Niagara College - looking back on season #1

My first season with this men's program was nothing short of exhilarating.  I am very excited about what might come of this.

I went back to college soccer because I truly missed working with that age group.  Being involved with them for a short period during this stage in their life is an honour and mission that I do not take lightly.   Returning to Niagara College was a good thing.

My reflection will cover several components of the program.

Facilities

We trained and played at the Welland Soccer Club.  The field at the college is in a state of flux in terms of it's status as it being a part of the "big picture" in terms of the college property.  Having a field on campus would be a HUGE bonus for our program and student life in general.  The Welland Soccer Club fields are very good and I am very comfortable there, but if we were to move back to school, it would be a positive step.

Institutional Support

The college is definitely behind the soccer program.  Setting up the soccer field for game day, off campus, is a chore in itself.  Sending the Athletic Therapist over to the off-campus setup every session is another demonstration of support that we value.  The school's newspaper, TV and radio crew have given the program exposure which is always a wonderful thing.  Was it 100% perfect?  We are a soccer program, in Canada, and my reality check starts there, but I can't be upset about anything.   I was ecstatic when the college decided to start outdoor soccer a few years ago and happy to be able to coach there.

I did not have any negative situations arise this season.   Our main point of contact , Ray, is still there and he knows the OCAA environment better than anybody.  We have an enthusiastic new Manager of Athletics and Recreation, Matthew, and a departure of one of our support guys, Kerby, so they had their own changing situation to deal with around the gym.  Athletics has also been moved on the organizational chart, sideways and upwards, so we will have to wait and see how that plays out.

Next year I need to press our players to be smarter with how they use the support available to them.  Several had injuries this season and did not use our Athletic Therapist to her potential.  Several admitted to struggling with a course somewhere yet did not keep the conversation alive when I brought up the academic support available to them.  This is something I need to follow up with now that the season is over and make sure they all make it to next year without academic penalties.

With a fitness centre at both campuses I am going to meet with them soon to discuss off season preparations.

In a nutshell,  in terms of support and facilities, we had everything we needed, plus a few extras, and that makes everything easier.

Coaching Staff

We had one head coach, one regular assistant, one part time assistant and a goalkeeping coach.  The four of us have been familiar with each other for a long, long time.  I was careful as to who I asked to join in.  I don't like "yes" men and none of them were.  Luciano, our main assistant has great playing experience and a good soccer brain.  Luch jumped into his role very comfortably and his involvement proved to be a great asset.  Rino and I have coached together on 12 separate occasions, we have good chemistry and he is very honest when we have discussions.  Rino came when he could and it was a big boost for me to get him on board.  He knows how I think and I keep his possible opinion in mind when I think things through.  Gerry, our goalkeeping coach, served both men's and women's soccer this year.    Gerry is an experienced GK who has been exposed to some high level environments in his day.    My philosophy of goalkeepers and Gerry's teachings are fairly consistent.  If Gerry feels my thinking could be improved he tells me with full explanations and he is always ready to offer advice when I am planning ahead.  I know our goalkeepers enjoyed his work.

This year I also used a manager for the first time, Sebastian.  Sebastian took care of our uniforms and captured every game on video.  Before he hurt his Achilles tendon, he also worked with our goalkeepers, offering repetitions of shots and crosses for them in Gerry's absence.  He was great to have around and set a good standard for the future.

I had to make sure our coaching staff would be liked by the players, credible and understand who we were dealing with.   I had the 1v1 conversations with the players when it came to dressing, playing time, etc and they proved to be helpful in offering guidance/opinions to me and helping players along in their own development.

My personal action plan is to focus on how to use our assistants better during training.  Luch and Rino have a lot to share and I need to set up training to allow that to happen. 

Players

The players we had this year were a best-case scenario for somebody coming into a program for the first time.  They got along, worked hard, supported each other and became friends away from soccer.

Training sessions had good attendance and the work rate was high.  The experienced players were buying into what we were doing and the younger players came to learn.  Every game had players who didn't dress and they kept coming to training.

If there was one thing we lacked for a first year was the benefit of "returning" players.  We had 6 players who played for Niagara last year, but we were implementing a system and philosophy that they weren't familiar with so it was like starting from the beginning, which we were.

Organization and philosophy on the field

This was my challenge.  My friends coached this team for the few years prior so I got to watch who they were playing against and listening to them.  I did not feel we would succeed, long term, by starting over every season and I needed players to come back and hit the road running and be the stability around which the new players would work their way into the group.  Starting over might provide the occasional season of brilliance, but I wanted consistent success.


We implemented was an attacking 4-3-3.  I wanted to do this because it's easier to move players in and out and it's an easy system to learn.   At this level, you have to deal with the realities of school, injuries and suspensions.  In total, 24 players dressed for us and very rarely did we make a change that set us backward in our momentum.  We have 13 players who are stronger than the rest, but the entire group was prepared to produce.

I hope returning players envision what their experience will be like based on this past season and see themselves succeeding in their positions before we assemble for our first tryout.  That is the importance of returning experienced players.

My intention is to open camp in August and pick up where we left off this season.

Competitiveness

I wasn't sure what to expect for the first season.  A new system, players moving in and out and  no true "returning" players in terms of knowing the system early on.

Except for our final game, we were not over-matched in any league game.  It's a good league, everybody is strong and I felt we truly belonged.  Not securing an early win made it more difficult as each game passed.

I felt we were organized for the most part and created our fair share of chances every game.  We hit the occasional road bump early on in our shape, but those were quickly healed.  There were occasions of impatience by individuals, motivating them to drift towards the ball but nothing to the extent of truly hurting us.

The season is short and unforgiving.  We don't have time to massage things into place game after game.

We now have a core group of returning players who know the system and the intensity level required to succeed.  I re-watched the video after every game and added to my own experience with this league.

Personal Observations

For 2013 we have discussed various changes to getting things going.

• We definitely need at least one more pre-season game before competition starts.  
• We need to tighten up tryouts and assemble the formal squad a lot earlier.  I was caught a bit off guard by having 67 players show up for tryouts.
• We had some good players show up late after school started, but I didn't add anybody after the third match.  I am not sure how I will handle that next year and will defintiely seek Luch and Rino's thoughts on that.
• I will not assume the players are fit because they played during the summer.  
• We had a busy enough training schedule.  I stayed away from weekend training but that may not be an option if we move back to school next year (no lights).
• I felt our communication level with the players was honest and we had no real problems with that.  
• I do need to give more information to the players who are not dressing and playing as much.  They would definitely appreciate information on how they can compete for spots on the field.
• We had some yellow card trouble this season.  I don't mind cautions for hard tackles, but the rest is controllable. 
• We definitely need time in the classroom watching one of our games and picking it apart, good and bad.  We did not do that this season.  We watched a game on the bus, but that's distracted.
• I found this league to be "run and gun" and not very patient.  But patience always won over when it did show it's face.  I will have to consider how we will adjust the on-field product with that in mind.  We have the returning players to do it.
• We have a much better idea for the type of athlete we are looking for to compete in the college league.

I have no doubt the coaches will rehash this season a hundred times before we open tryouts again, and that's a good thing.

We need more female coaches and referees.

Women have a very important role to play in the development of any sport.  Especially when it comes to female teams and elite athletes.

Last year there were 294,000 females playing soccer in the youth sector and 61,000 woman playing in the senior divisions.  Of Canada's 850,000 footballers in 2011,  355,000 were female. ( http://www.canadasoccer.com/files/CSA_2011AR_EN.pdf )

Where do all these women go?  Why don't they coach or officiate?  Before you simplify the answer, there is a lot to consider.  

I found a great Q&A Fact site at the Coaching Association of Canada website on this page here.  I also found a good article at time.com .  

The odd thing is that female participation at the higher levels is increasing, and the percentage of female coaches is decreasing.  As more coaching jobs become higher profile and more lucrative on the female side, men are migrating there for a piece of the action.

If young female athletes don't see female coaches and referees, how will they ever envision themselves performing those duties as adults?

Wanting females to coach should not be thought of as politically correct, it should be thought of as a smart move for any organization.  If females form 50% of the athletic population, that a tremendous waste of resources if they walk away.

The first thing to alter is the environment.  Right now a woman coaching is doing so in a man's world.  Sport scheduling and formats revolve around a man's world.  Female clubs need to encourage/mandate a qualified female coach (head or assistant) and a female manager/trainer on the bench .  This gets their input, builds experience and provides role models for the players.


I coached Niagara College's Women's team 2008-2010.  During that time, I felt 10-12 of those players would have made excellent coaches.  Some have started coaching, but I wonder how many will follow through and stick with it.

More and more organizations are providing programs for women to get into coaching.  But we need to set the system up to keep them long term.

The energizing effect of a good training session

Players are always ready to work hard and enjoy themselves.  Make sure your practice plan doesn't screw that up.

This morning my friend Randy, who coaches football at Eastdale Secondary School in Welland, asked me how our practices were going with the college team.  He never asked about our season or record.  I love talking about training sessions.

Nothing matches the feeling at the end of a productive training session.  The energy of the players, the level of competition among them and the crazy chatter that goes on all contribute to the positive training atmosphere.  But you shouldn't be so quick to take complete credit for that.

It's my belief that your players show up ready to work hard and learn every session.  It's your job as a coach to make sure your plan taps into the energy they brought with them.  If they are goofing off while you are talking, look inward at the cause before sending them for 10 laps.

You have to look at it as the players maximizing their time with you, not the other way around.  And if you think your session shouldn't be "enjoyable" you are as wrong as the existence of "Cherry Coke".

Suggestions for a successful session:

• Pre-planned and written on a card you can refer to
• Organized and ready to go (balls pumped, cones laid out, pinnies set, etc)
• Let them play!!!
• Only coach what you need to coach and what you see.  Don't make up situations, over-coach or be long winded in your corrections.
• Identify-Correct-Demonstrate-Rehearse-Restart

I learned a good lesson from one of my son's hockey coaches.  We showed up one morning, the kids started goofing around having their own 7v7 game with goalies and were flying back and forth and trying things.   They were playing so hard that he ended up letting them continue for the entire hour and did not leave his bench or blow his whistle.  I've done that on several occasions and the players appreciate it, as long as it didn't turn into a circus or somebody was excluded.

When your session is over, ask yourself:

• Was I organized and ready?
• Was the environment safe?
• Did I understand what I was coaching?
• Were my coaching points timely and brief?
• Did I allow them to play?
• Do they want to come back with me as their coach?
• And most importantly, was the session enjoyable?

Having a productive session motivates your players to keep working hard, motivates you to put in the extra time to keep planning good sessions and strengthens the bond between you and the players.  A good session tells the players "Hey, I know what you like and I am going to help you learn more through a session that you will enjoy". 

Take the time and go watch other coaches' sessions.  Watch the content, delivery and players' reactions.  See what you like and don't like and keep those in mind when planning.

Don't neglect your goalkeeper's ball skills

I always say the goalkeeper should be the best player on your team.  Experience has taught me that not being demanding of them does them a disservice.

When I was 17 years old, I was training with a local semi-pro team for 4 months during the off season.  One player was 6'4", dominated most of our scrimmages in the gyms and tough as nails.  He was a very good player.  Just as the snow was melting we were invited to play a friendly on rarely available artificial turf (This was 1983).  In the dressing room I was shocked to discover that he was the KEEPER. It was new for me to see how often the ball was played back to him and how effective he was in possession.  That game changed my view

My goalkeepers do all of our player drills at training. I was always big on that, but working closer with Gerry, our club and college's GK coach, I am even more focused on a goalkeeper's ability with their feet.

Tonight at our college session, we had a 45 minute passing component and then a revolving 5v5 game and our two goalkeepers spent the entire night playing with our players.   They did not have one shot taken at them.  That will be tomorrow night.  :)

I expect my goalkeepers to:

• Be able to handle balls with their feet as if they were a fifth defender
• Understand our system and be an active part of it, not just a shot stopper
• Actively support our defenders from behind
• Come out to play balls played past our defenders
• Accurately play balls out to teammates from their feet
• Take goal kicks and free kicks from certain areas in our half of the field

I can't see how a team can compete at the higher levels if they do not have a GK that they can play the ball back to.  I can't see how a team can keep shape moving forward and the opposing players honest if the GK cannot take the goal kicks and free kicks.

You want your goalkeeper to be able to consistently put a goal kick past half by age 15.  This allows you to move your players up and prepares your GK for success at higher level and older age groups.

The occasional young keeper that I inherit is usually in a state of shock when we make them assume all of those duties.  I am told that I am hard on my keepers and there is too much pressure on them to play the ball.  For this, I make no apologies. 

Canadian coaches are becoming more aware of the importance of their goalkeeper in possession.  The expectation of this increasing awareness is that it reflects in their coaching and goalkeepers improve in their ability to be the 11th man in possession.

Why wouldn't you want your keepers to be very competent with their feet?  They are your last line of defense.  If they misplay the ball it ends up in the net.  If your defenders can't pass to him, they are forced to put the ball out or turn (and be dispossessed).

Goalkeeping is a position of pressure.  The better equipped your keeper is with their feet, the better and more confident he is at handling that pressure.

What is your measuring stick for success?

If winning is your your only measure of success, and only one team wins, does that mean the rest of the teams failed?

I'm feeling very torn right now.  I am not frustrated with our college program, but I am frustrated for the players. Personally speaking, I enjoy winning a lot more than drawing or losing.  But it can't be my only point of evaluation.

We've done a lot of good things off the field in terms of setting up a program and the guys have been more than competitive and focused  on the field.  The only thing that hasn't happened is a win.  Everybody is beating each other but we haven't been on the right side of any of those scores.

I say I am not frustrated myself because I can't afford to be.  My job is to keep a steady hand and keep the guys competitive and ready to play.

But how can I be frustrated?  Things we work on in training show through in games.  We have good competition within the team for getting on the game-day roster.  The players have been second to none and attendance at training has been very good. 

Through suspensions and injuries we've had to juggle our roster and line-up and haven't skipped a beat.  Everybody has been able to step in and compete.  The coaches can try to take credit for the system but it's the players who have the attitude and willingness to embrace and support each other on the pitch.  25 players have stepped in and out of our roster and been effective.   Not many teams can make such a claim.

We do have two very specific things to address before next game and have three sessions to do that.  And I expect, again, for our next game to reflect the adjustments we made in training.

In terms of a program philosophy, we have a large number of players returning next year who understand the system and what's expected.  This year we had 6 returning players from a team I did not coach, so I have to treat it as an all first-year team learning a system.

We're generating chances, defending well, staying very even in game stats.  The guys are also learning what it will take to make the successful transition from youth soccer to competitive men's level play.

If I was to walk up to another coach and describe our level of play, attendance/intensity at training, school support, knowledge of assistant coaches, game level focus and ability to stay organized, good attitude of the players and the level of respect everybody is showing each other, they would have to correctly assume I am very happy with what I see.  Our record does not change that.

But, I can say all that for a first year.

Eventually, all of the ground work has to justify itself through our record. I am being paid to produce for Niagara College and establish a program that will make recruiting easier in the future and project success in the media.  The players need to know that while I am happy with what I see, I need to keep working toward substantial results.