If you are anyway associated with youth sports these days, you have no doubt come across the scourge of youth athletes, especially young girls: the dreaded ACL tear. This week, a fantastic new article in the NY Times by Craig Welch told the heartbreaking story of his own daughter – and 19 of her teammates…
Two weeks ago, my son TJ’s (#9 above with his senior teammates) high school soccer career came to an end in a state playoff game, culminating a week of highs and lows for me, of beginnings and endings, of joy and pain. All of those things come together in high school sports and that’s why…
This week I am headed to Chicago to speak at a youth sports conference called Rev, for clients of one of our partners, the web development and online registration organization Sprocket Sports. I have been tasked with moderating a panel called “The Secret Sauce of Taking Your Club from Transactional to Transformational,” and I am…
What would you do with $100 million to improve the sport you love? It’s kind of a magic wand question, isn’t it? You have enough money to make a significant impact in a sport on every level, how do you spend it? Recently in the news, it has been reported that the US Soccer Federation…
A few nights ago I went to a graduation. Not a high school or a college graduation, but one far smaller, and far more personal. In fact, there were only seven kids, one of which was my 9-year-old son TJ. He and six others were being recognized by their amazing teacher for their dedication, hard…
In 2005, the coaches at one of the top English Premier League Youth Soccer Academies held one of their semiannual meetings to decide upon which players they would keep for the upcoming cycle, and whom they would let go. As they were evaluating their players –many of whom would go on to star not only…
When it comes to the development of young soccer players in the United States, many parents and coaches come to that proverbial fork in the road, and are unsure what path to take. Most parents want their child to try many sports, yet are faced with the harsh reality of high participation costs, nearly year-round…