What Canada Needs to Do to Become Better

[djones]

There are lots of things Canada needs to do to become better at this sport - a sport that is on the rise in this country.

The one misguided and now exposed perception in the "Canadian Soccer world" was that we were doing it right at least on the Women's side of the game. That was before the Women's World Cup. As the rest of the world caught up to the head start we had because of our gender equality in sports here in Canada, we realize that we've only taken tiny steps compared to the strides others have made - something we've witnessed for a long time on the men's side. Development (and lots of it) needs to be re-examined.

This failure at the WWC may be a blessing.

Having not to hear "why are the men so bad and the women so good" will allow the soccer community (especially the media) to finally see the soccer landscape for what it really is.

Hiring a company like Double Pass would definitely help. It did for Germany and Belgium and they are now working with countries like England, Japan and the US...3 of the 4 countries that are in the Women's semifinals. Coincidence?

https://sports.vice.com/en_us/artic...ret-in-youth-development-is-coming-to-america

I still feel the biggest obstacle is culture and the absence of a footballing culture in this country. Too many kids play without watching the game. If they do watch a game, they're not watching it with someone with any more knowledge than they have - someone who can point out what is wrong with this or that sequence of events, or the knowledge to point out the reason why Iniesta is a better footballer than Darren Mattocks and why you should aspire to play like the little Spaniard rather than the powerful Jamaican.

But something like Double Pass would be a start. A very good start.

 

[RL RCD]

There are lots of things Canada needs to do to become better at this sport - a sport that is on the rise in this country.

The one misguided and now exposed perception in the "Canadian Soccer world" was that we were doing it right at least on the Women's side of the game. That was before the Women's World Cup. As the rest of the world caught up to the head start we had because of our gender equality in sports here in Canada, we realize that we've only taken tiny steps compared to the strides others have made - something we've witnessed for a long time on the men's side. Development (and lots of it) needs to be re-examined.

This failure at the WWC may be a blessing.

Having not to hear "why are the men so bad and the women so good" will allow the soccer community (especially the media) to finally see the soccer landscape for what it really is.

Hiring a company like Double Pass would definitely help. It did for Germany and Belgium and they are now working with countries like England, Japan and the US...3 of the 4 countries that are in the Women's semifinals. Coincidence?

https://sports.vice.com/en_us/artic...ret-in-youth-development-is-coming-to-america

I still feel the biggest obstacle is culture and the absence of a footballing culture in this country. Too many kids play without watching the game. If they do watch a game, they're not watching it with someone with any more knowledge than they have - someone who can point out what is wrong with this or that sequence of events, or the knowledge to point out the reason why Iniesta is a better footballer than Darren Mattocks and why you should aspire to play like the little Spaniard rather than the powerful Jamaican.

But something like Double Pass would be a start. A very good start.

Interesting comment but I think the problem (in Canada) is much deeper than we think.

First of all, there is simply no soccer culture in Canada (and you have stated that clearly in your post). We live in a denial (after seeing how many registered players we have) and think that the large number of players will be enough for the next step. Unfortunately, soccer is still (by a large majority) seen in this country as a sport that anyone can play, a sport that every little Joe and Jane should play just to run, be on fresh air, etc.
Nothing significant (quality wise) has really changed over the last 15, 20 years with the exception that suddenly (especially during last 9,10 years) soccer has become a big, big business for some "entrepreneurs" who make a lot of money (out of soccer) while results are atrocious. What's even worse is the fact that the fees (for youth players) are getting higher and higher every year to the point that there is a significant number of players that do not play at the level they should (because parents do not want to or cannot afford to pay ridiculously high fees).
Clubs are hiring some "specialized" agencies to conduct various surveys (and ask ridiculous questions), friends and relatives often end up getting paid positions while quality soccer people are pushed aside and all that costs money, fees are going up, system has been changing literary every 2, 3 years (from intra-provincial competitions to super y to hpl, etc.) and all those changes (at least that is how I see it) are not in a function to improve quality but to make money.

Having said that your idea re "Double Pass" will never work unless we build first that soccer culture that we both mentioned. In all honesty I actually think that we were going somewhere some time ago (with a lot of good community soccer coaches who were very enthusiastic, wanted to help, worked as volunteers, and actually were developing players) but it all disappeared when some influential "soccer" people smelled money and started abusing the system.

No one should expect soccer to succeed in this country without a decent soccer Canadian league. When is that (league) going to happen? Never! Why? Because there is no soccer culture in a hockey crazed country so we are constantly running in circles.

So, the main question is: How do we build a soccer culture of that magnitude in Canada that would lead to successful future? I am absolutely sure that it is virtually impossible as long as soccer is (for so many greedy "businessmen") seen, first of all, as a chance to make quick $.

We have a lot of great facilities (but less and less grass soccer fields) and enough people in this country (actually a few times more than numerous soccer successful soccer countries) but this country slipped into a "no competition" culture in schools (first of all) and then all that "no competition, no hurt feelings, we are all equal" non sense translated negatively onto sport fields (hockey is an exception and that is why this country is successful in hockey).

 

[djones]

Well, I think we are in agreement about the culture part of the equation, yes?

Where I see Double Pass working is that it's an outside agency that has audited much better football federations/associations and made them even better. If it came down by a committee made up of the CSA/BCSA or even NSCAA (CMF have been audited by them and has been extremely helpful in realizing our quality and deficiencies compared to the top clubs in the U.S.) it wouldn't get buy in from everyone involved.

It would also set the standards by which every club/academy would be evaluated compared to other clubs in the country and from better footballing clubs in other parts of the world. Many clubs here are run like "empires" and it shocks me that they only see their way of doing things and never seeing how others do things. Having an organization like Double Pass come in would make things more transparent and competitive between clubs off the field in making positive changes that you highlighted are deficiencies in our soccer community.

I'm also very sure that one of the things a company like Double Pass would have to point out to the CSA is that they need to get their own regional league up and running that has a set of standards that all teams must follow.

 

[trece verde]

Glimmers of truth, RL RCD...

Agree with djones 100% like usual. One of the things that makes a "culture" for a sport is when kids do it just for the sake of doing it. That means grabbing a ball and going to the park or school with your friends and just playing for fun, freestyling with friends to see who can do the tricks that you've seen the pros do, and watching your idols play.

The CSA needs an audit, from top to bottom, on all of its programs.The competing streams and academies need to be rationalized and put under scrutiny the same way that hockey programs are, and sanctioned or not sanctioned accordingly. There are a lot of people in the soccer food chain who need to justify their existence. There is definitely room for a multi-sport culture in Canada, the same way there is in other countries. Just because sport media tries to wish that one of those was not football and does its best to ignore it doesn't make it the case.

Is there a dichotomy between recreational sport and competitive sport? Definitely, but there doesn't need to be. What's far more worrisome to me is the view that playing at an elite level should be dependent on the thickness of one's parents' wallets, and not on the ability, talent, and potential of a player. Watching what went right and wrong for the women's team in the World Cup tells me that we have to develop our coaches as well as our players. We also need to develop the knowledge of our grassroots, and you do that by turning knowledgeable players into knowledgeable coaches, parents, and administrators. This is a generational issue, and we've already lost one step in it (or just plateaued for 25 years) because of a number of factors (apathy, poor management by the previous CSA structure, clueless provincial associations, etc.). Reading comments on the backlash to Lauren Sesselmann's defensive brain farts shows the amount of education necessary in both directions (ranging from the soccer moms and non-fans who say things like "don't pick on her, she tried her best" to the media dullards who say things like "coach why did you leave the player who made the mistake out there for so long?").

It's not just the kids who need to watch more. It's having them watch dad and/or mom play, watching high-level games together and analyzing what went right, and what went wrong, and then how to fix those things. It's taking that information and then asking the same questions in practice to your coach, or being a coach and asking your players to think about them and come up with answers. It's training our coaches to be smarter about how they approach the game and their players, getting them to challenge their players at the appropriate level for each one, and also to push them to the next level. It's about making sure that our administrators know what the fcuk they're doing and do it right by doing what's best for the kids involved, not for their parents' or coaches' egos. It's about making sure that our bureaucrats and functionaries are held accountable for the decisions they make at the regional, provincial and national levels.

Rant over for now....

 

[forest1979]

Most North American sports are sudden bursts of speed/agility/action......and don't get me wrong are very skilled. Football is not that sort of game, .....usually the coaches at lower levels are parents who do their best but have no concept of slowing the game....it is the ball that travels more quickly the better the level of soccer. The situation is not helped by unlimited substitutes, yes it allows more players/kids to be involved but it also encourages the "go out there and run like hell for 5 minutes" concept. ....my observation is that if you watch the really good teams very seldom is the ball passed more than 20yds.....and if it is, then its the killer ball, this in turns encourages skill on the ball, the giving and receiving of a pass....with regard the no competition in schools, after age 11..12 I believe life is a competition, when was the last time anyone got a job, went to Uni, etc because it was their turn....and I certainly agree with RL regarding some people making good $$s coaching kids etc...totally clueless.....ok, that's my moan for today.

 

[Sir M]

Glimmers of truth, RL RCD...



Is there a dichotomy between recreational sport and competitive sport? Definitely, but there doesn't need to be. ..

Not only that Trece, but they are very different.

Sir M

 

[RL RCD]

Well, I think we are in agreement about the culture part of the equation, yes?

Where I see Double Pass working is that it's an outside agency that has audited much better football federations/associations and made them even better. If it came down by a committee made up of the CSA/BCSA or even NSCAA (CMF have been audited by them and has been extremely helpful in realizing our quality and deficiencies compared to the top clubs in the U.S.) it wouldn't get buy in from everyone involved.

It would also set the standards by which every club/academy would be evaluated compared to other clubs in the country and from better footballing clubs in other parts of the world. Many clubs here are run like "empires" and it shocks me that they only see their way of doing things and never seeing how others do things. Having an organization like Double Pass come in would make things more transparent and competitive between clubs off the field in making positive changes that you highlighted are deficiencies in our soccer community.

I'm also very sure that one of the things a company like Double Pass would have to point out to the CSA is that they need to get their own regional league up and running that has a set of standards that all teams must follow.

I understand what you mean but CSA/BCSA are really not interested in any type of audit and no one can make them to go through that audit. They like it they way it is; easy money, not a lot of effort, no real transparency, no accountability.

You mentioned CMF's positive experience with that type of audit and I believe you. But, the question I have to ask is: Why did CMF have to pay money to a third party to tell them what they are eventually doing wrong way?
Does not CMF have a technical director to figure out all that stuff? Should not that be a part of his/her job (to research what successful organizations/nations do)? Isn't one of the responsibilities (of a technical director) to address changes in soccer then prepare and/or adjust already existing programs?

See, that is one of the problems I have with a lot of those people who make (a very good soccer) money in Canada. Most of them simply do not do what they are supposed to do, they are not learning from more successful, they are not implementing new programs, initiatives, etc. For that we have to hire a third party to do surveys, to audit, etc. Money is being wasted because a lot of paid people are not doing their job properly, fees go up, that turns away a lot of people.

We need right people at those paid positions; real professionals. Those should present their plans and programs, visions, prove they are doing their research, that they are constantly learning, follow other nations, competitions, etc. I do not see that anything like that is being done in Canada. You cannot really change anything if the same people constantly are involved in Canadian soccer landscape. My five cents.

 

[trece verde]

I do not see that anything like that is being done in Canada. You cannot really change anything if the same people constantly are involved in Canadian soccer landscape. My five cents.

Just curious as to how many clubs you've been involved with?

 

[djones]

Why did we bring them in?

The same reason why Germany, the Bundesliga, the Premier League, Belgium, the USSF and Japan brought Double Pass in. To have an unbiased look internally, to make changes and to become better. That wasn't obvious?

The club also wanted it for the same reasons you confusingly countered my post with. It's called accountability and transparency, for not only TD's but the whole set up. Having a unbiased 3rd party come in allows us to demonstrate to our members that the things we have implemented are the right things and that new things need to be implemented in the future to make progress. In fact, that accountability ensures that the technical directors, the ones you seem to think are so poor, are doing their job in comparison to other top TD's at other top clubs in the U.S., - which they are doing at our club! Just taking the word of anyone of whether they are "doing enough" is poor business in my mind. Having a set of standards and a third party evaluate you on those standards only makes sense. If, in your opinion, TD's aren't doing their job, wouldn't bringing someone in to evaluate them make sense to any board? With increased sponsorship raised by he club, using that to pay for this audit was good business.

Being a progressive club with lots of success and seen as a model club, bringing someone in to audit us and open our operations to being critiqued on every level should be commended, not looked as incompetence.

There are lots of things that technical directors want to implement but board members don't approve of. Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes that's a bad thing! There is a lot that goes into being a successful TD and some are doing a good job while others...not so much. Jetting off to see what other top clubs and TD's do would be great but spending resources on all that travel makes no sense to me. Having someone come in who has already done the research, been there and seen that and share that information while going thru your club is much wiser.

We brought them in to make us better. It has and the recommendations they suggested will be put into place to continue the progress to being a better club in the future.

Having the CSA do something like this on a larger scale, like the company I suggested, could only bring progress and that's why I suggested it.

You mentioned bringing in professionals to do their jobs. Where are these cheap, idea strong professionals you know of willing to leave the post they are at and come here to work for less money than these TD's are getting paid now?

 

[salute]

A lot of this is true..but there is a lot more to this , and it is not all about money and there is good examples of that buy us

 

[Jigsaw]

Don't hold your breath waiting for change.
First of all you need the right people in positions of authority to know what changes need to be made.
Look at most board's across the Country and see how many of the members have actually played the game at any decent level.
Most board members are people who have been "administrators" and have been "team managers".
They go from club boards to district boards, then on to Provincial boards, some even end up on the CSA board, with virtually no experience of playing the game.
Then it becomes Politics & they don't want to lose their positions, so they "go with the flow" not upsetting anyone.
They get their perks & feel important, yet the game is suffering.
It's not really their fault, as they think that they are doing a great job, serving the community.
The reality of it, is that they are killing the game by not making changes.

I read a post that said a league would help.
It is imperative that we have a league.
We keep talking about "development, what are we developing players for?
When they reach 18, they have either come out of the Academies, or the clubs that charge a fortune to "develop" players, only to go and play "pub league soccer" training 2 nights a week & having a few beers after training & games.
There is nowhere else to go.
Some go to University and play a 3 month season, the rest, local soccer.

The CSL was a decent league, a few years back, with half of the CMNT being selected from it and the National Team was a lot better then.
The league was losing around $400,000 per year, with the travel & expenses.
The Commissioner asked the CSA to help.
The deal was:
Charge $1 per player, registered in Canada to go to the CSL.
That would have been around $700,000. More than enough to save the league, until it improved fiscally and gained stability. "Similar to MLS" 15 yrs. of subsidy from USSF.
For that $1. Players under 12 would get a season ticket to their closest team.
The CSA said "NO".
It may not have been as big as the MLS, but many players graduated to MLS & Europe.
These players then played for Canada with a lot more experience that what we are seeing now, with many of the current National Tem, being "unattached".
The lack of wisdom is no surprise, as we have people in powerful positions with little, or no knowledge of what direction we should be heading in.

You are all correct in saying that we need a major overhaul, but who will lead that?
The mentality of "if you do nothing, nothing can go wrong" is not working.
There has to be some leadership, with a 15 year plan of where we want to be in 15 years, then, organize how we are going to get there and put into place the changes needed.

Subsidizing a Canadian Leage would be a start.
I am unaware of any other meaningful Countries, that does not have a Domestic league.
Let's get all of these players that have been " so called developed " and give them somewhere to become better in a competitive environment.

Enough typing, my finger is sore.

 

[GhostRider]

Do the Canadian people deserve better National Teams? There is weak community support for soccer in Canada. Rarely does a Canadian family have a meaningful connection with a community soccer club if a son/daughter isn't playing for the club. If Canada had good National Teams, it would be... weird.

In Hockey it makes sense for Canada to have the best national teams. Canadian communities support hockey. Kelowna Rockets average 5,000+ to games. Heck, even the Langley Rivermen average 800+.

 

[RL RCD]

Having a unbiased 3rd party come in allows us to demonstrate to our members that the things we have implemented are the right things and that new things need to be implemented in the future to make progress. QUOTE]

 

[RL RCD]

What you (as a club) implement will mean nothing without CSA/BCSA involvement and changes that have to come from the top down (and I understand that is exactly what you are aiming at with your comments).

That is what I meant when I mentioned professionals. People with the vision at the helm of CSA/BCSA who will then implement all that you were talking about.


One club cannot do anything on its own and you may have wasted money on that "audit" if the club is going to hit all the obstacles on its way. And what are the obstacles? Not having a Canadian soccer league (we even do not have a BC Premier League at adult level - which could be a solid start of seeing something developing into a CSL), blindly catering toward Whitecaps (while Whitecaps, so far at least, did not do anything significant to prove to the soccer community that they are developing Canadian talent - on the contrary, that talent was created in those local youth clubs while Whitecaps takes credit for it; hopefully something positive will happen with this Whitecaps 2 team which has, if I am not mistaken, 10 Canadian guys), changing a system every 3-4 years (IPL, Super Y, HPL, etc.),...


So, I agree with you but it looks to me that we are looking at the problem from the different angle. You are trying to do something from the base (which is admirable) but I think it is not possible without adequate support and direction from the top.

 

[djones]

I see your your point of view of "it's a waste of time renovating and painting your house if all of your neighbour's houses are in different stages of disrepair", but to do nothing because others aren't doing anything is your answer? I disagree.

Make change. That's what progressive clubs do. They innovate and devise strategies to maneuver through obstacles to better themselves independant on what others do or think. If we waited for the CSA/BCSA to get their act together we would not be the club we are today and the successful programs we have set in place would never be up and running. Same goes for other clubs like Surrey United, etc... The hope is that others will follow. I think the majority of people in charge of other clubs never get outside their "empire" and research what other, bigger, more successful clubs do to be elite and tackle the problems they will encounter in the future IF they grow. And I don't mean just around us - I mean nationally and internationally. They are either too busy or not invested enough to find out.

We are all frustrated with the environment and would love to see people, soccer people, find their way into positions of power and "see the light" but that's not likely. With so many philosophies and ways of doing it, we must be the one country that takes every type of philosophy and tries to make it mesh which ultimately leads to disaster. But bringing in one company that has helped some of the best footballing nations to huge success would be hard to argue especially if the CSA makes people accountable to be on the same page. Incentives would help (like the Vice article points out - financial, allowed to partake in certain leagues, ratings for parents to see so they know what club they are signing up for). They think the LPTD is gonna be enough but I don't think so. It's a start but with this attitude of non competitiveness and wanting everyone to be the same not only in our society but also in our sport, we will lose progressive, innovative thinking which results in a loss of, something that's much more dangerous, hope!

 

[Mr Base]

You guys are spending far much time on things that will not change. Our girls lost tactically against English team. Booting the ball from the back only turns it over three times out of five. Controlling the ball is the only way forward. Team is changing personal it will take time to get going again.
Some of the girls try to play faster then they can think it also led to turn overs.
Over all it was good, the only way forward is with youth. Cheers to all the girls for making us proud.

 

[Regs]

They think the LPTD is gonna be enough but I don't think so. It's a start but with this attitude of non competitiveness and wanting everyone to be the same not only in our society but also in our sport, we will lose progressive, innovative thinking which results in a loss of, something that's much more dangerous, hope!

Bingo. On this point, I get the part about developing skills but the mental aspect of the game is just as important to me and building a culture of winning. Clearly I'm not sold on the no scores mumbo jumbo, seems more of a solution looking for a problem

 

[Flipper]

My feelings about this were pretty much solidified after spending the year working alongside a coach who was trained and played in Europe. He also has his uefa "A" license. I used to think I knew the game fairly well. I've played and done some coaching at the university level. I've had some really good coaches along the way. The coach I worked with this year is on a completely different level and it was very humbling experience. In my opinion these are the type of people that should be running the show.
I know there are a few of these guys working in the province, they need to be put in positions of power and the rest of us need to get out of the way and learn from them.
The second issue is our soft society. Kids/parents have no idea the sacrifice it takes to play any sport at the highest level. Many young players don't have the mental toughness to handle criticism and very few have the discipline to work hard at their weaknesses.

 

[RL RCD]

My feelings about this were pretty much solidified after spending the year working alongside a coach who was trained and played in Europe. He also has his uefa "A" license. I used to think I knew the game fairly well. I've played and done some coaching at the university level. I've had some really good coaches along the way. The coach I worked with this year is on a completely different level and it was very humbling experience. In my opinion these are the type of people that should be running the show.
I know there are a few of these guys working in the province, they need to be put in positions of power and the rest of us need to get out of the way and learn from them.
The second issue is our soft society. Kids/parents have no idea the sacrifice it takes to play any sport at the highest level. Many young players don't have the mental toughness to handle criticism and very few have the discipline to work hard at their weaknesses.

Great comments, Flipper! You hit it right into the bull's eye.

Those people that you mentioned (who should be running the show) usually do not stand a chance in archaic organizations such are BCSA and/or CSA. Why? Again, good money, not a lot of effort, no transparency, no accountability, always the same people in that circle and they are naturally against any significant changes.

Years ago I had a chance to meet a professional soccer coach (former pro) who was accepted to Canada as, believe or not, a soccer coach. A few years after trying to land a paid job he packed his things and returned to his homeland. He got a couple of opportunities (to volunteer as a soccer coach) but some parents complained that he was too rough and demanding! Shockingly I knew some of those parents whose kids played hockey and soccer at the same time and they would tell us stories how demanding was to play hockey yet when a soccer coach demanded the same discipline, work ethic and hard work that was the problem!?

 

[salute]

Thats right we all have the same stories, we all know what is going on everybody knows what is going on but who can do something against it..... it is like the law taking action against organized crime, almost the same thing your never going to get rid of these organized groups because they are holding together they are voting themselves into positions, its almost like Chicago in the 20s during the Al Capone time ...... we all cry and complain about it and thats all we can do, there is no real will to change something because nobody has the power to change something. So what we gonna do go from year to year, and wait till the old guard dies away..... and the younger ones are not so bad like the older ones.