Improving the Soccer Culture in MA Welcome back to another energized soccer season. Throughout the almost 2 year hiatus of covid, we all struggled to keep the game of soccer in the spotlight. MA Youth Soccer provided resources for how to keep children safe and involved in the game at any level possible. We provided activities which allowed children to safely play in and around the house with their parents/guardians and siblings. We also conducted virtual player, coach, parent, referee and administrator workshops to help maintain a connection to the game. Now that we are back on the field, we hope to see these initiatives having a positive influence on training and the value of game-like activities that emulate the child’s game day experience. We have seen the true desire of children to be outside playing soccer again. Our next step is to make their experience even better.
We are excited to see the number of player participants exceeding pre-covid numbers. Many of your town and club’s coaches have been hard at work reestablishing our state’s soccer culture. During the pandemic, over 800 coaches participated in grassroots courses. This past year, almost 650 more coaches have earned a grassroots coaching license. Many of the coaches mentioned above were not coaching teams or involved in games, they simply took advantage of the opportunity to improve their soccer readiness when they could get back on the field. The US Soccer grassroots coach education methodology encourages coaches to adopt a “player first” mentality. At its core, the player is at the forefront of every decision the coach makes. This would include starting line up, playing time, players learning different positions as well as what is important to each child off the field. The coaches have explored a deeper understanding into what is important for each child and how to keep them involved in the game of soccer now and for years to come. Fun, development and a sense of belonging are the ingredients to maintaining involvement in the sport. What may seem as a straightforward task, building rapport with each player can be challenging because their desire to play and their needs may not be in line with why the adult/coach in the program.
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