Presidio Soccer League
Presidio Soccer League
Looking for the right soccer league for your children to play in can be a difficult task, with all the different options available to you in the Southern California area. It is important to have a league that allows your kids to grow with it, have a sense of camaraderie, and great coaches. One way some parents gauge how well a competitive soccer club is doing by how many games the team wins, this even goes down to U10 and U11. At this age the kids are still in a large learning mode and winning shouldn’t be everything what really matters is what they are learning and how they learn it. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that you shouldn’t think about winning, I’m just saying there are other factors to look at when choosing a great soccer club. Here are a few things I feel is more important:
The Coaches Qualifications
- Education – Are they licensed or have been studying other soccer courses? This is a real factor as you can see some coaches live and breathe soccer and are constantly increasing their licensing and attending any courses that come their way to help them become better coaches.
- Background – As important as certifications and licenses are there isn’t a whole lot more than experience. Having years of actual on ball experience will let you know that these coaches know the game they played it themselves. It also lets you know that they understand what your children are going through because they have been through it themselves. One thing to be careful of is to actually check out their background rather than take their word for it. There are a lot of people that would have no problems beefing up their story to impress you, so it’s always good to double-check them for accuracy it will give you piece of mind.
- Personality – Watch them coaching and decide whether or not you would like them to be your coach. So often you hear about coaches that have had a great background in the sport and are heavily educated and licensed, only to find out that they are the last person on earth you want as a coach because of the way they teach. Do yourself a favor and ask other parents about them. Watch them interact with the players, and decide if their coaching style is something you like or don’t like. Does the coach love what he does or does he look like he’s just trying to get through the practices? Being enthusiastic is contagious and can affect your child’s attitude toward the game.
- Communication – What type of communication as a parent do you need? Make sure that how your coach communicates fits your needs. What you don’t want is a coach that expects a parent to stay on the sidelines while he coaches, and you being a parent that doesn’t see it that way.
Now that you understand what to look for in the coaches the next thing you should understand the leagues goal overall? Is it to develop players or win championships? How much experience does the league actually have? Presidio Soccer League has around 50 different youth soccer leagues and has been one of the premiere competitive youth soccer leagues. Their mission statement says they encourage wholesome athletic development through positive coaching, good sportsmanship and positive examples from their participants. I say that is a great cause and something to be proud of.
Finally Presidio Soccer League maintains a great website that is full of good information about who they are, and what they represent. There are registration documents that are downloadable right on the website that can be filled out and sent in. Once registered you will be given access to a members only area to sign into, this will give specific information about your team such as: basic stats and calendaring/scheduling, and any upcoming tournaments. There is also a “News & Notices” area that will keep you informed on what is happening in the league in general. If you have any questions regarding the rules of the game, this information can be found on the site as well.
