The U.S. Soccer Federation’s Soccer Forward Foundation has launched the first phase of its Resource Hub.
The digital platform’s “Soccer at Schools Starter Kit” provides starter activities, advocacy tips and a step-by-step guide to getting more soccer in schools.
“One of the most important initiatives in this effort is bringing more soccer into schools and communities, where every child can experience the joy of the game, regardless of background or ability,” said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone.
Links:
Soccer Forward Resource Hub
Soccer at School Starter Kit
- SA Reading: Schools hold the key to growing soccer culture and access to play in the USA By Mike Woitalla (2021)
Interesting this initiative. In my town where I’m most familiar with the intersection of High Schools and USSF. Specifically how the local USSF endorsed clubs hate and despise HS soccer – which they see as competition that takes aways players – players they see as $$$ revenue – and they do everything they can to deprecate it. At the Academy level, I know the local MLS Club’s Academy now MLS Next, before DA, one thing that did not change, the revolving door, and the ruined player careers. Example, they invited a player from a local HS program, a star in the making, kept him for a season, did not renew him the next year, and he could not get back in his HS team, which was run by a very disciplined coach. My son’s HS team starting GK, he was caught playing by his MLS Next team, it was harmless, gave him reps, but they threatened his roster spot, and he quit HS. The way I see it if you do not have a complete program to interface with schools from 0 to 18, you can write all the pamphlets you want about early education and soccer but if you do not address the frayed edges all over USA between HS and club and academy – you will struggle to make headway in any schools. It is rotten in this moment in most of USA – the intersection between clubs and academies and HSs. Completely unacceptable how it is – just plain rotten. I like this pamphlet it has good stuff in it – but stand-alone – it’s hollow. Needs to be part of a larger American Development Model that encompasses schools and clubs.
Good information Humble. Another problem we had in my community was a big club having coaches and relatives also coaching in the HS. One HS coach would pressure kids to play at that club and cut or sit them if they didn’t comply. I think there is a policy in Illinois HS soccer that forbids HS coaches from coaching in clubs. I’m not sure how enforced that is. On another issue, its very difficult for a kid to play more than one sport if they play club soccer. It’s year round. No breaks. Both my sons wanted to play both soccer and basketball but its too hard on the legs. Too many lower extremity injuries. They’d have to leave HS basketball then go to soccer. Too much. Too much time away from their studies and sleep. Too much on me.
My son played in Utah, two summers, there, it was not allowed to have club and HS soccer seasons at the same time. There was intermingling of the HS and club people which added to the politics on both sides. When my son was just beginning soccer, I had a young lady colleague who had played HS and college soccer. She told me what to watch for, it was so much politics, so much I could not believe when she told me, but, I took note. Sure enough, it all happened, everything she said, and more, much much more.
The school model can certainly work for the younger age groups. Soccer is a very healthy activity for school kids and so easy to organize, even if you know nothing about coaching. Just let the kids play and the game will teach them. Even if you don’t know soccer, but you know something about human development, you can even tweak pickup play by matching kids according to ability so that play is challenging, but still fun.
RC, I had the fortunate experience of having an athletic director who had money to spend on helping the program I was coaching. I told him about futsal and he bought two really good portable nets that they use in gym class and for kids when they show up early for school. Pickup futsal!
Of course things could get a little testy at the adolescent level. Unlike club soccer teachers and school administrators know a few things about youth development. They would not be shy about pointing out how too many games might endanger a player’s health, and they certainly would be against ridiculous travel obligations that could interfere with homework or other school activities. In metropolitan areas, games can be played locally. No need to travel for a competitive game if your players have had a fun intense playing environment since U5. So many countries have smaller populations than major U.S. metropolitan areas. Many of those countries (think Panama, Costa Rica) give our men’s national teams fits.
WHAT??? You mean Cindy Parlow Cone, has finally something to instill soccer in the commuinty? What about all the soccer growth of the past 50years??? This is a grear idea 50years ago. Has anyone realized that in the USSF boardroom. Other than making sure that all committee in soccer have have gender balanced, and other PC activities.
I EXPECT to hear from her about how we can take steps to IMPROVE PLAYER DEVELOPMENT and a side issue of how to IMPROVE color commentating to educate the soccer public, or maybe she hasn’t figured it out yet. We need someone running the show at the USSF who is KNOWLEDGEABLE about soccer instead of looking good cutting ribbons and making suggestions that were good 50 years ago….
I looked at their website, Soccer Forward, and it demonstrates an impressive amount of work on their part. I think they’re trying to say that the key to access for all (stop pay to play) is to have soccer in schools rather than clubs. I’m sure I’m stating the obvious to those who have looked at it but I think they’ve over-complicated it. Somehow we’ve made the simple game complicated.
A good idea 50 years ago is still a good idea today. Perhaps after 50 years of failures in so-called elite soccer, some organizers are starting to get it. With all the playgrounds at schools, the U.S. could become a pickup super power if you have organizers that just give kids a chance to play at little or no cost.
Richard, things do change after 50 years…You probably weren’t in on the beginning when I was there..I remember my Athletic Director gave me $250 budget to run a high school varsity team in the DC area…Even in the 70’s you couldn’t buy uniforms, balls and what not to run a team with that type of budget….We’ve moved way beyond on this era in youth soccer …We have stadiums filled at times ,we have pro leagues for men and women, etc…Sorry, but this idea is way past its due date…What we need to work on is to instill a ‘soccer culture’ , not some stupid idea that’s not going to do it. We’ve bypassed this stage and need some serious ideas to get build a soccer culture for that is the next step to improve our soccer development…
Richard, we don’t need to re-invent the wheel in soccer. There are wheels all over the world to study. Then there is the US Hockey American Development Model. amdkids dot com. AMD was a huge success. How do we know? They put specific measurable quants on all their objectives. They defined success so they could measure it and be accountable and they produced a roadmap to achieve their objectives. Look inside the Soccer Forward Foundation and into the Soccer at School Starter Kit – you will see – true to USSF culture – there is ZERO ACCOUTABILITY. There are no quants. There is no way to measure success. Of course we can all agree on what they write, that’s easy, but what about how can we measure what they do about what they write. NADA. That is the CULTURE OF FAILURE AND LACK OF ACCOUTABILTY. They are about money, raising money yes, like for this foundation, for sure much of the billions they collect from parents in our pay-to-play system – is in there – but what do we get??? That is the issue – in a nut shell. We need a play like Youth Hockeys AMD that has a component for players families – a big one – a roadmap – and measurements of it’s success. Not rocket science. Project Management 101.