Fewer scores, more skill for soccer

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/02/2011 (5410 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Youth sports are a touchy subject. It’s about our kids, after all, and at the end of the day, we want what’s best for them; we want to help them thrive.

Of course, we all think we know the best ways to make that happen. Who knows “our” kids better than “us,” we wonder. When it comes to our sons and daughters, we are the experts in the field.

This was especially apparent last week, when the Manitoba Soccer Association (MSA) and Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association (WYSA) launched a joint task force to study and implement new development methods for youth soccer.

The strategy — known as the Long Term Player Development scheme and prescribed by Sport Canada — calls for a revamped approach to the training of pre-teen athletes. Among other things, it recommends that under-11 soccer leagues place more of an emphasis on enjoyment and technical development than on keeping scores and winning trophies.

The proposals were announced Feb. 8 by the MSA and WYSA and caused an immediate stir among parents, coaches and commentators. Not surprisingly, much of the debate centered on the “not keeping score” segment of the recommendations. Also not surprising, and rather disappointing, was the vehemence and vitriol that characterized the conversation, much of it misplaced and uninformed.

“What upsets me the most is when people make statements without really knowing what they’re talking about,” says MSA executive director Héctor Vergara. “We’re not saying that we’re never going to keep scores (in matches). We’re saying that there are certain stages of development where it doesn’t need to happen.”

Vergara is backed up by the Canadian Soccer Association’s “Wellness to World Cup” document that essentially packages the Long Term Player Development guidelines in a soccer-specific bundle. “Players and game formats are organized to support the basic playing experience,” it reads. “Small leagues provide game fixtures, but no league standings are recorded.”

WYSA president Alistair Gillespie says the move to abandon the traditional league table in the younger age groups won’t at all detract from the sport’s competitivess.

“We’re not taking competitive out of the game,” he says. “We’re just giving children the opportunity to be competitive, and to be competitive by having a better skill set.”

Skill development is at the very heart of the new strategy. While youth soccer leagues in Winnipeg won’t completely abandon the game day experience, they will place more of an emphasis on technical skill enhancement.

In practical terms, this will mean a ratio of approximately three practices to each game. It’s no coincidence that the United States Soccer Federation encourages the same ratio in its youth systems.

Australia, however, provides the most adaptable precedent for youth soccer in this city and country.

In 2009, the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) began a revamp of youth soccer with the release of its “National Curriculum,” a document eerily similar to the “Wellness to World Cup” handbook. In it, the FFA stated that “technical skills are deficient in players in elite programs/competitions. Strong technical skills are needed before developing strong game skills.”

Sound familiar? It’s the same argument the MSA and the WYSA are making right now. And the results Down Under — where players 11 years old and younger are required to play small-sided soccer (a game format when squads and fields are smaller than the adult version) — have been impressive. In a recent FFA survey, 91 per cent of parents said they approved of the emphasis on development and enjoyment instead of keeping score and tracking stats.

“We started implementation (of the youth strategy) in 2008 with the seven- and eight-year-olds and kept rolling out another age group until this year,” says Bruce Dinsdale, football operations manager for Football Queensland, who adds, “I played the conventional way as a growing lad, but I think this program is superb for players and clubs alike.”

Vergara foresees similar success in Manitoba. Less focus on results will encourage more kids to play the game, he says, and competition will actually get better among the players.

“We’ll train more; we’ll play fewer games, and midway through the season we’ll have a tournament,” he says. “We are going to have competitions. There’s going to be games.”

Vergara also points out that nothing has yet been set in stone. The proposed changes to youth soccer are only in the consultation phase, and parents, coaches and other stakeholders are welcome to take part in the conversation.

Of course, that conversation will be difficult to have if we can’t ditch the shouting and the sensationalism for something more nuanced and balanced. And, naturally, informed.

jerradpeters@gmail.com