5 Point Press

"5 Points Press is an independent journal of news and opinion on the New York Soccer Scene. It covers all aspects including local leagues, supporters culture, and professional teams".

http://issuu.com/5pointspress

Kicking and Screening

Tonight London will host it's first ever International Football Film Festival. Kicking and Screening, an annual New York based event that brings together football and film enthusiasts to celebrate the beautiful game on the big screen is setting up a series of week long events which hope to "engage, connect, and inspire" football fanatics and non football lovers by showing them a side of football that, in the words of Tom Watt one of the co-producers of the event, "a Sky or BBC camera might not normally take them".

The events first screening is the excellent documentary 'Once In A Lifetime' - The rise and fall of the legendary New York Cosmos, the team that brought Pele to America, set against the backdrop of New York City in the 1970s.

http://kickingandscreening.com/

Festival Lineup - 
http://www.kickingandscreening.com/blog/2011/08/football-film-festival-soccer-london-2011-everyman-announce-lineup-schedule.html

MVB

Having recently posted on the Dutch team AJAX Youth Academy I though I would inspire you to look at one of their teams (and the worlds) greatest players, Marco Van Basten.

In the video below you can see arguably one of the greatest ever goals scored by the great man himself in the 1988 European Championship Final verses the USSR.

Why Don't You Just Grow Up!

A powerful and emotive video from The FA's series of Respect films focusing here on extreme parental behaviour.

Now I must say, thankfully, that I have never ever seen anything like this before but have spoken to other coaches/managers/parents who have been witness to this sort of behaviour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-6NMMZU1kQ

Football Psychology

Dan Abrahams is a Football psychologist to Premier League new boys QPR and several players from the top and bottom of the football league pyramid. 

His thoughts on coaching and young footballers are incredibly insightful and have certainly challenged my approach and thinking to coaching.

He is currently preparing the release of a FREE ebook available to anyone who requests one. In it he will be sharing his years of experience of Psychology aimed at coaches, young footballers, parents and teachers.

To sign-up for a copy of his ebook just click on the link below and at the top of the page you will find a section to type your email address into.

http://www.danabrahams.com/blog/football-psychology-playing-in-the-present.php

Also keep up to date with Dan by following his twitter feed which is where most of his thoughts are posted.

http://twitter.com/DanAbrahams77

A Young Footballers Focus

"I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying"
- Michael Jordan

I've recently found coaching my youth team to be quite challenging experience as they are turing up to training and match days with a lack of focus which results in misbehaviour and poor effort. I'm relatively new to dealing with, and disciplining, children and have struggled with this side of coaching.

If there is any advice people could give then I'd be really keen to hear from you and how you deal with children in this area, whether in the home, school or at a football training session or game.

I have though found on the website www.footy4kids.co.uk some useful links that deal with discipline and motivation which I hope will be useful. Your comments on this topic would be extremely welcomed.

http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/management-and-discipline.htm
http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/establishing_behaviour_boundaries.htm

What's Important

Nick Levett, National Development Manager (Youth and Mini Soccer) at The Football Association has been traveling the length and breadth of the country presenting the FA's Youth Development Review which will hopefully change the future of grassroots football in England.

An important part of the review Levett presents looks at children's response to questions about the football they play and why they play it.

The image below is a slide taken from his presentation that asked children what is important to them. The results show interesting reading from top to bottom.

The Power Of Words

Just a few though-provoking and inspiring quotes that I often look back on to remind myself about the importance of being a good coach and teacher.

"A good coach will make his players see what they can be rather than what they are" 

"Players and parents need to know what a coach stands for, AND what he or she won't stand for"

"Kids don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care"

"Professional coaches measure success in rings. College coaches measure success in championships. High School coaches measure success in titles. Youth coaches measure success in smiles"

The School That Won The World Cup

La Masia, the famous former home to FC Barcelona's youth academy that has produced such players as Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta closed down at the end of the 2010/2011 season but not before journalist Matthias Krug had a chance to visit the school which has been described by many as the school that won the World Cup (Six of Spain’s final starting XI were La Masia graduates; Pique, Puyol, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets and Pedro)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/9393966.stm

When Sunday Comes - FA Respect

Professionals within elite and grassroots football react to the 4 videos of Joe and his dad and give excellent comment and opinion.

Stuart Pearce
http://www.youtube.com/user/ytpetw#p/u/2/lHJrRpx5JI8

Robbie Earl
http://www.youtube.com/user/ytpetw#p/u/3/4j2JpFGnKkI

Trevor Brooking
http://www.youtube.com/user/ytpetw#p/u/5/t_jnWCmjc_Q

An FA Coaches Overview
http://www.youtube.com/user/ytpetw#p/u/9/zia1qExd8ZE

When Sunday Comes - Part 4

With the game over and Joe's team losing, his dad gives him his thoughts and reaction to the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOf81jcqyYc&feature=related

When Sunday Comes - Part 3

With Joe's dad's constant 'encouragement and support', this then gets directed towards the referee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86LmKa1Sig4&feature=related

When Sunday Comes - Part 2

Following on from Part 1, posted Friday 9th, Joe starts his football match with his dad standing on the sideline 'supporting and encouraging' the team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRcv-ZRMCXI&feature=related

When Sunday Comes - Part 1

This Sunday sees the start of the season to hundreds of grassroots football leagues all over the country. Young boys and girls will be getting excited for the weekend as will their parents, and it's them who I'd like to focus todays post on.

There will thousands of parents 'giving up their Sundays' to drive miles, get cold and wet to support their son or daughter play football on a muddy pitch somewhere all with the hope of a fair, honest and exciting game to look forward to.

But a few of those parents will perhaps be wanting and expecting a lot more. A win, 3 points or hat-trick for their child, maybe even all 3. After all, they put in a lot of effort, 'giving up their Sundays'...

This video link is 1 part of 4 that takes a look at what probably, unfortunately, will be the weekend for many kids playing the game.

It follows a day in the life of Joe Smith and his Dad before a 'Huge local derby'. In this scene Joe's Dad is 'getting himself in the right frame of mind' for the game because, as we all know, it's all about the adults in youth football...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61-Pax5cF8A

The Rant

Following England's humiliating defeat to Germany at the 2010 World Cup, former player Chris Waddle exploded and said what most of us at the time thought about the state of english football and it's 'top clubs'.

I think following the world cup and even before that, the FA have started to take a grip of things and have produced some excellent courses such as the Youth Modules and have really improved the way young coaches at educated.

This isn't going to change over night. I believe it's the players who are now 5 and 6 years old which will give us a real opportunity to win a major championship. Are you happy to wait 20 years?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8767443.stm