Please review your division from the “Program Info” menu selection for End of Season Goals of your age group.

NOTE: The End of Season Goals are a template and by no means a totalitarian idea. Communication, collaboration and diversity are the backbone and crucial to making this program work and as strong as possible. The idea is to present all of Farmington 500 players parts of the game that are age appropriate and to build a foundation for good soccer practices in their future. It is also a resource for less experienced coaches to be able to set a learning goal for their team. There are going to be times when you have a player(s)/team that may be more or less advanced than the curriculum presented for that age group. There are no grades or assessments. Ask for help or adjust as needed. This is a team effort.

NOTE: THIS IS A RECREATION LEAGUE.

• Remember to always make it fun for kids/athletes/players.
• IF THEY AREN’T HAVING FUN, WE ARE DOING IT WRONG.
• You will be challenged by varying skill levels
• Regardless of the score, all players should get comparable play time
• Remember, they are ALWAYS watching
• We are here to make the kids “want” to come back next season

SETTING THE TEAMS

In previous years, teams were set up with a draft type system. This often created unbalanced and unfair teams. The goal should be to create evenly balanced teams so that all players should play to their full potential and have the same opportunity to learn the same skills and tactics. To assist in this goal, the following system is recommended:

• All players will go through a 1 or 2 day assessment practice (this should be broken down by age group). This practice should be conducted by a coach not in the age group, with agreed upon drills.
• All of the coaches in the age group (guest coaches are encouraged) will grade the players with a system agreed upon by the coaches (see here for an example)
• Players scores will then be averaged.
• Players will then be dispersed to teams in an even manner by the coaches and Soccer Director
• Offspring of coaches need to be factored in to ensure teams are balanced
• Siblings need to be factored in to ensure teams are balanced
• There may be the possibility of a parent requesting a specific coach. This also needs to be addressed to ensure it does not disrupt the balance of the teams
• The teams are then given a number and the coaches will draw a number from a hat
• Ensure that parents understand their player may have a different coach year to year, but the curriculum has been standardized to ensure they are learning the same things from team to team
• Curriculum should be reviewed and updated by the Soccer Director with coaches input on a yearly basis