The snow is falling, the Packers have only two home games left
(regular season that is), and holiday decorations abound, that can mean only
one thing: indoor soccer!
As the indoor season rolls around I've had a number of
questions about how to set up teams, where to play, who's going to coach. I
thought I'd take some time to address some of the more pressing questions.
First off, let me remind you that Oshkosh United does not
provide any coaches, training or support for indoor soccer. It is up to the
parents to register, pay for, and provide coaches for any play that their child
may participate in with that said, here are a few thoughts.
1. Roster size
United's roster sizes are meant to encompass enough players
to play outdoors during a long season. As such, are rosters tend to be big.
Indoor, however, is a completely different game. With small fields and a
smaller number of players allowed on the field at a time, comes the need for
smaller squads. Typically, indoor soccer has five field players and a goalie.
At maximum teams will want to have 11 players at a game. This allows for a sub
for each field player. But lets be realistic, who wants to have to sit for half
a game, especially when it's no more than 44 minutes? With a smaller roster
players can enjoy more of the game. Limiting your team to 3 subs allows for
more time on the field for everyone, coming to about a 1:2 rest to work rate.
So what do you do if you have a team of 13 or 14 players?
There's not enough for two teams, but too many for one. Excellent question..
2. Mix up the teams
Too often we are worried about forming THE TEAM and making
sure that THE TEAM works together from the time they are little kids until they
are adults so THE TEAM will do well. Unfortunately, that's not the case. THE
TEAM is a team at the moment, and will most likely change from season to
season. This is a good thing because players are afforded the opportunity to
play different roles for each team. Sometimes they maybe the youngest player
and have to learn how to play smarter so they can compete against players that
are bigger and stronger, sometimes they will be the oldest players, the "go to"
player and have to learn how to carry the team, sometimes they will be best
suited as a defender, while other times they may be best as an attacker. Each
time a player is put into a new scenario it is a chance for them to grow. What
better opportunity could you look for?
With that said, split the teams up, ask new kids to play,
mix and match with other teams, whatever you do, make sure you afford your
child with a chance to play! I suggested to our U11 girls' teams that they take
the two U11 teams of 26 (13 and 13) and randomly split them into three teams of
8 and 9. There's room to add a friend or two to the team if they decide too, or
to use one of the many kids hanging around looking to play.
3. Don't worry about coaches
Oshkosh United takes pride in our coaching staff. Coaching
tenure with the club is limited to the months of April, May, June and July. Any
arrangements made beyond those months need to be arranged between the parents
and coach. But sometimes having a coach isn't always a bad thing. Indoor soccer
provides a perfect environment for players to develop their own leadership
qualities.
One of my favorite things about playing indoor soccer when I
was young (Saturdays at South Park) was that we didn't have any coaches. My
mother oversaw the sessions, which meant she read a book in the bleachers while
we set up teams, decided who was in goal, when subs would be made, and you got
to ref. I would like to believe that that freedom to make our own decisions at
indoor soccer paid dividends down the line for me, both as a player and as a
coach. You should consider allowing your players the same freedom.
4. Don't worry about Goalkeepers
I attended a goalkeeping clinic by a former Indiana
goalkeeper and current college goalkeeper coach. He was asked what he thought
about indoor soccer and goalkeepers. He felt that goalkeepers get worse by
playing indoor soccer because it's such a different from outdoor soccer, that
it basically teaches goalkeepers bad habits so they can get by. He suggested
that his college goalkeepers play on the field to improve their foot skills
rather than stand in goal.
If that's the recommendation for college keepers, what does
that say about our youth keepers. Add to this the high scoring nature of the
game and the affects it has on young keepers and you have a recipe for
disaster. While I wouldn't go as far to say that keepers should only play on
the field during indoor play, I do think there are merits to keepers spending
some time working on foot skills, as well as field players working on keeper
skills. Indoor soccer is a perfect opportunity to rotate keepers and tryout new
ones.
5. Local opportunities
Many opportunities exist for players to participate in
indoor soccer in the valley. Here are links to just a few:
6. Keep it Fun!
Remember, this is an opportunity for players to have fun!
There are plenty of opportunities for players to compete in league and
tournament play over the year. Indoor soccer should be about honing skills and
having fun with different teams without the pressure of winning or losing.
I hope these suggestions have given you pause for thought.
If you have any further questions feel free to contact me atdoc@oshkoshunitedsoccer.org
