What is the competitive playing program in 2007/2008?
In September 2007, the club will field Boys and Girls U11 (date of birth 8/1/96-7/31/97) and U10 teams (8/1/97-7/31/98).
The U11 teams will play in U12 at the highest level in the Long Island Junior Soccer League. We are investigating playing league games in midweek, under lights. League games will be supplemented periodically by weekend matches against strong clubs from outside Long Island.
The U11 teams will enter regional tournaments and will host their own tournaments.
The U10 teams will have a series of matches against strong local teams, including LIJSL ODP teams.
We are investigating a European tour in the summer of 2008, to coincide with Euro 2008.
Who will coach the teams?
The teams will be coached by college coaches – the best coaches on Long Island. In 2006-2007, this past year these included Richard Nuttall of Hofstra, Sue Ryan of Stony Brook University and Linda Hamilton of the 1991 Women’s World Cup Championship Team. Other college coaches are lined up to coach new teams as they are formed. All coaches will have the best coaching licenses and credentials available.
How will this coaching be different?
Your son or daughter would not enter a school classroom where the teacher decided the night before class what was to be taught. And, in an academic setting, you know, for example, that all kids should have learned a skill such as reading by second grade at the latest. You should also expect the same type of standards and milestones in soccer training. But it is not usually clear what needs to be learned by what age.
If you truly want your son or daughter to develop to his or her fullest potential, it is important for them to have started the correct type of development by age 11. The age 10 -12 is considered the golden age - “The Age of Technical Skill” and there are certain skills that must be mastered in that time frame How does Long Island United do this?
- Strong curriculum. Young boys and girls need to be introduced to certain skills and techniques in a progressive and planned way. Our coaches know what needs to be taught and when, based on our own experience and supplemented with our Liverpool curriculum. All our training sessions are devised well in advance to introduce a different skill or technique, according to a well-planned curriculum.
- We use the same training exercises and methods that are used in leading Soccer Academies. Our coaches don’t just know what and when to teach, they also know how to effectively teach each individual skill. Any training session may have 5 elements: warm up, uncontested skill practice, contested skill practice, employing the skill in a game, warm down. But how should these skills should be taught and in what order? What are the best training techniques to teach the skill? Our coaches know the answers.
- Individual coaching. This program is all about individual development. The program will include individual sessions with coaches, assessments of strengths and weaknesses and individualized home work for skills improvement. Part of this program will include the use of video.
- Innovative use of the web. The program will use state of the art technology. For example, players can go to the password protected part of the website to view video of each of the 15 Phase 1 Dribbling moves and how to master them at home. As another example, each week, using a revolutionary Scandinavian program, the coaches will post moves and tactics to a website which allows the move to be viewed from 8 different angles. Players can prepare for practices and review them online after the practice!
- Visiting top coach series. Who is the Director of the most successful English Academy? This year Steve Heighway of Liverpool visited our program to do a clinic and he’ll be back in the Fall. Who is the youngest holder of the prestigious UEFA Pro coaching license (the highest qualification in the world)? This year Simon Davey visited our program to give a clinic. Which coach has placed the most boys into the English Premier League since 2000? We hope to have this coach with us in the Fall. Which goalkeeper made the most famous save in World Cup finals? We hope he too will be with us. Each of these top coaches brings a unique perspective to our learning environment.
How does sports science play a role?
How long should a training session be? How frequent should training sessions be? Should fitness training play a part and how much is needed? When should you eat before a game and what should you eat? What role does sleep play? How long should you take to recover from a specific injury? What is the right ratio of games to training sessions? How do you measure how effective a training session is? What do Premiership Soccer players eat before a game? At half time? How can I improve my child’s commitment? How can I “toughen them up”?
Have you ever wondered about the real answers to these questions? One of the best young sports scientists in Europe, David Kelly of Barnsley Football Club, recently visited one of our training sessions to share both his views and his research into these issues. If your individual questions are not answered in our sports science module, you will have direct email access to get them answered! Never again will you be unsure about you child’s approach to a game.
Where will our home games and practices be played?
The exact venues of our games for u11 will depend on the geographical composition of our teams and players, but facilities will include: Peter C. Collins Soccer Park, Hofstra, Stony Brook and a private Long Island school.
The new u10 teams will also train and play at the college or colleges where their coaching staff are based and sometimes at the Peter Collins Soccer Park in Plainview.
How much will this program cost?
Our goal is to have the program cost no more than the average club program. The annual cost will be $800 a year, or $400 for each of the two seasons in a year. Players will pay extra costs for tournaments. Liverpool will provide our uniforms, but there will be a charge of $95 for a ball, warm up suit and team bag.
We also have a policy of “no player left behind”. Scholarships will be awarded to qualifying players based on need.
What roles will parents play in this team?
While all decisions regarding training, selection and playing will be taken by the coaches, parents will have active roles. Team Administrators, Liverpool Relationship Manager, Fixture Secretary, Manager of the Visiting Coach Program, Communications Coordinator and other roles will all be filled in the fall.
How will players be selected for the teams?
There will be tryouts at Peter C. Collins Soccer Park in May. There will be tryouts every year to remain in the teams.
How many kids are you looking for?
At U11, the number of players will be controlled by the roster size of the teams. We can take up to 18 players on a roster, but we will probably take fewer. We have the capacity to take two teams of boys and two teams of girls, though we may take only one of each.
At U10 level, we are constrained only by the number of players who we believe are of the required standard.
Can my child play for both his/her current club team and Long Island United? Do you really expect him/her to leave his current club?
All members of the U11 teams will be playing for Long Island United in the LIJSL in the fall. It will not be possible for U11 players to continue to play for their current club team since players cannot be on two LIJSL teams at the same time. Long Island United players will be allowed to play on State ODP Teams, if selected. We recognize that this will be a difficult choice for parents, but to build the program we envisage, to the true benefit of the players, we believe the players have to be committed to Long Island United first and foremost. The Liverpool Academy coaches recommend this approach.
At U10, the program will be focused on skills and training, not on competitive LIJSL team play, so players will be allowed to continue to play with their current teams as they sample Long Island United.
Is there an advantage to joining the program now?
There is a definite advantage to joining the program now. Going forward, the coaches will make every effort to retain players who they believe are teachable and have potential for the future. At any one time, the Long Island United players might not be the best group of players at that moment in time, but they will be the group the coaches believe have the best potential to develop. For example, if a boy was exceptionally tall and strong and scored 3 goals a week with his head, he may not be chosen against a smaller boy who had mastered the 15 Phase 1 dribbling skills. Sooner or later, size will even out, but it is very difficult to master technical skills after the Golden Age.
Secondly, we expect to see dramatic improvement in the core players, as they learn age appropriate techniques and skills. Players hoping to join at a later date may have developed the wrong skill set.
And finally, as with any team, the number of slots opening up for new players in the future may be limited, no matter how good the player.
If I join Long Island United now and later leave, will my child have missed the chance to be on another good team? Is there a risk to joining Long Island United?
NO. We expect all former Long Island United players will be strong enough to play for most age appropriate teams. Most good teams always retain a spot on the roster for exceptional players. All good competitive teams have annual tryouts and kids drop out of the best teams all the time. We will make a concerted effort to help place former Long Island United players with the team of their choice. If players move to different states or countries, our network of contacts will help them find the best club for them.
Is there an educational advantage to this program?
YES. There are certain elements of this program that provide a distinct advantage when pursuing college soccer scholarships. Firstly, the kids will have been brought up in an environment managed by college coaches. Our coaches not only know the other college coaches, but they know the strengths and weaknesses of each college program. They can match individual skills to individual colleges.
References to any college program will be very strong. They will come from fellow college coaches and potentially from coaches with the Liverpool Academy. And, of course, it doesn’t harm a college application to mention that you have been selected to attend the Liverpool Academy!
Pat Grecco who is the region's most experienced and successful soccer college choice expert will be the LI United's Education Officer to help parents and kids think through these issues (and even issues relating to homework) at a very early age. The coaches will carry out academic monitoring just as they do with their own college players.
How do I try out for Long Island United?
Tryouts take place throughout May. Kick here for the online registration form
What about players that get missed?
The number of players that get missed should be minimal as the selection process will be the most comprehensive anywhere. However, there will be a constant review process. Clubs and coaches will be able to request that the Long Island United staff come to assess players who may have been missed or who are new to the area or, show dramatic improvement. The online player recognition system will continue and if a player is being identified by a number of club coaches they will also be assessed. If applicable these players will be invited to train with Long Island United in order that they do not miss out.
Will players have to try-out every year?
Yes, players will have to maintain and earn their place in the program ever year. There will be a continual assessment and review procedure and players will meet on a regular basis with the coaching staff to review progress.
Will the Long Island United present program replace the present LI ODP Select Program?
It is envisaged that the vast majority of players who would represent Long Island United are presently well above the level of the present ODP Select teams. It could be the case that ODP Select remains in place to support the second “tier” of Long Island player. The advantage here is that at the stage when the teams are pared down to two, those players that do not make the two Long Island United teams would still have a place to represent Long Island. However, this will be a decision that is taken by the LIJSL in one to two years time.
How will the program be financed?
The initial primary financial resource will be annual fees paid by the families of each player. In general terms it seems that the program cost will be in the upper mid range of what is presently on offer. Depending on the level of sponsorship we expect this to be approximately $800 per year. That is far less expensive than the most expensive programs that are presently available on Long Island but more expensive than those at the bottom end of the scale.
Within twelve to eighteen months corporate and private sponsorship will be actively sought to help underwrite the program. The eventual aim is that 35% of the program would be underwritten by corporate or private funding.
What if a player cannot afford the program?
Any player who is selected for the program will have the opportunity to apply to the Board of Directors for a full or partial assistance. Initially, these scholarships will be provided by an endowment from the LIJSL. Eventually, corporate and individual scholarship will provide all of the scholarships required for these players.
No player will ever be turned away from the program on economic grounds.
What will the fees cover?
All coaching and trainer fees
Indoors and outdoors training
Annual training camps
Official uniforms and outerwear
All registration fees and insurance
This project will not work without the cooperation of commercial coaching companies?
The LIJSL believes that the scope of this project should eventually embrace the work of the qualified commercial coaching companies. They hold an expansive level of soccer expertise and have been an integral part of the development of soccer in this area to its present level. This arrangement would create a unifying identity to soccer in Long Island between the LIJSL, Long Island clubs and the commercial coaching companies
All of the major commercial companies were approached by the LIJSL to be involved in this project . An open meeting was held to discuss the whole project and answer any questions or concerns. Some companies expressed that they did not wish to be involved, others supported the idea and others remain undecided. The door remains open for any and all of the commercial companies whose staff have the agreed coaching qualifications and experience plus willingness to work with Long Island United’s Board of Directors and LIJSL rules to be involved.
Will players be allowed to play High School soccer?
The LIJSL feels that it is important that players are able to enjoy playing with their peers and that although the standard at high school soccer can be a little erratic it is a valuable social and athletic experience and would encourage participation.
Will players be allowed to play other sports?
At the younger ages (u10 – u13) the LIJSL feels that it is advantageous for players to participate in other sports, clubs, groups etc. from both an athletic and social development point of view.
It is however envisaged that around u13 players who remain with the program will begin to see soccer as their primary sport and will not have the time to be involved in other sports if they are to remain at the high level of expectation.
Similarly, the LIJSL feels that it is important that players are provided with completely soccer free time each year so that they may enjoy vacations with their families and receive a total rest from soccer. By all internationally regarded youth policies and standards premier youth players on Long Island presently play far too much soccer and in doing so actually endanger their physical well being and future college careers.
