A big congratulations to Natalia Medina on her first collegiate game as a freshman against Cabrillo College.
With a roster of 25 players, Natalia worked hard all pre-season to earn a starting spot in the game, making her debut and starting the game as a #10 (center attacking mid).Natalia went on to secure the win by scoring a goal in 90th min of the game, with Evergreen College the eventual winners, 3-1. Cabrillo College hadn’t allowed a goal in conference last season.
Natalia scoring a goal in her first game as a college athlete is a big accomplishment. Natalia demonstrated great confidence and comfort on the ball, as well as an ability to use both feet in taking her goal.
We are incredibly proud of Natalia, and having seen her grow as a player and person from the age of 9, it’s brilliant to see her continuing to play beyond her time with the club, and making an excellent start to her college years.
This weekend is the first game of the season for the majority of the players, others may not yet be starting until next week, however, embracing the individual process will be huge for the support of your player.
The following information will provide insight and depth to the soccer operations around a game day.
We are proactive and focus on what we can do. This is opposed to a reactive approach where we prioritize a response to opposition. Our priority is the Fremont YSC individual player, and therefore process orientated and not outcome. The following video is great at grounding us as adults in the game:
Jersey Numbers and Team Composition
2015 and 2014 teams are created through having players of similar birth age. Players born early in the year are FN I, and players born later in the year are FN II. This is completely different to other teams who look to either load by playing ability, or balance through a mix. Our is purely based on age, and for reason. Research shows that youth performance has no positive correlation to future performance and ability, with ‘better’ players largely dominant due to early maturation, or genetics in their size, speed, and power. The research shows that early identification is detrimental to long term participation, and most elite level players are not identified until 16 – 19 years old, with many early identified players dropping out. Our method of assigning players treats the players as an age group rather than a team (utilized by Icelandic FA, one of the most successful countries based on population size), and addresses Relative Age Effect where there is no bias towards players based on size due to being chronologically older (utilized by Tottenham Hotspur).
2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010
Jersey numbers are assigned to players based on their birth date. This is so coaches and parents have a visual aid in recognizing the Relative Age Effect, but also grounding us when we stray away from the process and slip into the temptation of comparing players against other. Players wearing a higher number will be the youngest in the age group, and therefore potentially almost a full year younger than other players. We must focus our attention on the individual, and not teammates, nor opponents.
2013 and Older are assigned to a team based on their rate of development in reference to our player pathway, and not ‘good’ or ‘bad’. We would prefer to do this at a much older age, but we are still working against a culture that doesn’t support this. What we must do though is understand that players are in an environment to support ‘flow’, where the challenge presented can be matched by skill level of the individual. Finding this state of flow provides an appropriate challenge, and a focus on the process, which has a positive knock-on effect for the psychosocial pillar in confidence and motivation. As soon as we switch to focusing on outcome, we undo all these great positives from a process driven approach. Players in youth development are in current rates of development, and are not ‘elite’ or ‘poor’, we need to move away from this perception.
Field Size and Dimensions
2011 are in the first year of playing 11v11, and on full size fields. This is a huge jump from the 9 v 9, with the complexity of the game increasing through the increase in player numbers. Players will struggle to perform all the actions needed, and therefore recognizing the game insight of a player is important. A player can make the correct decision, but still be developing their physiological pillar and therefore the pass they pick out cannot be performed as they do not yet have the strength in kick to pass over a longer distance. A great video to see how this effects players:
Maturation
Players over a large range could be going through maturation. An early developer could be up to 3 years ahead in maturation, while a late developer could be up to 3 years late. Even within one team that’s a 6-year swing, based on the two extremes, but another reason why we need to focus on the individual. While going through maturation the physiological challenges are great with a temporary loss of agility and co-ordination, which will affect skill performance and athletic ability. These are temporary, and during this time we need to be patient with players and showing empathy to what they are going through.
Sadly this is what’s perceived as effective coaching, “In general, society identifies coaches as “great” based on two criteria: win/loss records and media attention” (Becker, 2009). If the coach using these comments had won the game, little would be said, brushed off as ‘motivation’, intensity’, ‘toughness’, ‘competitive mindset’, but it’s simply abuse!
Coaching behavior’s are what determiner’s a great coach. Empowering, supportive, positive, and questioning, with healthy levels of feedback and instruction. This isn’t traditional, so is overlooked with importance placed on ‘leagues, brackets, and tournaments’.
Until more attention is placed on athlete centered practices supported by evidence based research, the kids will continue to suffer and dropout, and the big picture is the game will suffer.
Congratulations Yichen on the successful completion of your USSF D License.
As coaches are life long learners in the sports specific knowledge or football, and the many accompanying disciples including physiology, and psychology.
Great to see the staff embracing their education both externally with National Governing Bodies, and internally with Fremont YSC.
We are incredibly excited to bring to you the news of our partnership with Net World Sports.
Net World Sports provide their FORZA soccer equipment internationally, with ‘relentless dedication to offering the best experience possible’, which aligns with our continued dedication to providing the appropriate athlete centered environment needed for the youth player.
Training equipment by FORZA can be seen at Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Football Association of Wales, to name just a few teams and organizations, and we are very honored to be the latest in using their products for our training purposes.
We’re back for the start of the 23/24 season, although never really left!
Following our summer break, we return with plenty to look forward to in the new season.
Competitive Soccer
The Competitive Pathway is underpinned by scientific theory, a modern approach to player development, with proven effectiveness from evidence based research. In contrast to traditional methods, our play centered and constructed learning methods provide a deeper and long term learning experience, an environment aligned to athlete centered learning.
Grassroots is the program that caters for the needs of the recreational player.
Youth sports has moved to overly structured sessions, stifling the individuals creativity limiting their problem solving ability, and turn youth sport in to an organized chore.
TopTekkers is the leading platform for supporting player development when training at home. All Foundation Phase players will be receiving a free training account, and free entry to the first TopTekkers tournament in Northern California, hosted by Fremont YSC.
Coaches must be lifelong learners, and we are fully committed to our continued education. This past Friday we were honored to be presenting our club structure and operations to Frans Hoek (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frans_Hoek), one of the leading football professional in the world.
Later in the day the coaches engaged in a practical and theoretical education session on coaching behaviors, an area of coach development missing in formal education, where the gap between theory and application is evident at all levels of football coaching.
Thank you to the players for volunteering their time to help us put on our coach education session.
Parent Engagement
Being a program that proudly sits outside the craziness of youth soccer, our evidence informed and scientific research based program is different to others around. Theory is great is regurgitate, but it’s another thing to be committed to putting it in action.
Supporting the parents journey through youth soccer and sports as a whole. The youth sports industry is a thriving business model, making it difficult and challenging to navigate and fully understand. We are committed to the learning experience, not a league acronym or collecting air miles to the latest ‘elite competition’. Our engagement includes pedagogy, curriculum and session design, the importance of play, and supporting confidence
Every season we ask for members feedback, and through thematic analysis we can see the trends and themes that help us make necessary adjustments. We recognize that the communication of ‘why’, and supporting parents understanding of youth development has not been good enough. Reflecting on the areas parents have most provided feedback on, we need to do adapt our engagement around the concept of ‘challenge’, and with internal education for coaches supporting delivery in alignment with theory. The following few points will address this briefly as an introduction, and a great article of a similar concept, click below.
Youth sports is a learning experience, no different to learning anything at a young age.
At its very foundation learning is guided by theory and learning principles, this drives curriculum and session design, specifically, we adopt the constructivist learning theory.
Coaching, like all areas of expertise, develops over time, and there is a huge amount of literature on modern coaching practices that are best for youth athletes. However, coaches are slow to pick this up and continue to use more traditional methods.
Age-appropriate learning comes from experiences, built on elements and concepts introduced at age-appropriate times, and is a long-term process for deeper learning ‘scaffolded learning’.
This leads to ‘CHALLENGE’
Challenge comes from the constraints placed on the training practice.
Challenge is both individual and team constraint led.
Play activities drive great motivation in players and deeper learning opportunities, with challenge specific to game context.
It is a longer process, but players learn, have fun, and deeper learning provides the foundations for late age performance.
Play activities not only supports players, but also modern coaching practice in the delivery through guided discovery, questioning, and problem solving, all these are athlete led coaching behaviors, and in contrast to the traditional instruction and negative feedback process still prevalent in coaching and are coach centered behaviors.
Individuals learn, not teams, and the bracket or league played in is not ‘challenge’. In youth soccer, it takes one or two individuals to carry team outcomes.
Process driven coaching supports confidence, not winning and outcomes, these provide short lived levels of excitement, and not feeling of self-efficacy for continued self-determination.
The short term outcomes, focusing on league and competition names, and the inevitable bi-product of must win to maintain status, all leads to athlete burnout.
Click on the Video for a great parent resource and insight into youth sports participation
Every season we have to say goodbye to our graduating Seniors from the Boys and Girls.
Many of the players graduating have been with the club from their Foundation Phase years, and we are proud to have been part of their soccer journey through their childhood. We wish them all the very best of luck with their futures, and look forward to seeing them on the field again when they visit during their holidays, and look forward to hearing about all of their success as they navigate adulthood.
I had a fantastic time playing with my Olympic Development Program team this year. It was a really unique and new experience for me, playing at such a high level, being with players from different teams all around NorCal, and traveling with the team.
The Olympic Development Program is a process of identifying players to represent the State in Camps and events, with those further identified being selected for National Camps
Although I went into tryouts and games feeling a little nervous, it was easy to settle in and get comfortable playing with welcoming teammates and coaches. One of the biggest challenges was adapting to the quicker and more physical game at that level, and it was pretty frightening at first.
ODP is a collection of identified players from across Northern and Central California, coming together to represent the State.
However, playing soccer with Fremont YSC for over 7 years, working our way through the bronze bracket to state premier as a team allowed me to keep up with and perform even at such a high level of play and the pressure that comes with adapting to it. Being in a competitive environment within the club and the training and support provided by coach Gavin and other coaches really helped me stay driven, compete, and perform well during the tryouts. In addition to bringing the skills I had learned and developed over the years to the team, I felt it was a great experience to see how different players play, and I was able to experience new playing styles and formations.
An ODP team is a collection of players. This underpins the importance of the individuals development and not the team, As we highlight in our Parent Workshops, it’s the individuals journey, and Johan Cruyffs important quote about the individual learning, teams don’t learn, it’s the individual within the team.
In addition to playing with other State ODP Teams in Oregon, there were also friendly scrimmages with other teams such as Sacramento Republic during practices. These scrimmages gave everyone in the player pool an opportunity to show their talent and ability, and play with the team even if they aren’t on the travel roster. One of my favorite things about the program is how we hung out a lot even outside the games as a team during the trip. I really enjoyed being a part of Cal North ODP and I look forward to continuing trying out and staying with the program in the future!
The clubs commitment and vision is to supporting the foundations needed, game intelligence, and creativity, to give players the chance and opportunity to work towards representing the State in these programs. A winning team or a playing bracket does not get selected for these higher level programs, nor do they prepare you for the occasion. It is the individuals dedication, commitment, and desire to learn, in a learning environment. Early burnout sees too many young athletes not make to these more important ages of sports performance. Barghav is a great example of the importance of fun, age appropriate environments, and process focused coaching, to support the individual player.
I had a fantastic time playing with my Olympic Development Program team this year. It was a really unique and new experience for me, playing at such a high level, being with players from different teams all around NorCal, and traveling with the team.
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