Are you taking your eye off of the ball, in regards to your recreation program? For many clubs, the recreation side gets much less attention than the travel side of things. This is unfortunate because the recreation side, in most clubs, has 3-4 times the number of players compared to the travel side. With the larger numbers playing recreation, why does it seem that the majority of the time spent at every board meeting is about travel issues? Shouldn’t the meeting allocate a greater amount of time to discuss the recreation program?
We all know there are exceptions to this and many clubs have a well run recreation programs with systems in place for the coaches and players. A well run program is one that needs less attention because it almost runs itself. As a board member you need to ask yourself—“Are you doing all you can to provide your recreation players with a positive learning experience and are you providing your coaches with the tools to help them achieve this?”.
It all starts with your volunteer coaches. Are you providing them with the training and tools so that they can transfer the clubs recreation philosophy to the field? These coaches are usually just getting their feet wet with youth soccer and have no idea where to begin. Here are a few suggestions:
(1) Have an organized system in place for recreation coaches. This may include training clinics, written guidance or video presentations. You must have age appropriate materials in place. Coaching a 4 year old is much different then coaching a 10 year old.
(2) Make sure the plan you have for the coaches is duplicatable and cost effective. A board member or trainer running practices for the coach is not cost effective and for most clubs is not duplicatable.
(3) When recruiting coaches for your recreation program, emphasize the support and tools your club has in place to help guide them through the season. If the system you have set up is a good one, the word will get out and you will attract as many volunteer coaches that you need for your recreation program.
(4) Keep it simple for the coaches. Remember, they are coaching at the recreation level and not travel. Keep it fun and try to make it a great experience for the players and the coaches.
The recreation soccer numbers are staggering. Maybe it is time to re-focus your club priorities where the majority of your players participate. There is no better compliment than neighboring town players flocking to your recreation program because of the great reputation your program has established.
(Tyler Isaacson is the founder of Youthsoccer101, a coaching resource that is used by over 100,000 coaches established in 2007) www.youthsoccer101.com contact him directly at tyler@youthsoccer101.com
