Girls and Boys playing in the Spring

[BigG]

Our best players could play ECNL as well. In fact since TSSAA allows SRPL games now why wouldn't they approve ECNL? Makes no sense and neither does the prohibition against training more than 6 v 6 if you allow them to play in games?

 

Word is this will also pave the wave for TN to get an ECNL club or two. I would love it for my daughter.

 

I believe the "independent game rule" would be abolished all together.

[ChattanoogaCannon]

Georgia plays girls and boys soccer in the spring. If Tennessee moved to both sports in spring, we would have a real problem getting enough refs in SE TN. The ref association out of Chattanooga also assigns games in NW GA all the way down to Calhoun, GA. BTW, they also cover TN teams all the way to Sweetwater and Sequoyah.

[CoachHolly7]

Doesn't TSSAA have the final say in this matter?

 

[BigG]

Georgia plays girls and boys soccer in the spring. If Tennessee moved to both sports in spring, we would have a real problem getting enough refs in SE TN. The ref association out of Chattanooga also assigns games in NW GA all the way down to Calhoun, GA. BTW, they also cover TN teams all the way to Sweetwater and Sequoyah.

We barely get enough refs with just one (girls or guys) in a season. 

[siegelsoccer]

Most reasons stated can be dealt with. When girls play at home, boys play away game. It would take just a little bit of creativity to resolve most of these stated issues. The biggest issue that I can see is practice facilities. Might have to use local facilities off campus. We have Fridays to use in the spring as an additional day to host games (for refereeing scheduling issues). Will there be issues with the field conditions, yes there always is. Solution - over seed. Most football fields in the fall are dirt by mid season. Asking the best girls' players to play both high school and elite level select ball, which they will do because they love representing their high school, is insane. We have four players that practice twice a week after high school practice and practice on weekends plus add additional games on the designated weekends. Injuries will accumulate as I know they already have for some. Coaching a team dealing with these issues is ridiculious. Resting girls that come back exhausted from extra play requires bending rules for the exceptional player - never a good thing for team chemistry.

 

When thinking about the sport's best interest, I don't see how this can't be a serious option to consider. We don't want our best players to leave for ECNL, Regional premiere league, etc. That would reduce the talent pool in the high school season significantly. While the non ECNL calibur players need to be considered as well, the significance of the high school sport would be greatly diminished without the best girls playing. I don't have all the answers on this however I hope that we make decisions that are in the best interests of the players and the sport - not the coaches.

[Playerscoach]

Most reasons stated can be dealt with. When girls play at home, boys play away game. It would take just a little bit of creativity to resolve most of these stated issues. The biggest issue that I can see is practice facilities. Might have to use local facilities off campus. We have Fridays to use in the spring as an additional day to host games (for refereeing scheduling issues). Will there be issues with the field conditions, yes there always is. Solution - over seed. Most football fields in the fall are dirt by mid season. Asking the best girls' players to play both high school and elite level select ball, which they will do because they love representing their high school, is insane. We have four players that practice twice a week after high school practice and practice on weekends plus add additional games on the designated weekends. Injuries will accumulate as I know they already have for some. Coaching a team dealing with these issues is ridiculious. Resting girls that come back exhausted from extra play requires bending rules for the exceptional player - never a good thing for team chemistry.

 

When thinking about the sport's best interest, I don't see how this can't be a serious option to consider. We don't want our best players to leave for ECNL, Regional premiere league, etc. That would reduce the talent pool in the high school season significantly. While the non ECNL calibur players need to be considered as well, the significance of the high school sport would be greatly diminished without the best girls playing. I don't have all the answers on this however I hope that we make decisions that are in the best interests of the players and the sport - not the coaches.

Great points.

 

I spoke with an ECNL club in Atlanta yesterday and my daughter will be playing for one in December as well as next fall in the allowed events. After rejecting them for two years this ruling has now opened Pandora's box. It appears TN is trending towards additional changes with soccer that will greatly affect our schools. The impact of allowing SRPL and now ECNL participation has already affected several teams. Some teams with these players are sitting those kids after long weekends of games (Labor day) due to bumps/bruises that may/may not have occurred because of it.

 

I have mixed emotions about it. On one hand these changes do provide for greater exposure but on the other they may cause over training and greater risk of injury. My daughter enjoys playing for her coach but there's no doubt her skills diminish when she's playing HS composition. Her coach last season ( a Div 1 asst coach) complained that it took him months to get rid of her bad habits developed from playing on the HS level.

 

The truth is I love all HS sports and activities. I support and watch every program at our school by attending and cheering for the kids. Also, I enjoy reading these boards and hearing from all of you, including Booger , about the great games and programs all over our state. After seeing programs in my area sitting kids, having injuries, and watching my daughter miss two weeks of training/games due to an overuse injury I've had to step back and wonder if all of this is best for the sport? Since it's available my wife and I are still going to allow my daughter to use it as a vehicle for greater exposure because she wants to play at the highest level, but by doing so we know the odds of it affecting her HS team negatively increase dramatically. It's a very tough spot for parents, kids and the HS coaches. I wouldn't have said the same thing before actually going through it this season.

[BigG]

 

I have mixed emotions about it. On one hand these changes do provide for greater exposure but on the other they may cause over training and greater risk of injury. My daughter enjoys playing for her coach but there's no doubt her skills diminish when she's playing HS composition. Her coach last season ( a Div 1 asst coach) complained that it took him months to get rid of her bad habits developed from playing on the HS level.

 

Well, we high school coaches will work harder on not messing up the SRPL players.  I think I may have a "Soccer for Dummies" book somewhere.  There are two new drills I want to try!  "Boot that ball" and "Always use your toe"!  

[EnsworthSoccer]

Well, we high school coaches will work harder on not messing up the SRPL players.  I think I may have a "Soccer for Dummies" book somewhere.  There are two new drills I want to try!  "Boot that ball" and "Always use your toe"!  

Ditto. I like having the girls play Steal the Bacon, Knockout, and Sharks and Minnows for our main drills. We usually follow up with World Cuppies for finishing (no European teams allowed since we try to work on geography skills, too), and then for fitness it's either Red Light, Green Light or Steal the Flag. 

 

We work really hard on "When in doubt, kick it out", and sometimes even practice the toe-bender shot.

 

Anything I can do to help advance the game, you know?

[BigG]

Ditto. I like having the girls play Steal the Bacon, Knockout, and Sharks and Minnows for our main drills. We usually follow up with World Cuppies for finishing (no European teams allowed since we try to work on geography skills, too), and then for fitness it's either Red Light, Green Light or Steal the Flag. 

 

We work really hard on "When in doubt, kick it out", and sometimes even practice the toe-bender shot.

 

Anything I can do to help advance the game, you know?

I am always Djibouti when I play world cup.  

[EnsworthSoccer]

I am always Djibouti when I play world cup.  

That's a favorite of my kids. If "Ja-Booty" wins World Cuppies, all of the other players have to do an extra 50 jumping jacks for fitness! It really ups the level of intensity.

 

I think if only the club coaches did stuff like this, we might have won a women's World Cup by now!

[RonMexico3]

Colleges do not recruit high schools for soccer and we all know that.  The question of "should college bound vball players play high school vball" came up on the vball board.......the same could be asked about high school soccer.  Does high school soccer help or hurt the players development?   

[Big Poppa 17]

In boys soccer in the spring, college coaches absolutely recruit the kids.  In my 10 years coaching here in the midstate at 3 different schools, I have had numerous college coaches coming to see my kids, and almost all of them made their decision on offering a scholarship based on what they saw. I don't know about girls soccer and I especially don't know about travel (if I was interested in cutthroat politics, I would run for office, but I'm not, so I coach at the high school level instead of travel).