Developing a Model Soccer Club

By Robert Parr, Terry Eguaoje, Ed.D., Tom Condone and Matt Fansher

More than anyplace else, player development occurs (or breaks down) at the club level. With this in mind, soccer organizations should make it a top priority to study the best practices of other soccer clubs and work to bring these practices to their own members.

This book examines eight critical components of the "Model Soccer Club", and provides specific examples and guidance for each element that will allow you to separate your club from your competitors. All clubs, regardless of size, history, or geographic location, will benefit greatly as they apply the principles detailed by the authors in this groundbreaking text.

As a group, the authors (Robert Parr, Terry Eguaoje, Tom Condone, and Matt Fansher) represent 65 years of collective experience in coaching and administration of soccer programs. Whether you are a parent trying to ensure your child is in the right environment as a soccer player, a coach who wants to understand the key steps to take as players develop, or an administrator responsible for the operations of a soccer club, this book will provide you with invaluable guidance that will challenge many of your assumptions and put you and your club on the path to success!

• Language: English
• Publisher: SoccerROM LLC
• Release date: Nov 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301994816

Robert Parr

Robert Parr holds a USSF 'A' license, NSCAA Premier Diploma, and a USSF National Youth Coaching license. He is currently the Director of Coaching for the Arkansas State Soccer Association, and an Associate Instructor for both US Youth Soccer and the NSCAA. Previously, he served as the Director of Coaching and WPSL Head Coach for the Puerto Rico Capitals FC, the first international franchise to compete in the Women's Premier Soccer League. From 2003-2008, he was the Head Women's Soccer Coach at Georgia College & State University and also coached for the Georgia State Soccer Association Olympic Development Program.From 1995-2002, Robert was the Director of Training for the American Soccer Club "Eagles" youth program in Austin, Texas (now known as Lonestar SC). He also served as the South Texas Men's State Team Coach from 1996-1998, and a South Texas YSA State Staff Coach for both the Olympic Development Program (1991-1999) and the Coaching Education Program (1991-2002). From 1989 until 1995, Robert was the Head Coach of the University of Texas Men's Soccer Team, where he led the program to a National Collegiate Club Championship in 1990, three other National Tournament appearances, and an overall record of 80-25-16.

Book preview

Developing a Model Soccer Club

Understanding and Implementing

Best Practices for Club Wellness

Written by Robert Parr, Terry Eguaoje, Ed.D., Tom Condone, and Matt Fansher

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 by SoccerROM LLC

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License Notes

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, and except for use in a review, the reproduction or utilization of this book in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, and in any information storage and retrieval system, is forbidden without written permission of the authors or their designee.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Front cover photo credits

(counterclockwise from the top)

Houston Dynamo vs. Colorado Rapids, photographed 19 April 2009 by Chris Mojo Denbow. Derivative work distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Youth Soccer in Indiana, photographed 17 September 2005 by Derek Jensen. Photo released by copyright holder into the public domain.

A Soccer Referee Crew, photographed 24 May 2008 by W. Jarrett Campbell. Derivative work distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Trophy Room of Club Nacional de Football, photographed 26 November 2011 by Robert Parr. Derivative work distributed with permission of the author.

Back cover photo credits

(clockwise from the top)

Balls in a Line, photographed 2 August 2012 by John Neuman. Derivative work distributed with permission of the photographer.

Oriana Watching (Girls Playing Soccer), photographed 25 July 2009 by Justin Warner. Derivative work distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Ambassador Murphy Poses with Local School Teams, photographed 6 July 2011 by Heiko Herold. Photo released by the United States Department of State into the public domain.

SAS Soccer Park, photographed 25 April 2007 by W. Jarrett Campbell. Derivative work distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

US Navy vs FC Missile Match Action, photographed 17 September 2008 by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Marc Rockwell-Pate. Photo released by the United States federal government into the public domain.

Contents

Introduction

Components of a Model Club

Programming

Player Development

Coaching

Parent Education

Refereeing

Administration

Facilities

Community Engagement

Appendix A—Club Analysis Worksheets

Appendix B—Sample Budget Categories

Appendix C—References

About the Authors

Introduction

We need to question every single ritual and habit. And we need to do it continuously—and not just in football. Reforms don't happen in phases. They need to be part of an ongoing process.

– Jürgen Klinnsman

Purpose and Background Details

The concept of the model club has been discussed and debated by soccer experts and enthusiasts for many years, but few organizations have attempted to guide the growth of their member clubs in any significant, formal manner. Recently, though, a number of state soccer associations have launched initiatives to guide the development of their member associations, and we are now seeing more specific guidance from soccer's national governing bodies regarding the ideal practices and policies to be implemented by clubs. Among other efforts:

US Soccer publishes an annual rating of each Development Academy Club that includes an analysis of how each program is performing relative to a set of national standards.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) offers its Club Standards Project to provide consulting services to clubs across the country.

US Club Soccer has developed a Youth Club Standards document that defines three separate performance levels for its member clubs.

US Youth Soccer has published the Player Development Model document that details a curriculum for player development and highlights other best practices for youth soccer clubs.

More than anyplace else, player development occurs (or breaks down) at the club level. With this in mind, soccer organizations should make club and league development a top strategic priority, since healthy, well-run clubs are a prerequisite to effective player development on a large scale.

To accelerate the development of soccer throughout the United States, we have developed a comprehensive program that encourages clubs to:

Engage in critical self-analysis of their existing programs and services

Adopt a commitment to pursue excellence in all aspects of club operations

Identify key areas for internal investment and development

Establish specific goals, action plans, and timelines for improvement

Monitor and measure achievements relative to these action plans on a periodic basis

This program should assist forward-looking clubs by setting operational standards derived from documented best-practices, as detailed throughout this book. With this framework in place, we hope that clubs will embrace these standards as part of a continuous cycle of assessment and improvement.

Core Principles

The characteristics of the model club should set a very high standard, and will likely describe no club that actually exists anywhere. Even a club that does nothing more than read the description of the model club should benefit by gaining greater insight regarding the impact of each element of a club's operations on the others, along with an expanded awareness of the types of services that successful clubs should be providing on a routine basis.

Similarly, a typical youth club should not be expected to provide all (or even most) of the features outlined in this document. Some items on the checklist may be mandatory to achieve certification, but many others will be presented as optional, or perhaps as necessary to achieve a higher