I've received some questions from parents of first time players about the necessary gear for soccer. Sorry I didn't think to address that earlier.
The only indispensable equipment is a pair of shin guards and a pair of soccer socks to wear them in. As for shoes, any comfortable pair of athletic shoes that you can run in will do fine. Indoor or outdoor soccer shoes will work great on the Pleasure Isle field surface. No football or baseball cleats, please. Any sort of athletic shorts are good. The league provides the t-shirts and hopefully I'll have those at the first practice. Good sources for gear are Meyer, Biggs, Dick's, KMart and Play it Again Sports.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Welcome the the Spring session
Hi, U5 and U9 parents. On the Blog here you'll find weekly updates on our games and practices. To the right you'll find a permanent list of links to rosters, schedules and other useful information.
If you received my e-mail you saw my comments regarding the NKYA code of conduct. Hopefully you have followed the link to the published version of the code and read it over. If you have any questions about it let me hear them. I want to elaborate a bit here on the code and NKYA's mission as well as the rules of the game and how the Referees enforce the rules during a game.
Here are some things to remember:
NKYA soccer is a recreational/instructional league. Our first priority, especially for the younger divisions is to teach the game. U5 parents need to keep this in mind. We are not looking for wins, we're looking for improvement. Be patient. U9 parents need to remember that this isn't select soccer. We don't have try-outs. We take anybody who wants to play. So please temper your expectations about the level of competition with that in mind. I'll work to get the kids to give the game everything they've got and really put their hearts into it. If we get that, win or lose, we should be happy.
The Referees in NKYA games are typically kids themselves. Part of what we do at NKYA is train Referees. Be patient with them. Our Referee administrator does monitor their performance closely and we are looking for constant improvement but no matter how young and inexperienced a Ref is we all need to show the proper respect and be sure the kids see us setting that example. If you have a concern about the way a Ref worked a game bring it to me and I'll discuss it with the Administrator. What you should be most concerned about is that the Refs are doing what they can to keep the game safe not how they call every handball you see.
The Referees are instructed by the league to consider both "intent" and "advantage" when calling fouls. The foul most people are familiar with is the "handball", where a player touches the ball with some part of his arm from about the armpit down. When watching a game keep in mind that the Ref may not call every handball he sees and this is for two reasons. If the Referee judges that the foul was unintentional and does not affect the immediate course of the game he will hold his whistle and let the game play on. If the Ref judges that a handball or any other foul actually works out to the "advantage" of the opposing team, the team that didn't commit the foul, he will let the game play on rather than interrupt that advantage. So if you see a handball but don't hear an immediate whistle take note of how the game is playing out and consider whether or not stopping the game for a penalty kick would actually be to our advantage.
In NKYA indoor soccer leagues there are no "direct free kicks" meaning that if we get a penalty kick, even within the goalie box, the ball can not be kicked directly into the goal for a score. The ball must touch another player first to count as a goal. Now if you are familiar with professional soccer you know that a penalty kick from anywhere within 40 yards of the goal is considered a scoring opportunity. David Beckham has made a career out of such kicks. But since penalty kicks in our league are nothing more than changes of possession (turnovers) it is very unlikely that any one bad call or even series of bad calls could affect the outcome of the game. Even if I thought a call had affected the outcome you would never see me demonstrating that in front of the kids. My goal is to be sure that they never feel the outcome is out of their hands. I want them to play knowing that the outcome of the game will be determined by the effort that they put forth. Coaches and parents who constantly snipe at the Ref about missed calls are sending a clear message to their kids: "the game isn't in your hands". I'm not interested in that. What I'll be looking for from the Referees is that they keep the game safe while letting the kids play hard. I'm satisfied that that is what we normally get with NKYA.
Ok, enough pontificating. I'll see everybody at practice Tuesday the 14th.
If you received my e-mail you saw my comments regarding the NKYA code of conduct. Hopefully you have followed the link to the published version of the code and read it over. If you have any questions about it let me hear them. I want to elaborate a bit here on the code and NKYA's mission as well as the rules of the game and how the Referees enforce the rules during a game.
Here are some things to remember:
NKYA soccer is a recreational/instructional league. Our first priority, especially for the younger divisions is to teach the game. U5 parents need to keep this in mind. We are not looking for wins, we're looking for improvement. Be patient. U9 parents need to remember that this isn't select soccer. We don't have try-outs. We take anybody who wants to play. So please temper your expectations about the level of competition with that in mind. I'll work to get the kids to give the game everything they've got and really put their hearts into it. If we get that, win or lose, we should be happy.
The Referees in NKYA games are typically kids themselves. Part of what we do at NKYA is train Referees. Be patient with them. Our Referee administrator does monitor their performance closely and we are looking for constant improvement but no matter how young and inexperienced a Ref is we all need to show the proper respect and be sure the kids see us setting that example. If you have a concern about the way a Ref worked a game bring it to me and I'll discuss it with the Administrator. What you should be most concerned about is that the Refs are doing what they can to keep the game safe not how they call every handball you see.
The Referees are instructed by the league to consider both "intent" and "advantage" when calling fouls. The foul most people are familiar with is the "handball", where a player touches the ball with some part of his arm from about the armpit down. When watching a game keep in mind that the Ref may not call every handball he sees and this is for two reasons. If the Referee judges that the foul was unintentional and does not affect the immediate course of the game he will hold his whistle and let the game play on. If the Ref judges that a handball or any other foul actually works out to the "advantage" of the opposing team, the team that didn't commit the foul, he will let the game play on rather than interrupt that advantage. So if you see a handball but don't hear an immediate whistle take note of how the game is playing out and consider whether or not stopping the game for a penalty kick would actually be to our advantage.
In NKYA indoor soccer leagues there are no "direct free kicks" meaning that if we get a penalty kick, even within the goalie box, the ball can not be kicked directly into the goal for a score. The ball must touch another player first to count as a goal. Now if you are familiar with professional soccer you know that a penalty kick from anywhere within 40 yards of the goal is considered a scoring opportunity. David Beckham has made a career out of such kicks. But since penalty kicks in our league are nothing more than changes of possession (turnovers) it is very unlikely that any one bad call or even series of bad calls could affect the outcome of the game. Even if I thought a call had affected the outcome you would never see me demonstrating that in front of the kids. My goal is to be sure that they never feel the outcome is out of their hands. I want them to play knowing that the outcome of the game will be determined by the effort that they put forth. Coaches and parents who constantly snipe at the Ref about missed calls are sending a clear message to their kids: "the game isn't in your hands". I'm not interested in that. What I'll be looking for from the Referees is that they keep the game safe while letting the kids play hard. I'm satisfied that that is what we normally get with NKYA.
Ok, enough pontificating. I'll see everybody at practice Tuesday the 14th.
Monday, April 6, 2009
No Game Schedule Yet
Going forward I'll be using this blog for both U5 and U9. I still don't have the game schedules in hand but I expect them soon. I do, though, have a practice schedule. NKYA has managed to secure some weekly practice times at Pleasure Isle for the U5, U7 and U9 teams (Thanks, Andrea.) I have the U5 team set up for Tuesdays at 6:30 PM. U9 will follow immediately, Tuesdays at 7:30 PM. First practice will be next Tuesday the 14th.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Watch This Space!
The coach's meeting in preparation for the spring session is this Sunday so I should have the game schedule up by Monday morning.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Great Last Game
Firstly I want to thank all the parents for their patience in dealing with the fact that our team was crowded. The enrollment situation at the start of the session was such that there were enough total players in U5 to make five teams but not enough to make six and since a five team field doesn't work scheduling wise the only thing to do was to divide the kids up into four teams so some of the teams were over the normal ten player limit. I personally prefer to have fewer than ten players since it seems that on every team I've had I have players that need to be coaxed just to play one quarter and other players who would play the whole game if I let them. But anyway, thanks for your patience and help and I hope each of your kids got something out of this session. They were all a joy to work with.
Now, as for that last game...you may have noticed some strange behavior in the last quarter. The other coach, Scott, and I agreed before the game to use the last quarter to try and get any kids who had no goals this session a chance at making a goal. This involves pulling your players aside and giving the other team a head start as it were. This failed hilariously as Greg's players couldn't get the ball in the goal even as I had to practically sit on Nate and Mason to keep them from playing defense. And on our end Maddie and Kendall were both in position a few time to get their shots on goal but each time they seemed to be looking at something other than the ball. All the same it was fun.
It was a great session and I hope to see everyone when the spring session begins. Don't forget to watch that USA soccer qualifying game on the 28th. Oh...and Go Cardinals!
Now, as for that last game...you may have noticed some strange behavior in the last quarter. The other coach, Scott, and I agreed before the game to use the last quarter to try and get any kids who had no goals this session a chance at making a goal. This involves pulling your players aside and giving the other team a head start as it were. This failed hilariously as Greg's players couldn't get the ball in the goal even as I had to practically sit on Nate and Mason to keep them from playing defense. And on our end Maddie and Kendall were both in position a few time to get their shots on goal but each time they seemed to be looking at something other than the ball. All the same it was fun.
It was a great session and I hope to see everyone when the spring session begins. Don't forget to watch that USA soccer qualifying game on the 28th. Oh...and Go Cardinals!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Highlight-free game
Well...we did have a very good pre-game practice. And then there was that one kid on the Orange team who had a great game. And then everybody had a snack, which was nice. (Thanks to Cole's parents for that). So not a bad day really.
After the game the coach of the Orange team apologized for leaving the scoring-machine kid out on the field so much. Orange was a few players short so the coach figured he'd let the kid (Logan) get some extra playing time. I told him "it's cool. Facing a better opponent isn't going to hurt anybody." Some of the kids will be moving up to U7 soon so they will be seeing a lot of that sort of thing. Aside from a slight size advantage, what makes a player like Logan stand out is his single mindedness when it comes to what to do with the ball. We have that on out team in the form of Nate and Mason. When Nate has the ball he is frantic in his effort to get to the goal but he doesn't panic when he's in close contact with the opposition. I saw him twice step gracefully over the ball to shield it from the opposition and start moving toward their goal. He keeps his head under pressure. I ask the kids every week before the game starts "who's ball is it?" and I expect them to answer "mine!" I never have to ask Nate twice.
And every week Mason shows a better understanding of where he needs to position himself off the ball to defend effectively. He has a great sense of the field.
I should also note that Annie played some fierce defense when she was in goal. And Kendall Romito now has a baby brother, Gabriel.
Everyone is making steady progress and it's been a good season despite our over-crowded bench. Next week is the last game of the season. Camden's mom will be picking-up the snack. See you then.
After the game the coach of the Orange team apologized for leaving the scoring-machine kid out on the field so much. Orange was a few players short so the coach figured he'd let the kid (Logan) get some extra playing time. I told him "it's cool. Facing a better opponent isn't going to hurt anybody." Some of the kids will be moving up to U7 soon so they will be seeing a lot of that sort of thing. Aside from a slight size advantage, what makes a player like Logan stand out is his single mindedness when it comes to what to do with the ball. We have that on out team in the form of Nate and Mason. When Nate has the ball he is frantic in his effort to get to the goal but he doesn't panic when he's in close contact with the opposition. I saw him twice step gracefully over the ball to shield it from the opposition and start moving toward their goal. He keeps his head under pressure. I ask the kids every week before the game starts "who's ball is it?" and I expect them to answer "mine!" I never have to ask Nate twice.
And every week Mason shows a better understanding of where he needs to position himself off the ball to defend effectively. He has a great sense of the field.
I should also note that Annie played some fierce defense when she was in goal. And Kendall Romito now has a baby brother, Gabriel.
Everyone is making steady progress and it's been a good season despite our over-crowded bench. Next week is the last game of the season. Camden's mom will be picking-up the snack. See you then.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Playing like a team
The level of "team" play in this week's game was excellent. In our first quarter line-up we had great goal coverage from Kaleb which allowed Mason, Nate, Owen and Camden (!) to really attack the other goal. They combined for two great goals and we saw lots of cooperative play with good passing and a lot of talk.
On the second quarter team it was Chase who took charge of the goal coming up with some excellent stops and allowing Annie, Ethan, Maddie and Max to keep pushing into the other team's side. In the fourth quarter Annie and Chase switched. Annie made some good defensive stops and Chase had some good shots on goal.
Two games left on the 8th and 15th. Sign-ups for next session going on now if you're interested.
On the second quarter team it was Chase who took charge of the goal coming up with some excellent stops and allowing Annie, Ethan, Maddie and Max to keep pushing into the other team's side. In the fourth quarter Annie and Chase switched. Annie made some good defensive stops and Chase had some good shots on goal.
Two games left on the 8th and 15th. Sign-ups for next session going on now if you're interested.
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