American Youth Soccer Culture/Schedule
By: Mike Saif – Editor, WORLD CLASS COACHING magazine.

I have always maintained that here in the U.S. we are blessed with an incredible number of talented coaches working at the youth level. You only have to watch the games of top youth teams playing in major tournaments to see the high level, quality soccer. However, the win-at-all-cost tournament situation; the incredible number of games played, the lop-sided ratio of games to practices, and the various soccer organizations competing for our players time, all combine for a culture that makes the job of our players and coaches more difficult than it needs to be and impedes the development of the game in the U.S.

Let’s look at the schedule of a national level U17 girls team from the Midwest. Practice starts late July as the first competitive games in the Midwest National League are scheduled for August 15 - 16. The fall season includes three practices a week, plus 28 games.

The winter season starts with the college showcase, December 6 - 7 in Raleigh, NC, and ends with the Phoenix tournament in February for a total of 25 games and 2 - 3 practices a week.

High school season starts on March 1, and involves practices or games six days a week until June 3. During the high school season the girls are not allowed to practice or play with their club teams.

As soon as high school season ends, preparation begins for State Cup on June 12 - 15. Right after State Cup, preparation begins for Regionals on June 26 - 30. Including “friendly games”, there are a total of 12 games and almost daily practices during this time.

Unless the team wins Regionals, the season ends. However, the girls who participate in ODP begin State level practices in early July to prepare for Regional ODP camp on July 12 - 17.

Pre-season training begins again at the end of July for the U18 season, giving our top players 1 - 2 weeks rest in between seasons.
Some quick math shows that in 12 months the girls play 65 games with their club team and just 70 practices. They also play 24 games with their high school teams and 32 practices for a grand total of 89 games and 102 practices. Take into account that the players who choose to participate in ODP have extra games and practices to add to that total, and you begin to see the incredible schedule our top players are subjected to.

Can we expect our top level players to play at a high level for practically 12 months every year? Can we expect them to stay fresh, enthusiastic, and motivated to play 89 games every year? What about the ACL injury rate for girls? Some have described it as an epidemic. Would the injury rate be less with fewer games, and a less hectic schedule?

The youth academy teams at the English Premier League clubs are close to a 3 to 1 ratio in favor of practices. This ratio is similar for many other European countries. Ours is pretty close to one practice for every game played. Does that affect the ability for players to develop?

I would be interested in your comments and views. I understand that teams have different schedules depending on their location and climate. So I would be interested to hear what your schedule is and any thoughts you have that would improve the ability for coaches to develop players to their potential. Please share your thoughts at the DISCUSSION FORUM on our web site so that all of the coaches will benefit from your input.