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John Thomas's Bio: John Thomas is the Assistant Technical Director for US Youth Soccer.

Region II Meeting   RSS
Nov 5 2009, 12:00 AM Topic: Coaching Education
This past weekend, I attended and participated in the US Youth Soccer Region II fall meeting which was held in Cleveland, Ohio, Oct. 30 to Nov. 1. Getting there wasn't so easy.  My direct flight was delayed, at first, for two hours and then redirected to Chicago and then Cleveland. After arriving in Chicago that evening at about 8:20 p.m., I thought I was almost there. I spoke too soon.  After boarding the plane for Cleveland around 9:20 p.m., we were told to de-plane. The flight was grounded due to mechanical problems. Better to have the problem on the ground than in the air. So, I had to spend the night in Chi-town at the airport hotel. The next morning, I was able to depart for Cleveland around 7:30 a.m. and arrived about 9 a.m. I went from the airport to the meeting, with the Region II State Coaching Directors meeting already in progress. Great meeting. Following are the notes from the meeting:
 
Education
  • Recap of U.S. Soccer meeting in October in Washington D.C.  Support from the top down in mandates for youth development.
  • The Federation's role in setting national standards and mandates for how soccer should be taught and organized as outlined in 'Best Practices for Coaching Soccer in the United States.'
  • Accreditation for clubs that are following 'Best Practices' – Mandate and standards need to come from the Federation, but administered by the states.
  • USSF "E" License going forward...needs to be a technical license.
  • More use of video analysis so the candidates can see good and bad technique.
  • U.S. Soccer has phased out the "F" License. Ohio-South, one of the few states that still do the "F" license, needs to phase out and replace with Youth Modules.
  • Video online education
  • Indiana presentation of sample online adjunct component to Youth Module - geared to recreational coaches
US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program
  • Direction
  • What are the current goals of US Youth Soccer ODP?
    •      - Player identification
         - Enhanced player development
    What should the mission statement be?
         - To improve National Team performance
         - Affordable
         - Avenue for coaching development
         - Competition – bring in the best players to compete against each other
         - Exposure to different environments, coaching styles, college coaches and potential scholarship opportunities
         - Expand to zone 1 kids
         - Play more games - state vs. state games, interregional games
Player Development
  • Best Practices
    •      - Designation – State Associations to reward clubs that follow the elements of 'Best Practices' by a designation 'Best Practices Club'
  • TOPSoccer and Soccer Across America
    •      - Need to all use the same name brand – 'Soccer Across America' and not 'Soccer Start'
         - US Youth Soccer staff members willing to travel to help promote 'Soccer Across America'
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