St. Louis Scott Gallagher — Club Soccer in Saint Louis

BOYS DIRECTOR'S PAGE

A Director's Note

This is a simple page that all coaches in the club can use as a resource for updates, coaching tips, and more.

Volume 9 / 5th Edition

“Respect the Ref”!

There are signs reminding us of a shortage in this game, a referee shortage. The fact is too many referees have quit the game because of hostile and disrespectful sideline and on field behavior from all involved in the game of soccer.

However, there is an initiative to train, certify, and promote new referees so that fewer games are canceled when the weekend finally arrives. At the end of the day, the kids just want to play and compete and have fun. And if we don’t continue to support this initiative, to increase the number of referees we have in the city of STL by showing a referee patience even in the hottest moments of a game, well, games will continue to get postponed. And to be honest, we, the SLSG community has shown that we can create and incredible atmosphere for player development and fun, let's continue to do so :)

Our league is a league that referees have said they enjoy working in because they know it’s important to the club that the coaches, parents, and players support the officials. We believe that this is something we should be proud of as an organization. So let's take it a step further. Coaches, players, and parents alike, let's go way above and beyond, and go out of our way to be the most sports-person-like club any official will have the chance to encounter.

This weekend is another opportunity to show the city that we continue our mission to be the “Best Club in the Country” as we pursue excellence in every facet of the game including the simple but genuine respect we show to the officials.

Have a great weekend coaches! Video regarding our league and some expectations → click here

PS - Keep in mind, we have dozens of SLSG players and parents who are a part of this initiative to increase and improve the refereeing situation in STL. Many of them work games in our league. Always remember this, if you argue a call or in the heat of a game say something to an assistant referee, you may be speaking to one of our own.

PSS - Coaches, there will be times that I send these notes directly to parents. I have not done so as of yet, but feel free to forward any Directors Notes to your team members.

Volume 9 / 4th Edition

We all need “Guest Players”!

On any random weekend there are multiple reasons an individual team may need a guest player or two. And about 99% of the time the SLSG’s tireless Age Group Directors (AGD’s) are able to accommodate such needs. But, although being in a club this size can often easily provide these types of resources, it requires over communication to all; Directors, Coaches, Parents, and Players.

Bringing a guest player to your group does not have to be a chore. But it does require some forethought, consideration, and communication. For example, this seamless process to acquire a guest player for the weekend can start at the “Beginning of the Year Team Meeting”. In this meeting, we coaches have every right to expect the parents to communicate early on any potential player's absence. This allows you as a coach to get way way ahead of this situation and alert the AGD (who, in some cases, may also need to connect with Member Services for player carding reasons). Because the AGD’s are experts in that particular age/division, they can quickly connect with other team coaches at multiple ages to find players of the appropriate playing level. Note; coaches in need of guest players DO NOT go straight to a parent or player of another team!!!

At the same time the AGD is looking into the right fit player for your team’s needs, coaches, you can alert parents and/or players that you have requested a guest player for the upcoming match in question. This info can easily be slipped into your weekly recap (Director’s recommendation) regarding past weekend results and future weekend updates and reminders. Passing this info to all your families can help to alleviate any questions as to who the “new player” is in the next match. If possible, sharing player/parents names and maybe a few other details of the guest player would be awesome. This would allow your families to make the guest family welcome.

Following these steps should complement the positive experience you as coach are already providing your team/families. If you have any questions, never hesitate to connect!

Other Guest Playing Notes:

Some last-minute requests are unavoidable. PlayMetrics should allow you to send word to your team either right before or immediately after a game to explain who/why a guest player was needed.

Guest Players should not play “more” than the originally rostered players present at the game (unless of course this is unavoidable).

SLSG, since the beginning of time, has had a policy of “no guest playing outside of the club”. There have been a few exceptions in the past 14 years, but not without permission from AGD’s. We do, however, allow players from outside the club to guest play with SLSG teams.

Virtual Coaches Meeting - Guest Playing Clip

Volume 9 / 3rd Edition

I am sure we are all excited and ready for a busy weekend of games. We have the league, Nike Cup, Gallagher Friendlies, and more all scheduled across the Metro area. Because the weekend is sure to be busy, this is just a quick note.

I was reminded the other night, while walking past a field (not a soccer field), as to why we coach. Because I was not aware of the context, I must give the benefit of the doubt to the coach. But the vibe from this particular field was a bit negative.

We all have different coaching styles whether it be in soccer or another sport. Some of us are more boisterous, others quiet and content to only speak in certain moments. Neither style is right or wrong, each style is dependent not on the volume, but instead on what is said. What we say matters. And this weekend let us all attempt to use our role as “coach”; to teach, direct, and lead in the most positive, Shield- Valued based, strength of character manner possible.

The impact we can and do have on the players (children) lasts, well, forever. Think about your favorite teacher in school. You may never forget that person. But think about it, why was that person your favorite? Did they connect with you positively and make you feel important? Did you learn from this person?

Take advantage of this awesome responsibility of being the leader of your team and make the girls feel valued. Challenge them, and if they are making progress, show them they are improving. And finally, give them the chance to play.

We have the opportunity each week, as leader of our team, to manage the players in a way that provides all of these experiences.

Enjoy your weekend coaches, hope to see you on the field!

Scott

Click Here to listen to Virtual Coaches Meeting Clip (5 minutes) regarding Why

https://youtu.be/hJw15l6L1ns