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U.S. soccer making changes to youth set up
Posted on 8/25/15 at 5:22 pm
Posted on 8/25/15 at 5:22 pm
quote:
With youth development remaining a major priority, U.S. Soccer is making some major changes to how young players play the game.
U.S. Soccer announced Monday that the organization would be making changes related to small-sided games and birth-year registration. The changes are expected to go into effect by August 2017.
“Our number one goal is to improve our players down the road and these initiatives will help us do that,” U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team head coach and youth technical director Tab Ramos said. “With small-sided standards what we’re trying to do is to help players develop by putting them in an environment where they are constantly involved in the play and our changes in birth-year registration will make age groups easier to understand, while aligning our calendar with the international calendar.”
To start, U.S. Soccer will focus on adjusting field standards for youth players from the U-6 to U-12 age groups. Field sizes will now be based on age group, allowing players to develop more technical and game recognition skills than with previous setups.
Field dimensions and team sizes will increase from 4v4 at the U-6, U-7 and U-8 levels, 7v7 at U-9 and U-10, 9v9 at U-11 and U-12 and, finally, full 11v11 games at the U-13 level.
“Now you’re playing 4v4, 7v7, and 9v9 at a young age and chances are the players are involved a lot more in those types of games,” Ramos said. “Over a period of 10 years, there are thousands of more times that you’ve been involved in certain plays and that will speed up the process of players getting more comfortable.
“The players, by being involved in the play constantly, will learn how to make important plays, and make plays individually that can break down teams.”
In addition to field adjustments, U.S. Soccer has adjusted registration calendars to reshuffle player eligibility. Previously, U.S. Soccer was run on an August-to-July calendar, but will now implement a more traditional January-to-December listing.
The changes, U.S. Soccer says, will align birth-year registration with the international standard while also allowing the federation to better combat “relative age effect,” the idea of selecting players that are more physically mature due to early birthdays.
New changes in registration will be grandfathered in, allowing current players to play up with older age groups rather than abandoning current teams.
“I think the birth registration changes make everything easier,” Ramos said. “Over the years you go through coaching youth and people are confused about what age group they’re in, if they’re supposed to be U-15 versus U-14, because they’re born in such-and-such year, but they’re born in June. This new calendar makes things easier for everyone.
“If you’re born in a certain year you belong in that certain age group. It also gets us on the same calendar with the rest of the world, so now it becomes easier to identify for U.S. National Teams and everything else when it comes to international soccer.”
Only took us about 100 years less than the English to implement these changes.
This post was edited on 8/25/15 at 5:24 pm
Posted on 8/25/15 at 5:59 pm to cwil177
The small sided games are long overdue. It made no sense to have young kids playing in giant 11 v 11 games
Posted on 8/25/15 at 6:39 pm to cwil177
I'm happy and all that we're finally being progressive, but it's also sad that we're just now implementing some very basic programs.
Posted on 8/25/15 at 7:21 pm to cwil177
Is this just now happening? I could have sworn I heard Jurgen or it might have been Tab Ramos mention this a few months ago. Love to see it
Posted on 8/25/15 at 7:22 pm to Broski
quote:
but it's also sad that we're just now implementing some very basic programs.
It is, but this is a novel idea in terms of Americanism. Win at all costs, all that matters. If we want to win at the level that truly matters, forgetting that at youth level is critical.
Can't wait for the awesome parents who love James Harrison to make an appearance..
Posted on 8/25/15 at 11:07 pm to glassman
I'm not a fan of Jurgen's coaching but I will give him credit for the great work he has done for our youth setup.
Posted on 8/26/15 at 12:33 am to cwil177
Yeah even if he is let go as the actual manager, I wouldn't mind him still keeping this sort oversight role in US system.
Posted on 8/26/15 at 7:41 am to RTR America
This is 10 years overdue.
Posted on 8/26/15 at 8:51 am to rdw1690
quote:Its actually the opposite of what you're saying. For example, U11 and U12 currently play 8v8 on a small-sided fields. In the new program, they will play 9v9 on a larger field (hybrid size bigger than 8v8 field but smaller than 11v11 field). Its putting them on a larger field, not a smaller field and adding a player to each side. I was expecting the change to be less players on smaller fields like the futsal concept (tight spaces technical skills development).
The small sided games are long overdue. It made no sense to have young kids playing in giant 11 v 11 games
ps - the 4v4 is less players for the U7 and U8 ages though which is a good thing. Those are currently 5v5 and 6v6 typically.
This post was edited on 8/26/15 at 8:59 am
Posted on 8/26/15 at 8:55 am to cwil177
quote:The only people it doesn't make it easier for is the kids who have played with a team for the last 5,6,7 years and now those teams will be broken up. I don't mind the birth year rule at all, but I think they should have grandfathered older teams/kids and started with younger kids like U7 or U8 ages.
“Over the years you go through coaching youth and people are confused about what age group they’re in, if they’re supposed to be U-15 versus U-14, because they’re born in such-and-such year, but they’re born in June. This new calendar makes things easier for everyone.
Posted on 8/26/15 at 9:31 am to The Mick
There will be a lot of kids playing up in the first few years.
Posted on 8/26/15 at 10:21 am to Maderan
quote:There will be playups for sure but that will also cause issues within clubs. The older kids in that birth year that drop down so to speak are not going to want younger playup kids weakening their teams (generally speaking). It will resolve itself within a few years but I just think implementing it at younger ages would make more sense and have less impact on high school age kids. Our Olympic development program/teams have always used birth year for team formation along with the rest of the world so there's no real reason (that I know of) to force the birth year rule immediately on youth club level.
There will be a lot of kids playing up in the first few years.
Posted on 8/26/15 at 10:23 am to rdw1690
I'm confused. I didn't play 11v11 till u-12 I think. I did shite pretty similar to what is talked about in the article so I don't see big changes here. Other places play 11v11 at age 8?
This post was edited on 8/26/15 at 10:24 am
Posted on 8/26/15 at 10:50 am to rockchlkjayhku11
quote:No, and I agree impact will be minimal imo. U12 used to be 11v11 but it changed to 8v8 about 8-10 years ago (not sure how old you are). Right now 11v11 starts at U13. Some tournaments are independently doing 11v11 brackets for U12's as a novelty but US Youth soccer official leagues its U13. Everyone is praising Jurgen but essentially there will be one less kid on U7/8 and one extra kid on U11/12. He knows a hell of a lot more than I do though so Im not knocking it just commenting.
I'm confused. I didn't play 11v11 till u-12 I think. I did shite pretty similar to what is talked about in the article so I don't see big changes here. Other places play 11v11 at age 8?
Posted on 8/26/15 at 12:33 pm to The Mick
On a macro level I get it, but on a micro level it will hurt my son at least at first. He's a November birthday so he will be forced off his current team after 4 years and have to play with older kids and a time when there is a wide range of physical maturity (13-14 yrs old). Physically he'll catch up after a couple of years but in that first year he may not make the top team in his new age group, may not be a starter, etc...
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