My philosophy for the Lions centers on the goal of long-term player development.  In this light, I measure success not through the outcomes of individual games or even seasons -- but rather through the style and quality of play I see from the boys.  I believe that in the long run, development only happens through playing the game -- which means our young players need to KEEP playing.  They will only do so if they enjoy the experience.

There are many factors that influence a players enjoyment of the game.  There are the obvious issues many people recognize -- a positive environment, for example.  There are many more that the average parent or non-player may not intuit.  The joy of participation in team sports in general comes from the competition itself -- the opportunity to test yourself as a player, and to have (at least some) success with the experience.  Experiencing the power of teamwork, when a team finds a true rhythm and chemistry, and delivers performance beyond the sum of the individuals is particularly joyful.

Another important element of enjoyment for an athlete is the development of skill and understanding of the game.  This is most true when a player "discovers" the game -- the cliche metaphor of the light bulb coming on.  This is far more powerful both in terms of joy and in terms of learning the particular lesson, than anything a coach can ever "teach" to the player.  It is for this reason that the practice of "guided discovery" is so important to our training program. 

Players must discover the game within them.  They do this through repetitive play and the presentation of "problems" they must solve.  It cannot happen through an overly directive approach to coaching.  My goal is to present the players with challenges, and just enough "guidance" for them to solve the problem -- "discovering" the game through experience and trial and error.

This is a much more important reason for asking parents to refrain from shouting instructions or even encouragement to their players than the issue of maintaining sideline decorum for a "positive" environment (which is also important).  Even the most positive or innocuous comment only distracts the player from his focus, and his own decision-making.  The quality of decisions a player makes is one of the most important aspects of development in my assessment.

And, maybe most important of all, is the concept of "Play"... we play the game.  These "players" are kids first, and the principal method of learning for all youth is play -- it is where they discover themselves, their position within their group, and the ability to solve (work out) problems.  Play is and always has been critical to the development of youth... Unfortunately, in America today, we do not let our kids play nearly enough.  One of my principal goals as a coach is to provide some small offset to that trend.


This page contains links to public articles or websites that present information consistent with the philosophy I use in my approach to youth development, and the culture I want to establish with my teams. 

Coach Mahoney

An excellent article, originally published in "Psychology Today"
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B8IDGmDQgSMHZDA0ZTg1ZWEtNDQwNC00MTUyLTgxNjAtMDNjZTdkYjQ1Yjlh&hl=en

Another article from PT, as posted on the "Nation of Wimps" website of the authors above.  (Please also browse other articles and postings on this site.)
http://www.nationofwimps.com/the-last-referee.php

"The Morally Mature Sports Parent"... another Psychology Today article.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-parents-we-mean-be/200907/the-morally-mature-sports-parent

"Kids Play Without Adults" ...  what a concept!
http://www.timesunion.com/ASPStories/Story.asp?StoryID=814168&LinkFrom=RSS&TextPage=1

And a couple articles from Gary Allen, the past Director of Coaching Education for VYSA and a member of the USSF National Instructor staff.  Gary helped me back in 1994 when I changed the SYC soccer program to the small-sided format, by coming to a "town hall" meeting to speak in favor of the concept.  More recently, he was one of the National Instructors when I attended the National Youth License course.

"Stifling the Development of the American soccer Player"
http://www.vysa.com/coaches/99579.html

"Youth Soccer Coach Wanted"
https://sites.google.com/a/syclions.org/www/home/coaching-philosophy/wantedsoccercoach.pdf?attredirects=0