Pyramid of Play

PYRAMID OF PLAY

The pyramid of play should be a system in which the NYCSC offers 3 levels of play. The three levels must be available to any player. They should be free to play at the level they so desire and have the ability to play at. All members of the club should try to encourage their players to strive to reach the highest level of the pyramid that their own ability will allow. We have to work together to reach this goal. The three levels are:

1. The rep teams.

2. The select teams, these players will be the players the rep teams shall call on when they need extra players.

3. The house league teams who are the base of any good organization. The house league players can strive for the select and eventually rep teams, if they so desire.

All the three systems will feed each other. Not one system can survive without the other. This will give us a true pyramid of play.

VISION STATEMENT - All the following are given equal weight.

To have competitive rep teams in the top divisions in the Central Soccer League.
All our select teams will be competitive in the tournaments and games they play in.
Our house league program will develop quality players to feed the rep and select teams.
Our concentration in the house league at this point will be on player development at the competitive house league age (7 to 10 year olds).
House league at the older and competitive age groups will supply a place to play for all the players who choose or are not good enough to move higher in the pyramid.
We want to create a pyramid of play, where house league players could strive to play select, and select players could strive to play rep soccer if they so desire.
Our goal is to have all select and rep teams practicing in gyms during the winter and at least once a month in an indoor soccer facility. During the summer, all select and rep teams must be given priority to practice on the best soccer field available.

The NYCSC wishes to ensure that all players in the pyramid of play, are placed at the appropriate level of play. The NYCSC believes that it cannot continue to field rep teams at every age level when some of these teams are not competitive.

IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS WITH THE REP/SELECT PROGRAM

Problem: ATTITUDE

Negative feeling towards the rep program exists within the club from certain members and players.
We do not have enough adults encouraging our best players to strive for the best level that they can reach.
Too much emphasis on winning and not enough on player development.

SOLUTIONS

We must encourage the rep/select/house league coaches to work together more often. This would therefore give more players exposure to the higher level. If the program is good and they enjoy themselves they will want to play at that level.
Coaches must work together and have close ties to both programs so we can develop a feeling of trust between the rep and select coach. This will encourage the coaches to be working towards the same goals.
All coaches need to be educated to encourage players to be the best they can. This can only be reached by the players if they play at the level that their ability allows. However not all players will want to play rep no matter what ability they have. We therefore can only encourage them and not force them to play at the higher level. They must feel ready and comfortable themselves.
Winning tournaments and leagues is what we would all like to see, however we must be patient. Our true goal is player development and providing competitive teams at all levels. If we concentrate on development of the players, and work hard, winning games will eventually follow.

IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS WITH THE REP PROGRAM

Problem: PLAYERS

Not enough players trying out for some of the rep teams, particularly the older age groups such as under 15 and up.
There are too many rep teams for the amount of players trying out.
Because we attempt to field teams at every level coaches end up simply accepting all children that try out.
The commitment to our programs from the players 15 and up is very poor.
Lots of quality players do not try out because of a negative feeling towards the rep program.

SOLUTIONS

Reduce the number of rep teams..
Fewer players will be able to make rep, therefore this would allow us to select the better committed and quality players.
Fewer teams will mean more competitive teams. This should allow our teams to be successful therefore creating a positive attitude and feeling within the club.
Players who are good enough to play at the top level of the pyramid but choose not to may well want to come to rep if they feel they will be part of a winning team.

Problem: COACHING

There is an inconsistent level of coaching for our rep players.
We have a lack of commitment to the club’s overall program by some of our coaches.
We do not have a system in place to monitor the job our coaches are doing with their teams.
There are no consequences for coaches who do not meet our club standards.
Not enough feedback is given to the coaches on their performance.
Not enough coaches scout the house league and select teams for players that may be better than the ones they have.
No report is received from the coaches at the end of the season.
Rep coaches do not have a good working relationship with the select coaches.

SOLUTIONS

Minimum of level two coaching certification should be the standard for our rep coaches.
Coaches must train at least once a month at a training facility. This will give the elite coaches a chance to utilize the head coach.
Coaches will continue to arrange their additional training sessions themselves.
Coaches will be given an evaluation and feed back on their performance.
The head coach will assist with player identification by starting a scouting committee consisting of at least 3 or 4 members.
End of the season written reports by the rep coaches will be required.
All rep coaches will be assigned one training session a year and given a task in which they will have an official assessment done on them and given positive feedback.
Have rep and select train together during the winter to establish a true A team for rep and a B team for select.

IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS WITH THE SELECT PROGRAMS

Problem: PLAYERS

The select player feels like a second rate citizen because of the lack of funding in the system for equipment etc.
No indoor training available in the winter..
No regular outdoor training.
Some teams play in occasional tournament with no regular game scheduled.
Some players are to good for this level and should be encouraged to move up to rep.

SOLUTIONS

Charge players to play select and give them some new equipment and a quality program.
Have the select team train with the rep team of the same age during the session at a training facility outdoors and indoors.
Schedule exhibition games.

Problem: COACHING

Level of coaching at the select level could be improved.
Coaches do not always push their players to strive for the top of the pyramid of play, e.g. rep, because they want to keep them at select in order to have a strong select team.
We have a lack of commitment to the club’s overall program by some of our coaches.
We do not have a system in place to monitor the job our coaches are doing with their teams.
There are no consequences for coaches who do not meet our club standards.
No true feedback or help is given to the coaches on their performance.
No report is received from the coaches at the end of the season.

SOLUTIONS

Set a minimum standard of level one certification for select coaches.
Have the select and rep coach work together during indoors to try to encourage the better players to work towards making the highest level possible for them.
SAME AS REP COACHES SOLUTIONS

IDENTIYFYING PROBLEMS WITH THE HOUSE LEAGUE PROGRAMS

Problem: PLAYERS

At the mini age groups the better players do not have a chance to get higher level of play or coaching since there are no select or rep teams at this age group.
Lots of players in the house league and no one identifying the talent pool we have there.
Players do not always show up for practices and games, in particular the weaker players, therefore the good players do not get good practices.

SOLUTIONS

Player identification committee will scout the house league, in particular the 7 to 10 year olds for quality players.
The top 7 to 10 year olds will be invited to the training facility for practices with good coaching and surrounded by good players.
By the time they reach rep or select level they will have had a chance to develop into better players.
Players in the competitive house league age groups who have slipped through the net of rep or select, or may be late developing will have the opportunity to be spotted by the player identification committee.

Problem: COACHING

We have lots of volunteer parents coaching with very little knowledge of the game.
Commitment level is not the same and they may only be willing to give one night a week. This is not enough for the development of players.
A lot more verbal abuse is being directed towards our young referees.

SOLUTIONS

Continued coaching education is the key. Coaching clinics being held between March and May is the key time to work with these coaches. The more coaches we can reach and get them organized in their practice the better.
We must encourage the coaches to have at least one practice a week however if the house league coaches help us with the identification of their better players we can at least have additional sessions at the training facility for the players who are keen to learn and are more advanced.
Verbal abuse towards the officials must stop and this is an educational process. We must make coaches aware that they are responsible for the behavior of themselves, their players and parents during a game.

RATIONALE

Having looked at the teams during 1999 we should have rated them as per the following criteria. Not in any particular order.

1. Overall commitment to the program from the players.

2. How many players came to try-outs?

3. How many showed up for practice on a regular basis?

4. How many came to the games on a regular basis.

5. Performance in the games.

6. League standings at the end of the season.

7. Feed back from the coach of the team.

8. Potential for improvement from the team and the players to play at the rep level in the future.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

YOUTH SOCCER

Our goal is to establish a high standard of play for all members of the NYCSC. Any player can strive to reach any one of the three levels within our club.
Players can strive for the district, provincial and professional clubs within our province.
Our club objective must encompass a desire to offer soccer at all age levels and playing standards.

ADULT SOCCER

We as a club must strive to develop under 21 teams and both senior men’s and women’s teams. We need to give players something to strive for once they graduate past 19 years of age.
Short term we must establish a men’s and a women’s competitive team.
Long term we could have a men’s team in the O.S.L. and or the new Ontario semi professional league.
I believe the adult level of soccer should be a goal once we have the youth system and the pyramid of play working well. Once again this would give our top athletes something to strive for in the game of soccer. If they have a goal to progress to and are enjoying the game we will not lose so many kids to other sports or other commitments.
Further, those young adults staying with the club will be a valuable future resource for our club in terms of players, executives, coaches and referees.