Kids are not mini adults. They want to play soccer for very different reasons from adults. Winning may well be a focus for adult players, but it is not for kids.  Parents should understand what motivates kids to play soccer. These motivations include:

 

• For fun
• To be with friends
• To practice skills and get better
• To run around

 

In the late 1990s a study was carried out at a sports club for children in the United States. The children, all of whom were participants in organized gymnastics on regular basis, were asked to give the main reason they took part in the sport. There were 36 answers given in response to the survey.

 

The results may surprise you:

 

1st (the most common reason given) – It’s fun
3rd – It’s good to get some exercise
20th- I want to get better at gymnastics
25th- I want to be in a team
35th-I want to win against all others

 

Perhaps the most telling result is that winning was 35th out of 36 in the survey. Most kids are motivated by different things than adults -- their focus is on enjoyment and the sheer pleasure they take from getting regular exercise.

 

Why ADSL?

 

Learning and Development vs Winning:

 

We must not fall into the trap of trying to build the roof before the foundation. A soccer program that focuses on learning and development will give the players a solid ground on which they can build their skills. Ample evidence suggests that 8 and 9 year old players are simply not mentally ready to compete week after week to win a certain division, league or tournament. An environment that is based on winning can and, most likely, will inhibit player development if it is introduced too early.

 

Coaches, parents and players must think in the long term. Training, development programs and matches must be based around a long-term development program that works on every aspect of player development and caters to individual needs.

We believe the ADSL format is the best way for our youngest players to develop their soccer skills and to learn the necessary fundamentals of the game of soccer without putting them under too much pressure. When the game result is on the line, players are afraid to make a mistake, they kick the ball more, take fewer touches on the ball and hardly ever take any risks or try out new things. ADSL games, on the other hand, create an environment that is less stressful and threatening, free of adult expectation and authority, where children can be children and play with emotional freedom and without being afraid to make a mistake. In short, ADSL format places a high priority on learning and development and a low priority on winning.

 

Coaches:

 

The success of any talent development program is dependant, not only on the quality of players selected for its travel program, but on the quality of the coaching to which these identified players are exposed. Ultimately, it is the coach who plays a crucial role in the development of talent. Not only must the coach be able to identify both current ability and future potential of a player, but he also must be able to create a learning environment that is characterized by lots of encouragement, technical demonstrations and positive feedback.

 

 We, at the Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club, place a high priority on ensuring that all our youngest players have highly educated and knowledgeable coaches. In fact, some of our best coaches in the club, such as Leigh Cowlishaw, Martin Dell, Mike Burke, Summers Hambrick, Tim Krout, Rob Ukrop, Reed Rogers, Mike Conner and many others, all coach one of our U9, U10 or U11 teams. I highly doubt that there is another club in the state of Virginia that can boast such a strong group of highly qualified coaches being actively involved with their youngest players.

 

Parents:

 

Parents should avoid feedback that focuses too much on results. Sometimes, it can be hard to ignore the fact that your child’s team is losing every week, but it is vital that you do not draw attention to this fact. Remember that at this age the focus should be on learning and developing soccer skills and rewarding the effort children put into training and playing. Pressure from a parent to compete and win is rarely helpful to a child’s development.

 

When screaming advice from the sidelines parents need to remember that there’s a limit to the amount of information children can process. Kids’ perception mechanism is less developed than adults’. Things that adults take for granted like the ability to judge direction and speed is far more difficult for young children. Adults and children use the same information-processing model; where they differ is in their capacity to process information. The amount of input a child can handle is less than an adult. The way the child perceives information is different – it’s less refined. A child finds it difficult to make a decision if there are too many options. What does this mean for adults? It means, for example, if you shout and scream advice from the touchline, the child probably will not take it in and process it. They will be so busy concentrating on the task in hand – the ball bobbling in front of them - that they can’t take in any more information. In fact, auditory advice from the sidelines, oftentimes, proves to be more distracting than helpful to a child. The messages here are: It takes time for a child’s information processing skills to develop. Do not expect a child to process information like an adult. Don’t focus on the outcome and on ‘what went wrong’. Look at the child’s thinking behind the decision.

 

Referees:

 

We strongly believe that having one qualified referee on the field is sufficient for U9-U11 games. Having one referee on the field allows for fewer stoppages and more fluidity. Hence, children spend more time on actually playing with the ball, as opposed to waiting on the field while a main official confers with a linesman to figure out whether or not there was offside. Parents should also keep in mind that the number of poor calls during the game usually balances out for both teams and that an occasional incorrect call seldom affects the outcome of the game. Finally, and most importantly, parents need to remember that having three referees on the field will not make your son or daughter a better soccer player. Just because there are three officials refereeing a game, your son or daughter will not pass, receive, dribble or shoot the ball better.