“Seattle United" - Coaching Director Bobby Howe's perspective
The “Seattle United” documents that have been distributed are flowery, subjective and in many ways have distorted the true picture of player development in Seattle. The documents reflect the need for “change” and to operate in a more collaborative, efficient and professional manner yet the process of discussion has not met any of those criteria. The process has been one of exclusion, not inclusion.
The topic is: “player development and coach education in Seattle.” But none of the top educators and former professional soccer players working for Emerald City F.C. have been consulted or involved in formal discussions. That includes myself -- the coaching director for Emerald City. I have devoted much of my professional career to player development and coaching education, and yet “Seattle United” group has consulted with me very little in this process. My advice has been to allow this process time to develop: take eight years not just a few months. Anything that is lasting, anything that is worthwhile, anything that involves excellence needs time to develop.
One of the most successful soccer development programs in the world occurred in France in the 1990s; discussion started in the mid 1980s, implementation began in the late 1980s and France won the World Cup in 1998. Excellence takes time.
Let’s go back in time in this state. It was back in 1984 and players as young as seven were playing 11-a-side soccer. It was obvious the young players would never develop the necessary skills playing the adult-version of the game, and so as the WYSA coaching director I proposed to change the system of youth development in this state. It took many years and much work to change people’s minds. There were lectures, coaching clinics, videos, meetings, articles and books – all in an effort to demonstrate the importance of small- sided games for our younger players. Today, small-sided games are the foundation of play in this state. Excellence takes time.
Recent documents issued by “Seattle United” assume that a new structure will be the panacea for improvement. There is no proof in the documents. At this time, the words are assumptions, not facts. Theory and empty words will not replace the known fact that Emerald City F.C. is evolving towards a player-centric club with a medium and long-term strategy for excellence.
At this time Emerald City F.C. has hired dedicated coaches ranging from former professional players, professional educators who understand the principles of player development and young, dedicated coaches who recognize the importance of improving their knowledge and understanding of the game. All are team players.
The documents assume that Emerald City F.C. is not competitive enough to attract top players and coaches within our region. The fact is that ECFC has attracted excellent coaches and ECFC is currently ranked in the top five clubs in this state. |
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The documents also assume that “winning” is the criteria for successful player development. Emerald City’s philosophy is that the role of the coach at youth level is to provide the environment to improve performance so that the players may aspire to a higher level of play. Winning games and winning tournaments are enjoyable byproducts of the playing environment. However, winning is relative to the current standard of competition and only a small measure of a child’s development. Enjoyment, social activity, understanding the importance of teamwork, creating positive role models, dealing with success, overcoming adversity and playing to win all help to create a long lasting passion for the game. Emerald City’s coaches understand and respect this philosophy. Most players currently playing at a premier level will not become professional players or Division 1 college players, so the game itself with its journey and experiences must be the motivation.
“Seattle United” documents have erroneously indicated a “pattern of attrition” in Emerald City F.C. There are now more teams at the club (38) than there were four years ago (28). The documents also suggest that high-level coaches have left the club. “High-quality” is a subjective term in this case used by people unqualified to make the statement. What is high-quality?
The player pass is currently used by ECFC and would not be used any more or any less by a new structure in Seattle. I was one of the leaders advocating for the introduction and implementation of the player pass in the PDL.
ECFC introduced the academy system to SYSA and has continued to offer guidance in the program with coaches and curriculum. Therefore, to suggest that there was no significant training of young players by our coaches is also an incorrect statement. In addition Emerald City’s coaches have provided free coaching clinics to SYSA’s coaches in the last three years and also have conducted all the certification and licensing programs for SYSA in the last two years. All the above have been offered in the spirit of collaboration.
There is also an assertion that there is no link between ECFC and the Seattle Sounders Academy. At this time, I have participated in meetings and discussions with the Sounders’ academy director with the view to ECFC’s participation and direction in the program.
There is an erroneous accusation that Emerald City F.C. is out of compliance with PDL admission standards. As a senior member of the PDL Committee, I am fully aware of all noncompliance correspondence and discussions. No documentation has been delivered nor have any conversations taken place to indicate that Emerald City F.C. is out of compliance. A club currently is in compliance if it fields 80% of teams U-11 through U-18. Emerald City may have one team that will not compete. The GU17 Green team will compete at U-18 next season. However, if the “Seattle United” plan is implemented that would result in eligibility issues.
Despite recent comments to the contrary the SYSA president has not petitioned nor had discussions with the PDL committee about “Seattle United” membership in the PDL.
There is an assumption that many of the current coaches at Emerald City F.C. would welcome the idea of working in this larger, more impersonal environment. There is also an assumption that the coaches would accept a reduction in salary and be asked to work more. There is an assumption that the coaches would have the time and the inclination to coach teams at select level as part of their job descriptions There is also an assumption that our coaches would welcome an evaluation procedure twice a year by a committee of three potentially unqualified people. There is a further assumption that all the select team coaches would enjoy a process of constant evaluation by other committees of people with subjective opinions.
The entire presentation in the documents presented by the “Seattle United” group is all theory and with no real practical experience of the outcome. It has not taken into consideration the concerns of players, parents, administrators, coaches or experienced coaching directors. There has been very little thought given to the human element and philosophy of “what is best for the player?” The identity of a premier club and select teams will be lost in a large bureaucracy fraught with committees and evaluations. The answer to player development is in education not evaluation.
The question has been asked: “what is Seattle United.” The question should be: “who is Seattle United?” The answer is quite simple. This entire project has been driven by a very small group of well meaning amateur soccer playing pals from various professions outside soccer that feel they “know better.” All have kids in the programs and many want to coach their kids. Personal agendas or grudges should have no place in youth soccer. Few, if any, have played the game at a very high level and none have directed soccer at a high level. If they have a passion for the game their passion was not created from the structure they are trying to create. The strategy they have employed has included too much negativity and destruction towards those people that could actually help them.
Soccer is a gentleman’s (gentlewoman's) game whose rules were created by people steeped in ethical beliefs and practices. When rules of the game were created the question was asked: “what would a gentleman do in this situation?”
Soccer is a simple game. It is a game of skill, imagination, creativity and making decisions. Coaching and structure should not stifle these qualities.
Bobby Howe
(Emerald City FC Coaching Director)
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