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Category: Irish Grassroots Football
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Its time to make the change and keep with the Small Sided Game until at least u12s
Its absolutely ridiculous that in 2012 and we are still taking about kids aged 11/12 years playing 11v11 football on adult pitches. What is wrong with these committees and/or boards of mainly old men, that they can’t see that this is clearly not what kids want.
Why do they continue to go against nature and push kids into the 11v11 game some 2 years before they are prepared and ready to do so. Why? We know that all the studies go against this process!
What do kids love about football?
Well, they love to PLAY, they love to SCORE and they love to get plenty TOUCHES of the ball. Playing 11v11 at u12s is preventing this from happening, even the 9v9 games has its downfall but it is 100% better then playing 11v11 on adult pitches, where kids get an average of 11 touches per hourly game.
Drop down to any park on a Saturday or Sunday and witness for yourself; few keepers are taking the kick outs due to the mentality of getting the ball forward (stick the big centre half on them to pump it up the field) and the pressure to win. You will also find that most players rarely get a chance to touch the ball, spending most of their time idle on the far side of the pitch.
11v11 Game is for adults NOT KIDS
The 11v11 game comes with adult rules and adult demands and many kids just aren’t ready for the step-up so why are we pushing KIDS to become adults even before they have experienced what its like to be a kid?
Well, I’ll tell you why?
The reason is because most league committees are made up of adults and not kids, if the league committees were run by the kids imagine how much fun kids soccer in Ireland and across the world would be…..!!!
Unfortunately kids will never really have that say but we, ‘the coaches’ can speak on their behalf . Soccer committees in Ireland will continue to be run by adults with adult interests in mind. Most committees have a combined age of well over 250 years, that’s about 239 years out of touch with a child age 11.
“We have to keep pushing for better conditions for the kids and age related games that only have kids interests at heart”.
When was the last time they asked the kids what they want?
I truly hope the committees of all the leagues in Ireland take the steps to improve the game with the kids interest in mind and extending the small sided game into u12s would be a welcome change for season 2012/2013.
PS. keep size 4 ball into u13s also! I say u12s but really we should be looking at u14s until we play 11v11.
Great post by Nick Levett http://youthfootballdevelopment.blogspot.com/
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Playing in a Tournament and The Benefits
How do YOU find a tournament?
The coach or the manager have to spring into action and get organised by going through the following steps.
- Find a soccer tournament that is the appropriate level for the kids.
- Speak to other coaches in your club or at other clubs for advice.
- Get feedback online.
- Make sure your whole team can go. If not find players so you are not short-handed.
- Cost can be divided among the team which makes it very affordable for the families. Bag packing is always a great way to raise some money and you may have to hurry!!
- Local or travel? If you are a select team look at travel but otherwise go local. There are some good local tournaments in every area which catered for teams of all levels.
- Register for the tournament – normally have online registration.
- Check with the tournament admin to see that they got your registration and payment.
- Put together a schedule which should include maps/directions and get games schedule from the tournament organisers so you can plan your breaks and rest periods.
- Make sure your check the weather and bring sun scream
Coaching tip: Schedules normally come out a week prior to tournament start date. So, prep your parents and players so they know what to expect.
Preparation
Get your team ready…
- When the weather is very hot shorten warm up times or if mild you can do a full warm up.
- You and the team have anywhere from 2-3 games in a day so make sure your kids are hydrating 2-3 days prior to the games.
- I would have a NO soft drinks rule, up to you! Get the kids to make their own, water, some cordial and a pinch of salt.
- Between games kids should be hydrating and resting not playing too much as they might waste that energy.
- No big greasy meals between games…you will have issues. Tell the parents to have the kids eat a lite meal.
- Decide what you want to accomplish and teach in the tournament?
- An example might be working on shape or possession.
- Coaching in a pre season tournament the coach might work on a particular aspect of the game.
- Coaching in a post season tournament might just be having fun and competing.
Coaching tip: Just a suggestion but loan players should never start! This will only infuriate your team and parents.
The team advances
Prepare the team…
- Hydrate. https://www.thecoachdiary.com/is-chocolate-milk-good-for-you/
- Rest.
- Eat the proper foods.
- Make sure the players have a very good warm up the next day because they will be tight and sore.
- Make sure the parents get to bed early as the kids will follow.
- See also https://www.thecoachdiary.com/are-sports-drinks-overhyped-overrated-and-unhealthy-for-kids-today/
Coaching tip: If the players and parents follow these guidelines they will be better prepared.
The benefits
The players and coaches will get the following benefits…
- Coach can spend lots of time with the team. Amazing what 2-3 games in a day will do for your team.
- Keep it very positive no matter what the results, but if you have placed the kids in the right tournament and appropriate level it should be no problem.
- Team building exercises.
- Extra skill sessions during the warm up.
- Helping individual players improve their game.
- Helps with a players confidence.
Next rounds
When the team makes the next round of a tournament, that is fantastic, you get to coach 2-3 more games. There is nothing like coaching a team and making a semi final or final. It makes the team more united and tougher. When the team does not advance the coach can still point out what the team has learned from playing games together over the weekend.
Good Luck and remember “let the kids play”
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Easter Football 2012
Easter is always a great time for football tournaments and thousands of kids, parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, aunties, uncles, and coaches will be preparing themslves for footabll tournaments all over Ireland the UK and parts of Europe. What makes this time of year so special is that young footballers will experience there first trip away.
Ireland
The best one in Ireland this year has to be the 4th Annual St.Kevin’s Boys Club International Tournament which gets underway at Shanowen Road from April 6th to April 8th. Celtic FC, West Brom, Brondby, Sporting Braga, Arsenal and hosts St.Kevins Boys all taking part. You won’t find a better tournament anywhere in the country with such outstanding international teams.
Click on this link for the list of fixtures https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NMYc6DIDzOLEG_yropQoixdFLjMy4r2Lf089Mj5Xmck/edit?pli=1
Manchester 2012
Away from home and just across the water is the 2nd Annual DBSports Cup. The Sports Ball Easter Tournament which runs from March 31st to April 3 for u8s to u11s and April 3rd to April 6th for u12s to u15s. DBSports will have over 15 teams travelling from Ireland and another 15 coming from all over the UK and Poland. St, Francis, Shelbourne, Lucan United, Cabinteely Boys, Avenue United (Ennis) and Ardmore Rovers (Wicklow) from Ireland. from the UK: Manchester City, Arsenal Schools, Stockport County and Stoke City to name a few.
Tournament are great for kids, everyone get a game, plenty of football, great for team bounding and the players get lots of touches of the ball over the few days and not forgetting the parents, who get a holiday too!
Plenty of football to look forward to this Easter. Let me know if you’re team is going to a tournament and hats off to all the coaches who give up so much of there free time to coach and nurture kids all over this great Island of our and around the world.
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11v11 = 22 – ‘That’s 22 kids getting very few touches of the ball’
So far this year I have had the pleasure to be involved with a u12s and now an u11s team. One thing is clearly wrong, the kids should not be playing 11v11 at u12s, that’s 22 kids getting very few touches of the ball.
At U12s the majority of goalkeepers can barely kick outside the box and most don’t even take goal kicks due to this and the competitiveness of some of the leagues. For me one of the most important players is the keeper and I will always encourage the keeper to be the one to start play. We know that most keepers now act as sweepers and recent studies showed that a keeper touches the ball on average 3 times with his feet for every time he uses the ball with his hands.
We want more touches….
Our big pitches and 11v11 game is preventing players getting more touches of the ball and in particular the keepers. On average a u12s player touches the ball 13 times per game and this is nowhere near enough for any player to develop his technical skills or game intelligence. The touches increase slightly in the 9v9 and so on, down to 3v3 where a player could get as many as 100 touches of a ball.
“recently against Racing Messi got best 93 touches the ball, 2 goals and 4 successful dribbles”
Very few kids can switch a ball across the field due to the enormous size of the adult pitches these kids are having to play on. Another issue is the keepers move from the SSG goal to full size adult goals, which as we know are the same goals adults need ladders to put up the nets on. (see featured image)
Cups
A major distraction are the cups competition, they are of no benefit to kids at these age groups and all they do is feed into the egos of some coaches. I have witnessed first hand coaches going to look at the opposition, viewing the facilities and requesting that the entire club come down to support the team (which is fine if its to cheer the team on and nothing more, but we all know that large crowds prowling the line leads to aggression and tension on the pitch and this only puts more pressure on the kids to perform). In an ideal world no parents or at least no screaming parents just spectators would be beneficial to all. One of the many issues with the game in this country and cup football at the younger ages, it the pressure on the kids to WIN! That pressure can sometimes be what drives a child away from the sport for good.
My CampaignI recently sent an email to O Creevey SSG administrator of the DDSL asking for her opinion on this matter, I have yet to receive a reply. We have 3 leagues in Dublin all doing different things, why can’t they all be doing the same thing?
I strongly believe that we need further changes and the kids who enjoy football every weekend in this country should be given just that. The first things that should happen is to extend the 9v9 game to u12s, remember the only thing that changed from last season was that the kids jumped up a year. The age changes happened without even considering the numbers of players on the pitch. The administrators of the leagues in Ireland do a great job administrating but they know nothing about coaching and clearly know nothing about what is best for the kids. Do they even look into the vast amount of studies carried out about kids sports and football?
Many coaches in Ireland are now starting to realise that alot of what we have been doing is incorrect and we need change. Alot of this change depends on the leagues adapting to what is needed for both the kids and coaches; I and many other coaches around Ireland and in other parts of the world have realised for a long time that competitive leagues (at certain ages), coaches, parents and managers etc are having little benefit to the development of children in football and/or sport. Football has changed alot since we played but many are still stuck in the past.
Be the voice – make the change!
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Cup Mauling= No benefit to anyone!!
This is a great article by Eamon Scott (Titles are my own) – Last Saturday 4th February, DDSL Under 11 Premier side St Kevin’s Boys hit nine-goals past a hapless Balbriggan in the Under 11 SFAI Menton Seery Cup. I watched the game with NDSL reporter Ger Brady. By the final whistle, no one could argue that the SKB’s were full value for their win and Balbriggan had been beaten by the better side. We’ve all heard of stirring cup victories against the odds and how the Big Boys have been brought to their knees by lowly opponents. No chance here!
Time for change
This is not a criticism of the SFAI but rather a suggestion that Saturday’s affair was no-contest and while you’ve got to enter to win or be beaten, the question has to be asked: what benefit was there?
Balbriggan got a hiding that may live with them for quite some time, while St Kevin’s – although falling behind to a second-minute penalty – were never in any danger of losing. The jury therefore is well and truly out on the SFAI Under-11 Menton Seery Cup and the question is whether it is defeating the purpose of the 7-a-side game with a national competition that is not only creating some very one-sided games, but also meaning kids and parents are having to travel across the country for a 9-a-side match.Questions need to be asked…
After a very one-sided game in Balbriggan, surely questions have to be asked about what benefit this competition is to kids setting out on their footballing careers if games can be so lopsided at times. The SFAI must ask themselves whether or not this competition is setting the right example if you are going to have heavy victory/defeat scorelines?
Non-competitive
In the NDSL Under-11 the matches are non-competitive but as one Balbriggan representative after the game in North County Dublin on Saturday said; “It’s very difficult to tell the kids one week, it’s all about practice and doing things right, and then today telling them something different because they have to win.”
And certainly for a side like Balbriggan, it can be no benefit having lost by such a heavy margin. Now imagine travelling to Cork or Galway and going through the same thing!In the next round, St Kevin’s Boys may face a Cork team at home. In the last-32 draw, Mount Merrion were at home to Salthill Devon from Galway. Malahide had to travel to Clonmel and Belvedere were on the road to Ballyjamesduff!
One suggestion
is to limit the competition to clubs with ‘graded’ Academies. That would hopefully take away a lot of the one-sided games, while also pushing clubs to develop academies, meaning more good news for kids in terms of better quality coaching. Surely the small-sided game was brought in to give more kids more of the ball and therefore develop their skills in a better way, and not to have young kids travelling all around the country to play a one-sided match.
Glory is great, but at what cost?
Eamon Scott
(Editor, Evening Herald Striker)
TCD would like to thank Eamon for allowing me to post this article, which can only benefit and influence the powers to be, to make the changes we so desperately need! (The kids)
