13-0. What do you think?

France opened the 2019 Women’s World Cup with a 4-0 win over Korea Republic. Spain, Norway, and Brazil also scored three goals each in their opening matches. The USA wanted to make a statement in their opening match against Thailand. With their 13-0 win, the American women didn’t just make a statement. They closed the […]

We are going to be good at throw-ins and goal kicks: Part II

Scaffolding and the Zone of Proximal Development In education, we have learned to scaffold the learning process for our children in order to create a more effective teaching environment.  Scaffolding is the belief that in certain instances some elements of a skill are beyond the current ability of the learner, and the only way for […]

We are going to be good at throw-ins and goal kicks: Part I

This article digs into the science of education and of coaching methodologies.  This was done to prove the point with peer-reviewed, empirically developed theories.  It was not meant to be a rant, but rather as a review of legislative decisions from another perspective and a kick-start to begin a discussion of what we can do […]

Fewer Headers, More Footers

On Monday, U.S. Soccer announced new initiatives aimed at improving safety with respect to head injuries in soccer. The policy sets strict limits on youth players heading the ball. These initiatives come in response to and serve as a resolution to a proposed class-action lawsuit filed against U.S. Soccer in August of 2014. U.S. Soccer […]

I have no idea what is going on with the new field sizes…

I have gotten this comment a lot in the last few weeks, and as a club Executive Director, and also a coach, the people asking me want to know more than the simple details or logistics.  Most parents asking me are trying to figure how the new field and rosters will affect their children, why […]

USSF Makes Major changes to Youth Soccer

There are major changes coming to youth soccer which will impact every youth player, team, club, organization and league.  For many years the US Soccer Federation (USSF) has been developing and planning a strategy to address the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) process within soccer in our country.  They have identified two areas that they are changing which […]

A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT!

Hello there! Hope your season is going well and that your children are enjoying themselves! What I wouldn’t give to be able to be that age and participate in youth sports again! On this NFTP edition, I wanted to take a moment to bring everyone up to speed on changes that are coming to the […]