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TO: Parents of
U-6/U-7 Wee Kicker players
FROM: Mini
Program Director & Wee Kickers Master Facilitator
RE: Welcome to
our Club!
The purpose of this
letter is to outline the club philosophy for the U-6 & U-7 Wee Kicker
players. By explaining to you the skill priorities and program
objectives for your child, the program’s format, and your role within
the program, we hope we can clarify many of your questions and work
together to make sure we provide a wonderful experience for everyone
involved. Above all else, please remember that, as a Club, our primary
objective is to make sure that every player gets what they want out of
the game at the different levels of play from U-6 through U-18 while
having fun.
Program
Objectives
The primary objectives
of the U-6/U-7 Wee Kickers program is to give the game back to the kids,
instill a love for the game ,develop facilitators into future coaches,
educate parents on positive sideline behavior & facilitating an
environment that allows “The Game To Be The Teacher” for in the
end soccer is a player’s game.
The Wee Kickers
Program is based on & inspired by the street soccer concepts of free
play, small sided games & minimal rules. No set teams until U-8, young
children start to identify with the concept of “team” around the age of
7 or 8, so forming season long teams & having coaches, refs & rules for
these young players is an adult imposed condition that eliminates most
connections to the ideals of street soccer & free play.
Once players graduate
to U-8 they are given a choice of 2 programs, they may enter the Mini
Kickers recreational program U-8 to U-10 or the Academicals development
program U-8 to U-10.
Skill Priorities
The primary objective
in skill development of the U-6/U-7 Wee Kickers program is to encourage
players to dribble. We want players to be comfortable with the ball at
their feet and want to help build their confidence.
By encouraging them to
dribble, we hope to encourage creativity as well as adding their own
personality to the game. Please recognize we do not list kicking or
booting the ball as an objective. We do not want the children to
aimlessly kick the ball as it is not helpful to their development as a
player. They need to touch the ball as often as possible and to develop
skills. We much prefer they learn how to dribble as opposed to just
kicking the ball. Typically, young players find dribbling much more fun.
Field Layout
Players will play
small sided games 3 v 3 & 4v 4 within their group of playmates.
You will be asked to
sit a few yards away from the sidelines during games in an area
designated
as the Parent’s Area.
The objective here is to give the players a sense of freedom, encourage
the
players to think for
themselves and minimize the effect that we adults have on the children’s
play. We hope to
encourage them to think for themselves when on the field and wean them
out
of their dependency on
the adults and eliminate any pressures from parents for them to perform.
Sideline
Behavior /We ask that you:
1) Refrain
from sideline coaching, screaming or running up and down the sidelines.
It is not acceptable if you hear yourself yelling from the sideline: Go
Timmy, Timmy go, Kick it, Boot it, Get it Timmy, Timmy pass it, Timmy
hustle, get rid of it, Timmy play your position, Timmy play wide, Timmy
get up stop being a wimp; Timmy run harder etc.
I think you get the
idea…Geppetto was the last puppeteer to have his son on strings, so
unless your son or daughter is named Pinocchio let him or her play on
their own.
2) Feel free
to cheer and applaud. This is not “silent soccer”, but it should be
positive soccer.
Please refrain from
offering negative comments and please applaud good plays by all players.
3)
Exhibit good sportsmanship and remember we the adults are guests at
their games.
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