Hello Fellow Coaches!
We have arranged for three 2 hour coaching clinics at the NW Soccer Dome: Sunday, April 11 from 10 a.m. to noon; Saturday, April 17 from noon to 2 p.m.; and Sunday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to noon. If you are interested in attending, please contact Chris Dingle (cdingle@telus.net). At last year's clinics, MVP coaches ran us through some drills and gave some great advice. Each coach in attendance will receive a manual with skills and drills ideas.
The website is a great source of information for coaches and parents. www.valleyridgesoccer.com
Please use it as a reference or direct parents there for additional info. If you have any suggestions please forward them to us and we will be happy to make adjustments. When corresponding please include your age group and jersey colour.
Uniforms
Uniforms will be distributed the week prior to season start. If your team has any questions about uniforms, the team manager should contact the division coordinator for direction. Coachs will receive a team matching t-shirt and have the option of shorts. Cleats are no longer mandatory across all divisions (but proper footwear is). Shin pads are mandatory.
Coaching Kits
Can be picked up at coach clinics or at the shed before your first game. Each kit, should have a ball for each player and coach, an air pump, whistle, cones, and a first aid kit. If you have any issues, please let me know and we will try and resolve them. We will be asking coaches to sign the kits back in at the end of the season to avoid clogging up your garages in the off season.
Cancellation Policy
Last season we had a large number of weather related cancellations. At times these cancellations were unnecessary, as the weather does change quickly in Calgary. While a team can decide to cancel prior to game time, we highly recommend that this decision be made at the field, just in case the weather turns around. Heavy snow like last Wednesday and Thursday are pretty obvious cancellation worthy occasions! Coaches please make contact with the opposition coach to get a better idea as to how you would like to proceed if you are unsure, or are not showing up. The website has our policy in greater detail, which you can direct parents to.
Also, for U4 teams, please note that Wednesday evenings are available from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. and can be used to make up missed Monday field time. Since the U4 division only plays one night a week, the weather related cancellations had a great impact on the 2008 season. It is advisable to have the younger kids bundled up, even with toques, in the early weeks given the chilly air.
Field Set Up
Let the parents know that it is appreciated when they can help set-up/tear down the nets (some teams have field setup coincide with the snack schedule).
- U4, U5 and U6 use larger pug nets.
- U8 use the smaller metal nets
- U10 use large nets
Outline for Game Days - U4, U5, U6
20 mins of drills/games
5 min break
20 min game
Generally 5 players + 1 goalie(rotation), your choice. U4 - No goalies.
The 2 teams coaches can decide pre-game how many players (with or without goalies) to play with, depending on the turn-out.
Having all players on the field is chaos at any age. However coaches will be the best judge for the U4 game.
Outline for Game Days - U8, U10
20 mins practice
5 min break
35 min game
Generally - 5 players + goalie
U8 - 4 vs. 4 works well also!
General Rules
Having one coach on field/sidelines to help with flow and encouragement, while 2nd coach/parent managing the bench for subs works well.
U4 - Just have fun. Try and get them to score on the proper net!
Throw-Ins - Should we be teaching this as early as U5?
From MVP Soccer: "It is part of the game and so the earlier it is introduced, the more confident the players will be when it becomes a requirement of the game's rules. However the key consideration is to get the ball back into play and children playing. So if it is easier to play it in with the feet then so be it."
Throw-In Technique: When coaching throw-ins the important consideration is to use two hands and bring the ball from behind the head in one fluid movement while keeping both feet on the floor. Just like being the goalie, each player will want to throw it in. Spread the love.
An idea for Goal/Corner Kicks - "As for goal kicks, our rule was that it didn’t matter who kicked it out behind the goal line, we made it a goalie kick which allowed us to pull players back and give the defending team a chance to regroup and bring the ball down the field." It's worth a try. This idea from a current U5 coach.
Coaches Appreciation Night
Please stay tuned for more info. on a great night out at Van Gogh's.
If you have any questions with respect to this e-mail please contact Chris Dingle, Coaches Liaison at cdingle@telus.net.
Have a great season! Again your hard work is so important to the kids.
THANK YOU ever so much!!!
Valley Ridge Soccer Club
