The weather finally turned this past weekend and we were long sleeves, under armour, hats, and layers of clothing and winter jackets on the sidelines of the Long Island Youth soccer fields this weekend. While standing on the sidelines huddled shivering on the benches with my subs (one of these weekends we will get the side with the sunlight), it hit me. 3 games left in the Fall 2013 Long Island Youth Soccer season and I have not set up our winter plans yet. YES- least you forget (or if you are still new enough to soccer to not know) Youth Soccer on Long Island is a year long sport. We do not get weekends off. There are no holidays or even sick days. We go hard, we go often, and we will soon be moving our games indoors to turf or gym floors. Thanksgiving weekend is no longer about turkey, leftovers, shopping and football...it is now about the better futbol and tournaments and the start of some indoor leagues.
Parents- Have you ordered your youth soccer player’s indoor or turf cleats?
Coaches- Have you registered for your Winter Indoor or Futsal league? December, MLK, and February tournaments?
A few years ago, it was only youth soccer teams in the top divisions and competition levels who took on the expense and commitment of Winter ball, but as the Soccer business has exploded on Long Island and we find Indoor Soccer locations on every other corner (or so it seems), more and more lower level teams are making the commitment and taking on the cost of continuing to train and play in the winter. Some Clubs are able to offer their teams gym space at local schools, and some teams choose to rent indoor space at area locations. I have even attended a training for my son at an indoor hockey rink (the ice was turned off- or however that works) and have driven past the outdoor fields on some sunny but cold days and seen some hardcore players training with their hats and gloves (wait oh yeah- that was us also). But we were NOT alone on the fields!
All jokes aside, if your child loves the sport; if the players on your team are committed and love to play, and if you want to keep the kids busy during the winter, moving soccer indoor is a fun way to keep the kids busy, keep the level of play from declining too much in the off months of winter, and is also a great way to focus on some more small sided training and skills work.
As a coach, I prefer the small fields of the winter indoor season. Yes, there are full sized indoor fields available to rent or attend leagues at, but I prefer to keep my boys on the small field. While we have rented indoor space in previous years, my trainer and I made the decision this to give ourselves and the parent’s pockets a break this year. We will enter our usual small field league from November to March, but we will limit our training to once a week at an area gym. (PARENTS- NO TURF cleats on gym floors. NO OUTDOOR cleats on Indoor turf or gym floors. Do we need to discuss different types of cleats and appropriate field usage? I may address this in the next week or so- it can be confusing.)
Why the small field? I prefer the small field because it forces the youth soccer player to gain some control on their passes and kicks. The field is smaller so if they continue to just boot the ball and hope a teammate gets in the way to receive it, they will find all that happens on the small field is that they give more out of bounds turn-overs. Games on smaller indoor turf fields are also a quicker moving game. This can benefit foot speed and touches for players. Games can be more physical and should help players learn to use the body better. I am not claiming that indoor small field turf play will magically transform your youth soccer player into a perfect first touch having, controlled pass giving, faster moving futballer. I am saying that the smaller field allows you to give the players an opportunity to focus on some technical skills that get overlooked during the season as you prepare the team for full field play and tactics.
Parents- the benefit for your to the indoor winter youth soccer league is that most locations have heat and concession stands. If your coach finds a very nice location, you may also find, field seating to comfortably watch the games or training sessions, as well as some places also have television. (In my house this is BIG especially for those Sunday games when someone I will not name can not understand why soccer is played when there are Football games playing on TV.) BE WARNED!! While there are heated and comfy locations, there are also locations with almost no seating or viewing areas and it is cold, cold, and cold even inside. This is NOT to say these locations are not nice or good. I am not commenting on the conditions of the turf or fields, this is strictly a paragraph dedicated to the comfort of the parent. As we all have learned over the years on Long Island Youth Soccer- what is most comfortable and convenient for the parent is NOT always what allows the best soccer conditions for training and play.
As with everything in life and youth soccer, you will have good turf fields and not so good turf fields. There will be futsal played on good gym floors and not so good gym floors. Some fields are large sized and some are small. You may find a location that offers enough room for all teams to warm up and wait for their game and you will find a location where no one fits and it is worse than shopping on Christmas Eve. The truth is that every team will find what works best for them and their players. I have yet to find a team, parent, coach, or location that everyone loved or everyone hated. Every place you go you will find someone who loves the place and someone who hates the place. Trust me- as a Youth Soccer Coach and parent for almost 9 years (or did I hit 9-years this season?) I have learned (repeatedly) everyone on a team will never be happy or satisfied at the same time. Every parent and player has a different level of commitment, tolerance, and wants.
For the parent who has a youth soccer player on a team that is not training or playing this winter, it is ok. Playing during the winter is NOT a requirement and does not affect the standings for Fall and Spring league play. If your child’s team is not taking part in activities this winter, but your player wants to continue to train, NY Red Bulls, LI Rough Riders, and most of the local Indoor Soccer facilities offer training and league play for players who are not with their team. You can email me for locations in your area or check the phone book or internet (yes I said phone book- I like paper.) My email is coachmommyli@gmail.com
So my question is: Are you ready for the Long Island Youth Soccer Winter 2013-14 Season? What are your team’s plans? Where will you really be Thanksgiving weekend and every weekend before and after Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza, and Little Christmas? I know where I plan to be and will spend the next week firming my team’s plans and then waiting to hear from my kid’s Coaches. Enjoy the last 3 weeks of the season for LIJ and for NPL and NYCSL enjoy the last few games before the December break. Play well! Play hard! Play fair! Have fun! Stay warm! As always- please comment below and Like It! Share It! Follow It! (Coachmommyli is on Facebook and Twitter too!)
