RESULTS vs DEVELOPMENT - The journey of each player is a process and is not defined by any one moment or game result. Performance is the barometer for success. We look to the U16 (sophomore in high school) age group as the peak year to develop players to reach their long term goals. Many players are hoping to play Varsity soccer or play in college. Colleges look to secure recruits during the U16/17 age groups. Additionally, many players are striving to make their varsity high school team around this time.
Our development process has far reaching goals well beyond the scoreline results seen in the U6-U15 age groups. The process to becoming a complete player reaches into 4 domains of development:
1. Technical
2. Tactical
3. Physiological
4. Psychological .
Our development process is a holistic approach and aims to successfully develop each player in all 4 domains. We compete in each game with the desire to outscore our opponents but we understand that performance and growth outweighs results. Competitions are a canvas to apply what is being taught in training. Similar to preseason games where professional teams work to improve areas of weakness, we will go through difficult growth periods. For instance, learning to play out of the back and build from the back as a team takes years of practice and players will make plenty of mistakes in this process. Young players will also go through stages where they need to experience dribbling at opponents, but will lose the ball and it will seem like they should have simply given it to someone else. This will often look selfish to observers and it is difficult to remember that players need this experience to grow. Soccer is not a position specific sport especially in the development years. When our team has possession, all players are attackers. When the opponent has the ball, the team defends together. We teach the players to understand the demands of the game in all the positions on the field. Based on the makeup of a team, the qualities of a player may be best suited as a forward on team X and then best suited as a defender on team Y. For this reason, we develop players to understand how the game works and to solve problems in all areas and positions on the field.
We attempt to place teams in divisions where we can compete in every game. Teams who finish in the middle of their division are best placed. This allows players to explore what they are learning against competition that demands the best effort and execution from each player. Winning every game can lead to complacency and losing too often can reduce enthusiasm for the game. In the U12 and younger age groups, players can expect to play a minimum of 50% in games. There may be outlying scenarios where this will be different. Some players will have opportunities to see more than 50% playing time based on effort, merit and the needs of the team in that game. As players move in to the advanced stages of development, playing time is earned.
