Author: Gordy

I have served in the capacity of the board-appointed leadership role (since 2014), and on the board since 2010.  I farm in west-central Minnesota. My prior business background includes co-founder and owner of Davis, Thomas & Associates, Inc. (DTA) with offices in Minneapolis MN, Chicago IL, and Bangalore India.  I was a former systems programmer in the banking, hospital, and transportation industries.

Youth Soccer Dropouts

Why are youth above the age of 13-14 dropping out of youth soccer?

Players enter the soccer world at the age of 5 or 6 in recreational soccer.  They continue up the age and skill ladder having fun playing the game, and then the game becomes competitive at the age of 10-12 years old.  By the age of 13-14 years old, players are leaving the game of soccer, not because they are not enjoying themselves, but because there are no options for them to play.  We know that players physically develop at different rates, and not always by the cut-off dates with their birthdate (relative age effect). Recreational soccer literally disappears by age U14 from our soccer clubs, organizations, city park and recreation programming, only to return by the age of U18+ as an adult league.

Many of us know that the bread-n-butter of soccer organization is the infusion annually when youth ages 5-6 and their parents come into our organizations.  Talent and people are the fuel for these organizations.  While players are learning “how” to play the game, parents are also learning about the game, and many parents are learning “how” to coach the game while being a role model.  Parents are providing not only guidance during practice or a game, but also providing support for youth in their development as a young adult.

So why do organizations and clubs stop providing this avenue for your youth athletes beyond the age of 13 – 14 years old?

I know many of the players wish to continue to play but cannot afford the high price of being part of a traveling team.  Parents do not want to have to drive their kids from where they live locally to play two hours away.  Coaches have a similar problem with work and time commitments that do not allow them to drop everything and drive 2 hours one-way to coach a game or in a tournament setting.

Traveling teams require coaches who can travel, and are usually licensed and paid well to do this.  Fees rise to several thousands of dollars per player to participate.  Private lessons, camps,  academies . . . and it all adds up.  The stress on the parent or the player to perform and the associated expectations leads to “no fun”!

Clubs and organizations should provide an opportunity for players and coaches in that 13-18 years old void of recreational soccer.  Players could continue to play and coaches could continue to mentor their teams if a local option were made available in organizations or clubs. This local recreational option could all be done without the wear and tear on parents, cars, player expectations, etc.

So the answer as to why players are leaving organized soccer when they turn 13-14 years old may be because no one is providing a choice for them locally.

When is it best to Invest in training?

Small investment; huge payback – Why Wait?

Organizations use parent volunteer coaches in many recreational soccer programs and provide some training.  Training is often just mission-critical items.  In today’s environment, organizations are required to do:

  • Background checks
  • Provide Safety Training
    • An association-sponsored Safety course – dealing with keeping players and coaches safe
    • A Concussion awareness course
    • A Cardiac response course
  • Emergency weather and response

But what about some formal training in the area of Soccer Coaching?

Often, the parent volunteer coach is provided with a 15-minute skills training along with maybe a 1-hour course on how to run a practice session. If the organization promotes it sometimes a course for Grass Roots Coaching is taught.

Now what?  Those fresh newly volunteered coaches are meeting at the field with 10 players accumulating around them and 15 – 20 parents observing them.  Where is the plan they are to follow?

MOTI™ Sports has a solution, our MOTI Mobile 3D Soccer Training App.  The MOTI Mobile App comes complete with 3D visually engaging, gender-specific, narrated, interactive materials that are curated into practice session plans to take away the “fear – uncertainty – and doubt” of coaching as a parent volunteer.  Whether you’re coaching in a Club, YMCA, a Park & Recreation District or just on your own and are looking for some help, MOTI Sports is here to help you.

The MOTI Mobile App is where you need it (in your pocket), with professionally configured 3D visually engaging content.   Need a Park & Rec format,  where your first 3 days are practice sessions followed from there on as Game – Practice – Game…etc.?  We have it.  Or you want Traditional or Play-Practice-Play content we have that as well.  U6 through U14, boys or girls animated models, we have it.  Teaching Grades K – 8 Physical Education Soccer Unit, we have it.

Your players visually learn soccer foot skills by watching our 3D full-motion media from any perspective while receiving expert technical coaching points.  They can practice foot skills at home and view your session plans in advance of your practice, so they understand visually what you want them to do and why.

Why Wait? Invest now!

KSTP 5: Local company creates app to help soccer training

The MOTI Youth Soccer 3D App is helping youngsters learn the sport of soccer while developing their skill.

Alan Merrick was interviewed recently on KSTP ABC 5 TV about the MOTI Sports 3D Soccer Training Platform & MOTI Soccer App (previously known as MOTI Mobile). View the news story now.

WATCH ON ABC 5 TV

MOTI Tip: Making Communicating with your Team Simple!

The Announcement Board

Communicate so everyone hears your message!

You, as the Coach, should customize the Announcement as soon as you can.  Then remind players, coaches and parents to view the Announcements to obtain up-to-date information.  

Once players, coaches, and parents view the Announcement they will see the benefit of it.  No more email messages to hunt for in your email, trying to remember which email address they are coming to, or remembering which “category” your email provider shuffled your messages of to in their attempt to organize your life.

To change the Announcement Board:

  1. Touch or click the “EDIT.”
  2. Select the old message and delete it.
  3. Type in your new message.
  4. Touch or click “SAVE ANNOUNCEMENT.”

Besides communications on dates, locations of games, or changes in field locations, here are some ideas for keeping the messages Positive!

Great game last week, lots of passing and holding in your positions! It is Sue’s Birthday!

The footwork everyone did was evident in our previous game! Great to see everyone doing the Reverse V on the field in the game, it is helping us to keep possession. Caleb’s mom is bringing the Treats this week.

Rain out today. Fields are too wet! But remember to work on those two new skills at home. I will look and see who is working on them.

Practice tonight is at 6:45 pm. I hear that the team we played last week noticed our good team sportsmanship!

Remember to bring plenty of water tonight. It is REALLY HOT. We will be taking breaks as needed.

FOX 9: 3D app developed by Minnesota company helps teach soccer skills

The MOTI Youth Soccer 3D App is helping youngsters learn the sport of soccer while developing their skill.

Alan Merrick was interviewed recently on KMSP FOX 9 TV about the MOTI Sports 3D Soccer Training Platform & MOTI Soccer App (previously known as MOTI Mobile). View the news story now.

WATCH ON FOX 9 TV

MOTI Tip: Reliance on the Internet

Over the past 5 years, our dependence on internet access in our daily lives has grown exponentially.

Just a short 3-4 years ago communications between Coach and Player or Parent was simply by phone call.

Now we have come to rely on email, texts or team management systems, and we hope the communications are up to the minute.

Today with hot-spots on cell phones and wifi access points (almost) everywhere we’ve begun to forget about “not being connected”.

We at MOTI Sports, always want you to be able to access our 3D Training Content, where ever you are located.

Your time is important, especially when your team showing your young players a new Skill or Drill or Drawing out a Set Play. You cannot afford those pesky “wait-for-it” moments. Their attention span won’t last forever.

We’ve engineered our MOTI Soccer App so that if you are at a Soccer Tournament or in an airplane or backyard, you can still access the Practice Plan you just looked at then you were connected to the internet using our Web-View functionality.

Users (players or coaches) can in “Web-View” watch the 3D Session Plans and all the associated 3D media elements (3D Skill or 3D Drill) when the internet is available.

After the media elements of that practice session have been viewed in Web-View, you can either switch or login to work “Off-Line” in our App-View and go through the visual and auditory learning without concern over “being connected”.

MOTI Soccer (previously known as MOTI Mobile) – also allows you to use our ScratchPad function in App-Mode, as we assume when you are coaching on the side of the pitch, you cannot afford the “wait-for-it”.

Try it out by downloading MOTI Soccer and clicking “I am to MOTI Sports” and using out ScratchPad Feature https://motisports.com/video-moti-mobile-scratchpad-features.php

MOTI Sports “Learning to Play the Game from the Neck Up”

WVLT: New age app helping teach kids the sport of soccer

The MOTI Youth Soccer 3D App is helping youngsters learn the sport of soccer while developing their skill.

Alan Merrick was interviewed recently on WVLT TV about the MOTI Sports 3D Soccer Training Platform & MOTI Soccer App (previously known as MOTI Mobile). View the news story now.

WATCH ON WVLT TV

WCCO: Minnesota Soccer Veteran Designs Soccer Coaching App

The MOTI Youth Soccer 3D App is helping youngsters learn the sport of soccer while developing their skill.

Alan Merrick was interviewed recently on WCCO TV about the MOTI Sports 3D Soccer Training Platform & MOTI Soccer App (previously known as MOTI Mobile). View the news story now.

WATCH ON WCCO TV