Grassroots Soccer Festival at St Christopher School in St Catharines

On Tuesday, Septemer 17, I had the pleasure of organizing a Grassroots Soccer Festival for the Grade 3/4/5 students at St Christopher School in St Catharines, ON.

In June 2014, I was one of 30 coaches invited to a FIFA Grassroots Soccer course held in Toronto, hosted by the Ontario Soccer Association.  The objective of the course was simple "Football for Everybody".  What we did at St Christopher was based squarely on what we did during this course.

Back to the festival.

I've been itching to do one of these festivals at a school since the course.  I've organized similar group events for multiple teams to come together in a "station" type set up, but a school is where I wanted to find myself at some point.  For me, it's a good way to present an enjoyable side of soccer and a

The challenge of staying quiet and letting them play.

It sounds easy doesn't it?  Stay quiet.  Let them play.  Simple.  But that's not the case.

To ask a coach to set up a game and just let the players play is unusually difficult.

A coach who is not confident may feel like they aren't coaching if they are not heard.

A coach might feel like the team parents think he's doing nothing because he's not interfering.

Team parents might actually feel their coach is ineffective because they aren't screaming.

By stepping back and WATCHING you can quickly see who is applying the skills your teaching and who isn't.

Think about what North Americans see in terms of coaching:

• NCAA March Madness has half their highlights of coaches yelling

Are your young soccer players improving?

It's the end of the summer 2013 soccer season in Canada.  Every coach has the same question "Is my team improving?"

There is one very easy, yet VERY INCORRECT way to assess your progress, wins and losses.

If the score is your only indicator, then every game can only have one team that got better.  No?

If the score is still your only indicator, then you will never be happy.

Let's be honest.  Your U9 team has all small players.  All of the other teams have 2 or 3 big boys and you ain't gonna beat'em.  Or will you?

When you run your program you need more points of assessment other than wins and losses.  I walk

U8 grassroots soccer program wrapped up. Mental notes.

While coaching, it's important to be learning and gathering information while you're instructing.  If you're not , then you're not growing as a coach.

We just wrapped up The Wizard Academy, our weekly U8 development program at the Welland Soccer Club.  This is for U8 players in house-league who seek more soccer. There was no cost to the program and players came as their family schedule permitted.

As an OSA Learning Facilitator we spend a lot of time during coaching courses learning about the development stage we are working with.  According to my resume, I could probably justify telling a parent that I have nothing more to learn about 8 year old players, but that would be VERY incorrect and self-limiting.

Every session should reinforce what you know about that age group or provide you with more insight into the kids.  If you don't know the player, how can you coach?

OK, what I walked away with.  Some new, some reinforced.

U8 players: 

1. want to play
2. want to have fun

Hey Mr. Soccer Coach! Let the kids play the ball out from the back, please.

GET IT OUT!  BIG BOOT OUT! NOW!!!!

The cry of the Canadian Soccer coach.  It's annoying and disheartening.  When I see kids not even trying to work their way out of their own end it drives me crazy.  Sometimes they'll just concede and put it out.  Other times they panic.  Or nobody comes to help.  Or they don't pass to their GK for support.  Why?  Because they don't know how.

There is so much to learn and teach when you let your players play the ball out from the back, as individuals,