OBJECTIVE
In an effort to achieve the most accurate results possible
our goal is to assess 1 million players representing all ability levels by the end
of 2010. This will be a collective effort between coaches, players, parents, leagues,
governing bodies, and any person or organization that wishes to see US soccer consistently
challenge for major world championships.
SYSTEMATIC APPROACH
We begin by assessing the current national level.
Working with coaches, clubs, leagues, and state associations across the country
we will gather uniform, standardized technical assessment data using the iSoccer
Assessment, which will then be analyzed to isolate strengths, weaknesses and trends
on a local and national level. The resulting National Standards will be the benchmark
from which future player development can be measured both on an individual player
and national level. Every player, team, and coach will know how their technical
ability compares to the National Standard.
INTENDED RESULTS
The ultimate goal is to raise the level of technical
ability in the US. Objective and standardized data can be analyzed to understand
the current state of technical ability. For example, we can compare ability by age, location, gender, competitive level,
club, or team. More specifically, this knowledge will
help players, coaches, and parents target weaknesses, hone strengths, and isolate
local, regional, and national programs that are the most effective at raising the
technical level of players in that region.
DATA COLLECTION
With over 5 million youth soccer players spread
across a large geographic area, data collection will be a collective effort. The
iSoccer technology platform is a key resource to distribute the assessment materials
and gather assessment results from coaches around the country. iSoccer representatives
will be travelling throughout the US hosting official assessment events but the
majority of the assessment data will be gathered by club, team, and league representatives
from every state.
VALUE TO COACH
Technical assessment is valuable to coaches and
individual players on a much smaller scale but the same principles apply. You must
first know the players’ level before you can implement a plan to improve it. Not
only does the iSoccer Assessment allow you to identify specific strengths and weaknesses
and target a customized training program for each individual player, it also helps
you communicate objectively with parents regarding their son or daughter’s development,
thus shifting the focus away from winning and losing and on to building a strong
technical foundation. At the club level, a Director of Coaching or Technical Director
is able to see objective metrics of technical improvement by team to evaluate not
only the players and teams but also the coaches and trainers. This creates accountability
to technical development, not just wins and losses.
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CHANGING THE FOCUS
Today, parents, players and coaches recognize
winning, losing, goals scored, and playing time as the primary metrics to judge
improvement. These metrics typically reward and encourage physical, direct play,
and early childhood maturity to the detriment than comfort with the ball and creativity, things
that become harder to teach the older a player gets. Emphasizing technical improvement
as the primary player development metric by comparing players and teams to an objective
national standard will help change the focus from winning and losing games to developing
players for long-term success.
NO SILVER BULLET
Technical ability is only one of the four pillars
that make a complete player. The iSoccer Assessment does not directly test athletic
ability, tactical awareness, or mental/psychological toughness. For this reason
it is not intended to be a silver bullet for player identification. It is however
intended to help players and coaches make informed decisions about improving their
technical ability in the most effective and efficient way.
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