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Section I. PLAYERS FIRST - WINNING SECOND
A. PURPOSE - The purpose of this Section is to set the overall tone of the WCSC soccer program.
B. YOUR COACHING OBJECTIVE - As a coach, one of the most important decisions you will make concerns the overall objective you seek. Will your objective be:
1) to have a winning team, 2) to have fun, or 3) to help young players develop physically, psychologically, and socially? WCSC encourages each coach to adopt the philosophy of "Players First - Winning Second"[1]. That is, as a coach, every decision you make and every behavior you display should be based FIRST on what is best for your players, and SECOND, on what may improve the team's chances of winning.
C. WORDS vs ACTIONS - Our society places a great deal of importance on winning. While it is easy to agree to the idea players first - winning second, putting it into action is often difficult. Some coaches who say winning is least important don't behave that way when they coach. When coaches play only their best players, when they play injured players, or when they scream disparaging remarks at players who have erred, they obviously believe winning is more important than player development. It has been suggested that the competitive aspect of the soccer program be eliminated and replaced with cooperative games. However, we believe that competition is good in many ways if applied properly. It is the way we compare our abilities and efforts with others. The element of competition in sports can help young people develop morally; to learn a basic code of sportsmanship that transfers to a moral code of life. Whether competition is "healthy" depends on how we compete and what significance we place on the end result. Problems occur most when coaches or parents lose perspective and winning becomes of primary importance.
It is important to remember that WCSC recreational teams are formed by neighborhood without regard to individual ability. Players on a team will normally possess a wide range of athletic ability from quite a bit to almost none. A team's potential for winning (particularly at the U8 and U10 level) will depend more on the athletic ability of the players comprising the team than any other factor (such as coaching skill). It is improper to penalize a recreational player by reducing his or her playing time because of his/her lack of ability. We must also keep in mind that the true Competitive Soccer Program begins at the under 12 level. This is because it has been determined that the majority of players younger than this age group are not emotionally and socially ready to deal with the pressure of a truly competitive environment. As Roy Rees, the U.S. under 17 National Team Coach, states, "young children are not miniature adults."
One coach stated in his letter requesting to coach a competitive team: "My goals in coaching soccer are to: 1) promote sportsmanship; 2) make soccer fun and interesting to all; 3) develop fully the technical and tactical skills of each player; 4) prepare each player both physically and mentally so they will be able to perform at their full potential; 5) mold the players, given their individual talents, into a team which functions as a single unit in which no one player or position appears to be any more important than any other." He went on to state that if you do these five things well, winning will take care of itself.
D. REFEREES - Refereeing soccer games is about making decisions. Was the charge fair or foul? Was the hand ball intentional, or was the ball just kicked into a players hand? Did the high kick endanger another player? Was the player with the ball charged, or did he fall because he was off balance? These are just some of the decisions that a referee must make during a game. On average, the referee must make three decisions per minute, for the duration of the game. Even for the 48 minutes of an under-8 game, that amounts to 144 decisions. It is also important to realize that the referee does not have an omnipotent view of the game which allows him to see every foul. Most of our referees do an incredible job of serving the club. We know they do their best to see that the game is safe and enjoyable for the players. We urge you to try to make the referee's experience enjoyable too. Thank them when they are finished with your game. If you think they did a good job, tell them. If you think they may have missed a few calls, don't help them out (they probably know it anyway). Refereeing, like life, is a learning process. We all could use an education.
E. COACHING ASSISTANCE - As a Club, we are interested in the physical, psychological, and social development of all players. To increase each coaches proficiency at coaching and teaching soccer skills, we encourage you to take an OSA coach's certification course. While time is required on your part, WCSC is willing to cover the cost of the course. We believe the return is worth the investment. In addition, if a coach needs assistance in dealing with a coaching situation, whatever the nature, please contact the Director of Coaching, Coaches Coordinator, or any board member. We recognize that the strength and success of this program lies with the coaches. We will help in whatever way we can. Just ask!
F. SETTING A POSITIVE IMAGE - The Club wants to promote a healthy, positive image for the youth within the program and several items are not condoned by the Club. With this positive image in mind, coaches, parents, referees, and players should refrain from the use of tobacco products, alcohol, or foul language when they are directly involved in WCSC events, which includes soccer practices and games. Firearms, knives, and controlled substances (or drugs) are also prohibited at WCSC events.
(1) Taken from Coaching Young Athletes, Rainer Martens,etal, Human Kinetics Publishers Inc.