MarylandNed

Yes - good coaches develop skills. The problem is that when scores/standings are posted, some coaches feel that winning at all costs becomes more important relative to player/skills development. Developing skills takes time and will result in losses as the kids learn and make mistakes. Not posting scores/standings is a way to de-emphasize winning at all costs in favour of skills development so that more coaches favour development over winning in youth soccer.

One example is the ability to play out of the back and through the midfield. Teams with skill and composure will be able to do this but learning it takes time and results in mistakes and goals conceded. Many coaches just opt to kick it forward to the big fast kid instead because it's safer and easier - but that won't develop good players.

mandymoochops

aaaaahhh I see so the solution to problem coaches is to change the whole point of the actual game they coach, as opposed to dealing with the issue at hand.

Interesting

Flogger

The long term objective is to produce footballers with better ball skills.

I don't believe it has anything to do with wrapping kids up in cotton wool.

MarylandNed

But that's the whole point - the objective of youth soccer should be different to the objective of professional soccer. Too many coaches and parents treat kids as adult pros. Youth soccer is not the same as pro soccer. Pros have already learned their technical skills and now the objective is to combine technique and tactics in order to win the game. Kids are still setting out on the journey - they need to first learn technical skills (passing, receiving, dribbling, shooting, heading, etc.) and simple tactics (decision making) in a fun, safe environment without too much pressure to win. Pressure KILLS development in kids and REDUCES fun.

Not posting scores and standings does not change the rules of the game in any way. Otherwise you'd be able to go to a youth soccer game, watch the action for a while and immediately know whether the league posts scores/standings or not. I've been playing and coaching for years and I would not be able to do that. The game remains the same. It has the same rules. Whether scores/standings are posted or not, you'll still have the adult idiots who think that the only thing that matters is the score. The goal is to reduce their numbers.

Other things need to happen as well. One major thing is coaching and parental education. There are many organizations who run coaching and parental education courses to try to get the message across.

Oink

No wonder Canada is crap at football. When was the last time they were in the World Cup?

Novocastrian

My old granny (who was a great fan of the ITV wrestling but had no time for football), would always ask "why don't they give them a ball each?"

Sheer genius that.

MarylandNed

You've just proved the point. The old system hasn't worked. That's why they're now trying to promote skills development ahead of winning in youth soccer. This is something that Spain did years ago and they're not doing too bad.

Novocastrian

Are you claiming that in Spain they don't keep score in U14 matches? If so, can you provide a link?

Tangram

www.nadanada;com

Novocastrian

Rather as I thought.

MarylandNed

I didn't say that. The philosophy in Spanish youth soccer is player and skills development over winning. The point is that the score is not the most important thing in youth soccer.

http://www.youthsoccerfun.com/2009/0...o_youth_d.html

Alexanco provided me with details on how Barcelona ran its youth teams.

"We don't demand that the youth teams win," said Alexanco. "We demand that they play good soccer. We don't use the word, 'winning.'"

Novocastrian

And no doubt an excellent strategy. Not only there but wherever. But how does not keeping score in a match help? Why bother with a match at all? The little darlings could all be learning step-overs in isolation.

MarylandNed

Learning step-overs in isolation has its place but the kids need to play matches to test their technical/tactical/physical/psychological skills against an opponent (i.e. be presented with and attempt to solve real soccer problems).

The priorities in youth soccer should be the following - in this order:
1. Fun and enjoyment (if it's not fun, the kids won't return)
2. Player development (technical, tactical, physical, and psychological)
3. Winning

The relative importance of each will change as the kids grow older but the order won't. In pro soccer, the priorities will be reversed.

When there are youth soccer coaches who don't have the priorities right you sometimes have to help them by de-emphasizing the importance of the score - i.e. by not posting scores and standings.

I coach in a very competitive league where scores/standings are not posted U9-U11. They start posting them at U12. It just so happens that this league features many good, well-qualified (i.e. officially licensed) coaches who understand the priorities. They know that playing "kick and run" soccer will win them games in the short term but that it won't help their teams or their players be successful in the long term.

In other leagues (e.g. recreational leagues) that feature volunteer coaches (often parents who are not licensed), there are more problems because the score is often considered more important than fun and player development. These are the situations where posting scores/standings often has to be abandoned to help them get the priorities right.

There's nothing wrong with scores/standings per se. The problem is when the priorities are screwed up.

Novocastrian

So what's your point? Why does not keeping score help?

Alan2005

The argument seems to be that footie coaches are dicks.