

CONSIDER THIS: At the younger ages (6 to about 10), soccer is not a team sport. On the contrary, it is a time for children to develop their individual relationship with the ball. The fact that younger children are placed into team environments is not their fault. Do not demand that the more confident players share the ball. Encourage them to be creative and go to goal. Do the same with the rest of your players.Work to bring all your players up to that level of confidence and comfort with the ball. Coaches should avoid the impulse to “coach” their players from “play to play” in order to help them win the match. Coaches should not be telling their young players to “pass rather than dribble,” to “hold their positions” or to “never” do something (like pass or dribble in front of the goal).

http://images.ussoccer.com/Documents/cms/ussf/Best_Practices.pdf

Ginn's final contribution:
Below is a video that i am sharing with the Infinity Coaching Staff this month. It is focused on player development philosophies and shares an insight of the contrasts between American philosophy & Brazilian philosophy. It is a very low quality production, but the efficiency of educating parents and coaches is very high. Please find the time to watch the video.

Please enjoy the video

Silos

2009-03-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

A recent blog was posted by Sam Snow (US Youth Soccer Director of Coaching) on the US Youth Soccer web site. The article was titled: SILOS.

Silos
By Sam Snow

I've been traveling consistently since the first of 2009 to a variety of soccer events. I've been to Orlando, Florida; Antalya, Turkey; St. Louis, Missouri; Greensboro, North Carolina; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Anchorage, Alaska; Pomona, California; Los Angles, California; Warwick, Rhode Island and now I'm on my way to San Jose, California, for the 2009 US Youth Soccer adidas Workshop.
One of the things I have noticed in these travels is the shared passion for soccer of the many people I meet. They all are committed to the game, but not just the game, instead the people in it. While everyone in soccer across the world has their differences with one another the majority truly care about the people in the game.

I have noticed too that many folks are sure that somehow they and their situation are different when in fact they are all the same. Regularly, I hear soccer folks say to me things such as - Well coach, you have to understand that around here our parents are really competitive and they just don't like the idea of not keeping score for their six-year-old. It is an eye-opener for them to hear that everyone in youth soccer in the USA says the same thing. When I tell them that some get it and others are still convinced they are somehow different. The only difference in American youth soccer circumstances is the size of the state and occasionally the accent. Otherwise we are all in the same youth soccer boat with similar successes and challenges.

We must break down the silos that we have built up around us and build one huge team that is soccer in America. It doesn't matter what your role is in the game you are part of the team. Every team member has something to contribute and every team member should be respected for their contribution. All aspects of the game are interlocked like the Olympic rings. You may be in one of the rings furthest from the opposite end, but you are still interlocked. Soccer in our nation still has many hurdles to overcome and we must not be hurdles to one another or create our own hurdles. So let's begin in 2009 to tear down the silos and build our team.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

I want to add, that Infinity Soccer respects what others do in our community at any and every level. We encourage anything that promotes kids playing soccer. We are huge advocates of District 7 and the Utah Youth Soccer Association. There are many great ideas regarding how to go about developing soccer in our country. Infinity Soccer strives to stay informed and up to date with current trends on U.S. Youth Soccer so OUR kids and families have the best opportunity to play and compete at every level. As we look towards the future, we hope that everyone will acknowledge the impressive past of Cache Valley soccer. But the past is the past and the opportunities are there for us to play catch up with the rest of the state and the rest of the nation by creating a more passionate soccer culture in our own backyard.

We are excited about the development of soccer in the U.S., the region, Utah and most importantly Cache Valley and its surrounding communities. The future is bright and the limits are endless. We hope you will attend the Annual Parent meeting on March 31st and or April 1st to hear more about the direction Infinity is going.

Thank you for supporting soccer at whatever level you contribute to this beautiful game...thank you!

'93 Girls Premier Return From Vegas with Silver

2009-03-13T12:50:00.001-07:00

Las Vegas! The very name conjures up images of neon lights and fun. But for the U-16 Infinity Girls Soccer team, a recent trip to Las Vegas was not about the glamor of the Strip, but for most, their first chance to compete in an out-of state Soccer Tournament: City of Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup.

Many factors were stacked against this team from the very start. Minus assistant coaches Caleb Cowley and Crissy Partridge, Head Coach Jeff Ginn had the sole responsibility of coordinating and coaching 2 girls teams at the same time. Also missing were two key players, Kat Murray, who could not attend and Sam Emmett, who was rostered on the U-17 team. Adding to this that the team was trying out a new formation, expectations of this tourney were more of a “chance to play against other out of state teams” and not a “we can win” attitude-except the girls didn’t seem to realize that the Vegas odds were stacked against them and they seemed to think that they were in it to win!

Game 1 vs. Mustang Boca Extreme. This was probably the warmest game as the 2 at night and other 2 daytime games were pretty cold. This game also was the first experience for most of the girls to be part of the tradition of teams trading “gifts” as the team captains met on the field. It was apparently new to some other teams because although all our opposing teams received Infinity Beanies from team captains JD Larsen and Stacey Bair, this first team was the only one that reciprocated with suckers. This was also the team that was listed on the roster as coming from CAN, which we assumed to be Canada, but later learned that they were from California North, although there were some Canadian teams present. First game jitters were apparent in the first half even though the team was using their familiar formation. The first half score was 0-0. In the second half the girls were more confident and they pulled ahead 1-0 when Juliette McCann stole the ball, took a one touch shot with her left foot and drilled it past the goalie from 25 yards out. Late in the second half, the Mustangs managed to put in a goal, resulting in a 1-1 tie.

Game 2 vs. Colorado United Blue. This game may be referred to as our 3 Yellow Card Game…(some refs are so touchy!) Coach Ginn decided to implement a new 1-2-3-3-2 formation in this game, leaving the girls to wonder if their Coach had finally cracked under all the pressure, but as the game progressed, and the girls got into the rhythm of the new line-up, it was as if a whole new Infinity team had taken the field. The new formation resulted in more controlled passing by the mid-field and a more aggressive attack by the strikers. The team literally took control of the game and it showed in the confident, dominant way they played, completely frustrating the opposing team. The only goal in this game resulted from a beautiful cross-field assist by Striker, Nicky Bennett and a finishing shot by Right Full bakc, Laura Dewald. The 1-0 score didn’t do justice to the quality of teamwork that was executed on the field but even so… the girls had just won their first ever out-of state game!

Game 3 vs. Boise National Blast White. If the new formation looked like it was clicking in the previous game, it was deemed a complete success in this one as the girls completely dominated the entire game. Stacey Bair had a hat trick, contributing 3 goals and Danica Hansen and Juliette McCann had a goal apiece, with many other players assisting. Solid defensive play from JD Larsen, Chelsea Curtis, and Porsha Jones resulted in another shut-out and a 5-0 Infinity win.

Game 4 vs. Neusport FC94 South Nevada. Notwithstanding the excellent record of 1 tie and 2 wins, this was a very important game. Our point standing going into this game was 22 points, while the Mustangs that we had tied with in our first game and now having completed their last game, had 30 points.

We needed a win with 3 goals and a shut out in order to advance to the Championship Game. Despite the pressure of knowing we HAD to win or it was all over or maybe because of it, mid-fielders Marsela Murillo, Jessie Clements, Cassidee Nelson and Kaylee Kendrick took control early and kept the pressure on the entire game. The offense did their part with goals by Danica Hansen, Juliette McCann, Nicky Bennett and the only header goal in this tournament by newest team member Maddie Daines, resulting in a 4-0 win and another shut-out from the defense.

After the game, the U-17 and U-16 Infinity Girls teams presented Coach Ginn with a soccer ball that both teams had signed, and the girls had a team picture taken together. It was now very late and very cold , but the excitement was high because the Infinity U-16 Girls were now advancing to the Championship Game!

Much of the team’s success was due to the structured agenda that Coach Ginn had outlined in a detailed hand-out that each girl was expected to follow, or as JD Larsen called it “my Bible, because it tells me what to do and never steers me wrong.” The girls all stayed together in one hotel, with no parents in their rooms, and although there was a little free time allotted each day, most of the girls used the time to try and catch up on their sleep. They arose early each morning for team stretching, and had a set warm-up to follow before each game. The result was a team that came onto the field energized and ready to play from the very start of the game.

Monday, February 16, 2009. President’s Day.

The rain from the night before had stopped but it was still cool and wet. Seeing college scouts wandering around with clipboards, and noticing the size of the championship trophies waiting to be handed out, gave merit to what a big deal being at this game really was. Our girls seemed calm as they warmed-up but as we glanced at the opposing team, Glenview Elite from Illinois, many parents commented on the size of the girls our team was about to play. As the parents paced nervously, the girls played a solid first half but had few opportunities to score. Early on, Nicky Bennet had a pretty header that she redirected just skimming and going over the top of the bar. At half-time the score was 0-0. That changed early in the second half when Annie Hughes had a breakaway and was able to get one past the goalie, putting Infinity ahead 1-0. Annie doesn’t quite remember how it happened but she says she was “loving it” after the goal. Just a few minutes later as the ball was bobbled by Glenview’s goalie, Danica Hansen managed to get control of the ball and put it in the net. Unfortunately the ref called us with an offside penalty and took the goal away but even so, we were still ahead 1-0. Late in the second half the ball hit off the foot of one of our defensive players and hit her hand and we were called for a hands in the box penalty and they were able to score from the resulting Penalty Kick. At the end of regulation play the score was tied 1-1. On to overtime, starting with five minutes of Golden Goal play: whichever team scores first immediately wins. If no one scores its another five minutes with the same rules. The first over-time ended with no score, as did the second over-time so now it was on to a Shoot-Out. This has to be the most intense, pressure inducing soccer situation ever invented, with girls going one on one with the opposing goalie as they take a shot at the goal. Goalies Laura Rosales and Kjaersty Cook had split playing time throughout the tournament and had both played exceptionally and they split responsibilities in this game as well, with Laura as goalie for most of regulation play and Kjaersty finishing the second half and in for the over-time and shoot-out. After 5 shots from each team it was still tied. On to the second round. After one tie and 3 consecutive wins, a championship tie, 2 overtimes and 2 shoot-out rounds, it all came down to one goal made by their team and a missed shot on ours: the game was over. Glenview Elite would be receiving the first place trophy, while Infinity would receive 2nd place medals. It was heartbreaking to see the girls devastated at the loss, because they truly WERE winners in this tournament. They overcame incredible odds to even win one game and then consistently won against good teams, earning the right to play in the Championship Game. Their dedication and unselfish play exemplifies what teamwork is all about.

In a ranking system where the lower the number the better, Infinity U-16 is now ranked Nationally: 859 in Region 4: 270 and in Utah: 9th and this team will prove in the year to come that those numbers will only become smaller!

CONGRATULATIONS U-16 GIRLS INFINITY SOCCER TEAM!!

Thanks to the U-17 Girls and U-18 Boys Infinity Soccer teams, Coach’s Sherri Dever and Robson Chaves and all parents for their support at our games, and congratulations to MVP Laura Dewald.

Athletes First, Winning Second

2009-03-07T19:10:00.000-08:00

By Frank L. Smoll, Ph.D., and Ronald E. Smith, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology, University of Washington

As a form of competition, sport involves a contest between opposing individuals or teams. An athletic event is a struggle for supremacy in which every coach and athlete seeks to emerge victorious. The common notion in sports thus equates success with winning – scoring more points, runs or goals than the opponent. However, in a youth or developmental model of sport (Smoll & Smith, 1999), the measure of success goes beyond records and standings. Success is a personal thing and is related to one’s own standards and abilities.

Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.
– John Wooden, former UCLA basketball coach

With respect to the educational benefits of sport, youngsters can learn valuable lessons from both winning and losing. But for this to occur, winning must be placed in a healthy perspective. We have therefore developed a four-part philosophy of winning (Smith & Smoll, 2002a; Smoll & Smith, 1981).

The purpose of this article is to present an overview of the philosophy and to consider ways of conveying it to athletes. Hopefully, the article will serve as a guide for developing your views and orientation toward winning. Moreover, by successfully implementing this philosophy in your role as coach or teacher, you will be able to maximize young athletes’ enjoyment of sports and their chances of deriving the positive outcomes of participation.

PART 1: Winning isn’t everything, nor is it the only thing.
Young athletes can’t possibly learn from winning and losing if they think the only objective is to beat their opponents. On the other hand, it would be naive and unrealistic to believe that winning is not an important part of youth sports. Winning is an important goal, but it is not the most important objective.

Most programs seek to develop desirable psychological and social characteristics as well as physical skills. However, as we all know, some coaches get caught up in a “winning is everything” orientation and place an overemphasis on winning. When this occurs, they may temporarily lose sight of other important objectives and values of their program. This does not mean that coaches should not try to build winning teams, but sometimes winning becomes more important for the coach than it is for the athlete.

Our research has shown that coaches for whom athletes enjoyed playing most, and who were most successful in promoting youngsters’ self-esteem, actually had won-lost records that were about the same as coaches who were less liked and less effective in fostering feelings of self-worth (see Smoll & Smith, 2002).

Another finding was that athletes on winning teams believed that their parents liked the coach more and that the coach liked them more than did athletes on losing teams. This is an interesting commentary on children’s perceptions of adult values. Winning made little difference to the youngsters, but they knew that it was important to the adults in their lives.

Given that sport is heavily achievement-oriented, seeking victory is encouraged. However, to create the most valuable experience for athletes, coaches should help them understand that there is more to get out of sports than just a won-lost record. This can be done by reducing the ultimate importance of winning relative to other prized participation motives (e.g.,skill development and affiliation with teammates).

Most notably, in recognition of the inverse relation between enjoyment and competitive anxiety, fun should be highlighted as the paramount objective (Scanlan & Lewthwaite, 1984; Scanlan & Passer, 1978, 1979). If young people leave your program having enjoyed relating to you and to their teammates, feeling better about themselves, having improved their skills and looking forward to future sport participation, you have accomplished something far more important than a winning record or a league championship.

The bottom line in youth sports should not be based on pressure to win. Instead, it should be on the enjoyment of competing
and the opportunity to develop positive attitudes toward other people.
– Lute Olson, University of Arizona basketball coach

PART 2: Failure is not the same thing as losing.
Athletes should not view losing as a sign of failure or as a threat to their personal value. They should be taught that losing a game is not a reflection of their own self-worth. In other words, when individuals or teams lose a contest, it does not mean that their worth is less than it would have been had they won.

PART 3: Success is not equivalent to winning.
Neither success nor failure need depends on the outcome of a contest or the numbers in a won-lost record. Winning and losing apply to the outcome of a contest, whereas success and failure do not. How then can we define success in sports?

PART 4: Athletes should be taught that success is found in striving for victory.
The important idea is that success is related to commitment and effort. Athletes have complete control over the amount of effort they give, but they have only limited control of the outcome that is achieved. If you can impress on your athletes that they are never “losers” if they commit themselves to doing their best and give maximum effort, you are giving them a priceless gift that will assist them in many of life’s tasks.

Comments by two well-known college coaches indicate that their philosophy of winning agrees with the orientation presented above.

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno stated, “We can’t let people get hold of our kids and make them think they’ve got to win. The winning is great. You strive for it. You try to do it. You compete to win. But if you lose, you lose. I’ve never seen a football game where there wasn’t enough glory for everybody – winners and losers.”

Similarly, former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden once told a group of coaches: “You cannot find a player who ever played for me at UCLA that can tell you he ever heard me mention ‘winning’ a basketball game. Yet the last thing I told my athletes, just prior to tip-off, before we would go on the floor was, ‘When the game is over, I want your head up – and I know of only one way for your head to be up – and that’s for you to know that you did your best. This means to do the best you can do. That’s the best; no one can do more. You made that effort.’”

With a developmentally oriented philosophy of winning, coaches are urged to focus on athletes’ effort and enjoyment rather than on success as measured by statistics or scoreboards. In other words, you are encouraged to emphasize “doing your best,” “getting better” and “having fun” as opposed to a “win at all costs” orientation.

Although formulated prior to the emergence of achievement goal theory (Ames, 1992; Dweck, 1999; Nicholls, 1989), this approach clearly is consistent with a task or mastery orientation (see McArdle & Duda, 2002). Moreover, focusing on effort rather than outcome is consistent with Dweck’s (1975) highly successful attributional retraining program with low-achieving children. Children who received Dweck’s intervention showed improved performance (in a math problem-solving task) and were better able to cope with failure. Within the realm of sport, one might expect this approach to lessen the effects of failure, thereby reducing stress for athletes.

Behavioral guide for coaches
A number of research-derived guidelines for enhancing relationship skills are presented in our book Way to Go, Coach! (Smith & Smoll, 2002a). They constitute the core of our scientifically-validated coaching education program, which is known as Coach Effectiveness Training (see Smith & Smoll, 2002b; Smoll & Smith, 2001).

Two of the guidelines have direct relevance to developing a healthy philosophy of winning. First, reinforce effort as much as results. It’s easy to recognize and praise an athlete who just made a great play, but coaches usually are less likely to reward a player who tried hard but did not make the play. Perhaps the second athlete deserves (and needs) positive feedback even more.

Let your athletes know that you appreciate and value their efforts. Make sure their efforts are not taken for granted. As we stated earlier, athletes have complete control over how much effort they make; but they have only limited control over the outcome of their efforts. By looking for and praising athletes’ efforts, you can encourage them to continue or increase their output.

A second coaching guideline is pertinent to our philosophy of winning: Encourage effort, don’t demand results. Most young athletes already are motivated to develop their skills and play well. By appropriate use of encouragement, a coach can help increase their natural enthusiasm. If, however, youngsters are encouraged to strive for unrealistic standards of achievement, they may feel like failures when they don’t reach the goal. Therefore, it is important to base encouragement on reasonable expectations. Again, a coach encouraging effort rather than outcome can help avoid problems.

The only successful youth sports program is the one with the coach who will accept losing along with winning, last place in the league along with first place, and still be able to congratulate his team for their efforts.
– Roger Staubach, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback

Reducing fear of failure
Fear of failure can be an athlete’s worst enemy. High levels of competition anxiety not only reduce performance, but also make the athletic situation threatening and unpleasant rather than enjoyable. In fact, many young athletes drop out of sports because of the stress created by their fear of failure (see Smith, Smoll, & Passer, 2002).

How does fear of failure develop? Usually, it arises because the young athlete has been punished for failing to achieve a desired outcome. Such punishment may come from coaches, parents or peers, or it may be self-administered by athletes themselves when they fail to measure up to their own performance standards.

Because the punishment and resulting decrease in self-esteem are so distasteful, athletes may come to fear and dread the possibility of failing. They dread making a mistake or losing a contest. Their fear, by disrupting performance, increases the likelihood that they will perform poorly. It is easy to understand why some athletes “choke” in pressure situations. Instead of enjoying competition and developing a positive drive for achievement, some athletes are driven by the negative motive of avoiding failure.

How can coaches help to prevent development of fear of failure in their athletes? We believe that John Wooden had the answer when he emphasized to his UCLA teams that success lies in doing one’s best, of giving maximum effort regardless of the final score. If coaches only demand that athletes give their best, and if they reward their efforts rather than focusing only on outcome, athletes can learn to set similar standards for themselves. As far as winning is concerned, if athletes are well trained, give maximum effort and are free of performance-disrupting fears of failing, winning will take care of itself within the limits of their ability.

A final thought
Tremendous concern has been shown for the amount of emphasis placed on winning in youth sports. Yet to be for or against competition is not the issue. Sport competition is neither universally good nor bad for kids. The important thing is how the competition is organized and conducted. The philosophy of the American Sport Education Program, “Athletes first, winning second,” reflects a proper perspective on winning (Hanlon, 1994). In other words, the most important coaching product is not a won-lost record. It is the quality of the experience provided for the athletes.

In the news

2009-03-03T12:05:00.000-08:00

The Box Elder Journal published a brief recognition article in the sports section. Click here to view.

Infinity well represented at the NSCAA GK Course

2009-03-03T10:36:00.001-08:00

Eight Infinity coaches attended the seven hour goal keeping course hosted by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) course in Draper, Utah February 27th & 28th. The accumulation of coaches was the largest represented by any club present. The coaching staff has recognized the importance of goal keeping and want to see a drastic change in how we view our goal keepers at training. By having more coaches understand the needs of the goal keeper and by having new ideas presented to us, we hope that the goal keeper begins to feel like he/she is more part of the team in pre-match warm ups and training. The goal is to have consistent and progressive GK training as well as reinforced instruction during match play.

We also have a young group of coaches being mentored for the future. One of which is being mentored specifically as a goal keeper trainer. We hope that as we put more effort in to the goal keeper position that we will begin to raise the bar of expectations with our teams. Without a quality goal keeper you are less likely to compete at the highest of levels.

Infinity Coaches in attendance: Jeff Ginn, Sherri Dever, Toni Doney, Aric Craig, Kasey Erickson, Larry Tolley, KcKenzie Garn, Crissy Partridge

Why 8 A-Side?

2009-02-24T13:25:00.000-08:00

In February we used our online poll to ask the question, "At what age do you think teams should play 11 vs 11 like the pro.'s?"

The correct answer is found in an article titled: WHY 8 A-SIDE

By, Sam Snow
U. S. Soccer National Staff Instructor
US Youth Soccer Director of Coaching Education

Children in the U11 and U12 age groups should play eight versus eight (8 v 8) in
their matches. This includes the goalkeeper, hence seven field players and one
goalkeeper. The playing field should be 70 to 80 yards long and 45 to 55 yards wide.
The goal should be 6 feet high by 18 feet wide. The penalty area should be 14 yards
out from each post and 14 yards forward. The goal area, penalty spot, penalty arc,
corner arc, corner flags and center circle should be per FIFA rules. They should play
two halves of 30 minutes each. Overtime should be two periods of 10 minutes each.
The ball is a size 4, which gives a good indication that these are still children playing the game.

Players in this age group should play 8 v 8 to enhance their soccer abilities. This
is true for all levels of play, recreational or premier. At this point in their physical and psychological development, most ten and eleven year old children can play rather than play at the game of soccer. Coaches must be careful at this juncture and not fall victim to the false assumption that these preadolescent children are now able to play mature soccer.

Yet there is more competence in their individual technical performance. They
now intentionally combine in groups of two to four around the ball. In fact, the word
“team” now becomes more than an abstract concept.Click here to read entire article.

Please Watch this very detailed and informative video

'97 Girls Win Icebreaker Tournament

2009-02-23T14:04:00.000-08:00

The Infinity 97 Premier U12 Girls team attended the Ice Breaker Tournament President’s Day Weekend in St. George and brought home first place medals. They played hard and enjoyed the opportunity to be playing outside again. While it was not as warm as we had hoped, at least we didn’t have the snowy storms that hit home.
It took a little getting used to an outdoor field again. The girls had some challenges along the way and had to fight 2 tough battles against Avalanche to finally earn the title of champions.
Infinity had the first game Saturday morning and had to endure the fresh “red mud” from the night’s rain storm. They played Avalanche 98 and got off to a little bit of a slow start. Guest player Demi Lopez finally put in the first goal. Madie Siddoway followed with two of her own. At half Infinity was up 3. There were several attempts the second half, but only Anna Davidson put one in. The tough defense hardly let Avalanche take a shot, and any they did take, goalie Becca “Boo” Jensen stopped, leaving the score 4 to 0.
The second game was not as competitive of a match. Infinity poured on the teamwork and skills to rack up 10 goals. Rebecca Godfrey (3) , Hailey Oldham, Kanyan Ward, Madie Siddoway (3), Viridianna Gomez, and Demi Lopez all had goals. The other teammates helped with great assissts and superb defending. The final score was 10 to 0.
Infinity lucked out with the first game of the day Monday morning too. They played at 7:00 am and the sun was barely out. Competitor Avalanche 97 came ready to fight and wanted a win. There were a few unsuccessful attempts to score and defense really had to work hard. Avalanche scored just before halftime. The girls tried to kick things up a notch second half, but Avalanche put in two quick back to back goals. Madie Sidoway then got a PK and put it right in. This fired the girls up and prompted them to work harder. Madie later put in a second goal. Things were starting to look up for Infinity. There were other shots taken, but luck wouldn’t have them go in. Infinity faced a tough loss 2 to 3.
Game 4 was against Celtic Storm and actually felt a little warmer. With over a dozen shots on the goal, Infinity only managed to make 4 count, winning 4 to 0. Becca Godfrey, Madie Sidoway, Carly Richins and Kanyan Ward all scored.
Infinity’s record brought them to the championship game to have a rematch against Avalanche 97. Avalanche put in the first goal. Infinity didn’t let it get them down, because they were determined to go home champions. The defenders were tight and didn’t let too much through. Infinity dominated the field and took shot after shot, but couldn‘t manage to make them go in. Two successful shots didn’t count due to off sides and kicking it in the goalie’s hands calls by the refs. Finally, Hailey Oldham put one in just before half. There were lots of shots the second half as well. And when it looked like the game might go into overtime, Becca Godfrey put a goal in to clench the win, 2 to 0.
The girls were excited to win and concluded the tournament with their famous Ole’ Ole’ victory dance on the field before going to the awards presentation.

Check out the tournament website for more information, www.icebrekersoccer.com

The Herald Journal (1st Infinity article)

2009-02-15T23:58:00.001-08:00

SOCCER CAMP

BY JOEY HISLOP
Published:
Sunday, February 15, 2009 3:22 AM CST

If youth soccer in Cache Valley was a stock, now would be the time to invest. Not only does Cache Valley boast some of the best youth soccer numbers in the country — top 3 in the nation in per-capita kids playing soccer — but pretty soon there won’t be many places in the intermountain area where your kids can get better coaching and training in the fine art of schooling a defender with a ball at your feet.

That’s thanks in large part to the folks at Infinity Soccer Club, the premiere youth soccer club in the valley and one of the best in Utah.

Infinity began in 2008 when The Soccer Academy and Valencia Soccer joined forces to create a soccer club whose vision is to ultimately give kids greater opportunities in the game by raising the level of coaching and training they can receive in the valley.

“We’ve been here for seven months, but soccer’s been here for relatively 20-30 years. ... We’re trying to create a culture in our community that is comparable to the metro areas,” Infinity Soccer Club Technical Director Jeff Ginn said. “Salt Lake has many clubs that focus on the development of the individual player and teams. We want to have that option for our kids here in Cache Valley as well.”

However, even with top-notch coaching and a firm commitment to excellence, it can still be difficult for a person to develop their game quickly when weather is a factor.

As with several outdoor sports, relatively good weather is a necessity for soccer, and for three-to-four months out of the year, Cache Valley is not the most hospitable region on Earth for the planet’s most popular sport.

That’s where indoor soccer facilities come in, and with the help of Utah State University allowing Infinity the use of the Stan Laub Indoor Training Facility, Infinity has procured the ability to help kids sharpen their dribbling skills even when there’s snow falling outside.

“The ability to have Utah State donate or open up their doors for us to get in and utilize their facilities is exceptional,” Ginn said, adding that it draws in not only his own club players, but also the top teams in the state. “It opens up an opportunity for people to come to us instead of us always traveling to them, which is generally the case. ... We (usually) have to travel a lot.

“The facility being open is good for the community, it’s good for the kids and it just provides opportunity, which is nice.”

Ginn, one of three coaches at Infinity, came to Cache Valley from Iowa Western Community College to be a part of the club and help develop the quality of soccer in an area he heavily recruited as a coach. He is joined by Hobson Chavez and Sherri Dever.

For Barbara Klein of Brigham City, volunteer secretary to the Infinity Board of Directors and mother of U10 team member Madelyn Klein, the coaching and game development her daughter is receiving are well worth the time, the drive and the money.

“It’s amazing. ... It’s just neat to see all the techniques and all the skills that they’re teaching ‘em, and all the drills and footwork,” Klein said. “My daughter played AYSO forever and loved it, and she wanted a little bit more.

“There’s a lot of strategy they’re teaching ‘em, a lot of skills that they don’t normally get. ... We’re just very lucky to have these coaches. ... With any sport, when you start to get in depth ... it’s incredible the money that goes into it. But these kids, if they have big dreams and they want to work hard for it ... you want to do whatever you can to help ‘em.”

And it’s already paying dividends. In January, Infinity’s U10 team took the silver medal at the Las Vegas MLK Cup, giving up only one goal all tournament before losing in the championship match in penalty kicks.

You Are Who You Watch

2009-02-02T16:17:00.001-08:00

by Ian Sawyers

When I was growing up a soccer-mad youngster in England, the way we truly learned to play was by copying the game we watched. Whether it was on television, or for those lucky enough to soak it up at a live match, our "lessons" came by going out to the streets, and in informal kick-rounds, attempting to copy the professionals we had seen play the game.

My wife, Hall of Fame soccer star Julie Foudy, tells a different story of her childhood. It includes her early memories of the only available athlete role models she could find -- professional American football and basketball players.

It's true that in the past in this country, it's been difficult to find the top players to imitate, especially for girls. But the new Women's Professional Soccer league, and teams like Sky Blue FC, are a positive step in the right direction. Now, you can complete the pieces of your soccer education with the third, and vital part, of the equation: train, play, watch.

Why watch the game? There are a lot of reasons, but as an educational tool it's simple: you can't do what you can't see. Soccer is a visual game and a lot of young players are visual learners.

Establishing mental images by watching my heroes play provided me with a road map equal to watching a TV re-run. I knew what was coming next in a given situation as I felt I had already seen it and lived it, and all I had to do was copy the movement.

A sports psychologist and old friend of mine once told me "the brain cannot differentiate between what is real and what is imagined." This has helped me a lot in my coaching career to try and encourage a constant use of mental imagery and "creating good pictures" in the soccer brain. It is said that the best players have good vision -- the seeming ability to see the entire field and anticipate potential movement. Sure, this comes from playing experience, but this experience also includes the careful attention to the skill of experts and role models and thus the formation of "positive pictures."

There are many ways to watch the game, each of them valuable and interesting. Watch with an eye toward different aspects of play. Isolate your watching experience. Start with the warm-up, one of the most essential parts of the game, and often overlooked by youth players. The warm-up of a professional entails many parts. It has a progression; it is physical (what they do); emotional and mental (How they act and feel. For example, do they chat with teammates? Are they silent and focused on their effort?). Imagine what would work best for you in a warm-up, or for your team.

During the game, try focusing on a player in your position, and then, switch focus to another aspect, such as movement off the ball. Most people watch the obvious -- the action with the ball -- but it is the activity that goes on all around that sets up that pass or shot.

Consider this: on average, a player runs between 5 and 6.5 miles per game, yet the distance that player covers with possession of the ball is only 2 percent of that, about 200 yards. So obviously, there's a lot to learn by watching what goes on all over the field.

Finally, watch the game because you enjoy it. What happens on the field is just a part of what WPS will offer you. Game days are also opportunities to celebrate your sport, and to share an exciting and fun experience with family, friends and teammates. It is also one of the rare opportunities to be with them in a relatively relaxed atmosphere, without the stress of usual of competition with your club or school teams. And, too, you will share that sense of pride when you look out at the greatest women players in the world and think: I play that game too. And I can dream to become one of those players.

(Ian Sawyers is the general manager and head coach of Sky Blue FC , the NY/NJ franchise of Women's Professional Soccer. As former head coach of the women's professional San Jose CyberRays, he led that team to the inaugural championship of the WUSA.)

Infinity '99 Girls...Vegas baby, VEGAS!

2009-01-24T14:31:00.000-08:00

While we were driving home from our first out of state tournament to Las Vegas we asked our daughter Maddie what the best part of the trip was for her. We expected answers like seeing grandma and grandpa, visiting the M&M store, swimming, the team party, or any of the fun glittery things you can do in Vegas. But she immediately answered, “Playing soccer!”

It has been quite an adventure for our young team. We started out trying to go to a tournament at the beginning of December. That tournament was cancelled so we decided to go to one over Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. Along the way we had many lifelong memories. We cleaned the Spectrum twice, cleaned a neighbor’s yard, sold concessions at a men’s indoor tournament, and hosted a U10/11 boys-girls tournament.

The tournament we hosted was a fast, furious, and fun event! Some of the girls played 9 games in one day. They were able to play together and then play with other teams. It was great fun to watch them play so hard against some very tough boys’ teams and then join them to play with them at other times. It was a fun soccer community building activity.

We also scrimmaged many different teams throughout Cache Valley to prepare. Thanks to Crossfire, Bobcats, Infinity U10 boy’s premier, and Hot Shots for willingly come help us prepare by giving us very challenging scrimmages. We got to see different styles of play and coaching which helped us to prepare.

When we left for Vegas we didn’t know what to expect. We were both excited and nervous. But all that preparation paid off. Our first game on Friday night we won 11-0. We went to a Round Table Pizza after the game to celebrate. Take a look on the back wall and you’ll now see an Infinity practice jersey with all the girls’ signatures pinned to the wall! Then on Saturday we had two games that we won 6-1 and the 3-0. After that game we had a well deserved pool party. It was very hard for the girls to wait that long to finally go swimming. Sunday was a free day where many girls went to the M&M store, Red Rock State Park, or just played at the arcade! Then on Monday we had a morning game that we won 11-0. WE WERE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!! We played extremely hard and never gave up! We ended up taking second place. Yes, we lost the game in PK’s but the smiles on the girls’ faces in the end reminded us if you all had fun then you all WON!!!

All of the games were great fun. We had four guest players play with us. All of the girls played terrific and got along great. The sportsmanship that Coach Doney instilled in us earned a complement from the tournament staff. Each girl who traveled on our Infinity SC girls 99 is a better player for having gone to the tournament. We can’t wait for the next one!!!

Coping with Mistakes: Teaching Tolerance

2009-01-20T15:10:00.001-08:00

by Tony DiCicco, Thursday, May 22, 2008 1:00 PM ET

Tolerance is important not only between and among teammates but also for individual players personally. Ideally, this tolerance starts at the top with the coach.

Players make mistakes, some of them physical and some mental. It's the job of a coach to point out those mistakes, to help each player recognize the error and then, more important, provide the tools to correct it. It's also the job of the coach to make it clear that if a player makes a mistake, it's not the end of the world.

It's equally vital to coach players when they've been successful. In fact, the most enlightened coaches spend more time congratulating successes than correcting mistakes.

Over the years I've had players who, when they made a mistake, were clearly much harder on themselves than they would have been on a teammate who'd made the same mistake. These players take themselves down emotionally and tear themselves up mentally. Frankly, I was like that too. But what you have to understand is that if you're a member of a team, you have the responsibility to keep your own performance up.

If you tear yourself down or beat yourself up, you're not only hurting your own performance but also the collective performance of the team.

It is crucial to teach your players to have tolerance for their own performance and a realistic understanding that no one's perfect. Obviously, this isn't easy for most of us. To facilitate the process you can encourage your players to begin to build key words or phrases that will get them back on focus.

SHIFTING FOCUS FROM PAST. As a goalkeeper I used to say to myself when I'd make a mistake in a game, "OK, that was a bad play, but you're going to need to come up with a big play to win this game." So immediately, instead of focusing on the bad play I'd just made, I started focusing on that big play in order to reshape my mental approach. I didn't know when I was going to make it, but I knew that when I got the opportunity, it was going to be a big play that would turn the game around. In essence, my focus shifted from the past to the present because I needed to be ready now, in the moment.

Besides teaching self-tolerance, a coach must insist that his or her players are tolerant of their teammates. You cannot have a successful team if you have players who, when somebody makes a mistake, point fingers at their teammate or exhibit body language that says, "What the heck is this person doing?"

This kind of behavior definitely does not help performance. Instead, you need leaders and teammates who will actively support each other and boost the team's competitive edge through their understanding of competitive dynamics.

The best example I've seen of this occurred during the quarterfinals of the 1999 World Cup. We were playing Germany, one of the best teams in the world, and in the first five minutes of the game, Brandi Chastain kicked the ball into our own goal (essentially scoring a goal for Germany). She was in shock. At that point Carla Overbeck came up to her and said, "Brandi, we've got 85 minutes left to go. We'll get the goal back. But we need you in the game. Let's play."

This snapped Brandi back into the moment. The fairy-tale ending is that Brandi actually ended up scoring the tying goal in the second half of that World Cup quarterfinal. I don't think she would have scored that goal without the support and tolerance of her teammates for a very unfortunate mistake at a very crucial point in the game.

TRUST. On a personal level, an individual has to be pretty courageous to stay in there physically and emotionally to turn things around. It's not an easy thing to do when a player's confidence is in the gutter.

Some can do it consistently, but other players can only do it occasionally. I think it's the coach's job to try and facilitate the likelihood of that happening. You have to trust your players, trust that they can turn things around, trust that they can overcome their mistakes, and believe that they will be successful.

If you must take a player out of the game, and sometimes you will, then you've got to build up that player's confidence as soon as possible. In essence, you've got to rebuild her self-esteem. Players need to know that your coaching decisions are performance related and not personal.

Colleen has some great advice for helping players to do that. She would tell the players, "Look, let's get past it now. Let's focus on the plays you know you can make and have made so well and so often in the past. Let's play in the moment and deal with the mistakes later."

(Excerpted from "Catch Them Being Good: Everything You Need to Know to Successfully Coach Girls" by Tony DiCicco, Colleen Hacker & Charles Salzberg courtesy of Penguin Books.)

Tony DiCicco coached the U.S. women's national team to the 1996 Olympic Gold Medal and the 1999 Women's World Cup title. DiCicco, founder and director of SoccerPlus Camps , will be the Boston Breakers head coach when the club begins play in April of 2009 in the new women's professional soccer league. He is currently coach of the U.S. U-20 women's national team.

Girls & Boys: Taking Gender Into Account

2009-01-13T11:05:00.000-08:00

by Emily Cohen, Thursday, Oct 30, 2008 6:30 PM ET

My daughter comes bursting through the door after soccer practice and exclaims, "Mom! We had so much fun! Maya and Natalie and I got to be on the same team!" "Did you win?" I ask. She replies, "I have no idea."

What a difference that is from when my son comes home from practice or, even more so, from a game. He can recite every well-executed play and missed opportunity in excruciating detail. But when I ask whether his best friend was on his team for the scrimmage, he replies, "No, but who cares? My team won!"
In a nutshell, these two scenarios capture the essence of how boys and girls approach sports differently. Of course, there are always exceptions -- the supercompetitive girl, the boy who would rather sit on the bench and chat with his buddy than be on the playing field -- but, in general, most of the coaches and parents I talked with agreed: For girls, the social interaction and the experience of being on a team with friends is No. 1. And for boys, it's much more about the end result.

So how can coaches apply this conventional wisdom to improve their coaching -- and get the best out of their players, whether they be girls or boys? Here's what I heard from a few longtime coaches who have successfully coached both genders, from elementary through high school.

Work with not against the innate gender differences

Girls are more concerned about having their friends on their team rather than winning. Sure, they like to win, but it's more important if they do so while playing with their friends. As one longtime coach told me, "I've never had to tell the boys to stop holding hands during practice, but I have had to ask them to quit jumping on each other or wrestling."

Given this, when you divvy up your team for squads, make sure you put at least two girls who are buddies together from the get-go, and you'll avoid the whining about who's on whose team later on. Boys -- because they're concerned more with winning -- won't worry about friendships on the team, but will worry about "fairness" or the "evenness" of the teams athletically.

Encourage the natural strengths and develop the weaknesses of each gender

Girls are experiential and process-oriented. You'll see that girls work just as hard as -- or even harder than -- the boys, but the girls care more about the overall effort than simply counting the numbers in the win and loss columns. With girls, if you spend time talking about their improvements, they'll work even harder and you'll quickly see a direct correlation to the overall win/loss record.

On the other hand, boys are much more results-oriented. It's not that they can't be focused on the journey, it's just that their DNA is geared toward winning and losing. With boys, you need to guide them to put effort into improving skills and getting something out of the experience -- encouraging them to understand that the journey, not just the number of Ws, is the reward.

Resolve problems collaboratively for girls, one-on-one for boys

Girls and boys approach problem-solving differently. Because of this, when you have an issue with a specific player -- or there's a problem with the team dynamic -- you should take gender into account.

With girls, yelling simply doesn't work. Coaches who approach girls as they would boys find this out the hard way. When you are upset with the attitude or effort of your female players, the best way to handle it is with a team meeting. Start by asking them what they think the problem is. Nine times out of 10, the girls will have already pinpointed the problem and have several solutions to propose. Girls work things out collaboratively -- as a team. It might be painful, but the results you see in the end will be worth it.

In contrast, boys need to be listened to and heard. If a boy on your team is acting out or needs help focusing, you should address it with the player, one-on-one, clear the air, and move on. You might have to get the boy's attention by raising your voice and making an example of him in front of his peers, but once you do, and you clearly explain your expectations, you should be on your way to a better team dynamic.

(Emily Cohen is a freelance writer living in Berkeley, Calif. She is the mother of a son, 12, and a daughter, 9, who both play multiple sports. She has been a team manager for her children's soccer, baseball and softball teams.)

Practicing Solo: The 720 Challenge

2009-01-10T08:36:00.000-08:00

by Brandi Chastain, Thursday, May 8, 2008 7:30 PM ET

It's amazing how much more technical and organized soccer training is now. When I was growing up, we practiced twice a week (three times when I got older) and played one game on the weekend, unless there was a tournament, and I didn't start playing in tournaments until I was 11.

Today, with year-round soccer (which I didn't play until I was nearly in college), there are an incredible number of games being played. Too many in my opinion (but that's another story).

Children in sports are often overly organized. Informal play gives them the opportunity to be independent, creative, and self-motivated. They dictate the place, the time, the rules, and the structure - or lack of it. When I was young, aside from formal practice, I was out on my front lawn everyday, juggling or kicking a ball. I'd play with the neighborhood kids or my brother.

He and I often took it into the house, playing 1 v 1 in our hallway, which couldn't have been more than three feet wide. (Of course, that would drive our mother crazy.)

That said, these casual skill sessions don't have to last for hours - even 15 minutes a day of juggling or footwork can be a significant addition when compounded over time. Mix it up with friends, or play a little by yourself.

What's important is that you develop the habit, and put the fun into it, the way we did with the National Team. We played informal games and created challenges against one another all the time. The rewards are simple, but satisfying, like the losers serving the winners lunch and busing their trays in the cafeteria of the Home Depot Center, buying coffee or smoothies, or hitting the ground for push-ups and sit-ups while the winners gloat.

Going for '720'

Try this ultimate challenge. It's called 720, and here's why. Using these 12 ball-juggling surfaces (laces/instep of both feet, outside of the feet, inside of the feet, thighs, chest, shoulders, head - click here for a video showing the 12 surfaces) and keeping the ball up in the air, use as many of those surfaces as you can in 60 seconds. Multiply the number of surfaces you successfully use (at least once), by the number of seconds you keep the ball up.

Your maximum scored would be 12 x 60 = 720.

Excerpted from "It's Not About the Bra: How to Play Hard, Play Fair, and Put the Fun Back into Competitive Sports" By Brandi Chastain with Gloria Averbuch courtesy of HarperCollins.

Brandi Chastain made 192 appearances and scored 30 goals for the U.S. women's national team in 1988-2004. She won two Women's World Cups (1991 & 1999) and two Olympic gold medals (1996 & 2004).

Parents On The Other Side

2009-01-06T13:53:00.002-08:00

Writen by Emily Cohen. From Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider, learn more at www.SoccerAmerica.com.
Have an opinion on this story? Click the comment link.

Two weeks ago, our soccer league had its end of year tournament. As the previous game ended, my daughter's coach strode to the far side of the field to set up the bench for the girls. The coach -- and the parents -- of our opponents surprisingly followed suit, setting up camp directly next to our team.

After politely asking the other team's coach and parents to go to the other side of the field and receiving the reply, "No, we'd like to stay right here," my daughter's coach shrugged his shoulders and sighed -- and hoped for the best. What was that? That the parents on the other team would respect the game and not scream and shout at the players, as we had seen occur in the prior game.

Luckily, the other team's parents granted our wish and were well-behaved in our game. But the game before ours was ugly. Both teams and their respective parents were on the same side of the field. Just as the game got underway, one team's parents started a rousing cheer. As soon as they were done, the other team's parents looked at each other and, not to be outdone, came up with a similar -- but louder -- cheer for their team.

The constant organized cheers continued throughout the game, along with parents yelling "instructions" to the players ("Where were you going with that ball, Katie?" and "Kick it, Susie!" were just two of the so-called encouraging comments overheard) at the same time as the coaches. It was complete cacophony. The parents were louder than the coaches. And the girls had no idea whom to listen to.

While many leagues' (including ours) rules of play both dictate that, wherever possible, teams should be on opposite sides of the field and their supporters and parents must be on the same side as their team, I think it's time to put a new standard in place across all of youth soccer: Parents should be on the opposite touchline as the players and the coaches.

Why? First, players need to be able to distinguish instruction from the coach or coaches and noise from the parents, who are not supposed to be coaching. As one parent of three youth soccer players put it, "You get the whole sideline full of parents yelling to the kids while the coaches are also trying to be heard." If parents are on the opposite touchline, players can more readily hear their coach or coaches and can make adjustments quickly in a fast-paced game. Simply put, it helps players play better.

Second, keeping parents and coaches separate on opposite sidelines helps referees do their jobs better. Brian Hall, the USSF Referee Department's Manager of Assessment and Training, recently told Soccer America that he is in favor of restricting parents to the opposite sideline because, "It makes it easy for referees to distinguish between the parents and the coaches when they want to take action," Hall said. "You know specifically who you're dealing with - who you can do something official with."

And finally, keeping parents away from the team helps coaches coach better too. One longtime youth soccer coach, when asked whether he would continue to coach, joked, "Only for a team of 11 orphans." Another coach told me that, although team on one side and parents on the other is the rule in his league, he'd "prefer to have the team and coaches on one side and have the parents stay at home. Actually, some duct tape for the parents would suffice too."

One well-respected coach in our league said that he felt parents were a distraction to the players, not just verbally, but also physically. He recalled several situations where a player would come out of the game and her parent would ask her -- in front of the coach -- if she was too tired to go back into the game! And another parent would sit so close to the bench that her daughter sat on her lap rather than with her teammates on the bench.

It's pretty clear from these examples that parents get in the way of players' ability to play, referees' ability to ref, and coaches' ability to coach. Recognizing this, the English FA has recently gone as far as to dictate that parents must be on the opposite touchline from the teams in all youth games and that they watch from a marked area two yards back from the sideline. This puts parents even further back from the action and give the players and referees more room to play and ref the game.

I think it's time American youth soccer gives the game back to the players, coaches, and refs and out of the mouths of parents.

(Emily Cohen is a freelance writer living in Berkeley, Calif. She is the mother of a son, 12, and a daughter, 9, who both play multiple sports. She has been a team manager for her children's soccer, baseball and softball teams.)

Shift Changing

2008-12-17T23:41:00.000-08:00

Taken from the USYSA Blog site of Sam Snow

Here's a question from a parent of a young player:

"I have a relatively minor question regarding appropriate shift time, not playing time in my daughter's Under-10 Recreation Traveling team (6v6). My daughter will be nine shortly. With 10 players on the roster, each shift of five moving players is playing about 12 -15 minutes at a time and it seems as though the young ladies are becoming tired quickly. The last team we played changed shifts about every five to six minutes...By the way, our coach is new and has never coached any organized sport before though she has a local high school soccer player helping out...

Is there a recommended time-per-shift at this age?"

Shift changes can actually hinder the players learning how to play the game. Wholesale substitutions change the rhythm of the game and end up with the game being played at a helter skelter pace, often with little in the way of quality tactics. When the pace of the game is too fast the match deteriorates into kick and run soccer. For the beauty of the game and to put young players into an environment to learn the game it is better to substitute players one or two at a time. Since the Under-10 age group is playing halves for the first time (see the Modified Rules for Under-10 at /coaches/RulesSmallGames.asp) it is a learning experience for the players, coaches and parents. All of those folks now need to begin learning the rhythm of the game. The players are being asked for the first time to think about how to pace themselves. That of course may be impossible to do if the adults surrounding the field are yelling for the players to constantly run at full pace, something which professional teams do not do.

The children will naturally become tired, but learning when to run, jog, walk or stand is part of the tactics of the game. Shift changes do not allow players to learn this tactical part of soccer as they are told to run hard for ten to fifteen minutes and then come off. That approach can win matches at Under-10 but will cause you to lose them at older and higher levels of play. It may require a bit more work during the match for the coach to keep track of 50 percent playing time for each child at the game that day, but that is a bit more in tune with the coach's job during a match than telling the players on the field what to do.

Infinity Soccer is on Facebook.

2008-12-07T13:31:00.000-08:00

Network with coaches, teammates and parenets. Also,Post your Infinity Soccer pictures there!
Infinity Facebook Link

Infinity SC '92 Girls In Southern California Part 1: Unifying The Team

2008-12-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

With the high school season coming to an end the U17 girls had four weeks (eight training sessions) to prepare for a very competitive tournament. Their preparation was focused on three things;
1) Unifying the team
2) Team Shape when transitioning to defense. Click Here for the team shape diagrams.
3) Attacking using combination play and unbalancing runs in to the final 3rd of the field.

The girls all arrived at Doheney State Beach in Dana Point, California. Coach Ginn's parents and aunt still live in San Juan Capistrano, CA so they played host and provided a thanksgiving dinner for the girls and their families. There was turkey, yams, stuffing...just enough for everyone to have a little. Also there were Hot Dogs and Hamburgers for the families to eat up if they remained hungry.

Unifying this group has not been a difficult task, as the girls have been open to the new teammates, coaches and parents. The girls had a lot of fun playing volleyball and hanging at the beach on Thanksgiving day.

After having fun at the beach the girls drove up to Irvine and went through a training session and some "walk throughs" to prepare them for the tournament the next morning. The girls shared rooms with assigned teammates. The teammates that attend high school together were all separated to allow the players a opportunity to get out of their comfort zone and get to know one another. A team rule for the girls is that the players are not allowed to wear anything representing their highs school when at Infinity activities. Even though High School soccer is important, being unified as a team and breaking down the boundaries that our valley has developed over its history is an important part of being successful, both as a team and as a club.

I will share their soccer tournament experience for part two and continue to focus on the team unity aspect for now. Friday night the girls were asked to perform skits for their teammates to perform. They groups of four grous were asked to present a skit. The topics: The Dating Game, A Talk Show, Home Shopping Network & A Game Show. When given the assignments the girls reluctantly went to their rooms and created ideas, and developed dialogue for their skits. Walking through the halls, the girls were giggling more than normal. The skits were performed and when Morgan Olsen's father, Gary Olsen, was asked to be the bachelor, the girls got to see a grown man blush when forced to asked pre-fabricated questions about the available girls. He asked the two girls questions like, "describe your belly button," and what their ideal dates would be. It was pure comedy to the girls and the parents. After the skits the girls played a game called, "The Animal Game." The girls had to act out animals with body movements and sounds or move down in the seating. It is a long time tradition for Coach Ginn to play this at every tournament he attends. it was fun, by the end the girls were tired and headed to bed to prepare for the next day of soccer.

When the tournament was over on Saturday the girls went to Laguna Beach, CA where they surrounded a pit fire on the beach, roasted marshmallows and played in the shore break. Taylor Anderson and Stacy Bair ended up drenched when Coach Ginn asked them to go stand on the rocks while the set of waves were small. They stood their, nearly bored because the water was just getting their feet. Getting anxious to play in the water a bit more, the team got closer to the shore break, Taylor hid behind a rock next to the edge.

I do not believe anyone will forget when Taylor got drenched when the shore break covered her so well that nobody could see her. The same wave got everyone else wet, but Stacy and Taylor got the worst of the group.

The girls went back to the fire pit and dried up. The team really had a fun time, it seemed as if these girls had all been playing together for years and years.

The experience was memorable and the unification process off of the field seems to have been successful.

The Ginn family and all of the players families made the trip stress free (except for the trips to Jamboree Rd.). Coaches Caleb Cowley and Jeff Ginn are very grateful for the girls discipline, punctuality and responsibility that they displayed during the entire trip.

-As more photos are gathered, we will post them. Part 2: Developing While Competing, will be up soon.

Youth Soccer in America - How do we measure success?

2008-11-20T20:45:00.000-08:00

From the US Youth Soccer Technical Department – For weekly content from the US Youth Soccer Technical Department, check out their blog at www.USYouthSoccer.com/Blog

"There are already a multitude of articles saying that winning and losing are not the correct measures of success in youth soccer, instead we should measure the development of the players. OK, perfect. The next obvious follow-up question then is, 'How do we measure the development of a single player?' If US Youth Soccer can answer this question in a way that is helpful to committed coaches and understandable to parents with limited playing experience (and paying the money to have their kids involved), they may be able to turn this overly organized youth soccer system of ours into a much more effective development program."
- Cary McCormick, Arlington, Va.

Indeed how do we measure player development?

Too often in America, a professional sport model is used in measuring youth sports success. Youth soccer is not immune to this misapplied standard. For soccer the situation is made worse by a desire of many adults to use measuring tools from other sports. In fact, it is maddening to many adults that soccer is not as black and white as with some sports in judging successful play. Many team sports played in our nation are statistically driven and coach centered.

Soccer is neither of those!

Indeed just like the Laws of the Game our sport has many shades of grey within it. As a player centered sport some coaches become disillusioned as they learn that they are the 'guide on the side' and not the 'sage on the stage'. Too many soccer coaches bring a military focused attitude to the youth sport environment. This coach-centered perspective has been handed down to us from other sports and coaching styles of past generations.

In many sports the coach makes crucial decisions during the competition. In soccer players make the primary decisions during the match; the coach's decisions are of secondary importance. Ego-centric personalities will find coaching soccer troublesome. The other significant group of adults at a youth soccer match is parents. They too often have their view of the match colored by the professional model and by a view of "coaching" that is portrayed in the media. Although it is changing, the majority of parents watching their kids play soccer have never played the game. In fact the statistics show that most of today's parents never played any team sport. So their only exposure on how to measure sporting success is gleaned from the sports media. The sports media predominately report on adult teams at the college and professional levels. These adult measurements of team performance should not and cannot be applied to youth sports.

The analogy can be made to a youngster's academic development in preparation for work in the adult business world. While the child is in primary and secondary school, the corporate world measurements of success are not applied. Those business assessments are not yet appropriate because the school-aged student does not yet have the tools to compete in the adult business environment. The knowledge and skills to be a competitor in business are still being taught and learned. This holds true in soccer as well!

Soccer is an adult game designed by adults for adults to play. Adults enjoy the game so much that they have shared it with their children. Yet adults make errors when we bring our adult performance and outcome based thinking into the developing player's world.

Alright fine you say. So how do we measure success? How do parents know if the team coach is doing a good job of teaching soccer to the players? How does the novice coach know if the kids are growing within the game?

As a way to measure success, let's look at the facts provided a by a study by the Youth Sports Institute, on what players want from their sports experience.

TRUTHS about children and sports

* Fun is pivotal - if it's not fun, young people won't play a sport
* Skill development is a crucial aspect of fun - it is more important than winning even among the best athletes
* The most rewarding challenges of sports are those that lead to self-knowledge
* Intrinsic rewards (self-knowledge that grows out of self-competition) are more important in creating lifetime athletes than extrinsic rewards are (victory or attention from others)1

During childhood allow the kids to have a good time playing the game while instilling the passion to love playing soccer on their own. Only a passion for the game can lead to success.

"Success is something players take ownership of and in time it becomes personally meaningful. Success is a process, not a product. The process of doing one's best is the key to success. The determining criterion of success is whether a player gave his or her best that day. Doing one's best is the most important statement a player can make about the importance of an activity and the meaning it has. With years of experience comes self-knowledge and self-awareness. So players learn over time what it means to do your best, to give 100%."2

"Winning isn't everything, but trying to is!" – Rainer Martens, sports psychologist

Motives for Participation in Youth Sport
Reasons for Participating in Non-school Sports (study of 3,900 7 to 12 graders)

Boys Girls
1. To have fun 1. To have fun
2. To do something I'm good at 2. To stay in shape
3. To improve my skills 3. To get exercise
4. For the excitement of competition 4. To improve my skills
5. To stay in shape 5. To do something I am good at
6. For the challenge of competition 6. To learn new skills
7. To get exercise 7. For the excitement of competition
8. To learn new skills 8. To play as part of a team
9. To play as part of a team 9. To make new friends
10. To go to a higher level of competition 10. For the challenge of competition3

Truths & Motives for Participation
1. Have fun and to enjoy participating in sport.
2. Learn new skills and to improve on existing sports skills.
3. Become physically fit and to enjoy good health
4. Enjoy the challenge and excitement of sports participation and competition.
5. Enjoy a team atmosphere and to be with friends.4

Suggestions for Parents

* Remember the truths and talk to your children with them in mind. After a game, ask questions about fun, skill improvement, learning experiences and having a good time with friends.
* See yourself as part of the team and supportive of the coach; avoid setting up a conflict in your child's mind between his or her parents and coaches. If you want to affect the coaching, volunteer to help.
* Develop perspective: remember what you could do at your children's ages; don't judge them by what you can do now. Kids will not become great players overnight.
* Develop an understanding of what your children want from sports—not all children want the same things. Determine if they want to be involved at all.

Basic Urges of Children

* Movement
* Success and Approval
* Peer Acceptance & Social Competence
* Cooperation & Competition
* Physical Fitness & Attractiveness
* Adventure
* Creative Satisfaction
* Rhythmic Expression
* To Know 5

Note: Winning alone is not a motive for participation by boys and girls.

"We are asking our players to compete before they have learned how to play."
-Jay Miller, U.S. U17 Men's National Team coach 2001

In general the benefits of youth sports for children include character building, humility in winning, leadership growth opportunities, cooperative skills, social skills and dealing with obstacles, losing and competition. We employ soccer to develop well adjusted, good citizens.

Measurements of Success in Youth Soccer
Short-Term

* Fun - Do the players smile and laugh? Do the players look forward to playing? The first question from the player's family should be, "Did you have fun today?"
* Fair Play - Does a player demonstrate a sense of sportsmanship through words and actions?
* Laws of the Game - Do the players know and follow the rules of soccer?
* Health and Fitness - Are the players physically fit enough to meet the fitness demands of the game? Are they developing good nutrition and hydration habits befitting an athlete?
* Friendships - Are the players creating new friends within the team and with players from other teams?
* Skills - Are the players demonstrating a growing number of ball skills and are they gradually becoming more proficient in those skills?

Long-Term

* Commitment - How do the players answer when asked at the end of a game, "Did you try your best?"
* Roles in the Team - More important than learning a position, are the players learning about positioning? Knowing where the right back or the center forward spot is on the field is important, yet learning how to move tactically within the game is far more important. Do all of the players get exposed to playing all of the positions?
* Leadership - Are players being given the opportunity to take on leadership roles and responsibilities? Are the coaches and team managers teaching leadership?
* Tactics - Are the players experimenting with new tactics in matches? The coaches must teach new tactics to the players in training sessions and then allow them to try out the tactics in a match, regardless of how that might affect the outcome!
* Retention - Do the players come back year after year?

Retention is recognized as a short term measure of success in youth soccer and developing well adjusted citizens is another long term measure of success in youth sports. In a 2007 US Youth Soccer survey 96 percent of parents responded that one of the benefits they desire for youth soccer to provide to their child is fun. 97 percent of the parents surveyed feel the reason their child participates in youth soccer is fun.

What Parents Can Do

* Talk positively with their children before and after activities
* Supply transportation
* Assist with supervision
* Officiate games
* Help with administration
* Assist with the organization of special events

Statistics, win-loss-tie records, goals for/goals against, saves, number of corner kicks and so on are straight forward ways to measure what happened in a game. Those unfamiliar with soccer find the use of those measurements comforting as they help them define a sport they find confusing. Yet those measurements fail to show the complete picture of a random skill, open-ended, transitional sport with no timeouts. There is an immeasurable organized chaos factor in soccer.

How can one measure or quantify the unexpected 60 yard dribble and goal of Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup? What measurement of success can explain how some player, somewhere in the world, decades ago, spontaneously did a bicycle kick in a match making that move a part of soccer from then on?

The bottom line is that statistics in soccer are largely meaningless. From this thought springs the reality that soccer perhaps is the cruelest of team sports. It may be the only team sport where a team could have the majority of ball possession, outshoot the other team and still lose the match. If you have played soccer long enough you have been the team that was much better than the opposition and lost. You have also been the team that was outplayed by the opposition and won. The win-loss record does not accurately show how the game was played, how the players performed or how well the coach prepared the team to play the game.

Scientific research has concluded that it takes eight-to-twelve years of training for a talented player to reach elite levels. This is called the 10-year or 10,000 hour rule, which translates to slightly more than three hours of practice daily for ten years (Ericsson, et al., 1993; Ericsson and Charness, 1994, Bloom, 1985, Salmela et al., 1998). Unfortunately, parents and coaches in many sports still approach training with an attitude best characterized as "peaking by Friday," where a short-term approach is taken to training and performance with an over-emphasis on immediate results. We now know that a long-term commitment to practice and training is required to produce elite players in all sports.

Sports can be classified as early specialization or late specialization sports. Late specialization sports, including athletics, combative sports, cycling, racquet sports, rowing and all team sports require a generalized approach to early training. For these sports, the emphasis during the first two phases of training should be on the development of general motor and technical-tactical skills.

Late Specialization Model
Stage 1 – Fundamental Stage
Age: 6-9 years
Objective: Learn all fundamental movement skills (build overall motor skills)

Stage 2 – Learning to Train Stage
Age: 8-12 years
Objective: Learn all fundamental soccer skills (build overall sports skills)

Stage 3 – Training to Train Stage
Age: 11-16 years
Objectives: Build the aerobic base, build strength towards the end of the phase and further develop sport-specific skills (build the "engine" and consolidate soccer specific skills)

Stage 4 – Training to Compete Stage
Age: 15-18 years
Objectives: Optimize fitness preparation and sport, individual and position-specific skills as well as performance (optimize "engine", skills and performance)

Stage 5 – Training to Win Stage
Age: 17 years and older
Objectives: Maximize fitness preparation and sport, individual and position specific skills as well as performance (maximize "engine", skills and performance)

Stage 6 – Retirement/Retention Stage
Objectives: Retain players for coaching, administration, officials, etc.6
It is certainly the stance of US Youth Soccer to focus more on match performance than outcome; yet this is not to say that players should not strive to win. There's nothing wrong with winning! Trying to win is desirable and praiseworthy. It means trying your best. Indeed trying to play your best (match performance) often leads to winning. But not always! Remember the outcome of the game is not a reason why kids play! Players and coaches should diligently work to improve their performance. This is the drive for excellence as opposed to success.

Success does not breed success; it breeds failure. It is failure, which breeds success. If that advice seems patently absurd, think about the careers of many famous winners:

* Babe Ruth struck out 1,333 times. In between his strikeouts he hit 714 homeruns.
* Martina Navratilova lost 21 of her first 24 matches against archrival Chris Evert. She resolved to hit more freely on the big points and beat Evert thirty-nine out of their next 57 matches. No woman tennis pro has ever won as many matches or as many tournaments, including a record nine Wimbledon singles titles as Navratilova who retired from professional tennis at age 50.
* Abraham Lincoln failed twice in business and was defeated in six state and national elections before being elected president of the United States.
* Michael Jordan was cut from his junior high school basketball team, before becoming a sports icon.
* Theodor S. Geisel wrote a children's book that was rejected by 23 publishers. The 24 publisher sold six million copies of it –the first Dr. Seuss book – and that book and its successors are still staples in every child's library.

Consider the times when you tried to learn a new game or sport. Did you get it perfect the first day? Not likely. A former teammate once told me that he did get one sport right the first time he tried it. We asked what he meant and he said, "It was the first day of snow skiing classes. I skied all day long and I didn't fall down once. I was so elated; I felt so good. So I skied up to the ski instructor, and I told him of my great day. You know what the ski instructor said? He told me, 'Personally I think you had a lousy day.' I was stunned. 'What do you mean lousy day? I thought the objective was to stand up on these boards, not fall down.' The ski instructor looked me straight in the eye and replied, 'Sir, if you're not falling down, you're not learning.'"

The ski instructor understood that if you can stand up on your skis all day long the first time out, you're doing only what you already know how to do, not pushing yourself to try anything new or difficult.

If you always play it safe you aren't going to improve yourself because when you try to do something you don't know how to do, you'll fall down. That's guaranteed! Nothing is ever done perfectly the first time someone tries it – not in business, not in school and most certainly not in soccer. The point isn't to promote failure for failure's sake, of course. We don't advocate for a moment that failure ought to be the objective of any endeavor. Instead, we advocate learning. We want American players to be leaders and not look for someone to blame when mistakes are made while expanding their soccer horizons. Instead ask, "What can be learned from the experience?"

Trying new ball skills or new tactics, a new set play or a new formation will cause errors during matches. Yet if the players do not feel they are allowed to try out these new talents in a match, when will those talents become a part of their game? The sounds coming from the spectators at a youth match should be cheers for when a player tries something new. Parents can measure their child's success in soccer by the improving athletic ability of their child, by the growing confidence and self-reliance of the player, by the emergence of refined ball skills, by the opportunity afforded by the coach to play in different positions on the team, by the taking on of leadership and responsibility, by the demonstration of fair play and by the smiles. The parents will know that there is a chance for success when they see the players and coaches striving for excellence!

"There are many people, particularly in sports who think that success and excellence is the same thing and they are not the same thing. Excellence is something that is lasting and dependable and largely within a person's control. In contrast, success is perishable and is often outside our control… If you strive for excellence, you will probably be successful eventually… people who put excellence in first place have the patience to end up with success… An additional burden for the victim of the success mentality is that he is threatened by the success of others and resents real excellence. In contrast, the person fascinated by quality is excited when he sees it in others."
- Joe Paterno – Penn State football coach – 1990

Striving to improve individual, group and team performance is more important at the youth level than the outcome. Simultaneously players should play to win. Coaches should teach and develop the players as they learn how to win. Parents should support the players and coaches. Intrinsic success is by its nature more difficult to measure than extrinsic success. A trophy is more tangible to an adult than the exhilaration a child feels while playing soccer. The final measure of success for parents of their child's soccer experience will require a good deal of patience from the adults. That measurement is the free choice of the child to stay in the game!

In soccer circles it is agreed that four groups of adults support the youth game. Parents, coaches, administrators and referees have an equal obligation to the players. That obligation is to live by the vision you have just read!

"We must work to create an environment to develop the American player's growth and development! In the past we have tried to train the Dutch way, the Brazilian way, etc. We can and will together create the finest players in the world if we understand the growth, development and specific characteristics of our youth. Distributing the body of information from the "Y" License is the first step."
- Dr. Thomas Fleck

In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock.

Mission Statement
US Youth Soccer is a non-profit and educational organization whose mission is to foster the physical, mental and emotional growth and development of America's youth through the sport of soccer at all levels of age and competition.

Sources
1 Ewing, M.E., & Seefeldt. V. (1990). American youth sport participation. American Footwear Association, North Palm Beach, FL. Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA).

2 Fine, Aubrey H., Ph.D. & Sachs, Michael L., Ph.D. (1997). The Total Sports Experience for Kids. Diamond Communications

3 Ewing, M. & Seefeldt, V., (1989). Participation and attrition patterns in American agency-sponsored and interscholastic sports: An executive summary. Final report Sporting Goods Manufacturer's Association(North Palm Beach, FL: Sporting Goods Manufacturer's Association) as cited from Weinberg & Gould (2007). Foundations of Sport & Exercise Psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

4 Cox, R., (2002). Sport Psychology: Concepts and Applications 5th Ed. (p.108). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

5 Pangrazi, R. P. (2004). Dynamic Physical Education for Elementary School Children. (pp. 159-160). (14th ed.). San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings.

6 Long-Term Athlete Development: Trainability in Childhood and Adolescence, Istvan Balyi, Ph.D. and Ann Hamilton, MPE; Olympic Coach, Volume 16, Number 1

“Seeing the Big Picture”

2008-11-18T10:51:00.000-08:00

By: J.J. Ruane, PSA Director of Coaching

I was in a meeting a couple of weeks ago, sitting with several professional youth soccer coaches from the area. The topic of discussion was the top 100 players in the world. The first 25 players were pretty easy to figure out as we went down the list and most everyone listed the same 25 players. As we went down through the top 100, our players were significantly different, but there was one constant through everyone’s list, there was not one American player. I visited the IYSA Expo this past weekend and was able to watch some different sessions. One of the presenters was from the Everton Youth Academy which has a senior team in the English Premier League. The one thing that really impressed me was his comments about youth soccer and soccer as a whole in this country. “The United States is a sleeping giant in the soccer world; the country has all the tools to win the World Cup. The problem though is that you are using a hammer to unscrew a light bulb.”

I think these two examples show a number of things. The first is that our potential as a country is huge. The problem is we want immediate results. As a director of coaching, it is ironic to hear that a group of youth players are the 3v3 National Champions meaning they are the best 3v3 team in the country. The shocking thing about this entire thing was that the kids were U8. We don’t see past tomorrow. As a director of coaching, my primary job is to make sure that the professional staff is doing their jobs to the best of their ability. Another part of that is to make sure that they are able to move on in their coaching if they so choose, staff development. My other primary job is to do the same thing with the players. My job is not to look at a U10 player and pick him for the national team. My job is to take the appropriate steps to take that gifted U10 player and get him to love the game, so he can play the game for a long time and get to the national team, but only if the player so chooses: player development.

The other problem that the opening story suggests is that there are no American players presently that the world respects. I believe this problem exists as an extension to the above problem. We put too much pressure on our youngest players to produce results at a young age. We don’t allow our players any time to make mistakes. Let players be creative, let them make mistakes, let them solve problems on their own, and let the game teach itself. This is in no way to say that as coaches, we do not give the proper tools to our players to be good technical players. An infant must fall down on its bottom several times before it learns how to walk on its own. A player must take players on hundreds of times until they develop the confidence needed to be successful. Legends coaches preach this in training and also in games.

It is the staff coach’s job to develop players and prepare them for the challenges that lie ahead, hopefully making them better people along the way. These challenges may be making them a confident player, getting them to a top team level, preparing them for the high school level, and obviously the ultimate goal and challenge for us as coaches is the college level. All of us coaches love to win and really take it to heart when we lose. I don’t know how many times I have taken that long road trip wondering what I could have done better to help my team be more successful. The thought I always come back to though is did the players do what I asked them to do, did they get better at things we worked on in training the week before, did they work hard, and most times the answer is yes.

In closing, soccer is a funny game. This is not like basketball or football where the best team wins 90% of the time. Most time in soccer, the best team does not win. I watched Arsenal (England) play PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) last week. Arsenal was far superior in almost every facet of the game except when it came time to finish. They missed 10-12 chances throughout the match. Arsenal scored one goal. PSV had 3-4 chances and they scored two goals. How many times has this happened to Legends teams that has been far better skill wise, but lose because the team they played did not really play soccer correctly and were just bigger and much faster? The Legends staff will always instruct our players to play the game the best way possible and we ask that our parents do the same and not be blinded by who was the better team because of the score.

Questions or comments can be emailed to J.J. Ruane, jjruane@plainfieldsoccer.org.

Advice to a fellow coach (From the blog archives of Sam Snow)

2008-11-18T08:51:00.001-08:00

Hi Sam,
I have a question about formations, especially the back players. I coach recreation Under-12 girls and we play 11 vs. 11. All of the other teams have their four back players stand at the 25 yard line and wait for the ball to come to them. I encourage my back players to get involved and get forward as much as the game will allow. We have lost every game so far and our parents are requesting that we do the same because we're not winning. Is this the way youth recreational soccer is supposed to be? Most of the girls on my team played for a different coach last year and she instructed her backs to stay 25 yards in front of the goal.

What do I do? Please advise.

Thank you,
Jack
---------

Hello Jack,

Please do resist the urgings of the parents and instead educate them on why your approach is the correct one. In the National Coaching Schools, one of the tactical concepts we teach is called compactness. Essentially this means a team should move up field as a unit on the attack and move back into their half of the field to defend. We expect everyone on the team to be involved in the attack and everyone on the team to be involved in defending. Even with the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program we look for players who have the versatility to be involved on 'both sides of the ball' as the saying goes. So we look for talented well-rounded players who can both defend and attack.

The approach of telling fullbacks to not move forward beyond a 25 yard mark is inhibiting those players from learning how to play the game.

Coaches take this action for a variety of reasons. Among those reasons are a lack of understanding of the tactics of soccer or a fear of failure. Soccer, like basketball, is a game where the team moves together around the playing area. Imagine a basketball team where some players are told to never cross the halfway line for the fear of the opponents scoring; that indeed would be a poorly played game of basketball.

What's most important in your situation is to teach the players about positioning. The idea here is the distance and angles that teammates take between each other during the match. Those distances and angles constantly change as the ball and players move around the field. It requires anticipation and game sense from the players. When children as young as 12-years-old are learning the sport of soccer they will make mistakes in regard to positioning. This is simply the learning process in action. However those mistakes may mean lost scoring opportunities in front of the opponents' goal and giving away scoring opportunities to the other team in front of your goal. This creates fear among the coaches and supporters who often value the score line more than a well played game. This is the fear of failure component I mentioned earlier. Regularly the adults involved in youth sports fear losing more than the players do. Yet winning, losing and tying are part of learning how to play the game.

So your challenge now is to balance short-term and long-term objectives. For the short-term work on the team learning to respond quickly when the ball is lost to the opponents to sprint back into good defensive positions - and here I mean the entire team. For the long-term objective work on the concept of positioning, which in the end is more important than learning positions.

Do not hesitate to let us know if the US Youth Soccer Technical Department can be of further assistance.

Keep Kicking,
Sam

Vote for your favorite Halloween Costume

2008-11-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

Using the Poll on the right side of the blog, vote for your favorite Infinity player in a Halloween costume!

Winner will receive an Infinity Navy Hoodie with theirJersey # on the back-$28
Runner up will receive an Infinity Navy Long Sleeve Shirt with their jersey # on the back-$18
2nd Runner Up will receive an Infinity Beanie -$10

You can see the items on the Infinity Soccer Store web page.

:::Below are the contestants:::

1) Braden Call as Princess Leah

2) Jones as a Maid

3) Kolton Lamd as a Ghoul frightening his sister Kilee

4) Kilee Lamb as a Soccer Zombie

5) Coach Casey Erickson as a Beautiful Blonde

6)Erickson Family; Coach Casey as the Blonde, Kyler is a scary Bike Rider, Kasen as the Blue Power Ranger and Kaytlin as a Bunny.

7) Holli Brown as The Joker

8) Erin Rickenbach as a Psychedelic Zombie

Being a good sports parent Let the kids enjoy the game, experts say

2008-10-31T23:08:00.000-07:00

Being a good sports parent
Let the kids enjoy the game, experts say
By Jane Weaver
In March a brawl among parents of 9- and 10-year-old hockey players in upstate
New York resulted in eight people facing misdemeanor charges and a father suffering
a dislocated shoulder after being pushed off the bleachers.
At a Pittsburgh high school basketball game in February, a referee was treated for a
concussion after a parent body-slammed him for ordering the man's wife out of the
gym for allegedly yelling obscenities.
An over-eager New Jersey father created his own soccer league last fall because his
7-year-old son was too young to play in a competitive league.
What's wrong with grown-ups these days?
Are some of them just aging failed athletes trying to live vicariously through their
athletic children? Anxious moms and dads hoping that their kids can snare college
sports scholarships? Or fanatic parents pushing their offspring to become elite
athletes with specialized training, summer camps and personal coaches, whether the
child wants it or not?
All of the above, say youth sports experts.
Barely out of diapers
Almost 30 million boys and girls under 18 play some kind of organized sport like
Little League or soccer, according to the National Council on Youth Sports. For many
of them, it's a way to make new friends and play a game they enjoy.
But over the last decade, more otherwise well-meaning parents have been pushing
their budding stars to excel at almost any cost.
Children as young as 3 can sign up for swimming and gymnastics programs. Soccer
often starts at 4 and baseball at 5. From there it's become increasingly common for
parents to rush the kids into highly competitive situations when they're barely out of
diapers.
"Youth sports has clearly become more professionalized in recent years," says Gregg
Heinzmann, associate director of New Jersey's Rutgers Youth Sports Research
Council. "Many more parents want to see their kids achieve some level of success, be
it athletic scholarship or in certain cases a pro sports contract."
That hyper-competitive atmosphere can translate into overly involved parents ready
to explode at any coach, referee or other parent who interferes with their own
children's performances.
"You'll see lawyers and doctors at little girls' or boys' games and some of these
people, it's like they've taken a pill that turns them into demons," says Steve
Dawson, associate professor of sports sociology at Wittenberg University in
Springfield, Ohio.
Dawson, who is a long-time coach of a high school club soccer team, tells the story
of the mother of a 5th grade girls' basketball team who loudly and publicly cheered
her daughter for making an opponent cry.
"That's just a minor incident, but it's typical of how carried away some parents get,"
says Dawson.
'The Tiger Woods syndrome'
Youth sports activist Bob Bigelow calls it "the Tiger Woods syndrome" where parents
think they have to push their little kids earlier.
It's parents like that who are ruining youth sports by treating their kids like
"miniature adults," says Bigelow, a former first-round NBA draft pick and author of
"Just Let The Kids Play."
Dr. Bruce Svare, professor of psychology at the State University of New York at
Albany and founder of the National Institute for Sports Reform, says there's a danger
to a child's self-esteem when parents send the message to their kids that what
they're doing isn't valuable unless they can turn it into something material like a
scholarship.
"More parents view their kids as an economic investment that has to be translated
into something later on," says Svare.
Dawson agrees. "We've become so competitive, it's out of control."
Parents should take note: A 2001 study by the National Alliance for Youth Sports
found that 70 percent of American kids who sign up for sports quit by the time they
were 13. The reason? They said it wasn't fun anymore.
"It's a downside of 10- to 12-year-olds who sit on benches because adults think it's
more important to win," says Bigelow. "Too may parents are buying into it."
"At one level a lot of parents realize it but they're caught on a treadmill," says Svare.
"No one's pointing out that it's easier to get an academic scholarship than an athletic
one."
To give some perspective, it's widely cited that there is 70 times as much money
available for academic scholarships than for athletic ones. Picking up a paycheck in
the National Basketball Association is a 1 in 10,000 chance. The odds of winning an
Olympic gold medal are 1 in a million.
Then again, few academic scholarship candidates are treated like rock stars in their
home towns or are offered million dollar salaries.
Family time matters
But parents who go to great lengths to help their kids get a sports scholarship or pro
contract may be sacrificing valuable family time, experts say.
"They're living in minivans [driving to and from practice and games] and they don’t
spend time together as a family, and that is every bit as important as kids having
long practices," says Dr. Charles Yesalis, a Penn State professor of health and human
development. "Kids doing sports activities three to five hours a day for five days a
week is almost child abuse." But the kids may not speak up for themselves,
according to Yesalis. "When you talk to kids away from their parents, they feign
injuries because they're burned out," he says. "They don’t want parents to know
because of their financial and time commitment."
Although brawling, abusive parents aren't the norm, at least 15 states have adopted
statutes making it a crime to assault sports officials. Community leagues require
parents to sign codes of conduct, in addition to developing education programs and
forums for parents to address the issues of "sideline rage" and pushing kids too hard.
"Codes and programs are fine, but they’re not going to get the job done," says Frank
Smoll, a University of Washington psychology professor and co-author of "Sports and
Your Child: A 50 Minute Guide for Parents."
"The parents who show up to education programs aren’t the ones who need the
training," he says.
Was it fun?
So how does a mom or dad avoid becoming a crazed, overbearing sports parent with
a stressed-out, unhappy child? Here's some advice:
• Reward your child whether the team wins or loses.
• If you have a complaint or concern, don't raise it in the middle of a game.
• Applaud when either team makes a good play.
• Praise effort.
• Respect the referee’s calls.
• Talk to your neighbor during games (don't get too caught up in scores or
statistics).
• Ask your child, ‘Was it fun?’ before ‘Did you win?’
Heinzmann acknowledges that it's stressful to see your own child play, especially
when you see what you might think is an unfair call. But parents should remember
how children see sports.
"Its just a blip in the lives of these kids," says Heinzmann. "What's more important is
playing on the field under the lights and getting the chance to run the base and meet
new friends."
And whatever you do, he emphasizes, in the ride home after the game "don't say
how [the child] could have done better."

ODP Tryouts: Thoughts & Hints

2008-10-31T13:41:00.000-07:00

Over the years and just recently I have been asked about ODP. The major question has been, "is this going to be something that makes my child just realize that she is not good enough again?" It is a common concern, as tryouts can be overwhelming on the mental side of a child. I find myself answering it in two ways: as a passionate soccer coach or as a concerned friend.

As a coach, I am a strong believer that the more time you spend on the ball, the more time you train/compete with strong players the better a player s chances are to improve their abilities as a soccer player. I believe the tryout experience provides a competitive atmosphere that is incomparable because of the level of competition and the pressure to perform at the highest level at all times. Again, as a coach, I think every player should be put in these type of situations where they have to perform to be rewarded.

As a concerned friend, I strongly suggest that the parents take on a huge role of explaining that making the ODP team is not the end all be all of their soccer career. I suggest to the parents to explain to their kids that they are there to do their best and see if they are recognized or not. They are also there to get a glimpse of what they are up against. Hopefully we as adults can steer our children in a direction that they will benefit from the experience because they were prepared properly. It is our job as adults to expect these children to go give it their best but explain that this is not the end of their soccer career if they do not make the ODP pool.

There is great pride in being invited to be part of ODP as a player. This is because there are only a select few that make it in to their age groups player pool. Players that are accepted in to the ODP pool should be proud of what they have worked hard for. Those that do not make the ODP pool should take the tryouts as an opportunity to self evaluate themselves. Hopefully this self evaluation is a positive one, as it should be an opportunity to have their eyes open to what they are capable of. Many players might attend, see the competition and want to quit after they see what they are lacking.

I strongly encourage all players that are psychologically mature enough and mentally prepared to attend all of the ODP tryouts. On the other side, if the child is not mentally mature enough to handle this highly competitive atmosphere I hope that we as adults will advise against the tryouts. If we believe that it is going to be a positive experience that increases their level of passion for the game then please attend, otherwise...there is a Real Salt Lake Match to attend!

Here are some articles to read regarding ODP tryouts:
How can I enhance my chances of being selected for ODP or a club team or a school team?
Keys To A Successful (ODP) Tryout
How Coaches Assess PlayersTalent and Potential

Infinity SC 96 Girls Premier Return From Vegas With Gold

2008-10-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

The Infinity SC 96 Girls Premier team traveled to Las Vegas on the weekend of October 24-26 to play in the 2008 Mayor’s Cup International Tournament. Competing in the Silver Adidas bracket, the team went undefeated in four games to claim the championship trophy. Down a goal in the first game against Colorado United White, the girls struck back almost immediately, tying the game before halftime and pulling ahead to win 3-2. The next game, against Nevada FC Heat, was a 1-0 nail-biter; the semi-final against Illinois River Forest Rapids resulted in a more comfortable 3-0 finish. The Infinity team then met Colorado Storm in the championship game. Infinity scored in the first half, but Storm answered in the second: the game went to a penalty shootout with Infinity prevailing. Congratulations to the players and coaches on a job well done!

gotsoccer.com recognizes Infinity SC

2008-10-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

gotsoccer.com is recognized as the official ranking program for youth soccer in America. This web site allows players, coaches and parents to follow their teams at a national level. Briefly, gotsoccer.com has created a system that ranks tournaments. Winning, placing or showing in a tournament gives teams points and as the year moves on points are accumulated and teams are ranked. For more detailed information click HERE.

Current Infinity Rankings on gotsoccer.com can be viewed by clicking the team you wish to view:
(28th)U12 Girls Premier
(357th) U13 Girls Premier

I Bothered Sam Snow & He Replied

2008-10-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

I recently sent this email to Sam Snow, the USYSA Director of Coaching.

My email to Coach Snow:

Coach Snow,

I hate to bother you, as i am sure you are a very busy person. I have a brief favor to ask.

In our community we are having friendly debates/discussions on the pro's and con's of playing indoor soccer and more specifically using the walls or not. This has been a topic for discussion in many of the areas I have been in my coaching career. I was hoping you could help me out with this topic by locating a previously written article(s) about the topic or have one of the "higher ups" use this topic in one of their blogs. Having US youth make a statement or share their opinions is very beneficial. Any information or thoughts that you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Jeff Ginn
Infinity Soccer

Coach Snow's Reply:

Hi Jeff,

This seems like a healthy debate for a club to have. There may be articles written specifically on the topic but I do not have anything along this line on hand. However the general consensus of the state Technical Directors is that for development purposes the Futsal version is preferred over the indoor soccer version played inside a hockey rink using the walls. Yet if no other soccer playing option is available in some climates during inclement weather then indoor soccer using the walls is better than not being able to play at all, perhaps for several months in some locales. Below is a the section on indoor soccer from the Player Development Model being written by US Youth Soccer. The full document will be made public at the 2009 US Youth Soccer adidas Workshop & Coaches Convention in San Jose next March. The portion reprinted below is from the first draft, so revisions may or may not be made.

Indoor Soccer – Futsal – Beach Soccer

One of the beauties of soccer is that the game can be played anywhere the ball can roll. Indeed playing in a variety of conditions helps to develop more well-rounded players. So a mix of outdoor and indoor soccer along with some variety in the type of playing surface, size of the field and type of ball used will have a positive impact on ball skills and clever play.

Soccer on the beach is not only great fun but certainly impacts the players’ skills and physical fitness. Players are more likely here to experiment with more acrobatic skills too.

At times the weather conditions dictate that soccer go indoors for some time. Coaches must take this fact into consideration in the curriculum for player development for the club. You could play indoor soccer inside a hockey rink type playing area using the boards or Futsal. Some indoor facilities are large enough that fields are set up and may allow even up to 11-a-side matches. All of these options keep players active in the game. The same basic skills, tactics and knowledge of the game as the 11 vs. 11 outdoor game occur indoors. Yet Futsal may offer the best compliment to player development. One of the benefits of this version of soccer is that it can be played indoors or outside, on a dedicated Futsal court or tennis court or basketball court, so the options of where to play are better. Young players exposed to playing Futsal show a greater comfort on the ball along with more intelligent movement off the ball.

The priority in Futsal is to motivate players in an environment that is conducive to learning. The more pleasure kids derive from their participation, the more they wish to play and practice on their own. While their instinct to play is natural, their affection and appreciation for soccer must be cultivated in a soccer rich environment. Futsal is the foundation to such goals because it: [i]

* Allows players to frequently touch the one "toy" on the field, namely, the ball. In a statistical study comparing Futsal to indoor arena soccer with walls, players touch the ball 210% more often.

* Presents many opportunities to score goals and score goals often. With limited space, an out of bounds and constant opponent pressure, improved ball skills are required.

* Encourages regaining possession of the ball as a productive, fun and rewarding part of the game {defending}.

* Maximizes active participation and minimizes inactivity and boredom. Action is continuous so players are forced to keep on playing instead of stopping and watching.

* Provides a well organized playing environment with improvised fields. Without a wall as a crutch, players must make supporting runs when their teammates have the ball.

* Reflects the appropriate role of the coach as a Facilitator. With all the basic options of the outdoor game in non-stop action mode, players' understanding of the game is enhanced.

* Players enjoy the challenge of playing a fast-paced-fun-skill-oriented game that tests their abilities. Allows the game to be the teacher!The

Sam Snow
Director of Coaching
US Youth Soccer

Futsal Video:

A Good Coach and Manager

2008-10-20T21:06:00.001-07:00

Infinity Soccer holds monthly coaches meetings. In these meetings the coaches have an opportunity to share their experiences with their team(s) and give us an update on how they are doing. Another part of the meeting allows one of the three directors to give a workshop on a coaching topic. This month Infinity's Director of Operations, Robson Chaves, did a brief workshop based on the article titled, A GOOD COACH AND MANAGER. As Robson shared the document he provided some thoughts and ideas. having read the article a number of times i was excited to hear what Robson was going to share. I was very pleased with the information and would like to point out that if you ever attend a match that Robson is coaching, you will see how involved the parents are with pregame set up, medical attention, half time nourishment and post game take down. Robson has developed an environment that allows him to focus on coaching and for his players to focus on playing.

I believe that parental involvement is something we as parents and coaches do not promote enough. We as coaches feel like we have to do everything and are afraid to ask people to help.

I have recently become a big fan of delegating. Not only does it allow me to focus on the players needs more, but it also requires the parents to take ownership in the team and feel needed. A huge bonus is that when the parents have to be on time to set up or help out, the player(s) are on time.

I hope that you will all read the article and continue to develop in to a better coach, manager and/or parent.

Remember, game day is about playing and performing the things that were taught in training the week before. Let the kids play and allow the game to teach.

Click here to view the article, A GOOD COACH AND MANAGER.

Welcoming The Winter With A Reminder Of Philosophy

2008-10-19T20:48:00.001-07:00

Infinity parents & players,

As we approach tournaments and indoor play and indoor training, I want to remind coaches and parents about the coaching philosophy that we are trying to follow. I encourage parents and coaches to stay active on the USYSA Bolg Site and enjoy the fast paced play found during our winter season.

BLOGS
Coaching education with Sam Snow
Focusing on underserved communities and youth soccer with John Thomas
Focusing on event planning with Michelle Martin
Focusing on the parent's perspective and then some with Susan Boyd

-Ginn

An article found on Sam Snow's Blog

Philosophy of Coaching

"Once they cross that line, it's their game. It's not about us as coaches; it's about them being able to make decisions."
Jay Hoffman

As a coach, you have much to prepare for each season. Of course, you are excited and eager about meeting the players and getting into the matches. You most likely have planned what you are going to do and believe that you are ready. But are you truly ready? Have you thought about the why's and how's of everything you will do as a coach? It is important as you get started in coaching to develop a philosophy. For that matter, even experienced coaches may want to re-evaluate their philosophy.

Some coaches do not believe in the value of developing a coaching philosophy. They do not realize how a philosophy can have an impact on their daily coaching procedures and strategies. However, a coach's philosophy is actually a very practical matter. Most of our basic philosophy comes from our former coaches. This is a natural start because it is the approach with which we are most familiar and comfortable. It is also reasonable to assume that the philosophy of a person's everyday life, thinking and actions would be applied when it comes to coaching. How many coaches would stick to principles of fair play rather than win the game? There may be a gap between what a coach thinks is the right thing to do in daily life and the action he or she takes on the field.

In your effort to form or analyze your own philosophy of coaching, first know what a coach is. A coach can be many things to many different people. A coach is a mentor, a teacher, a role model and sometimes a friend. Most of all, a coach must be positive. A positive coach has the following traits:

Puts players first
Develops character and skills
Sets realistic goals
Creates a partnership with the players
Treasures the game
Your approach should be educationally sound and appropriate for your players
Your philosophy must be ethical
Your coaching philosophy should be compatible with your personality
Fair Play should be a top priority in your philosophy

Coaching is much more than just following a set of principles or having a well-established program. Coaching is interaction in young people's lives. The player who comes onto the field is a student, a family member and a friend to someone. He or she is the same person in all areas of life- he or she has the same personality, ideals, flaws and struggles. It is the responsibility of the coach to help your players make right and mature decisions in all areas of their lives. You must help them develop character, discipline, self-motivation, self-worth and an excitement for life. To achieve these objectives, the coach must raise the standards that the players and others around them have set. Then you must help them reach those standards by developing appropriate relationships with them based on respect, caring and character. When character development is the foundation for your program, players will get the most out of their soccer experience. And when that happens, you will also get the most out of your players, for this makes champions.

The most successful coaches are not necessarily the ones who win the most games. Coaches who have successful experiences focus on team cohesion. The desire to see the players learn and improve their skill is the key to effective coaching. Commit yourself to using all of your knowledge, abilities and resources to make each player on the team successful. Your focus is to promote an atmosphere of teamwork, mutual respect and commitment. By achieving this we will be successful and we will also win.

Infinity SC '99 Boys Premier team completes undefeated season

2008-10-13T20:00:00.001-07:00

Infinity SC '99 Boys Premier team finished up its District 7 soccer season. The boys were very successful as evidenced by their undefeated season. The team worked hard and had a good time learning the importance of unselfish soccer. They learned how to play as a team and improved their own individual skills as well. The team was able to score 59 goals with only 10 goals scored against them. They also had 4 shutouts. This shows that their offense was amazing as well as their outstanding defense. Ten out of eleven boys were able to score and all of the boys had multiple assists. Coach Kelly Knowles and assistant coach Kasey Erickson were very pleased with the growth of their team and the positive outcome of the season. The team has learned that not only is it fun to win but it’s also fun to watch the growth of each teammate. Members of the team include: Luke White, Kyler Erickson, Cole Atwood, Colton Lamb, Erik Rickenbach, Larry Hernandez, Kohner Knowles, Raynger Keckler, Brodie Martin, Noah Johnston, and Nathan Merrill. The team is looking forward to their next venture of indoor soccer.

Why They Stop

2008-10-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

Last month we asked you, "why do you think kids stop playing soccer?" in our poll of the month. The results can be found below in the article titled, "Why They Stop." The article can also be found on the US Youth Soccer Association Web Site.

Why They Stop
August 28, 2008

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 (27% of Infinity Soccer voted for this as the reason)

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 (18% of Infinity Soccer voted for this as the reason)

"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 (9% of Infinity Soccer voted for this as the reason)

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 (27% of Infinity Soccer voted for this as the reason)

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 (4% of Infinity Soccer voted for this as the reason)

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 (0% of Infinity Soccer voted for this as the reason)

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.

Important Message From US Youth Soccer Association

2008-09-28T17:18:00.001-07:00

Sam Snow is the Director of Coaching Education of US Youth Soccer Association. He sent our club an email requesting that we share a recently published document published by the US Youth Soccer Technical Department. In an effort to follow the guidelines and curriculum of the United States Youth Soccer Association we are posting the article, "VISION: Youth Soccer in America, How do we Measure Success?"on the front of our web site because we feel strongly that it is important that the members of Infinity Soccer understand that we are a club focused on fun and long term development. Thank you for taking the time to read this informative and important document that expresses how Infinity, as a club affiliated with US Youth Soccer, feels it is important to focus on the long term development of our children, both as players and citizens.

We hope that every adult will read this document.

Please Click Here To Read The Article

Thank you,

Infinity Soccer

Meet A Board Member

2008-09-26T20:18:00.001-07:00

Rich Hall serves on the Infinity Board of Directors as the Vice President

By way of introduction, my name is Rich Hall, and I am originally from Lewiston Utah. I grew up working on a dairy farm, and playing sports whenever possible. My father was a high school teacher and coach, and so there were many opportunities for both the work and the play. The year that soccer started in this valley, I was on the youngest team. Although not very good, I enjoy soccer very much still to this day.

I am an Athletic Trainer by trait, and work at Logan Regional Hospital overseeing the sports medicine, physical therapy, acceleration program, and the orthopedics group. The sports medicine program involves the Athletic Trainers at Preston, Sky View, and Mountain Crest. I would guess that I see as many sporting events as almost anyone in the valley – and I love it.

Having been involved in athletics all my life, I am very excited to be on the Infinity Soccer Board of Directors. It will be a pleasure to get to know those involved, as well as be a part of a great program.

I married Melinda Hone from providence, and we have 2 children: Alexis Hall (5) and Kolbe Lloyd Hall (3 in November), and are expecting our third this spring. The photo is a little old, but only the kids have changed.