My close encounter with a mini soccer festival at Club Roma

I asked my friend Joe Talarico to assign me four mini-games at the "Ti Amo Festival Cup" in St Catharines, hosted by St Catharines Roma Soccer Club.  Reffing is a mild sideline of mine and I don't want to let that interest slip away.

As a coach and coach educator, I wanted to spend some time in a festival environment and experience some of the sights and sounds for myself.  I've watched festival games as an uncle or friend, but never officially participated in one involving "travel" teams in an environment that was previously "competitive".

Under LTPD, younger tournaments are now held as festivals, with no standings or playoffs.  The USA was

U8 Grassroots soccer - Wizard Academy Week 4

The challenge is simple.  Keep the kids interested and busy for 90 minutes. Period.  Ya, simple.

People work hard to build titles, collect licenses and build a collection of shirts and jackets with the logos of higher level programs.  I am one of those people with a lot of clothing of that nature.  I enjoy the programs I work with and I am fortunate to have met the people I get to work with.  We also hope the higher programs are a destination for younger players to aspire to play in one day.

But that's not where the important work has to be done at this point in time.  We are being called to bring