Middle School Soccer and Club Conflict

In Nashua (I don't know if the situation is similar elsewhere)the main problem I have with the schools set up is that the coaches are not required to hold any coaching licenses in order to coach. In fact a teacher from the school is preferred over a qualified outside trainer!?!?!

Yet most of the players who play on the school teams also play for travel soccer teams and receive regular training from highly qualified professional trainers and ex-pro players. It's not too bold to claim that many of the players know more about soccer than their school coach does.

What makes no sense to me is that if, in the event of a conflict, those players were to miss school training for travel team training both parents and players alike are scared of the consequences the school coach might administer.

This situation is ridiculous! Pro training should trump school training until the schools take soccer development seriously and stop hiring just anybody to coach their teams. Travel team players should be able to leave school soccer practices to attend their travel team soccer training without fear of petty reprisals.

A step on the road to solving this problem would be for the athletic department to use a part of the stipend they pay the coach to send them to do their E and D licenses and further their soccer knowledge.

I'm ranting now but I honestly feel that Nashua Schools are negatively impacting the development of players and soccer in New Hampshire. Any suggestions on where I can take this issue on to or possible solutions are gratefully accepted.

This was posted on the GSYSL discussion board and I thought it might get more freewheeling comment here. I share the author's frustration. The coaching is poor and the training sessions suffer as a result. I would add more, however. The level of player is poor too. These middle school teams mix a few talented (2 to 4, maybe 5) club players with a bunch of players who simply are not playing at the same level. As a result, there is little point for the club player to do anything other than play to the ball and carry it one on one under all circumstances. When the club players return to the club settings in the weekend, the quality of their play has dropped off. Add to this the 2 and 3 game schedules the middle schoolers must commit to and you get tired and beat up players to boot. My advice to a talented club player -- run cross country.

Re: Middle School Soccer and Club Conflict

E and D licenses are pieces of paper. There are plenty of coaches with these or better certifications that can't coach worth a damn!

Re: Middle School Soccer and Club Conflict

E and D licenses are pieces of paper. There are plenty of coaches with these or better certifications that can't coach worth a damn!

So are you saying that middle school soccer is a positive experience for talented soccer players?

Re: Middle School Soccer and Club Conflict

That's a big leap for you to infer that. I'm offering up the possibility that even after the licensure class they may not be that much better at coaching.

That being said I would imagine it gives younger and smaller players strategies for playing against older and bigger players, where they're able to learn to adjust without being overwhelmed by talent.

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Most club players in Mass won't play middle school soccer if it means a conflict with their club team. Many top club players who happen to be freshman as U14s will also give up their first year of high school soccer to avoid the conflict in the fall.

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Unfortunately the AD (and others) in Nashua view soccer as an evil necessity. It's a sport theyy don't support like football and basketball so they hire unqualified coaches. Check out Nashua North’s JV coach, a very nice woman yes but she has never played the game of soccer in her life and, at times, is unclear of the rules. Last year the team played a 3-6-1 offense :shock: as they continued to lose all but 1 game. When parents appoached the old AD he laughed and said that soccer in the Nashua system was a minor HS sport and impacted only a few students.

Re: Middle School Soccer and Club Conflict

Unfortunately the AD (and others) in Nashua view soccer as an evil necessity. It's a sport theyy don't support like football and basketball so they hire unqualified coaches. Check out Nashua North’s JV coach, a very nice woman yes but she has never played the game of soccer in her life and, at times, is unclear of the rules. Last year the team played a 3-6-1 offense :shock: as they continued to lose all but 1 game. When parents appoached the old AD he laughed and said that soccer in the Nashua system was a minor HS sport and impacted only a few students.

Wow, that is pretty sad. Some of the best (not all) female players are draining away to private/parochial schools. Stories like this will only make that trend even more pronounced. If you have an ambitious and talented player coming through it strikes me as likely that the player will lobby mom and dad for BG or some other school. Of course, BG has its own issues -- they just promoted to the varsity girls spot a guy who has a pretty one dimensional view of the game. Also, the BG girls program states up front that freshman won't play varsity -- although this statement is observed more in the breach ( I am aware of 3 or 4 freshman playing varsity). I think in the end, BG's AD cares only slightly more about soccer than does the Nashua AD.

Re: Middle School Soccer and Club Conflict

There is nothing wrong with a 3-6-1 formation, especially if it is used correctly.

Re: Middle School Soccer and Club Conflict

There is nothing wrong with a 3-6-1 formation, especially if it is used correctly.

Yes there is, no coach who understands anything of the game would play a 3-6-1. The number of problems players would run into playing it would be astounding. And it really does not cater for HS long ball play

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Well BU14 State Cup Champion Classics and BU16 State Cup Champion World Cup both ran 3-6-1. I am sure there are more. I should have said, if used correctly, there is nothing wrong with a 3-6-1. Also, not all high schools fall back to long ball play. However, I am not defending the high school soccer system, as I agree that it has countless flaws.

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Too many games in too little time, too little time spent on training, too many coaches who can't train or don't understand the game, too many horrific refs. For a player who, at the same time, is playing high level club soccer its a disaster. For the serious player, I would not play middle school soccer. Pretty much the same things can be said about High school soccer but there is no alternative for U-15s and up inthe Fall.