SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP Southern Regionals

Soccer at the top level has to be all about speed of play, vision, team chemistry, having a sense of urgency in all thirds of the pitch and a player knowing what he/she is going to do with the ball before receiving it. Time spent developing such skills as a team and individually must be the foundation of team excellence.

It's a given the players must have exceptional technical ability to advance during regionals.

If these factors are not ALL working simultaneously a team has no chance of being a serious contender at the regional level and beyond.

Manchester - AMEN!!! What you and Coach P are saying SHOULD be exactly true, especially with older age teams. Play at that age should be about those things that differentiate a really good team from a mediocre team....the problem we've experienced is that all players don't have exceptional technical ability....if a kid can't receive a ball or make a pass, nothing else matters...speed of play, vision, etc....gotta be able to handle the ball to be effective....

>>[Shibumi] If you want to make South Carolina soccer more competitive, there needs to be more kids starting at the foundation -- in recreation, then academy, then classic, then challenge, then premier.<<

By the way -- one last observation from the last four years of regionals -- I don't think that the people sitting in the golf carts, talking on cell phones, barely (if at all) watching the match, and being stone-faced regardless of what occurs on the field at the South Carolina regional matches really give a darn about increasing the number of kids playing youth soccer. I think that they care about getting all of the free travel, SWAG, and perks that come with their "unpaid" positions.

If youth soccer ever really takes off in South Carolina, it will be because there are people at the club level that strive to make it happen.

From my observations..I totally agree..It seemed like more a vacation than a representation of our state..One rep did watch our game but it seemed like he was just going through the motions..

It really is hard to get young people fully invested in something unless you have adults who lead by example. You sometimes see some of these issues at levels long before regionals. You're quite right; for youth soccer to grow, we need responsible adults to create both a program and an atmosphere that young people can feel proud of being a part of.

CASL gets even more serious about soccer-
http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2008/06/23/daily40.html

Shimumi,
Then you should step up an help cover the representation of SC at Regionals. I know for a fact that these people worked tirelessly to prepare our tream, as well as others for regional competition. Making sure all our ducks were in a row so to say. They left the coaching to the coach and did their jobs tremendously well. I appreciated their presence "Behind" the scenes. They are not there to showcase themslves, but the players on the field.

soccermrs:
Next time you see a SCYSA rep ask them the outcome of teams in Regionals, I bet they can not tell you other than maybe a team from their district. "Most" of the Reps could careless. the SCYSA is about 20 years behind other states when it comes to making the best descisions regarding youth soccer.

>>[soccermrs] Then you should step up an help cover the representation of SC at Regionals.<<

I've been involved both at the club level and the parent level for a long time now -- so let me ask you, specifically what do you mean by this statement. What specifically does "help cover the representation" mean?

>>I know for a fact that these people worked tirelessly to prepare our tream, as well as others for regional competition.<<

There's no doubt I could be wrong; however, I know no such thing, and again have been involved at a club and parent level for a long time now. What specifically was done to prepare a team and others? What are these "facts" to which you allude but do not present?

>>Making sure all our ducks were in a row so to say.<<

What ducks in what row, i.e., what specifically do you mean here?

>>They left the coaching to the coach and did their jobs tremendously well.<<

Again, what was "their jobs" specifically?

>>I appreciated their presence "Behind" the scenes.<<

I'm sure that you did. But perhaps you could highlight specifically why you appreciated this "Behind" the scenes presence.

While you're doing it, you might answer the following. Why is it that folks in an organization that basically taxes club for the right to participate in their league -- why is it that they couldn't actually get out of their golf cart and pretend as if they had an interest in the game -- or even, perish the thought, get out of the golf cart and talk to the players and parents that paid their airfare, lodging, meals, etc.?

Look -- if the answer is that they're so awesomely busy arranging things that they just don't have time -- well -- from the vantage I and others have had over the year -- it just doesn't seem to be well represented factually.

>>They are not there to showcase themslves, but the players on the field.<<

If they weren't, then they should get off their golf carts, get off the cell phones, get off their hands, and actually pay attention -- or at least pretend like they are. But there are far fewer golf carts than players -- so regardless of their intent, they "showcased" themselves quite well -- and have been doing so for years.

I had multiple players -- not just parents -- but players -- say how lame all of this preening was. So why don't you do everyone a service and specifically lay out the tremendous job that these folks did and why it is that they're misunderstood.

Because respectfully -- otherwise you just come across as someone with a friend or a relative who is one of these people. Now I'm sure that's not the case -- I'm sure that you're being completely objective here -- but it might help someone reading what you wrote if you'd actually use specific facts to make your case rather than relying on emotion and innuendo.

I want to know how they prepared our team for regional competition..