Economy Taking Toll on Youth Soccer and Pro Soccer

Is it ironic that the first world cup was played in 1930, the same year that the great depression was hitting the US hard? Most people don’t know that the first world cup was played in Uruguay in 1930, but they are aware that 1930 was the year that the great depression started to take hold of the US.

Now with the US facing its greatest financial crisis since that time, youth soccer and soccer in general in the US are starting to feel some pain.

The Pro Leagues
Professional soccer in the US has faced a struggle from the beginning. Now with cash strapped fans and sponsors watching every dollar, the future is quite uncertain. One example is the Atlanta Silverbacks. We just received an email from them letting us know that they would be “sitting out” the 2009 season. They stated, “Due to the state of the economy and the potential of an MLS team coming to town, the men's pro team has decided to sit the year out while the Silverbacks assess the landscape.”

"This was an extremely difficult decision that was prompted by the dynamic events in our economy and the soccer community. We would like to thank all of our fans and partners who have supported the team over the years and hope they continue to come out to the Women's games," said Atlanta Silverbacks General Manager, Michael Oki.

All professional sports will feel some pain but it is real concern when you are fighting an uphill battle from the beginning. We wish the best to the Silverbacks as we are HUGE fans.

Youth Soccer Leagues
For the first time in many years this past season was not a good one for many youth soccer programs. Many programs saw numbers decline and most are blaming the higher gas prices and tightening economy.
Most clubs we spoke with said they felt it was a temporary issue but it didn’t help programs that often operate in the “red” or close to it.

Phillip Whitehead, a youth program coordinator for a county recreation program said, “This is the first year we have seen an actual drop in our numbers. Our program has grown strongly each year but this season numbers dropped for the first time in over 10 years. I think it is simply a temporary thing and will correct itself as the economy gets back on its feet.”


Dealing with Budget Shortfalls
Some youth soccer clubs are taking action to help battle the tightening budgets. Many have turned to web based solutions such as soccer club fundraisers or affiliate programs. Using these programs is simply a matter of placing ads on their websites and they receive a percentage of the sales.

We found several using the www.BlastTheBall.com affiliate program and talked to two clubs that were getting ready to use the new www.SoccerU.com program. They all agreed that programs like these not only help their soccer players learn the game, but also help raise much need income for clubs. They offer training DVDs and in return the clubs earn a percentage of the sales.

Several clubs found that approaching local retailers and businesses to be sponsors was just not working due to tightening budgets everywhere. Tim Myers, a board member for a youth program in Florida, added, “It’s hard for many of these businesses to justify spending money on sponsorships when they are facing laying off employees. We simply got tired of approaching them hearing the same story even though we understand. We have turned to online fundraising vs. raising our fees for the upcoming season.”

Some of the great saviors in this “time of need” are the volunteers that often go unnoticed. Volunteer parents that coach and help with team management donate huge numbers of hours of their time. Without them the system would surely collapse.

While soccer in the US has had a tough time, it has come a long way. The MLS seems to becoming a real dominant force and youth programs, while struggling this year seem to growing strong for the long run.

Youth Soccer Skills One by One

A funny thing seems to happen in youth soccer. At some point we forget about basic development and start focusing on being competitive. Unfortunately this often happens too early and the results are irreversible and often permanent.

I get many emails and questions from people about the Blast The Ball and SoccerU series. A great of them are from parents and coaches wanting to make sure that the training shown is appropriate for their age groups. It’s funny, because you can tell that many of them have ordered soccer training videos before, but were disappointed because they were too basic or not appropriate for their soccer players.

While different ages of youth soccer players learn differently, they all must be taught individual skills starting at the same place. It is a stepping process that must be done the same way, regardless of age. Will they understand the skill at a different rate? Yes. Will they be able to master the skill and take it to the field at a different rate? Yes. But remember something very important. If a soccer player has never been taught a skill the need to start at square one, regardless of age.

The stepping or learning process for soccer technical skills is simple, but must be followed. Here is an example of the building blocks.

Step One: The Raw Basic Skill

This includes the actual skill broken down to its finest points. Not just receiving a soccer ball, but what does our body do during this process? What position is our foot and leg in? Are we receiving with pressure or without pressure? Is that pressure in front of us or behind us? A simple skill like receiving a soccer ball correctly has many deep aspects that must be examined, demonstrated and performed.

Step Two: Performing the Skill Repetitively

Now that we have learned the skill, we must perform the skills over and over until our body and mind understand it as a natural and instinctive movement. No pressure, nothing to think about except the skill and how we do it perfectly.

Step Three: Adding Pressure

Now that we have mastered the soccer skill, we must now add pressure. This stage is often called “lights out” for younger players. Up until this point we had nothing to think about except for the skill. Now our mind and body must perform with a defensive player putting mild pressure on us. Now when we receive that pass, there is an incoming defender closing in on us. Can we still perform it perfectly? We repeat the skill with moderate pressure over and over. Most of the time the assisting player is told NOT to touch the soccer ball, only to let their presence be known.

Step Four: Performing the skill in a game-like setting.

Now we move the skill to a small sided game or grid with small goals. This is the “failure allowed” area. We ask the players to use the new skills in a small game and they are told that most of their attempts will probably fail. That is fine. WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE FAILURE. Remember the old saying of, “It is better to have tried and failed than to never have tried at all.” If developing soccer players are placed in a “real game like” area or setting, they will revert back to their old habits. They DO NOT want to fail in soccer game so they are hesitant to try something new that might fail. This is a VITAL step in developing skilled players.

Step Five: Praising it in a real soccer match.

During the next soccer match, stop shouting at the referee and your players. Simply be quiet and watch for a new skill used on the field. It will happen. Watch closely for a player that now receives the soccer ball with that new “away touch”. When you see it happen, shout out his name and loudly praise him. Do it so all the other players can hear. Even if it didn’t go perfectly, praise him for the effort in trying. He will GLOW as bright as sun for the next 3 minutes.

The real problem that exists in youth development is that we start to skip these phases as the soccer players get older. Is it because of pressure? Do we think the players will think we are babying them? We must fight the urge to simply run drills. Having soccer players run through drill after drill simply reinforces the “incorrect way” they now perform the skill. Regardless of the age we must start every player at the basic skill level and follow this plan.