WHY DONT YOU GUYS PLAY.

[sharkfutbol]

Looking for answers on a couple of things.  You high school guys need to help and answer.  Why is it you dont want to play any extra soccer,  like club or the small sided games. (yes i know SOME of you are very dedicated and play every day..) Teams have players on their rosters but not showing up.  Club teams dont form.  Is there a reason you dont want to play club in the fall to help your high school teams?  Until our club foundation is solid again the local high school programs will not be strong.  So young men and women playing soccer for their high schools.  Why dont you guys play club or other outside school soccer?

[CoachL]

Agreed! and asking myself the same questions?

[bullets13]

soccer's a second class citizen in SETX.  many of the players prefer to play other sports instead of playing soccer year round.  That's not the only explanation, but it's a partial one.

[rip2506]

The reason Kelly's girl's team is as strong as it is, is for that very reason.. There are probably a dozen or more girls playing Spring Cup and have plans to play in the Fall with SSSC or another Club.

I have to give props to Brittney( Kelly Girl's Head Coach) for encouraging the girls who were not playing to join a club and several have taken her advice over the past  couple of years. She recently sent out an email to her team to remind them to tryout for a Fall program. She gets it! ( The importance of her squad playing year round)  Mike Hughes has several girls on his team and as does Steve Hernandez. I believe Kelly Kroutter may have a few more up and comers for Kelly's program.

I know West Brook has several on Hughes and Hernandez as well.

Great observation.

[SFA]

Lack of any middle school or high school boys sides in the Spindletop program really hurts the area high school teams. We only have a very few individuals who make the commitment to play in Houston.  The high school coaches are getting players who have not had good training or played at high levels of competition.  The '90 group was the last beaumont boys to play D1. The 91 group occasionally played at the super II level, but nothing since.  Soccer, like baseball requires strong skill development at the younger ages.  A lot of fine motor skills need to be developed.  Soooo, until the boys pony up, and commit to playing year around and challenge themselves to play against the best, just be thankful you play in weak districts so a few of you can make the playoffs, but good luck making it past the 1st few rounds.

Congrats to the Spindletop Girls for their success over the last few years.

Suggestion to the coaches:  Council and encourage your players to play in the off season at the highest level they can.  I know for a fact the the Klien ISD coaches encourage club participation and even follow their players when they play club ball.  I know you can't coach club ball, but their is nothing to stop you from communicating with the local club to develop your players game.  Also, no one high school has enough talent to compete well at the D1 level.  Any good club team will HAVE to be a mix of the best from all the local schools. 

Come on guys, if you love soccer, step up and challenge yourself.

[rip2506]

Very astute observation SFA... I do not know how this is going to sound, but it is coming from the bottom of my heart.. I thought with the changing of demographics ( more hispanics) in our area, especially southeast of beaumont that there would be a new growth spurt for soccer especially on the boys side.  I know the guys I work with, many from several different countries south of the border, they LOVE their Soccer. They already told me that when the World Cup starts they will be getting off early the entire month. And they MEAN it. So I am surprise. Maybe it is economics.. I do not know.

[sharkfutbol]

If the high school coaches can get their teams to at least play in the local league.  Then at least they are touching a soccer ball throughout the fall.  And go into the high school practice and season having seen games and played in games for a few months with their high school team mates.  They may not be playing in Houston or div one.  But they will at least have played together.  However some of the local youth just dont want to make the commitment for even ten saturdays in fall.  Coaches in high school should try anyway to push the kids out to the fields.  .

[rip2506]

[quote name="sharkfutbol" post="804768" timestamp="1274584824"]
If the high school coaches can get their teams to at least play in the local league.  Then at least they are touching a soccer ball throughout the fall.  And go into the high school practice and season having seen games and played in games for a few months with their high school team mates.  They may not be playing in Houston or div one.  But they will at least have played together.  However some of the local youth just dont want to make the commitment for even ten saturdays in fall.  Coaches in high school should try anyway to push the kids out to the fields.  .
[/quote]

I heard the Clemson Soccer Coach once say that, he would get very excited when he would see his guys, just start a pick-up game on the weekends, just to get those valuable touches... No refs, no coaches, just the kids.. I think that is what seperates many other countrys from the U.S.... those pick-up games ( for soccer) are far and few between.  Now basketball, that's another story... pick-up games everywhere.

Keep working at it coach.

[fiveoclocksomewhere]

APATHY is not limited to soccer. It is the same story with other sports as well. The players that love to play will show in offseason, but that number is dwindling in all sports. The word I hear from many young players is BURNOUT. And I guess I can understand where they are coming from. They wanna be kids. But as a club coach, it is hard to accept! It is a challenge to keep it interesting and fun, while still teaching! We gotta keep plugging away!

While I am posting, I would like to say THANK YOU to Shark and Coach L for the extra time spent this Spring providing a place for the players to play. (At least the ones that wanna show!) The All Star game, and the small sided games ARE appreciated. You just may not hear it much.