National Soccer Academy

Soccer California Oct. 1997
By Karl Dowazien
Director of Coaching

A very large group of people occupy one side of the field as opposed to the handful of individuals found on the opposite side. It is difficult to tell if the larger group’s presence is appreciated since no one acknowledges their being. The demeanor of the large group seems extremely unnatural for the setting because an eerie silence envelops their side of the field. Only their piercing s eyes are excessively active, focusing on the small group of adults across the field.

From a distance, the handful of individuals looks like a “cookie cutter” ensemble. Each has a baseball cap on the head, a whistle around the neck and a clip board under the arm. The shoes, socks and sweat suits are obviously manufactured by adidas. Their cross-armed stance is disrupted only occasionally when they are ready to write something on their clipboards.

On the field, between these two dissimilar groups, is an enormous gathering of players. One can easily see that the players are performing for the benefit of the individuals and not the larger group. Only an occasional glimpse toward the “big group” by one of the players is noticeable. Body language and facial expressions show signs of tension. There is no laughter and there are no smiles. Concentration seems to be the order of the day.

To the untrained eye, the setting is very similar to the American football “Punt, Pass and Kick” contest environment with soccer balls. Players can be seen kicking stationary balls (for distance), dribbling through cones (for time), shooting at targets placed inside the goal (for accuracy). One individual has a stopwatch for timing the short sprints while another individual is in charge of timing the long-distance run. Over in one corner of the field there is a 4 v 4 small-sided soccer game being played, but no one is showing any interest in observing this particular event!

This scene is now being played out on soccer fields across the country and is affectionately referred to as “the meat market.” Here is where “expert” coaches select the best pieces of talent to fill their most pressing needs. The event is called a tryout and players are ‘graded” and “labeled” by the coaches. The players are given such labels as “competitive” and ‘recreational” player. To this point in time it has been impossible to obtain the criteria by which these coaches judge future playing potential. The only benchmark that seems standard across the - . country is the coach’s child is always good enough to make the starting team.

Many adults (who, incidentally, do not Work with younger players) say, ‘Tryouts and labeling are a necessary evil to judge and place talent on teams.” They indicate that players need to play at ‘their level” in order to be challenged and continue their improvement. Fair enough!

However, recent studies have shown ‘that, “The first three years of a child’s life are critical for emotional and intellectual growth. During this time brain patterns are formed that will affect every part of the child’s development. The way a child is cared for, stimulated, held and communicated with will have a lasting effect on how he or she will think, feel and function in the world throughout life.”

Being aware of this startling information should lead us to conclude that:

“The first three years of a child’s sports life are critical for emotional and intellectual growth. During this time brain patterns will form that will affect every part of the player’s development. The way a player is supervised, motivated, coached, taught and communicated with will have a lasting effect on how he or she will think, feel and function in soccer throughout the playing career.”

If that is the case, it would be logical to assume that players picked to make “the team” would love soccer and play the game for many, many years. This is not happening. Statistics show that players across the board drop out of the game in their teen years. Currently we lose 75 percent of players between the ages of 10 and l4. With an alarming figure like that, one would think that frantic research would begin to find out what is wrong. Yet, nothing is happening! Instead, the problem is rationalized away with many excuses. Topping the list of excuses are, ‘They have other interests, other sports, besides our number of registered players is increasing dramatically each year.’ - So, who cares?”

We (fiduciaries) should care! Let’s stop with the excuses. Let’s stop this outrageous drop-out rate. Let’s begin by stimulating the brain patterns to affect positively the young player’s development. As great supervisors we must inspire our developing players to have confidence in themselves. This inner motivation comes when the individual is not labeled by adults. As great coaches we must communicate with and enable each player to feel successful. Success is not possible for those who are labeled or categorized before puberty. (Consider the recent ruling by the IOC regarding gymnasts; i.e., no international competition before the age of 16.)

A fitting conclusion to this article would be what Marcello Urbani so eloquently stated in a recent letter, “I opened my eyes to the reality that most people ignore: Children under 10years of age are abused by the arrogant structure of soccer in this country.” Let’s begin to change the structure. Soccer should be for our children’s enjoyment, not their exploitation.

Need more reasons why children under 10 years of age should not be part of the “meat market”? Please read my friend Tony Waiters’ article, ‘Lousy Time To Label Players” in this issue (page 6).

Send your suggestions and comments to: Karl Dewazien, CYSA State Coaching Director, 2904 Fine Ave. Clovis, CA. 936120