No matter what people say many times it comes down to wins and State Championships.
Winning games and State Championships are fine but sometimes it can be a hindrance to a player's soccer development. At FC United we are committed to youth development. When we talk about youth development our top priority is not wins or losses, but investment in young player's technical and tactical developments. But we realize investing in young players is easier to talk about than actually realizing it. so what ingredients are necessary to begin realizing this investment, help create great players, win the Championships and truly become a Great Soccer Club?
Here's what we believe:
Great Coaches FC United prides itself on having great coaches because we realize one of the top reasons for any player or team to be successful is to have the right coaches. Great coaches care about more than simply winning. They look beyond winning at early ages and think of the big picture. The great coaches focus on individual development to instill technical mastery of body over ball. Once there is a strong technical foundation at the early years then there is a better chance of team success. Technical Skills need to be used effectively to help the team ... this is an important point. Great coaches help foster good team spirit and co-operation. These components are weaved together by great coaches.
So what qualities make our coaches great?
Our coaches like working with young players. This sounds obvious but many coaches work with younger players only as a step to move forward. There has to be a genuine commitment to the young. Too often better coaches are coaching at higher levels or older teams but at FC United we commit our great coaches to the younger players.
Our coaches are good communicators, generous, patient and adaptable and of course always open-minded.
Our coaches are exceptional demonstrators. For technical teaching it is most important to be able to show young players the skills you want to teach them ... a good demonstrator can be inspirational to youngsters. For example when working with the young players you could see the excitement and enthusiasm in young players' faces when they are showed all the different possibilities that good control can create.
Our coaches take time to understand and sometimes help in the family environment. Many clubs lose so many good young players ... not because of their lack of talent but because there are many distractions. Unless there is total focus and commitment we lose the players. That is why the FC United coaches understand the whole picture and the possible dangers and difficulties that are many times outside of soccer.
