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Soccer Coaching Articles
Twenty-five years ago, when Soccer New England first started publishing, soccer coaching was generally being done by parents who had never kicked a ball, and who had very few opportunities to learn about the sport.
One story published in March of 1989 told of a local coach who had to drive all the way to North Carolina, to take the USSF’s ‘D’ License course. Now many town programs provide free tuition for coaches who take the trouble to get licensed and many premier clubs will not even allow coaches to take on a team if they do not have at least a USSF ‘C’ License.
SNE has published hundreds of articles about soccer coaching over the years, as well as interviews with numerous coaches and club and state Directors of Coaching. It continues to be a subject that warrants our attention.
One trend that has emerged over the past few years, for example, is the proliferation of paid coaches. Quite apart from the dramatic increase in the cost of participation this has caused, has it also created a win-first mentality that has stifled player development?
After all, a coach who is being paid, it could be argued, might feel more pressure to prove his or her value by winning games, which in turn could lead to the coach taking the short cut of aggressively recruiting better players at the expense of developing the ones already on the team.
These issues, and many others that affect the world of soccer coaching and player development are covered in this part of the site. If you have any views on the subject of coaching that you would like us to air on your behalf, feel free to send us an email and we’ll publish your comments here.
Latest Soccer Coaching Articles
10/18/09 - Mariner Leaves Revs for England.
The New England Revolution's 0-0 draw against the Chicago Fire Saturday night was the final game assistant coach Paul Mariner will be with the team.
10/7/09 - BC Coach Earns Local Hall Nod.
Boston College head men's soccer coach Ed Kelly will be inducted into the New England Soccer Hall of Fame this November.
8/4/09 - Conn. Native Fired from KC.
Connecticut native Curt Onalfo was fired yesterday as head coach of the Kansas City Wizards.
7/24/09 - Napoli Named UMass Women's Coach.
AMHERST, Mass. - Former University of Massachusetts standout goalkeeper Angela Napoli has been appointed UMass women?s soccer head coach for the 2009 season, replacing longtime coach Jim Rudy, who retired this spring after 21 years at the helm.
7/1/09 - McNeil Joins BC as Coach.
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Kia McNeill is coming back to her alma mater.
6/22/09 - UVM Legend Greig Passes Away.
Former University of Vermont coach and UVM Athletics Hall of Famer Hal Greig passed away in Ticonderoga, N.Y. Wednesday after a long, courageous battle with an illness.
6/11/09 - Assumption Women Hire Melia.
Glenn Melia, a Sutton, Mass. native and former standout forward with the United States Air Force Academy, has been named the women’s soccer coach at Assumption College.
6/9/09 - Conn. College Men Name New Coach.
Kenny Murphy, assistant soccer coach at Brown University, has been named head coach of the Connecticut College men’s soccer program.
6/8/09 - NEFC Announces New Staff.
As part of the merger between New England Eagles and FC Puma, the resulting club will be expanding into the South Shore of Massachusetts.
6/4/09 - Automated Team Notification.
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to reach all of your players with a single phone call?
5/28/09 - Hartford Coach Joins Portugal Staff.
Hartford's men's soccer coach Dan Gaspar has been invited by the Portuguese Football Federation to join its national team staff in preparation for its upcoming World Cup Qualifiers.
5/19/09 - The Coach's Corner: Putting Things in Perspective .
I was due to write a blog in December, but somehow I never got around to doing so. Procrastination saw my deadline pass and days late turned into weeks late and now months late. But like Iniesta's equalizing goal for Barcelona in the recent Champions League semi final at Chelsea, it is definitely a case of better late than never.
4/24/09 - Gallagher to Coach Holy Cross Women.
The College of the Holy Cross has named Darren Gallagher as its new head women's soccer coach, as he becomes the sixth head coach in the history of the program.
4/21/09 - UML Tips Scales as New Coach.
Bryan Scales, a native of Medway, Mass., is the new head coach of the UMass-Lowell men's soccer program.
4/7/09 - Providence Hires Dean Coach.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Former Dean College head coach John Mark Andrade has been hired at Providence College to assist men's head coach Chaka Daley.
3/6/09 - Redefining Competition in Youth Soccer.
To what degree should competition function in youth soccer tournaments that risk emphasizing winning over more important aspects of player development, such as fun and improvement?
2/23/09 - Lepore Holds Academy Symposium.
CHICAGO – U.S. Development Academy Director of Scouting Tony Lepore conducted his second Academy Symposium of the year on Feb. 11 during the USA-Mexico match.
2/17/09 - In-Game Coaching at Tournaments.
Over-coaching, or over-instruction, has become one of the worst plagues in American Youth soccer. It flares up most during tournaments, when the intense atmosphere and emphasis on winning causes coaches to try to control their players’ every movement.
2/8/09 - Coaching Your First Futsal Tournament.
For many soccer coaches, both veterans and novices, coaching a futsal tournament is a new concept. Although the sport shares the same DNA as soccer, coaches should be aware of the unique benefits that the sport provides and the unique approach to coaching it allows.
2/5/09 - Hoolman Joins BC Staff.
Franklin Pierce University has announced the resignation of men's soccer head coach Marco Koolman, who has accepted a coaching position on Ed Kelly's men's soccer staff at Boston College.
1/17/09 - Repetition Without Being Repetitious.
I have often been told that “repetition is the mother of all learning.” I have accepted this premise as an axiom to live by and have been fairly diligent about implementing this into my soccer training sessions.
1/16/09 - The Importance of "Down Time" at Tournaments.
"Down time," or the off time that occurs between and after games, serves as a crucial period for players to relax, unwind, bond, and recharge. As a coach, you should think about the purpose such time serves and the opportunities it allows.
1/15/09 - DiCicco on the Breakers.
Heading into Friday?s WPS Draft, in which they hold the first overall selection, the Boston Breakers' roster has already taken shape.
12/30/08 - Regional Honor for SNHU Coach.
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Southern New Hampshire University men’s soccer coach Marc Hubbard was named the NSCAA/adidas Division II East Region Coach of the Year. Hubbard is now eligible for Division II Coach of the Year honors, which will be announced Jan. 16.
12/29/08 - UMass Coach Recognized by NSCAA.
AMHERST, Mass. - After leading the UMass men's soccer team to its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance, coach Sam Koch was named the NSCAA/adidas Mid-Atlantic Region Coach Of The Year.
12/16/08 - Four More Years for Sundhage.
CHICAGO – U.S. women’s soccer coach Pia Sundhage will lead the team for another four years through the 2012 Olympics, U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati announced Monday.
12/10/08 - Sacred Heart Coach Inducted to Conn. HOF.
FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Sacred Heart men’s soccer coach Joe Barroso has been selected for induction into the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame.
11/19/08 - Part III: Coach Downie's Story.
It seems only proper to complete this section on Southwick by giving a coach from the area a chance to add his voice to this discussion.
11/13/08 - Mass Coach Hired by USL.
TAMPA, FL -- Boston College alum and Massachusetts youth coach Kate Thibault has been hired as the United Soccer League's Associate Director of Super Y-League Operations.
11/12/08 - How Soccer Explains New England: Southwick Style Part II.
While most Americans anxiously waited for the network's talking heads to use holographic images to tell us who won the election, we all know what New Englanders were anxiously awaiting. And here it is, part two of my diatribe on soccer in Southwick.
11/3/08 - How Soccer Explains new England: Southwick Style.
I know it's been more than two weeks since my last post, but like my students say -- "I've got a great excuse."
10/7/08 - Local Coach at id2 Training Camp.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The first of three US Club Soccer id2 Regional Training Camps was held this weekend in Zarephath, N.J., with help from a local soccer coach.
9/26/08 - The Coach's Corner: One Hectic Summer.
I put a red line through the box on my calendar for May 5. It represented the end of the 2007-08 Quinnipiac University academic year.
9/17/08 - Calcagni Elected MAPLE Commissioner.
Charlie Calcagni’s start in soccer was not unlike that of most men in the early ‘80s – accidental.
Coaching Uniform Tips.
Here’s a familiar scenario for a soccer coach or team manager: You order 20-25 uniforms for your club, town or high school team. A few years go by and now you need five more shirts, but the other ones are still in good condition. You have some budget limits, so you’d really like to just order the number of shirts you need.
Quincy's Murphy Let Go By Clavijo.
Quincy native John Murphy was removed of his duties as one of coach Fernando Clavijo’s assistants with the Colorado Rapids last week.
Lepore Plugging Away for Academy.
CHICAGO -- With the US Development Academy in full swing with matches kicking off in various states across the nation on any given weekend, Director of Scouting Dave Sarachan, and full-time Academy scouts Tony Lepore and Raul Diaz Arce travel the nation and assign scouts to identify, assign and evaluate players on a weekly basis.
Sarachan Takes in Academy.
CHICAGO – U.S. Development Academy Director of Scouting Dave Sarachan was on hand for this weekend’s slate of games, including 12 contests featuring New England teams.
Former UConn Asst. Scouts Academy.
CHICAGO – Among the many spectators watching Thursday night’s US Development Academy match between Real Colorado and the Colorado Rapids youth team was former UConn assistant coach Bobby Muuss.
Doing the Math on Practice-to-Game ratios.
The parctice-to-game ratios for to many youth players is way out of whack. Some kids are playing up to 100 competitive games a year and, therefore, do not
have time to properly learn the game.
Small is Beatiful.
Mass. Youth Soccer's Director of Coaching would like to see the small-sided games our youngest players play made even smaller.
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