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Dear Players,
Two issues have become apparent
this year which have a negative impact on player enjoyment
and development. These issues are team size and player
commitment.
Our club has contacted all
coaches to get their feedback on these issues. Their
comments have indicated that for certain teams and age
categories these issues are a problem. Although there is
some problem in the mini program both of these problems are
apparent in the U13 and higher age groups. A number of
coaches have reported that both team numbers and player
commitment have had a significant negative impact on the
development and enjoyment of play for their players.
Team size can be important. This
is particularly true for divisional teams where many
children have commitments other than soccer. To a degree
this is accepted as part of this program and every coach
expects that on occasion a player may have another
commitment which will keep them away from a practice or
game. A problem arises when several players are missing from
a number of games. This can happen, for example, when
several members from a team are away for a camp, band
concert etc. If a team does not have enough players to begin
with this can result in a team playing with no subs or even
with fewer than 11 players. Playing with inadequate numbers
puts additional stress on the remaining players and
increases the risk of injury.
Commitment seems to be a
significant problem on many teams, particularly with the U13
and higher age groups. The reasons for this are varied
however the impact on a team can be significant, even more
so than team size. Commitment is expected even in the house
league. Every player who registers for house soccer is
expected to attend one practice and one game each week
during the regular season. With the exception of special
occasions, as noted above, this commitment must be given by
the players. Commitment also means players must come to
practice to learn. Although coaches accept that there is a
social aspect to the game, they also expect the players to
listen and make a positive contribution. Players who do not
regularly attend practices or engage in disruptive behaviour
at practices have a significant negative impact on the
development and enjoyment of soccer for the remaining
players. We feel that this is not a problem for the majority
of our players however one or more disruptive players on a
team can negatively impact both the practices and games. A
lack of players or disruptive behaviour can inhibit a
coaches ability to conduct a meaningful practice for those
players who want to learn. This is not fair for the
remaining committed players or the coaches.
In order to deal with these two
issues our Mission club has agreed to change the way in
which we form U13 and older teams for the 2003 season. Our
coaches survey has revealed that these are the age
categories where we experience these problems the most. We
will deal with any other age category on a one to one basis.
Where there are obvious problems with team size we will
endeavour to form teams of 18 players. The larger teams will
provide a buffer for expected absences and allow for
adequate substitutes. If for example, we have 40 players
register for a particular group we would have two teams of
18 players each. Coaches would get together to set up a
selection criteria to decide which of the 40 players would
be placed on a team. A player's commitment in the past will
be considered when team selection is made. A player with a
history of poor commitment may not be selected. Any player
not selected for a team may have the option to apply to
another club to play.
We want to emphasis that the
vast majority of our players are committed. However, as
mentioned above, it only takes a few uncommitted players to
have a negative impact on a team. It is our expectation that
these changes will make soccer an even more enjoyable sport
for our players and coaches.
OMYSA Executive
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