Hosted by: Robert Hay and Coach Reed “Shot Happens, but it doesn’t have to ruin all the fun.” Shot Happens is a podcast all about the trials and t
Hosted by: Robert Hay and Coach Reed
“Shot Happens, but it doesn’t have to ruin all the fun.”
Shot Happens is a podcast all about the trials and tribulations of youth soccer in America. Show hosts Coach Reed (the Cranky Veteran) and Robert Hay (the Thoughtful Rookie) discuss the hot topics all soccer parents face. No shots are held as they tell all and help you navigate the wild world of competitive soccer.
– I wanted to name this “No Viking Clap, Just an American Face Plant” Or “…but it’s always been done this way”
We tried to bury this episode in the deepest hole we could find and never speak of it again, but then the US went and lost to T&T in the World Cup Qualifiers. Everyone wants to start talking about what went wrong this year. It’s been wrong for decades and many of us are fed up with charging windmills to get the right people to listen.
Everything we ‘rant’ about in this episode, recorded in August, suddenly takes on new meaning.
We touch on grassroots support, putting more resources to the base of the pyramid, not cutting kids at the youngest ages and artificially thinning the “talent pool”, “over-eliting” the game, and sacrificing the 99% for a few men to wear the badge. We hold no punches and will probably need to move to Iceland after this episode – they seem to be doing it the way we want it.
Look, here is the biggest issue. There is push back on a lot of these ideas. We are not the only two people who feel there is need for a change and we point to Norway, Sweden and Iceland as proof. The FA is even changing its coaching education focus. Those who push back the hardest have the most to lose, but think about this – if we are right you get a larger talent pool, with better development, playing longer and with passion (our MNT has lacked that) and better outcomes. So you would benefit, and you can take all the credit. We don’t care. Just stop the insanity.
29:00 is where the fun starts
37:00 is when all h-e-double…you know, it gets ugly.
