Paul Marin, High school soccer

[Assasin]

I hope you change your mind on your kid playing high school soccer.
My big son played his first season. They started training in November but the season is really from late January to April-May depends on how far you go in the play offs. Our high school made the playoffs but lost in the first round.

My son is 15 and he made the JV but swing. Within One week he was training with Varsity. He is at a 7A school in maybe the most competitive division in GA.
He was soon called up to sit on the bench and then getting good time on the field. He played over 25 minutes in the playoff.

He was the playmaker and second leading scorer for JV. He plays mostly midfield. He had a good group of older kids surrounding him and encouraging him. The top midfielder gave him a gift as the future of the midfield on senior night. He got best new comer award.

Where else could he compete against MLS and ECNL players 3 years older. The pace of the high school game was great for him. The kind of relationship the high school kids have they don't have it in the clubs. The coach was good (He is also a club coach) and my son development not only with the game but as a team member has gone up with his confidence.

My younger one got the chance to train with JV and will be making the step this year too to high school. This has motivated my son to do some track and train harder as his goal is to make the all region team.

Now they have GSA and SCCL Cup. If you will be at any of those tournaments let me know if we are at the same location.

[Paul Marin]

I hope you change your mind on your kid playing high school soccer.
My big son played his first season. They started training in November but the season is really from late January to April-May depends on how far you go in the play offs. Our high school made the playoffs but lost in the first round.

My son is 15 and he made the JV but swing. Within One week he was training with Varsity. He is at a 7A school in maybe the most competitive division in GA.
He was soon called up to sit on the bench and then getting good time on the field. He played over 25 minutes in the playoff.

He was the playmaker and second leading scorer for JV. He plays mostly midfield. He had a good group of older kids surrounding him and encouraging him. The top midfielder gave him a gift as the future of the midfield on senior night. He got best new comer award.

Where else could he compete against MLS and ECNL players 3 years older. The pace of the high school game was great for him. The kind of relationship the high school kids have they don't have it in the clubs. The coach was good (He is also a club coach) and my son development not only with the game but as a team member has gone up with his confidence.

My younger one got the chance to train with JV and will be making the step this year too to high school. This has motivated my son to do some track and train harder as his goal is to make the all region team.

Now they have GSA and SCCL Cup. If you will be at any of those tournaments let me know if we are at the same location.

Sass - I don't even know where to begin...but let me try by first asking some questions:

1. How many players on the varsity roster?
2. How many got little to no playing time?
3. How many trainings a week?
4. How many games a week (light schedule and heavy schedule)?
5. How many players on the bench in each game?
6. How many kids got the opportunity your kid got?
7. How many recruiters at regular season games?

I'll stop there. I don't question the value that it has to a very small number of advanced players, but they violate every training and periodization guideline, no player development, and zero attention to recruiting of any substance. But I concede, it can be fun, it is a social plus, and for the top players, it is an opportunity to play stronger competition outside your age group.

[Assasin]

Before I answer let me tell you. Seniors can only be Varsity (They can't play JV). On my son's Varsity there were 11 seniors.
The roster is normally between 18 and 22 kids.
Some teams have swing player that can play JV and Varisty.
Some schools do not have swing but they have the option of calling up players.

The teams train 3-4 days before season and 2-3 days in the season as they play 2 times weekly. The good thing is they don't play weekends. Some weeks there may only be one game but once they had 3 games in one week. One was a very easy team.

You have 8-9 players on the bench. Maybe one or two injured. Over the season all player get game but some get very limited and will sit games on the bench.

When my sat 4 games on the bench and he was getting really frustrated. He finally got a run and since then he played for the top team.

I know of one team where there is only one freshman on JV while some teams have have 3-4 freshmen starting on varsity. Depend on your luck.

You had 3 kids on Varsity who were juniors and were not getting games, they drop down to JV and came back up and eventually got some games. There is always that option.

There were some recruiters at the game but I can't say as only parents tell me and there are club coaches as well. However the good thing is all the games are taped and the kids can go in and cut the highlights. My son will do it in the summer. There were 3 JV players who got time with Varsity and two goalies got a chance on the bench.

Our Division was maybe the strongest in Georgia so we had tough games on a weekly basis.

Trust me there is a development aspect as the kids play faster and with strength. There is also the fitness level that I don't most clubs doing. My son didn't go in as a top player as the coach didn't know him but he took advantage. If you ask him he would tell you he should have made varsity from day one and some of the players thought so too but he learned a lesson.

My son eventually was playing more time than some MLS Next and ECNL player older than him. Very rare they are on the same field in the club season.

[Paul Marin]

Before I answer let me tell you. Seniors can only be Varsity (They can't play JV). On my son's Varsity there were 11 seniors.
The roster is normally between 18 and 22 kids.
Some teams have swing player that can play JV and Varisty.
Some schools do not have swing but they have the option of calling up players.

The teams train 3-4 days before season and 2-3 days in the season as they play 2 times weekly. The good thing is they don't play weekends. Some weeks there may only be one game but once they had 3 games in one week. One was a very easy team.

You have 8-9 players on the bench. Maybe one or two injured. Over the season all player get game but some get very limited and will sit games on the bench.

When my sat 4 games on the bench and he was getting really frustrated. He finally got a run and since then he played for the top team.

I know of one team where there is only one freshman on JV while some teams have have 3-4 freshmen starting on varsity. Depend on your luck.

You had 3 kids on Varsity who were juniors and were not getting games, they drop down to JV and came back up and eventually got some games. There is always that option.

There were some recruiters at the game but I can't say as only parents tell me and there are club coaches as well. However the good thing is all the games are taped and the kids can go in and cut the highlights. My son will do it in the summer. There were 3 JV players who got time with Varsity and two goalies got a chance on the bench.

Our Division was maybe the strongest in Georgia so we had tough games on a weekly basis.

Trust me there is a development aspect as the kids play faster and with strength. There is also the fitness level that I don't most clubs doing. My son didn't go in as a top player as the coach didn't know him but he took advantage. If you ask him he would tell you he should have made varsity from day one and some of the players thought so too but he learned a lesson.

My son eventually was playing more time than some MLS Next and ECNL player older than him. Very rare they are on the same field in the club season.

You've made my point. In h.s., many players don't get game and only the exceptional youngsters like your son will be able to play up consistently. The player development model requires game time for all players, which is why the high school model is weak from a developmental point of view. If GA Soccer had any balls, they'd continue the league play for the high-school age players but make it either or - either you play high school, or you play club, but not both. That's what the best countries do. Your son is in good shape, but there are kids who are sitting on their arse all spring season long as there is no football going on for high school aged kids that can't make their high school team. Poor development model considering they only play from August to November otherwise.

[Assasin]

Paul I don't see how I made your point as for most of the youngster there is JV football. JV is still competitive as you have freshmen to Juniors playing it. As I said players get playing time. At age 15 you have to have a little more dedication than sitting down. From my club only two kids didn't make their high school teams and one didn't have interest.

At my club, right after high school season there is training again and a tournament or two in May then tryouts. You have to understand that even a few rec players made JV. A kid I know who is a good midfielder was dropped for a game from JV as the coach told him to move the ball faster and not taking to many touches. In club he wouldn't be dropped. He came back and was spewing passes as desired.

The best countries have club and high school but it isn't run like the US. Some of the clubs been passed as clubs are so comical. Some have no development, some are money making and political. Yes there are some good coaches and some that believe in development but overall the system is confusing and political.

In Georgia you have MLS Next, ECNL, NPL, NL, SCCL, Georgia Soccer, and the Y league. You have each club that have a tournament. The kids don't get to compete against each other. Playing high school for at least 7 of my kids high school team mates motivated them to work harder in the summer.

There is too much politics in the club thing and the big clubs dominate everything and stifle some of developing youngsters. I will go into it later. Dalton is ranked as the number one school in the Georgia and the US. Most of their kids don't get to play ECNL or MLS Next as they are a small town on the border of Georgia but they beat everybody they play.

[Paul Marin]

Does everyone who plays club make their JV or Varsity team? No argument with how messed up GA Soccer is, but the point is the same - you can't develop players on a 5 month playing schedule, and you can have two separate schools of development coexisting the way it does in GA. It would be like sending your kid to England for half a school year, then switching him every December to America. Every year! The clubs and their shyte is a reflection of the disaster that is GA Soccer. They have no uniform curriculum across the state and no plan for high-school-aged players. None. Players at 15 y.o. who don't make their JV team have ZERO football in the spring. Total f-ry.

[Assasin]

There are a few option but it cost BIG CASH. I was recently trying to get a decent player who does homeschooling to play for high school but unless you are doing school district home schooling you can't.

This is across the US now as when you played DA you couldn't play for school but with MLS next you can. I even know some MLS next 8th graders who played for JV. If the school don't have the team you can use 8th grader.

The clubs should be the main developer of the youths but it is so uneven it is not funny. The clubs only take money. They don't even provide balls, they provided no videos, kids practice on 1/4 field as they collect the money. I don't see any club doing additional running and working with the kids one on one as each kid is different. For that you have to pay extra to private coach. They mostly pick the big kids and the fastest kids and try to train them not know when they reach 15 ball sense beat all of that.

That is what they are finding out with my smaller one now. He was small and they pick all his friends for DA. The youths were saying he should be on it. He was out injured for awhile but now his top coaches now asking him what division he wants to play. Only because one of his coach is a director and some other directors come to his games. He has shown them that even though he is small he can play any position at a very high level. If his coach wasnt a director at the club they wouldn't even look his way.

My older boy coach has been fighting for him to go up and he said they have some kids coming back in who was playing ECNL for Concord fire and they have to make room for them. It is not really about fair competition but keeping the kids. Most of the kids in lower division if they are not motivated they will take your money and hope the kid is satisfied. The truth is if you kid not motivated and the parents not pushing most of the BIG clubs have no time for you.

[OJ]

Sass and Paul I would say school soccer cannot and should not be a development pathway. Enjoy the completion for what it is .

[Sir X]

Sass and Paul I would say school soccer cannot and should not be a development pathway. Enjoy the completion for what it is .

What if that is all a nation has at its disposal? That is my issue with those that view development as a Pre-eminent rigid way that must be followed through professional associations. Its as if third world and developing nations should disregard development in their own cultural economic prisim.

Look development is happening in third and developing nations - by,with and through school boy institutions,it doesnt mean semi or professional youth development is being disregarded.

Again what are the less fortunate to do ?

[OJ]

While not trying to drag Paul and Sass discussion into a different tangent I do think your question is well thought of and important. As Paul state you cant use a three month program that is geared at winning to develop players. As to your question of poor nations, I would argue it is not about being poor, it about thinking about what need to be done. Identify players, and have a long term player pathway.. That may take different forms but thats the idea. in one area such as England and much of Europe its clubs that does it. In places like france its club and federation with elite players going to the FA academy. In Holland its clubs but a strong central agreement on the cirriculum and key factors. It is really about knowledge people about the sport plotting the way forward. You know something.. in Canada the elite soccer players dont really play school soccer.. As a matter of fact if you are i the national pool you are not allowed to because it interfere with your recovery and leads to injuries. School is not part of the elite pathway here.. it is for baskeball ect but not soccer or even hockey.

[Sir X]

With all due respect you didn't answer the question,you opined that being poor isn't the issue and " what needs to be done" in different forms and then refer England?

Last time I checked England wasn't poor. Again what do poor nations do ,when school boy football is all they have as a development tool,answer the question in that context and leave the rich nations out of it,also please incorporate a holistic response that includes a nation ,not just a club.

[OJ]

This is your question: What if that is all a nation has at its disposal?

If it is all you have at your disposal then you need to have a season that is more than 3 months, 4 training to one game and de-emphasize winning. The rest is gonna cost you consultancy fees.

[Sir X]

This is your question: What if that is all a nation has at its disposal?

If it is all you have at your disposal then you need to have a season that is more than 3 months, 4 training to one game and de-emphasize winning. The rest is gonna cost you consultancy fees.

Thank you sah,I agree with those simple suggestions ,may I also add that coaches be mandated to be licensed to the C standard ,B is preferred.

[OJ]

Yes we need coaching standards. I was watching a vlog the other day and someone ask who are the world class Jamaican coaches. I laugh till i drop. I am believer that you cant coach at the highest levels and have a great understanding until you are exposed to different methods and efficient coaching methods. We need to bring coaches in to educate and open these to all coaches not just a handful.

[Sir X]

Yes we need coaching standards. I was watching a vlog the other day and someone ask who are the world class Jamaican coaches. I laugh till i drop. I am believer that you cant coach at the highest levels and have a great understanding until you are exposed to different methods and efficient coaching methods. We need to bring coaches in to educate and open these to all coaches not just a handful.

You laugh,I am laughing ,nuh you,Paul and Sass say yuh nuh affi ave licence fi coach. Unnu nearly kill mi,anyway respect Sah. Glad yuh support standards.

Ahhhh sah