Interesting development concept. If you consider that in America where there are so many varied sports to choose from as a young person, in comparison to many other more successful soccer countries where soccer is the only or main sport and is played non-stop as a youth, this concept of early and focused development may be the direction to go to develop the higher level players.
Comments?
http://www.atsc-va.org/resources/65058.html
Good article. I thought SCYSA had done a good thing by recommending 3v3 or 4v4 games as the norm for U6-U8 play, and thought it was unfortunate when they rolled back to 6v6 with keepers. In my neck of the woods, even Clemson Parks and Recreation (a non SCYSA program) adopted playing two simulataneous of 3v3 at 6&under. So what's up with that?
greengrass: Interesting stuff...several questions:
1) Does Clemson Parks and Recreation still do 3v3 at U6-?
2) How many kids are they supporting total in their program?
3) Any problems getting coaches for each small group of kids?
All right, I will be the bad guy. I believe that things changed for the worse when SCYSA changed the u9-u10s to 6 v 6 from 8 v 8. The fact is that when the change was made, the field size did not diminish proportionally. I have since observed the games turn into a "punt it over the top" exercies, or an endurance contest in which teams with either no midfield or forwards race up and down the field. Weaker players suffer in the competitions because they cannot keep up. League play at this level was far more inclusive and immaginative when it was 8 v 8. Also, will someone tell me what's wrong about a 7 - 10 year old playing goalkeeper? It's the one position that the US develops successfully and we seem to be on a campaign to eliminate the position at the formative youth level.
Having said all of this, I am a big fan of 3 v 3 games, and I believe they ocmpliment the bigger game. I also believe the "pool concept" is great, as it eliminates a lot of the negative pressure that younger players can experience in a team environment. I've seen it used very effectively in a 3 v 3 series, where new teams were picked each weekend.
Chico: 1) Last fall was when they switched to 3v3 for 6&under. Dont know about future, but didn't hear them saying otherwise. 2) Clemson rec probably has about 200 kids (including surrounding areas of Central and Pendleton) ... probably about 80 in the 6&under (not too much beyond 12&under) 3)6&under seemed ok on coaching (i.e., they had enough it seemed), but it does take more than one parent coach to deal with game logistics associated with two games ...
LeGrazie: I agree if the field is the wrong size then you've got an issue, and I cannot speak to keeper development; however, for U6/U8, I don't see a lot of point to having keepers.
Perhaps, you point to the issue ... getting the fields and goals re-sized, finding enough coaches, and scheduling more games, and whatever extra admin costs is a hinderance.