I have been involved in this discussion, ‘US Soccer Needs to Reset,’ for over four decades. The problems I saw in the seventies that were hot-button issues are virtually the same ones we have today.
As they say, “there is nothing new under the Sun.” The fact that this has been on the table for so long with so little movement is the real problem.
Coming up with potential solutions is not the hard part. Fixed mindsets are the challenge. So long as there is opposition impacting significant stakeholders, it might take another forty-plus years, and even then …..?
Different tactics must be used. Before proposing anything, it might be worth doing a forensic type of analysis to see where previous efforts went off the rails. I have seen the same approaches over and over again.
The results could be compared to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. This is not meant to imply we shouldn’t try. We must! We must be more innovative, strategic, and methodical in approaching the process.
Learn from past lessons. Identify roadblocks, where the pushback is coming from, and why. If we can address their concerns in ways that build a compromise in some areas, progress may be possible?
A-CALL-TO-ARMS
It is time for a change. Resetting/Rebooting has been discussed for over 40 years, but it is not just another empty promise this time. A developing crisis in youth soccer has reached a point where it cannot be ignored anymore.
The game is about YOUR children! It is not about executives, associations, etc. we have a tail-wagging-the-dog scenario.
Please, make your voices heard. It is time if you and your child have gone through or are going through concerns right now. Please help us bring sanity and a child-first approach to the forefront. You pay the fees. You have some say!
MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND BE A PART OF THE CHANGE
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As promised, here are the notes Roby Stahl sent to US Soccer some 24 years ago.
REVEALING WORLD CHAMPIONS METHODS.
WORLD CUP HOLDERS: Emphasis, Philosophy & Principles of Play.
