(We’re republishing this article as fall season soccer gets underway amid a late summer heat wave.) It can be OK to practice in 100-degree weather, or it could be dangerous. It depends on the humidity factor. So impactful is humidity that, for example, 86-degree weather can be lethal if humidity is extremely high. “Humidity is probably […]
Youth Soccer Insider
Posted inYouth Soccer Insider
Ref Watch: Teenage job quests led Tori Penso and Katja Koroleva to World Cup
Tori Penso was a 14-year-old Florida youth player when her mom told her it was time to get a job. “I said OK, why don’t I work at the mall. And she said, ‘Why on earth would you do that? Why don’t you spend some time at the soccer field where you’re already at?” Penso told […]
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The youth soccer stories of the USA's Women's World Cup players: 1 through 23
The USA’s 2023 Women’s World Cup squad of 23 — from 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson to 38-year-old Megan Rapinoe — hail from nine states. Here’s a look at the paths they’ve taken to soccer’s highest level. 1. Alyssa Naeher (age 35)The goalkeeper who played soccer in her Connecticut backyard with her twin sister — Amanda, who […]
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Ref Watch: The joys of being a teenage referee
When I was 14 years old, my father and I suited up in our ref uniforms — sewn by my sister, Susi — and were gathering our gear. While about to say good-bye to my mom and my grandmother, Oma asked, “How many yellow cards do you have to bring?” We paused, then figured out […]
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Referees deserve better from TV commentators
“That’s a smart tactical foul in the moment,” Fox Sports color commentator Stuart Holden said after LAFC’s José Cifuentes kicked Lucas Romero from behind and swung his right arm at neck level as he plowed over the Leon midfielder. Romero had received the ball 20 yards inside his own half, but Holden proclaimed, “That’s not […]
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Youth soccer club boards and PTA
What are Youth Soccer Clubs? A great majority of them are non-profit organizations or associations formed through 501 (C)(3). One can consider them as educational organizations since in essence they are supposed to develop their members – players – physically, mentally and character-wise, even though most clubs try just to develop them physically, undermining the […]
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Ref Watch: Who's lost control?
The following is an excerpt from Ian Plenderleith‘s book, “Reffing Hell: Stuck in the middle of a game gone wrong.” Illustrated by Tim Bradford (Halcyon Publishing) * * * * * * * * * * Four minutes to go, the score’s 2-3 in a furious and foul-ridden boys’ under-17 game, and I blow for […]
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Curse of short-sighted thinking: How U.S. youth soccer clubs continue to shoot themselves in the foot
Youth clubs are the organizational atoms of our soccer ecosystem. The same thing is true throughout the planet. Some youth clubs are just recreational, some are both recreational and competitive and some are just competitive. There are many misuses of the word “Academy” when we talk about youth soccer, but some clubs like to call […]
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Ref Watch: Police sergeant arrested for punching a referee!
Ahead of week 3 of this spring league, our Referee Coordinator’s email included this: “In one game, one of our refs was assaulted by a player after giving that player a red card. … Another game was abandoned after the coach was red carded.” Such extreme incidents were only two among a hundred games. And […]
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Ref Watch: Advice to coaches from a referee's perspective
With spring seasons getting underway, here are a few things I’d like to see from coaches. 1. Substitute sensibly — and wear a watch. I would think keeping track of the game time is requisite for coaches, yet I’m amazed at how often I hear a coach’s scream for substitution with a minute left in […]