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Post by Soccerhouse on Sept 27, 2013 13:47:45 GMT -5
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eaglesweep87
Jr. Academy
Soccer doesn't build character, it reveals it!
Posts: 19 
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Post by eaglesweep87 on Sept 27, 2013 16:24:42 GMT -5
Ga. Soccer is for the most part just following what US soccer bylaws tells them. But there are far to many changes needed to list. If I was HR manager I would try to hire people with a more hands off approach mentality. Let the individual associations be able to decide what benefits them and their members best interests. People with the micro-management mentality just dont cut it for me. To many control issues involved
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Post by silverback on Sept 27, 2013 17:43:41 GMT -5
Great question and hope more members contribute. BTW - I am not sure what falls within GA Soccer jurisdiction, so my comments are more about how to improve soccer in GA and become a state powerhouse like Tx, CA, etc.
1. Move State Cup to Atlanta. No reason for it to be in Columbus. Most teams are from Atlanta and moving local would save lots of money for the parents. Also, you might get more people to come watch/root the second week, which would be great for the players.
2. Take control of the GA Soccer fields by the Airport. Complete the complex so we have one venue with lots of fields to host major tournaments, events, etc. (see #1 above)
3. Make the Atlanta Cup a premier national tournament like Dallas Cup, Surf Cup etc. Level of talent has declined over the years. If we had had one location like the GA soccer fields, you would have one venue, not all around Atlanta. Also, make it an "event", where teams from across the east coast want to come, like Disney. Make it fun!!
3. Improve ODP. JD is a great guy and does a good job, but ODP has lost its luster. ODP should be more than "identification". Go back to what the name implies, make it development focused, which means no more practice cancelations, coaches need to coach, develop players, etc. Every young kid should want to play ODP.
4. Focus on Youth Development. The future of our sport is in its youth. Invest in coaches clinics for U5-9 age groups. Create a "certification" so parent coaches can actually teach the young kids the game of soccer. IMO - Too many parent coaches are not well versed in the basics. Might even want to compensate parent coaches if they reach specific "certification" levels. Note - I don't mean USSF soccer licenses, keep it simple for the parent coaches - the goal is to drive consistency in development, training, etc.
5. Work with local colleges to ensure we have soccer programs at this level. No disrespect to GA State and GA southern, and I realize challenges with Title IX, but its crazy that UofG and GA tech don't have boys programs. Fortunately, UofG has a good girls program.
6. Work with local pro teams to promote and endorse these teams. We should see local talent on these teams, which would hopefully increase attendance and fan base We should also have a local MLS team, so anything they could do to promote would be great.
7. Evaluate what Ca, Tx, Fl is doing? Are they doing something we're not? GA soccer should make it's mission to be the most well respected state for youth soccer.
I am sure there are more ideas, but these are the ones that come to mind.
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Post by dreaddy on Sept 27, 2013 19:35:33 GMT -5
Some thoughts/background on these ideas... Great question and hope more members contribute. BTW - I am not sure what falls within GA Soccer jurisdiction, so my comments are more about how to improve soccer in GA and become a state powerhouse like Tx, CA, etc. 1. Move State Cup to Atlanta. No reason for it to be in Columbus. Most teams are from Atlanta and moving local would save lots of money for the parents. Also, you might get more people to come watch/root the second week, which would be great for the players. State Cup is held in Columbus because of the number of fields in close proximity there. So far no other association in Atlanta has been able to provide the kind of experience that Columbus brings. Even though without the players there would be no games, there are many more factors that have to be considered in staging State Cup. Though some parents complain bitterly, you probably don't hear much from the coaches with multiple teams. Also, in the past few years the second weekend has been held in the Metro Atlanta area.2. Take control of the GA Soccer fields by the Airport. Complete the complex so we have one venue with lots of fields to host major tournaments, events, etc. (see #1 above) Georgia Soccer Park is a private entity owned by the GSP Foundation. Concorde Fire may have some part ownership as well. Georgia Soccer does not have the money to buy it out. They were originally supposed to be a partner in the venture but the then Georgia Youth Soccer membership (that's the council in which each member youth association has a vote) decided not to spend the money for it.3. Make the Atlanta Cup a premier national tournament like Dallas Cup, Surf Cup etc. Level of talent has declined over the years. If we had had one location like the GA soccer fields, you would have one venue, not all around Atlanta. Also, make it an "event", where teams from across the east coast want to come, like Disney. Make it fun!! Back to problem 1 - we don't have the fields in one place to do that. There are so many programs that now vie for the top teams that it has become difficult for the Atlanta Cup to attract them.3. Improve ODP. JD is a great guy and does a good job, but ODP has lost its luster. ODP should be more than "identification". Go back to what the name implies, make it development focused, which means no more practice cancelations, coaches need to coach, develop players, etc. Every young kid should want to play ODP. Not that well versed on this, so I'll leave it alone.4. Focus on Youth Development. The future of our sport is in its youth. Invest in coaches clinics for U5-9 age groups. Create a "certification" so parent coaches can actually teach the young kids the game of soccer. IMO - Too many parent coaches are not well versed in the basics. Might even want to compensate parent coaches if they reach specific "certification" levels. Note - I don't mean USSF soccer licenses, keep it simple for the parent coaches - the goal is to drive consistency in development, training, etc. There is only so much the state can do. It is up to the clubs to push this. Georgia Soccer does not hire the coaches that work at the local clubs.5. Work with local colleges to ensure we have soccer programs at this level. No disrespect to GA State and GA southern, and I realize challenges with Title IX, but its crazy that UofG and GA tech don't have boys programs. Fortunately, UofG has a good girls program. College programs are out of the realm of Georgia Soccer. If the SEC and ACC can't convince these colleges to offer a Men's program, there is nothing that GA Soccer can do.6. Work with local pro teams to promote and endorse these teams. We should see local talent on these teams, which would hopefully increase attendance and fan base We should also have a local MLS team, so anything they could do to promote would be great. Ga. Soccer is working to help promote the Silverbacks. Tomorrow is Youth Soccer night. I hope you plan on going to the game!7. Evaluate what Ca, Tx, Fl is doing? Are they doing something we're not? GA soccer should make it's mission to be the most well respected state for youth soccer. All three of those states have much larger populations and much larger soccer playing populations than Georgia. They also have a much larger base of Hispanic players who have been accepted in the mainstream.I am sure there are more ideas, but these are the ones that come to mind. I hate to sound so negative, but most of the ideas here have either been tried before or are not really practical. of course, if I am knocking someone's ideas, I guess I should give some of my own, so for someone else to trash, here are some of my ideas for Georgia Soccer which could actually be done using rule changes: 1. Allow clubs to be recreation only, select only or mixed depending on where they want to focus their efforts. Though there is a need for all levels of play to be available to the players, it does not mean that each club has to offer everything. Let the ones who are best at recreation or select specialize in what they do best. 2. Ease the movement of players from team to team within a club. Have players registered to a club, not a team. It would take a seismic shift in the thinking of parents to achieve this, but it is the way of the world. 3. Get rid of standings below U14. Of course, this has been tried using the Academy system, but being the competitive people we are the parents will have none of it. By God I'm taking my kid to the #1 team! We were supposed to play 8v8 at U12, but that's now gone by the wayside because everyone wants the "edge" on the competition when they got to U13. We are so competitive that winning is everything, no matter how much others try to let us know that it takes time for a player to develop, and concentrating on learning skills below U13 is far more important than winning games. 4. Require all clubs to have an active parent education system. Not just to help behavior and understanding of what's going on, but to see the steps necessary for development and also hopefully to understand that the apple of their eye may not be quite as good as they think he is. Enough from me for now. |
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Post by soccerpapi on Sept 27, 2013 19:40:13 GMT -5
Like some of what's been said so far, here is my two cents:
1. Need a leader with vision & need a mission that is communicated well to the clubs, parents, players (find new ways - use social media, etc)
2. One of the goals of that mission should be to make the national team better (creativity, technical, flare, style of play, etc)
3. Promote the game in GA (encourage fun soccer pick up meet-ups for kids, provide field space and env'ts for this - no coaches, no paying)
4. Encourage fun soccer watch parties a la "screen on the green" (parents bring the kids, bottle of wine?, picnic basket, etc..)
5. Simplify the "alphabet-soup" leagues (improve parent soccer education and less confusion, reduce/slow down talent dilution locally)
6. To silberback's point #7 above, TX and CA have a # of large clubs with successful history (Sting, Texans, FC Dallas, Surf, So Cal, etc)
(Do we want 2-4 large clubs in GA w/ consolidated talent or 15-20 clubs like we have now)? -- need a whole separate thread for this.
7. Improve/encourage/enforce better Coach accountability (quality control, player testing & measurement metrics)
All for now, others may come to me later...What's yours?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2013 20:35:54 GMT -5
Great stuff. Last year our clubs top u12 girls was totally win at all costs. Development was thrown out the window for winning!!! Why, to ensure they got in Athena A!! U have to maintain some level of a competitive winning environment, but not as if it's the works cup. The girls were 12. dreaddy gets it for sure. Would add that ga soccer should take over scheduling academies. Too many clubs won't play other clubs. Ie comcorde.... ( I heard it's an option now, it it utilized) Could be club philosophy vs state, but play 7v7 vs 6v6 and 9v9 vs 8v8. |
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eaglesweep87
Jr. Academy
Soccer doesn't build character, it reveals it!
Posts: 19
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Post by eaglesweep87 on Sept 27, 2013 21:09:57 GMT -5
Some thoughts/background on these ideas... Great question and hope more members contribute. BTW - I am not sure what falls within GA Soccer jurisdiction, so my comments are more about how to improve soccer in GA and become a state powerhouse like Tx, CA, etc. 1. Move State Cup to Atlanta. No reason for it to be in Columbus. Most teams are from Atlanta and moving local would save lots of money for the parents. Also, you might get more people to come watch/root the second week, which would be great for the players. State Cup is held in Columbus because of the number of fields in close proximity there. So far no other association in Atlanta has been able to provide the kind of experience that Columbus brings. Even though without the players there would be no games, there are many more factors that have to be considered in staging State Cup. Though some parents complain bitterly, you probably don't hear much from the coaches with multiple teams. Also, in the past few years the second weekend has been held in the Metro Atlanta area.2. Take control of the GA Soccer fields by the Airport. Complete the complex so we have one venue with lots of fields to host major tournaments, events, etc. (see #1 above) Georgia Soccer Park is a private entity owned by the GSP Foundation. Concorde Fire may have some part ownership as well. Georgia Soccer does not have the money to buy it out. They were originally supposed to be a partner in the venture but the then Georgia Youth Soccer membership (that's the council in which each member youth association has a vote) decided not to spend the money for it.3. Make the Atlanta Cup a premier national tournament like Dallas Cup, Surf Cup etc. Level of talent has declined over the years. If we had had one location like the GA soccer fields, you would have one venue, not all around Atlanta. Also, make it an "event", where teams from across the east coast want to come, like Disney. Make it fun!! Back to problem 1 - we don't have the fields in one place to do that. There are so many programs that now vie for the top teams that it has become difficult for the Atlanta Cup to attract them.3. Improve ODP. JD is a great guy and does a good job, but ODP has lost its luster. ODP should be more than "identification". Go back to what the name implies, make it development focused, which means no more practice cancelations, coaches need to coach, develop players, etc. Every young kid should want to play ODP. Not that well versed on this, so I'll leave it alone.4. Focus on Youth Development. The future of our sport is in its youth. Invest in coaches clinics for U5-9 age groups. Create a "certification" so parent coaches can actually teach the young kids the game of soccer. IMO - Too many parent coaches are not well versed in the basics. Might even want to compensate parent coaches if they reach specific "certification" levels. Note - I don't mean USSF soccer licenses, keep it simple for the parent coaches - the goal is to drive consistency in development, training, etc. There is only so much the state can do. It is up to the clubs to push this. Georgia Soccer does not hire the coaches that work at the local clubs.5. Work with local colleges to ensure we have soccer programs at this level. No disrespect to GA State and GA southern, and I realize challenges with Title IX, but its crazy that UofG and GA tech don't have boys programs. Fortunately, UofG has a good girls program. College programs are out of the realm of Georgia Soccer. If the SEC and ACC can't convince these colleges to offer a Men's program, there is nothing that GA Soccer can do.6. Work with local pro teams to promote and endorse these teams. We should see local talent on these teams, which would hopefully increase attendance and fan base We should also have a local MLS team, so anything they could do to promote would be great. Ga. Soccer is working to help promote the Silverbacks. Tomorrow is Youth Soccer night. I hope you plan on going to the game!7. Evaluate what Ca, Tx, Fl is doing? Are they doing something we're not? GA soccer should make it's mission to be the most well respected state for youth soccer. All three of those states have much larger populations and much larger soccer playing populations than Georgia. They also have a much larger base of Hispanic players who have been accepted in the mainstream.I am sure there are more ideas, but these are the ones that come to mind. I hate to sound so negative, but most of the ideas here have either been tried before or are not really practical. of course, if I am knocking someone's ideas, I guess I should give some of my own, so for someone else to trash, here are some of my ideas for Georgia Soccer which could actually be done using rule changes: 1. Allow clubs to be recreation only, select only or mixed depending on where they want to focus their efforts. Though there is a need for all levels of play to be available to the players, it does not mean that each club has to offer everything. Let the ones who are best at recreation or select specialize in what they do best. 2. Ease the movement of players from team to team within a club. Have players registered to a club, not a team. It would take a seismic shift in the thinking of parents to achieve this, but it is the way of the world. 3. Get rid of standings below U14. Of course, this has been tried using the Academy system, but being the competitive people we are the parents will have none of it. By God I'm taking my kid to the #1 team! We were supposed to play 8v8 at U12, but that's now gone by the wayside because everyone wants the "edge" on the competition when they got to U13. We are so competitive that winning is everything, no matter how much others try to let us know that it takes time for a player to develop, and concentrating on learning skills below U13 is far more important than winning games. 4. Require all clubs to have an active parent education system. Not just to help behavior and understanding of what's going on, but to see the steps necessary for development and also hopefully to understand that the apple of their eye may not be quite as good as they think he is. Enough from me for now dreaddy---- Your #1 interests me that is a different way to attack many of the fundemental problems that plague our sport. I need some time to ponder on that before I comment, I do think that it is a great idea though. Improvements possibly could be monumental. #2 I also love this idea. It just makes more sense One other thing I feel we could improve upon 1) I know the rest of the world uses the "club" moniker for their sports teams. But in the States our top 3 sports don't attach "club" to their professional teams. I feel it gives soccer 2nd tier status right from the get go. And it gives fuel to the people who see the sport as a rich well to do sport that excludes people of lesser means. We need to try to structure the system alot like the big three. With our education system included in the big picture without making it impossible for the avgerage joe to afford it. |
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