Desoto County Soccer Association

The Parent's Area

Probably the single most important thing a parent can do for a child is LEARN about the game of soccer. Not to coach or referee but to stop the comments to coaches, referees and opponents. Soccer is not a game of kicking, it is a game of control yet a walk around the soccer complex on any given game day results in screams of KICK IT! Georgia's youth program is in a bound manual and the name of the program is KINS. Kicking Is Not Soccer. The entire focus on youth soccer should be on the element of control and the number of kids on the field working together to posses the ball and work it towards the opponents goal. Starting late in U-8 but definitely by U-10 children want to be challenged by their tasks. Simply running to a ball, kicking it, and running back to the spot they have been occupying the entire game is NOT soccer, it is NOT challenging and it is NOT fun. If this is your coaches philosophy to the game then by all means address it with the coach because eventually your child will tire of this and want to explore other activities in which they feel like they are learning and progressing.

New to the game? Click here
The 6 best things to say to your child at a game click here

Things to consider before yelling at the referee. click here

 A shocking trend that needs to be stopped ASAP click here
A Good Read For Parents. 
click here
  
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Myths about Parents

- My job [as a parent] is to coach my child whenever possible.
- My child will not learn the game unless I tell her the mistakes she is making.
- By my own influence, parental authority, requests, rewards and incentives, threats, and personal involvement, I can change the way my child plays soccer.
- Coaching my child will not affect or change our future relationship.
- I can use financial incentives to improve the quality of my child's performance.
- If I can push my child long enough, eventually he/she will realize how much the game means to him/her.
- I can [should, should be able to, want to, need to] substitute my child's current successes for my own miserable childhood.
- The better my child plays, the more important am I.
- I am not part of the “problem” of youth soccer. It’s those other adults who are the problem.

Myths about My Child

- My child is extraordinary.
- My child is individually the reason his/her team is successful.
- My child is going to get a scholarship to college, become part of the US Women’s/Men’s National Team, play in the Olympics, and/or play professionally.
- My child is going to immediately catch on, make a difference, start, and play the entire game.
- My child is never going to go into a temporary slump. Nor, is it acceptable for him/her to be in a slump.
- My child deserves more playing time.
- My child needs to play “up” in age in order to advance.
- My child needs a personal trainer – now, already!
- My child plays against clumsy opponents whose failure to remain on their feet is attributable solely to their lack of coordination.
- European soccer tours are the best way to further my child’s soccer career.
- If my child is called for a foul, the call was probably incorrect; but, in any event, the foul was certainly unintentional and in the spirit of competition. 
- If my child falls down, he/she was fouled and a card should probably be given the opponent.
- The coach of a team with a losing record would not be appropriate for my child.
- The coach of a winning team is the right coach for my child.
- Snacks are NOT the reason that my child likes playing on the team.

Myths about Players

- Forwards are the most important players on the team.
- The #18 player will always be the #18 player; the #1 player will always be the #1 player.
- A small [slow] child will always be small [slow].
- It is possible to predict, at age 8, which players will be great at age 16.
- The same players who are great at age 10 will be great at age 16.
- Children are small adults. They remember what they’ve been told. They understand complex logic and can execute complex strategies. You can yell at them the way you'd yell at anyone else who makes a mistake.
- In order to get good [or, get on a good team], you have to switch clubs every season or two, just as the only way to make more money is to change jobs every year or two.
- Goal keepers are crazy.
- Goal keepers are not crazy.
- Defenders are big and slow.
- A player should be urged to make a 30-yard sprint to challenge the goalkeeper with the ball at his/her feet.

Your Coach

DCSA is a recreational soccer organization. There are two vital elements that go into youth sports; fun and learning. There are some things that should be taken into consideration:

1. Appreciate your coach. They are a volunteer and usually get nothing out of the season except a plaque. (if the parents give them one)

2. Support your coach. Ask them if you can help with practice or games.

3. If you have a problem with the coach take it up with them, do not create a negative atmosphere by talking about them behind their back to other parents.

4. Remember your coach is NOT a babysitting service. What if something happens while you are away and they cannot contact you? How interested are you in your child if you look at every practice as an opportunity to run to the store, tan, or run somewhere else and take care of another chore instead of watching you child practice soccer?

5. Bringing a child to practice late or missing practice slows the childs development in the sport, it does not hurt the coach but does impact the child and the team.

If you take a problem to the coach and cannot get resolution consider speaking with the Head Coach or the VP for the division. In the mean time do what is necessary for the child to continue playing, pulling them because of a disagreement with the coach or because you think the team is not winning enough does not teach the child good lessons for the future. If the issue cannot be resolved through mediation the child can be placed in the draft for the next season.

The Draft

What is it and what does it do?

MYSA states that there are 5 criteria that must be met for the Association to receive it's annual approval.

1. Each organization must have an MYSA approved player assignment method that assigns players by age oldest to youngest by month and year.

2. The local organization will oversee the team formation process to insure that each coach is given equal opportunity to any player. The procedure established by the local organization will be included as a part of the age leveling procedures on file at the MYSA State Office. Players may not be rated using trials or tryouts.

3. Such a process ensures that any player may be assigned to any team in their age/gender division except those players listed in the two items below:

4. The children of the head coach and the assistant coach are the only players which are automatically assigned to the team.

5. Brothers and sisters in the same age/gender group shall be assigned to the same team unless their parents or legal guardians request otherwise.

When the computer forms the teams through the draft it only sees 1 and 2 beside a player's name. What this means is a first year player in the age group (a 10 year old in Under 12 would be a 1) or a second year player in the age group (an 11 year old in Under 12 would be a 2) The children of the coach and assistant coach are assigned to the team BEFORE the draft. Why? Because the teams have to be age leveled (an equal number of 1s and 2s on each team) and if both coaches have second year children they start off with two older children and the computer will assign them two younger players to level the team. This is as close to even as we can get in recreational soccer and puts the destiny of the children and the team solely on the coaches shoulders. Occasionally there is a team that ends up with more talented kids on a single team, it is not a manually loaded team because it would be out of balance age wise. These are also the reasons behind parents requesting a player to be on a specific team or play for a specific coach. This would more than likely unbalance the team age wise and technically makes the team a division 2 team, not division 3.