Post by cjeagle on Sept 21, 2012 13:00:33 GMT 8
Here is an article written by Coach Gary White of the Guam national team. Coach White has a good reputation here in the US of developing programs at the youth level as well as helping small Caribbean nations improve rapidly as a national coach. He has been involved with both the USSF as well as MLS in helping structure their youth development programs and is very well respected because of this. He has a very organized and structured program to help develop players from the grassroots level. In the short period he has been at the helm as Guam national coach he has helped the team improve rapidly in the FIFA rankings using mostly local Guam players with a few added players from the US mainland with Guam ties. His biweekly articles should be required reading for PFF and other officials(including those at the regional level) who are involved in developing their respective football programs.
www.guampdn.com/article/20120916/SPORTS/209160305/GFA-maps-out-stages-Guam-s-elite-players
The Guam Football Association's technical department, in partnership with the youth and adult soccer clubs as well as key stakeholders, has recently implemented a national elite player pathway that takes both a common-sense and player-centered approach to developing the soccer potential of all our youth players here in Guam.
This long-term development plan is necessary for any sport to track the progression of our local athletes, as well as find appropriate outlets for next-stage development, whether it is something offered in Guam or through international opportunities.
The national elite player pathway is progressive, coherent and challenging, and will allow young players to reach their potential. Following the GFA long-term players development plan, "the game grows with the player." The national elite player pathway sets out principles and guidelines on how to matriculate and reach the level that each player may be challenged. The last thing we want is to create a glass ceiling where local athletes develop a false sense of security in their abilities on island and later fail to assimilate to the pace of the game on an international stage.
•Foundation stage -- GFA youth soccer clubs and leagues: Our youth soccer clubs are the backbone to all we do in player development as they are the first place our players learn to love the game and develop socially as well as technically.
In order to further develop our youth soccer clubs, the GFA also is investing in coaching education courses at the grassroots level. I recently held a daylong coaching session with coaches at all levels from the different clubs, including first-time coaches. After a classroom portion of the session, the coaches also took part in a practical session. The coaches who finished the session earned a GFA "E" coaching license.
•Formative stage -- GFA national academy: The national academy is the introduction toward becoming an elite player. Players are individually selected by certified coaches to join this prestigious program. Once in the program, the young participants train five days a week, 32 weeks a year in the most modern, age-appropriate elite environment.
The academy focuses on individual development both on the pitch and off the pitch. Though the academy does not necessarily focus on the formation of teams, the academy eventually will act as a feeder program for Guam's youth national teams.
•Future -- GFA national youth teams: Guam's youth national teams are composed of the very best young talented players who are chosen to compete against other countries at the international youth level.
As a member nation of the East Asian Football Federation, Asian Football Confederation and FIFA, the GFA has sent Guam's youth national teams to compete against the best from around the region in competitions and festivals that have included Asian heavyweights Japan and Korea Republic.
Our youth national teams have found success in various competitions, with the under-13 girls' tournament being the most recent. Some of the same players from that under-13 team are trying out for the under-16 national team, which will compete in the AFC Women's U16 Tournament qualifier in November in Guam. With the young girls' international experience, combined with daily training in the national academy program and with under-16 head coach Kristin Thompson, they are poised to contribute greatly on the field alongside their older counterparts.
•Further -- college and professional opportunities: Outstanding players who have matriculated through these aforementioned GFA programs will be identified and placed on a college or professional path utilizing the association's connections with college and professional club institutions and organizations.
Obviously, players need to be elite in both their athletic and academic abilities, especially those with college scholarship aspirations. One example is high school senior Christian Schweizer, who was given the opportunity to travel to England this past summer to participate in a training session with Exeter City FC, a professional English club. This was arranged through a personal contact of mine, and future collaborations with the club are likely with the right elite youth players from Guam.
•Final -- senior national teams, the Matao or Masakåda: To represent the country at the senior level is every young player's dream. Players who are selected for the men's national team (the Matao) or the women's national team (the Masakåda) represent Guam at FIFA, AFC and EAFF competitions, including FIFA World Cup qualification tournaments.
The future of Guam soccer is here and the GFA is taking the necessary steps to make sure our athletes find ways to reach their potential.
______________
Notice how much involved Guam Coach White is in all aspects of Guam football development. Compare this to how little our own Coach Weiss contributes to developing local players. Coach White even helps promising young Guam athletes by sending them for training with professional English clubs to further their development. He is also providing a pathway for those who excel in their academies to pursue either professional(including to the UFL as in the case of Cunliffe and Romero) or college opportunities abroad. Guam's coach is also very active in scouting local players looking for players both at home and abroad both at the youth and senior level something that our Coach rarely does as he is dependent mostly on our foreign based contingent.
Anyways, just like Guam and other countries with mature development programs, we need to develop a national training academy as well where we can train our elite athletes year round as described above to prepare for international youth competitions, and not just gather them together a few weeks or months prior to a competition.
Guam is a tiny island with a very small sports budget, even smaller than ours I believe, but by hiring the right people to run their program, they have been able to achieve in a short period of time a football development program that in my opinion is much better structured and organized than ours.
The only thing that they lack which we are now developing, is a local competitive professional or semi pro league where their players can further develop and unfortunately because of their size, limited population and financial base will be hard to attain at least compared to what the UFL has already achieved and will eventually become.
www.guampdn.com/article/20120916/SPORTS/209160305/GFA-maps-out-stages-Guam-s-elite-players
The Guam Football Association's technical department, in partnership with the youth and adult soccer clubs as well as key stakeholders, has recently implemented a national elite player pathway that takes both a common-sense and player-centered approach to developing the soccer potential of all our youth players here in Guam.
This long-term development plan is necessary for any sport to track the progression of our local athletes, as well as find appropriate outlets for next-stage development, whether it is something offered in Guam or through international opportunities.
The national elite player pathway is progressive, coherent and challenging, and will allow young players to reach their potential. Following the GFA long-term players development plan, "the game grows with the player." The national elite player pathway sets out principles and guidelines on how to matriculate and reach the level that each player may be challenged. The last thing we want is to create a glass ceiling where local athletes develop a false sense of security in their abilities on island and later fail to assimilate to the pace of the game on an international stage.
•Foundation stage -- GFA youth soccer clubs and leagues: Our youth soccer clubs are the backbone to all we do in player development as they are the first place our players learn to love the game and develop socially as well as technically.
In order to further develop our youth soccer clubs, the GFA also is investing in coaching education courses at the grassroots level. I recently held a daylong coaching session with coaches at all levels from the different clubs, including first-time coaches. After a classroom portion of the session, the coaches also took part in a practical session. The coaches who finished the session earned a GFA "E" coaching license.
•Formative stage -- GFA national academy: The national academy is the introduction toward becoming an elite player. Players are individually selected by certified coaches to join this prestigious program. Once in the program, the young participants train five days a week, 32 weeks a year in the most modern, age-appropriate elite environment.
The academy focuses on individual development both on the pitch and off the pitch. Though the academy does not necessarily focus on the formation of teams, the academy eventually will act as a feeder program for Guam's youth national teams.
•Future -- GFA national youth teams: Guam's youth national teams are composed of the very best young talented players who are chosen to compete against other countries at the international youth level.
As a member nation of the East Asian Football Federation, Asian Football Confederation and FIFA, the GFA has sent Guam's youth national teams to compete against the best from around the region in competitions and festivals that have included Asian heavyweights Japan and Korea Republic.
Our youth national teams have found success in various competitions, with the under-13 girls' tournament being the most recent. Some of the same players from that under-13 team are trying out for the under-16 national team, which will compete in the AFC Women's U16 Tournament qualifier in November in Guam. With the young girls' international experience, combined with daily training in the national academy program and with under-16 head coach Kristin Thompson, they are poised to contribute greatly on the field alongside their older counterparts.
•Further -- college and professional opportunities: Outstanding players who have matriculated through these aforementioned GFA programs will be identified and placed on a college or professional path utilizing the association's connections with college and professional club institutions and organizations.
Obviously, players need to be elite in both their athletic and academic abilities, especially those with college scholarship aspirations. One example is high school senior Christian Schweizer, who was given the opportunity to travel to England this past summer to participate in a training session with Exeter City FC, a professional English club. This was arranged through a personal contact of mine, and future collaborations with the club are likely with the right elite youth players from Guam.
•Final -- senior national teams, the Matao or Masakåda: To represent the country at the senior level is every young player's dream. Players who are selected for the men's national team (the Matao) or the women's national team (the Masakåda) represent Guam at FIFA, AFC and EAFF competitions, including FIFA World Cup qualification tournaments.
The future of Guam soccer is here and the GFA is taking the necessary steps to make sure our athletes find ways to reach their potential.
______________
Notice how much involved Guam Coach White is in all aspects of Guam football development. Compare this to how little our own Coach Weiss contributes to developing local players. Coach White even helps promising young Guam athletes by sending them for training with professional English clubs to further their development. He is also providing a pathway for those who excel in their academies to pursue either professional(including to the UFL as in the case of Cunliffe and Romero) or college opportunities abroad. Guam's coach is also very active in scouting local players looking for players both at home and abroad both at the youth and senior level something that our Coach rarely does as he is dependent mostly on our foreign based contingent.
Anyways, just like Guam and other countries with mature development programs, we need to develop a national training academy as well where we can train our elite athletes year round as described above to prepare for international youth competitions, and not just gather them together a few weeks or months prior to a competition.
Guam is a tiny island with a very small sports budget, even smaller than ours I believe, but by hiring the right people to run their program, they have been able to achieve in a short period of time a football development program that in my opinion is much better structured and organized than ours.
The only thing that they lack which we are now developing, is a local competitive professional or semi pro league where their players can further develop and unfortunately because of their size, limited population and financial base will be hard to attain at least compared to what the UFL has already achieved and will eventually become.