CLAUDIO REYNA when interviewed by DIANE SCAVUZZO, Editor in Chief of GoalNaion.com stated the following, “ It’s important to learn how to win, but it’s more important to learn how to play!”
“The focus, in this country, is too often on winning. I’m not saying anything we don’t know. It’s just cultural, in our country — where you go to a U-10 game and people are going crazy on the sidelines, it is unlike any other country I’ve ever visited.
I think there are a lot of organizations and like-minded parents and coaches who wish it didn’t happen. But unfortunately, that’s what we are..
I would hope every coach in the country, and every organization didn’t care about rankings, and player rankings, and team rankings, and state rankings, because it means absolutely nothing.
They should focus on creating the right environment for players. We have a lot of sites that rank players, and rank boys and girls on all this kind of stuff that, unfortunately, people buy into, in our country, and think that it’s important, but it’s absolutely meaningless for young players, boys and girls, in their development of learning the sport.
It’s a unique, American phenomenon.
There’s no other country in the world where you go, and there are team rankings of all ages and coaches who are getting ranked.
And what I would say is, we lose sight and focus of what’s most important. And it’s not just soccer, it’s all the youth sports in the United States which are, unfortunately, focused on the wrong things.
As Youth Sports dwindle in participation it is time to look forward and say what can we all do to get our kids off the couches, put down the electronic games and play sports. Why do kids play any game whether Electronic or physical activity? I think you will find it is for FUN!
Do we think it’s FUN to be yelled at for 25 minutes, if you make a mistake on the field to hear the magic word SUB, as a coach or parent did you ever make a mistake at 8 or 9 years old? Learning from our mistakes is one of the ways we learn.”
Based on the need to LEARN the Coaching Staff has developed and the District 7 Board has approved two (2) coaching courses to be taught based on the PDI mandates:
1. The D7 “F” course is focused on the 4 vs. 4 and 7 vs. 7 games.
2. The D7 “E” course on the 9 v 9 or 11 v 11 game formats.
I encourage ALL coaches and league administrators to attend the courses when are in your League. Let us give the GAME back to the PLAYERS and make soccer FUN.
By John M Hodgson, Cal North D7 Commissioner
