As 2011 begins it is time to go over a few important items for the upcoming spring season as well as fill you in on some exciting happenings from the Fall Season.
Player & Team Evaluations-
Part of the development process as a player and a team is receiving feedback from coaches and staff. Similar to what occurs in the educational system, the SLSG Metro staff has implemented an evaluation procedure that has each player in the Under 9-18 age brackets receive a minimum of two written evaluations during the soccer season. By now ALL boys & girls players in those age groups should have received from their team coach a written evaluation based upon their fall season. If for some reason you have not seen your evaluation I strongly encourage you to contact your coach and check on the status.
In addition to the written evaluation ALL boys & girls players in the U12-18 age groups (from the fall season) should have gone through a personal player/coach conference in person. Similar to a parent/teacher conference, these evaluations allow for feedback in a format where questions can be answered immediately and feedback can be solicited from the player. If you have not received a personal player/coach conference please contact your team coach immediately and schedule it.
Just as important as the individual player feedback is team feedback. Team coaches should have also sent their players/parents a simple team evaluation report that went into some detail about the fall season and plans for the soccer development for the upcoming spring.
Any questions on the Player & Team Evaluation process please feel free to contact me. Also, a second evaluation will take place in April of this year.
Spring Tournaments-
As you begin writing in tournaments on your family calendar on the refrigerator or place them on your iPhone you may wonder “why are we going to this tournament?” Back in December the Staff of SLSG Metro began planning the competitive calendar for ALL teams for the Spring 2011 season. As we sorted through the various schedules a number of factors were considered.
· Timing. Playing a tournament in March is very good for some teams, but not others. Getting out of the gate with an early event isn’t for everybody.
· Local. Simply put SLSG has great tournaments with great competition. Staying local in other events allows us to see other area teams we don’t always see in our league games.
· You Help Us, We Help You. In the world of youth soccer tournaments, reciprocation is key. Clubs help each other with tournaments. We have relationships with a number of the top clubs in the country. They send teams to our events and we in turn send teams to theirs.
· Coaching Conflicts. For those teams who have a coach who coaches more than one team, having a schedule that allows for maximum time with each team is a major consideration.
· Soccer. What is the best soccer environment for our players & teams. Sometimes that means playing more local tournaments, sometimes not. No reason to attend a tournament at a fancy facility, with a fancy hotel, if the competition isn’t right. After all it’s about the players & team, not families having a small vacation.
Selecting an appropriate calendar that flows for maximum development is the priority and a lot of time and effort goes into putting it all together.
Club Training-
This winter the club will host 4 Club Training sessions for ALL players in the Under 8-12 Age Groups. These are important opportunities for players to get in some extra touches and time on the ball. This spring as in the fall season the club will host 8 Club Training sessions as well in those age groups. Please note that RSVP is required so that we can have the appropriate Staff at the sessions.
2011-12 Tryouts-
While the exact dates and times of tryouts have yet to be finalized, we do know that tryouts will begin June 1, 2011.
Young Soccer Players Wanting More-
Know of a group of 3,4,5,6 year olds who are looking for some specific soccer training? Have a younger sibling who can’t wait to put on the SLSG Metro shirt?! Let us know. We have been able to work/train with some different younger teams/groups of players over the past few years and we welcome any opportunities to do so again. Know about a group of aspiring soccer players looking for more, give us a heads up and we’ll contact them for some chances to practice and play the SLSG Metro Way.
Spring Training-
It is expected that U11 and below teams will begin regular training calendars in March. In addition as the weather permits teams may begin to get some sessions in during the month of February.
Where Does This All End Up?-
Wondering sometimes on where this soccer thing ends up? Visit the Metro Blog for updates on team success, including teams going to Nationals, getting promoted to the Premier Division of the Midwest Regional League, videos of training, interviews with Alumni, and other tidbits from Dale Schilly. Visit http://stlouisscottgallagher.blogspot.com/ to check it all out.
As always thanks for your support of SLSG Metro and we look forward to an exciting and rewarding spring season.
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