Welcome to the GP Soccer Podcast! (S14 E3)

                              Welcome to the GP Soccer Podcast!  (S14 E3)

Proud member of the Sports History Network and endorsed by the National                                                  Soccer Coaches Association of Canada.     

Host Giovanni Pacini welcomes his worldwide audience to yet another exciting show and don't forget this season will feature World Cup "bonus content" throughout the season and beyond!

This week's "Conversation with the Coach" is with Alf Gracombe, the host of CoachCraft Podcast and serves as Technical Director for Jamaica Plain Youth Soccer (MA). "Coaches Corner" features the popular Paul Robinson where he discusses coaching across cultures. "News and Analysis" will feature Giovanni Pacini with news about the upcoming World Cup, and Ralph Ferrigno checks in with the European Soccer Reports where he talks about "The Premiere League Humbled in Europe".  The "American Soccer Revolution" features audio from the Arizona State Referees Administration regarding referee abuse. 

The GP Soccer Podcast features new shows every Wednesday and can be found anywhere you listen to your podcasts. Listeners are encouraged to "Like" and "Subscribe" the GP Soccer Podcast and share the show amongst those within their social media network! Those interested in advertising on the show can contact host Giovanni Pacini at gp4soccer@yahoo.com. And be sure to check out the show website at www.gpsoccerpodcast.com. 

                    GP Soccer Podcast enjoys continued support from-
United Goalkeeping Alliance - Music Meets Sports - National Soccer Coaches Association of Canada - The Sports History Network - Feedspot.com - GP Voice Over Services - Zone 14 Coaching

GP Soccer Podcast welcomes a new sponsor- Zone 14 Coaching! Check it out at Zone14coaching.com. Use promo code GP20 for 20% off!

Enjoy the show!

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 1:22

Well, hey there, everyone. Giovanni Piccini here, your host of the GP Soccer Podcast. Great to be with you once again talking about all things soccer. The other day, um somebody asked me, what does GP stand for for the GP Soccer Podcast? And I had to wait, you know, the obligatory two or three seconds to see if they, you know, crack a juggle and they go, ah, I know what it what it stands for. But they were dead serious. I said, well, my name is Giovanni Piccini. G, Giovanni P. Picini, GP Soccer Podcast. And then the light went on. They go, oh, wow, I'm feeling kind of dumb right now. Like, no, no worries. No worries. I can certainly understand. But yeah, GP Soccer Podcast, Giovanni Picini. Pretty simple. When I put this whole thing together, I had to come up with a name. Like a lot of podcasters. You've got to come up with a name for your show. And I'm like, well, this is pretty simple. It's part of my brand. GP Soccer is part of my brand. So GP Soccer Podcast was a no-brainer. No brainer. Anyways, welcome to all of you all around the uh all around the world, all around the globe, all around the universe for tuning into the GP Soccer Podcast this week. I'm going to start with a text that was sent to me. As you may or may not know, and this is not specific just to my show, my podcast, but if you go to a podcast and you click on a show that you want to listen to, invariably there will be some show notes. The host of the show, or whoever presenting the show, will share with you details of what's what's going to be going on in the show. And I'm no different. I try to make my uh show notes very detailed. So when you go, you know what's what's going to be happening. And above the show notes, um, you can, you'll you'll see, uh, send a text on all of my uh GPSoccer podcast show notes, show scripts above the, you'll see, send a text. So this is a very recent one that I got. I thought I'd share with all of you to start off the show today. Uh, Giovanni, I've listened to a bunch of your shows over the last two to three years and can say that I enjoy checking them out. Well, thank you very much for that. Appreciate it. I really like the segments, especially conversation with the coach. Coach's corner is really good too. The one thing that I might complain about is the fact that oftentimes your comments or news pieces are local to you. Quote, I live um, If you put in parentheses, I live in the Midwest. And I'm not super interested in that information. Maybe broaden your geographical coverage a bit. I'll continue to listen as I as I get tired of a whole lot of the other bland podcasts that are out there. Just my two cents, carry on. Well, first of all, thank you very much for taking the time for sending this out to me. Um I appreciate the comments. So, you know, I talk oftentimes about the three pillars of the GP Soccer podcast. I'm here to inform, educate, and entertain. And under the, you know, the information part, I share stuff that not just locally here to the Boston area, but but other parts of the country and the world as well. But I'd like to think that you may be listening in this case in the Midwest or in other cases on the other side of the planet, and you learn a little bit something about what's going on in my world here uh in the Boston area uh about soccer. It's it's the education part, it's in the information part too, that kind of go hand in hand. Um I try to make I try to make it as diverse as possible uh in the respect that we've got a a real diverse panel of folks who've come on the uh conversation with the coach uh segment, which in your note here you you say you really, really like. And they're they're local, they're they're state, they're national, they're international. Um so you kind of get a a real uh a broad base of folks who I talk to. Um in my you know uh soccer news and analysis. I try to uh share with with folks uh news from literally around the world. And in this case here with the World Cup coming up, I I have the latest news from the World Cup. We'll do the same thing this week. And then to add uh, you know, uh literally a global uh aspect of the show, I've got the terrific Ralph Ferigno who does his European soccer report. So I'd like to think that uh it's not just local, it's it is indeed global. Uh isn't indeed global. And I and I'd like to think that that folks who are sitting on the other side of the planet listening to the show might learn something. They may not know about what goes on in youth soccer in Massachusetts or what goes on with with clubs across the United States of America. Um, you know, it's it's a it's an opportunity to kind of sit back um and learn. And learn. So that's kind of like my my answer here. I I hope that uh suits it. Uh I'll kind of continue to do what I'm doing here. So far, so good. Terrific show today. I'd like to think they're all terrific. You hear me say that each and every week, but they're they're they're pretty terrific. Conversation with the coach. Uh Alfum uh Gracom. Uh he's the host of a terrific podcast called Coach Craft, and he's the technical director uh and board member for Jamaica Plain Youth Soccer. And yes, Jamaica Plain, for those of you here in the New England area, know that it's just outside the Boston area. So sorry to my my texter friend here, but this is a local one. Um we met, this is a little story behind the story. Um, attending the uh the uh United Soccer Coaches Convention back in January, I was attending a uh presentation for by a UEFA uh representative, terrific, uh terrific um uh presentation. And this gentleman uh happened to catch the fact that I'm Giovanni Pacini, GP Soccer Podcast, and came up and was very nice and said, I listen to your show. I really like what you do. And we were kind of going back and forth, and he says, Um, you know, where where do you broadcast out of? I'm like, well, I I live in just outside of Boston and Quincy. And he says, Well, I live in Jamaica playing. Well, for those of you who don't know the geography here, what I'm talking about, we're about 10 minutes away from each other. Uh, and we had to travel all the way to Philadelphia and attend this uh the convention and go to the same presentation to bump into each other. But that's that's the world of sports, that's the world of soccer. You bump into people uh both near and far in your world. So, in any event, that's going to be a conversation with the coach. In Coach's Corner, the terrific Paul Robinson uh is gonna be talking about coaching across cultures. Soccer news and analysis. Yes, indeed, I'll be talking about the latest news from the World Cup, the European Soccer Report with the aforementioned terrific Ralph Rigno. Uh, he'll be talking about the Premier League humbled in Europe. Good stuff. In the American Soccer Revolution, which is the last block of the show. I'm going to share with you some audio from the Arizona State Referees Administration regarding abuse towards referees, particularly young people who are refereeing. You're going to want to listen to this. It's one of those uh educate and inform pillars here on the GP Soccer Podcast. Um I certainly hope it resonates. So that's in the American Soccer Revolution. Checking boxes, checking boxes, checking boxes. The New England Revolution, our local entry in Major League Soccer, get their first win of the season. Now, uh they came against uh uh FC Cincinnati, and uh you know, Cincinnati scores first. Uh uh Geraldo Valenzuela gave uh Cincinnati a uh 1-0 uh lead just 19 minutes into the match. And if you're you know you're a Revs fan, you go, oh, here we go again. Early in the season, can't get a win the first game of the year, can't get a win second game of the year, here we go. But things were different this time around. Uh what transpired after that uh was a was a terrific revolution attack, uh, which prior to this had just scored uh once in their first two games and had to wait an extra week for this particular match because um uh one match not so long ago was postponed because of the snowstorm. Um and and they woke up uh in terms of their offense. They fired uh six goals uh on Cincinnati uh and ended up being a six to one win uh at Gillette City before a crowd of above 15,000 people, not a very, very big crowd. Um and the last time hit for six goals in a single match was back in 2004. If my uh my research uh bears that to be correct, it was against Colorado. Uh and um, you know, on this particular game, uh Brian Cebales, he scored twice. George Kirk Turgemin, um Al-Hassan, Yusuf, Griffin Yo, and Peyt Miller uh added goals as well for New England. Uh and Luca Langoni set up uh the first three uh first half goals. It was great. Um, you know, since 2014, the Revs have only kicked off things in terms of winning, only once. Um it was in in 2023. And in the the team's uh 29 or 30 years, 30 years actually, uh history, it was only Thomas Rongan back in 1997 that um he got uh uh a winner in the opening uh of the debut game. It was a 1-0 uh game against uh the Dallas Byrne. Um, you know, the scheduling for the Revs um has been crummy. For the history of this this franchise, they open the season invariably on the road. Uh, I don't know the nuances of the scheduling. I'm sure, I'm sure it has a lot to do with what goes on in terms of what's happening at Gillette Stadium, in terms of what's happening in other stadiums, the availability of venues will dictate the uh the formation of uh schedules. But you know, this poor side for the better part of its history has started the the first game and a lot of the early matches uh on the road. And it's just you surrender, you know, you surrender home field advantage, um, like right off the bat. And uh, you know, it's um you know, it put it puts your puts your team behind the eight-ball. But besides all that, um congratulations for the reps who are getting their first win and a and a you know a solid one at that, six to one over uh Cincinnati. The Boston Legacy, yes indeed, Boston Legacy FC have made their debut finally, and they played at the aforementioned Gillette Stadium. Uh it's been about two or three years now that we've been waiting for this whole thing to start. And uh lo and behold, this past weekend, over 30,000 fans uh attended the match at Gillette Stadium, and uh it was a match against uh Gotham FC. Unfortunately, the legacy uh came up short, 1-0. Uh, you know, the game, per my own observations, and obviously I did watch the match, you know, it was a competitive match. The FC Gotham or the defending NWSL champions. And if you didn't know that, this was a competitive game. This was back and forth stuff. Um, the legacy were not, you know, overwhelmed by the defending league champions. No, they were they were at it back and forth. Um and uh, you know, Gotham FC kind of kept the scoreless through the first half, uh, but it was Esther Gonzalez's goal like in the 55th minute that was the difference in this in this one uh loss. You know, there were times, uh talking about the legacy here, that the game was crisp, the game was cohesive, but then there were other times where the game was chunky, uh a little get a little bit chaotic. Um but you know, nerves uh and that those chaotic um you know times on the field, I guess were kind of expected. They've only been together for like eight weeks. Eight weeks. Um but after that goal was scored by Gotham FC, things kind of changed a little bit for the legacy. They kind of they dug in and got a little physical uh and really got got stuck in as we say in the in soccer terms, um and and show that they they belong. Show that they belong. Um the uh aforementioned uh tennis that I mentioned to you, um, you know, over 30,000, 30,207 to be exact, um, it was an overall uh NWSL tennis record um of of uh uh so far. And um that is probably going to fall next week. Uh Summit FC uh opens up its home opener, and that club has uh sold more than 50,000 tickets for a game at the former Mile High Stadium. So that our this this record for the legacy be short, short uh lived, but that's okay. That's okay. We have 30,000 wonderful fans coming out on what was uh uh a cold and crisp day uh for anything. But um so kudos to our those wonderful fans who were waiting all this time uh for uh women's soccer to return to the Boston area. Um the uh the goal that was given up um by the legacy was a poor clearance from a legacy player that um was easily put away. Um and uh as I said, that that one particular goal uh you know stood tall uh for for the in that match. Um halftime. We saw the New Kids on the Block, a local local group that uh has as are certainly a known worldwide, uh had a little halftime show that was wonderful. And um, you know, to put kind of a an ending on this, a little bit of a marker, uh professional women's soccer has has arrived back in Boston. Now we've had the Boston Breakers and different uh alliterations of of the women's professional game, but this the NWSL is rock solid, it's here to stay, and I can kind of put my money where my mouth is. This particular uh franchise, Boston Legacy FC, is here to stay. Is here to stay. Um they got off to a bit of a rocky start um you know with the with the uh the naming. The original Boston name was Boss Nation FC. Uh that kind of fell flat to say the least uh at their launch back in October of 2024, and the club kind of ditched its a its accompanying, quote, too many balls campaign after fans uh basically received it with with well, quite frankly, they were angry. Uh and a lot of dismay, a lot of dispo uh disappointment. And uh, you know, that campaign was intended to uh was intended to be sarcastic, very tongue-in-cheek, but my goodness, it did fall flat. Um and the backlash to all of that was was very quick, very quick. But to the franchise's credit, uh they listened to their fans and took the appropriate steps to take a step back and say, we really need to get this right. We need to get this branding right. We need to get the logo right. Everything that goes along uh with said brand is important, and lo and behold, they come back with uh the Boston Legacy FC with a wonderful logo, uh wonderful looking kits, and uh they got it right. They got it right, and and kudos to them. Absolutely fantastic. So uh if you're in the Boston area, in the New England area, uh make sure you check out the Boston Legacy. The Legacy, they'll be playing some games at Gillette Stadium and then down uh in Rhode Island. Uh it won't be until I believe next year to their stadium will be uh uh reconstructed. Uh that's White Stadium uh for their for their uh moving there for their uh as their home venue. So, the uh as I've been reporting on all this, a deal has been set on uh that that security money for the World Cup. Uh there's been a battle that's been gone back and forth that uh featured Foxboro, the Foxboro Select Board against the uh FIFA uh and the Kraft Sports and Entertainment Group and Boston's World Cup uh host committee as well. But it's all over. And uh, well, Foxboro won. Good for them. And uh if you're not up to date with what's going on, these two sides uh finally reached a deal that kind of satisfies Foxboro's need for$7.8 million to cover their the security costs for the seven World Cup games that are gonna be being scheduled and played at Gillette Stadium starting obviously in June. Um the town's select board, uh they pretty much said, nope, we're not gonna give you the entertainment license license until we have money in hand. And they stood their ground, and lo and behold, agreement has been set, and uh we can move forward. Um as I've noted to you in uh kind of covering all this, um, you know, Boston politics is a funny thing. I'm not gonna get into the you know long list of stories that you know uh go along with with Boston politics, but this is another example of of that happening. And invariably cooler heads do prevail, as was the case here, and things get done. It can it can can mess up things uh you know as as they move along the process, but sooner or later things get done. The same can be said with the New England Revolution and them securing uh a site for their stadium that'll that'll be built uh up in Everett, just outside of Boston. Um so, good news there. So I want to close out the opening block of the GP Soccer Podcast and introduce you to our new sponsor. We've got several sponsors, as you know. You hear those commercials. Uh we have Zone 14 Coaching is a new uh sponsor here for the GP Soccer Podcast. And I've I've got to tell you, I'm gonna, you know, gonna give them some due props here. This is pretty cool. This is a next generation journal that's uh for coaches and players that um they they can help plan practices and look back on what worked, what didn't work. You can track your progress all season long. And the folks behind all this um, you know, they they basically viewed some of the top tacticians in the game. And uh and what they witnessed there was, you know, coaches and tacticians and you know, experts in the game, just using a simple pen and paper, you know, sketching and writing and planning in a journal. In a journal. And I was very fortunate for these good folks at Zone 14 coaching to send me um a journal, one for the players and one for the coach. And I've got to tell you, it's top-notch. Uh, first class, uh, uh you know the way it's laid out and in terms of the quality of the journals. Certainly check it out. So um great to have the uh Zone 14 Coaching as a new sponsor of the GP Soccer Podcast, and uh make sure you check them out as well. So there you have it, the closing block, the closing of the A block, the first block of the GP Soccer Podcast. We're gonna break for a commercial message, you know that works, and then we'll re-engage on the other side. We'll come back with conversation with the coach, Giovanni Piccini here, GP Soccer Podcast, talking about all things soccer from all around the world, despite what people say. We'll catch you on the other side. Don't you dare go anywhere. Youth soccer has changed. Expectations are higher, but systems haven't kept up. Coaches juggle endless tasks, players chase progress they can't measure, and clubs struggle to create consistency across teams. Zone 14 Coaching was built for this moment. A company built by coaches for coaches, Zone 14 Coaching next generation journals of coaches and players help plan every practice, reflect on what worked, and track progress all season long. Built on intentional coaching and backed by neuroscience, Zone 14 coaching brings structure and purpose to your training. 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SPEAKER_09 21:33

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SPEAKER_10 22:22

Uh, I am uh well, I'm a legend. I'm frickin' awesome. Are you kidding me? Well, anyway, you know where you are. You're listening to the GP Soccer Podcast with Giovanni Pacini.

SPEAKER_04 22:32

Gibbello, and welcome to the GP Soccer Podcast Conversation with the Coach. And welcome to the GP Soccer Podcast, Conversation with the Coach. This is this is kind of a cool little story, a little bit of a setup here. Um having just uh recently attended the uh United Soccer Coaches uh convention uh down in Philadelphia, you meet a lot of people, people you know, people you don't know. Um and this is one of those situations where this is you meet someone for the for the very first time. I was attending a uh presentation by one of the UEFA staff members, uh a terrific presentation. And at the end of uh the presentation, you know, you mingle and you bump into people and you talk to people, and I ran into this gentleman, uh, and he and I started talking soccer, as you might expect, at a soccer coach's convention. And lo and behold, not only do we realize that we're involved in the game, but we also do a podcast, and we live maybe 10 minutes away from each other. I live here in Quincy, Massachusetts, and our guest today uh is over in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Um, and I'm looking forward to today's conversation with Alf Gracom uh because he's involved with youth soccer, and uh I don't think enough time is spent talking about youth soccer. We talk about club soccer, club soccer, club soccer all the time, and oftentimes it's there's a very thin line between the two, but I like talking about talking with folks who are involved in youth soccer, in the youth soccer uh community. So, by way of formal introduction, uh Alf Gracom is the technical director and board member for Jamaica Plain Youth Soccer, Jamaica Plain here in Massachusetts. He's also the host of Coach Craft Podcast, and he's the founder and developer of Coach of Coach Fives. Uh it's a startup and it's uh focused on helping youth coaches deliver more impactful development uh appropriate feedback for their players. So, Alf, my my neighbor, I guess. Welcome to the GP Soccer Podcast Conversation with the Coach.

SPEAKER_07 24:59

Yeah, Giovanni, it is great to be here, and thanks for the great intro. And uh yeah, just a nice little story of how we met, and uh just glad to be here on the podcast after after meeting you.

SPEAKER_04 25:10

Yes, great having you. Absolutely great having you. Um so uh before we get started, I have a global audience and I say Jamaica Plain use soccer. I play say Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Before we kind of get into the soccer nuts and bolts, what's happening in Jamaica Plain, share with my audience where is Jamaica Plain? Uh you know, what is it, what's what kind of a community is it is it is it um, you know, so kind of give my audience a little bit of a uh a geographical view of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.

SPEAKER_07 25:38

Okay, great. Yeah, so Jamaica Plain or JP as we call it here, um it is in the city of Boston, but Boston is very much a city of neighborhoods. So Jamaica Plain is one of those, one of those cities that just sits uh kind of south of downtown downtown, um, borders the neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, uh and Roslindale, Hyde Park. So it's kind of central to a few different neighborhoods. And then um Jamaica Plain Used Soccer is a grassroots program, as you as you mentioned, that I'm heavily involved with and have been so for about the past 12 years now. And uh we both serve families here in Jamaica Plain, but also some of these surrounding communities um as well, or one of the biggest uh town soccer programs in the city of Boston.

SPEAKER_04 26:30

And um, as you mentioned, it's it's what it's one of the neighborhoods. Um how how how involved, how active, how vibrant is the soccer community in Jamaica Plain? I know certainly there are other sports out there that that uh kids have uh opportunities to choose from. How how vibrant is is JP uh JPU soccer?

SPEAKER_07 26:48

Yeah, JPU soccer, I think it's probably the biggest sports program. There's a baseball program here that's also um pretty well utilized by the community, but we serve just over 600 families every season. There's two seasons, there's a spring season and fall season. And uh yeah, soccer is very much this is a uh this is a soccer uh town. It's it's great. I when I'm just out and about, it's always great to see the kids in their JPs, soccer, you know, sweatshirts and other swag and stuff. So it's it's very much, I'd say, woven into the fabric of the community community, which has been part of what I've loved about being involved. It's it's uh my son, uh, he's now a senior in high school, but when he entered the program, we have programs through starting in first grade up through twelfth grade. So um, and uh so anyway, he's been you know, kind of been on that journey through the whole uh program here in JP. But the thing that's just been amazing is that I got involved, I joined the board, and just continued to coach him, and it's really served as the kind of focal point of a lot of our social connection to the community. Like so many of my friends are either, you know, folks I've coached with or they have kids that have played soccer with my son. So it's very much one of those programs that I would say is really firmly kind of woven into the fabric of the community. And it, you know, because of that serves a very important function, not just in the sporting context, but socially uh within the community as well.

SPEAKER_04 28:21

Even though our relationship is relatively short, the times we have spoken first in Philadelphia and before we hit the record button here uh this morning, um, I know that you're very passionate about, obviously very passionate about the game. Um passionate about player development, you know, coach development. Um there's some themes that that are really, really important to you. And I want to kind of hit on these because it's very, very intriguing. And I think folks were involved in in youth soccer versus club, I guess per se. But I guess it's kind of a you could is a bit of a crossover. But um talk to my audience about orienting youth soccer slash sports that's that's around developmental rather than a performance mindset. That's that's a bit of a third reel when you talk about let's look at development versus well, let's just say what it is, you know, wins and losses. Talk to my audience about your philosophy uh around that.

SPEAKER_07 29:13

Uh yeah, no, it's a great question. And I think uh, you know, our orientation in Jamaica playing youth soccer is very much around this idea of uh development. Now, what does development mean? I think a lot of people would say, oh yes, of course, we're developing, we're developing young players. Um, but you've been around the game for a long time. I'm sure you've seen it as well. Um folks who are passionate about the game, and I would certainly include myself in that, uh, but a lot of their orientation is around the adult game or the pro game. That's what they're watching on the weekends. You know, they're watching the Premier League, they're watching the Bundesliga, they're watching La Liga, MLS, whatever it might be. And that's all great, and it's amazing entertainment, and these are incredible athletes, and we we watch it for because we love sport. But when you talk about the youth game, it's just a completely different, I'd say, set of um it's a completely different set of goals that I believe should be in place around the youth game. Um, when we watch the pro game, it's all about performance and optimizing your players and winning games, and that's the end result that you know these players, these teams, these coaches, these clubs, these systems are all working towards. And it's just a natural thing, I think, for people, especially coaches, maybe volunteer coaches, and they're saying, Oh, I've got a child who's you know playing in this grassroots program, I'm gonna coach. They need coaches. And that's kind of how a lot of coaches come to this. They look at the pro game and they say, Okay, this is uh, you know, kind of how I'm gonna orient around my team. And you can't fault people for that. I think it's a natural, a natural thing. They watch Pep Guardiola on the weekend and maybe they feel like they've got to be, you know, animated and on the sideline and shouting out instructions to their players and being very much, you know, involved in the game. But I think if you kind of step back and take a look at what's needed at the youth level, and it's not just soccer, I'd say this applies to any sport, is a different kind of involvement by coaches and adults in it. And and I like to say it's a little bit more of you're not really directing the experience for the kids. I think you are more um kind of shepherding an experience for kids. And, you know, sometimes that's around winning and losing. I mean, I like to say winning isn't everything, but it's something, right? Like kids do like to compete, they do like to win. But at the end of the day, I think the question you need to be asking yourself as a coach is are the kids enjoying it? And are they improving? Are they getting better at what they're doing? And for me, those are the two questions that really sit at the center of what uh youth, youth soccer, youth sports development should be.

SPEAKER_04 32:13

There's so many things that can come out of that statement, and and so many things that can come out of your answer. Um and as you were sharing your answer, I was scribbling down some some notes here, uh, none of which, you know, no particular order. But part of what we're getting caught up here, we talk about development versus performance, is is basically the US sports mindset. You know, we you can go back to Vince Lombardi, and I may get this wrong. Well, winning isn't uh everything, it's the only thing. Um and I think that's pretty much a sports mindset here in the United States of America. We gotta you know, we gotta compete, gotta compete and go out and show who's best. And uh and when you get caught up in that mindset, um, what typically goes uh you know to the wayside is development. Is development. Um you know, and then you touched upon it, you know, uh the briefly as well, is uh, you know, the coaches, or what I refer to more, and it could be just semantics, teachers of the game. Um they oftentimes forget that the game is the is the best teacher, and their job is to facilitate an environment that that meets the needs of, well, let's just say a training session or a particular activity. Um, and your mindset and your focus is all about you know that topic could be very arbitrary here, you know, passing and receiving, let's say. Um and you know, again, it the the it's uh a mindset where you know coaches uh got to learn how to keep their mouth shut and know how to create environments that that best serve the players. W what are your thoughts on all that?

SPEAKER_07 33:46

Yeah, no, I I a hundred percent agree. And I don't, you know, I don't want to sound I don't want to be too evangelical about this or too ideological. Um, but I think you know, this is why coach education I think is so important. And some and it's and it's a space in which I think the US has evolved and improved immensely over, let's just say, the last 20 years. Um, you know, it's we always say, you know, the American mindset is very kind of sink or swim, very competitive, very oriented around winning. And I would say that's you know, that's the case in other cultures as well. I remember reading an article about Uruguay and you know their football culture there, and it is, I mean, it's a hyper, hyper competitive environment. And yet they produce a different kind of player, and arguably, you know, per capita, certainly, more players than the US does that are elite, you know, world-class players. So I think that's part of it. And you know, I do think there is a place for competition. I don't I don't want to say that's not important to the game, but I do think the way that we measure results or success as a youth soccer coach sh should be and can be different. And that the framing of winning and losing for players is also something that a coach can uh I think have a very strong hand in shaping. And so uh one one sort of metaphor, I love metaphors, and one that I used with my players was, you know, we talk about what was the result of the game, right? Well, the the obvious thing is, well, we we won two to one, right? That was the result. And I was like, well, don't think of it as just one result. Um, it's actually a set of results. It's like if you go, this is the metaphor, if you go to get, you know, your blood work done, blood tests done at the lab, right? And what comes back are many different results from your blood work. It's not any one thing, it's not a binary, hey, good or bad. It's oh, you know, this is a little high, this is a little low, you need to pay attention to that. And so that's how I liken uh that's how I talk about results in a game for players. Like, okay, the score line is one of the results. We won the game. Great, well done, boys. Um, but how was our transition into attack? Right? How was our possession game? Um, how did we defend? And these are all questions, right, that can be posed to the team. They can answer them. These are not necessarily quantifiable answers, even the score line's nice, it's two to one. That's easy. Everybody understands that. But how did we defend? Well, that's that's a different question. It's not going to lend itself to a quantitative answer, but can lend itself to a very, I think, developmentally rich conversation that you can have with your players. Probably not after the game, but maybe at the next practice session. So, you know, I think as coaches, that's that's one way that I think you can approach um the idea of results.

SPEAKER_04 36:48

And all of that can be understood by your players in almost at almost at any age. Um but the one group of people where um they have the most difficult time understanding what you just described um are the parents.

SPEAKER_10 37:02

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 37:03

Because the reality here is, and I don't mean to be all doom and gloom, but I'm gonna give folks a taste of reality, because at the end of the training session, at the end of a wonderful training session by Coach Gracom, and despite the fact that he did a wonderful job in terms of you know explaining what reasons what true results are, not the score per se, they're gonna have to go walk across the parking lot, jump in the car with mom or dad. And the first question out of mom and dad's mouth, did you win today? Or uh why didn't you do this? Well, how come you how come you missed that pass? Or now, before people start throwing things at me virtually, this is not every parent. Let me be clear out there, folks, out there in the GP Soccer podcast landscape. Not everybody does this, but there's there's enough where I can sit here behind the microphone and say, This is a this is a problem. This is a problem. So that's a very long way of me asking you, Elf, um, how do you go about educating parents to put them on the same page that you put on the literal same page when you were talking with your players? Yeah, so Giovanni, uh, how much time do we have?

SPEAKER_11 38:04

Yeah, we have all the time we need, my friend.

SPEAKER_07 38:07

So one of my colleagues and and mentors uh at Jamaica Plain Youth Soccer, this gentleman, Chris Ho, he was uh he was on my podcast uh a while back. Uh he's been around forever. He he's got a son who's in his 20s now, so uh, but he continues to work in our U8 Academy program and is on the board. And he said something to me years and years and years ago when my son was first, you know, coming into this program. He said, uh, what do you do after a game? You're a parent, okay? Kids won, kids lost, kids drew, whatever it might have been. Saturday afternoon, uh, game's over. What do you do? He's like, you go get ice cream. You don't talk about the game.

SPEAKER_10 38:55

You just go and you just That sounds great, right?

SPEAKER_07 39:03

Who's gonna argue with ice cream? But is that what happens in that car conversation or walking back from the field or wherever it might be with a parent and a child? Uh I've I've been a coach for many years, I've also been a parent for many years, and and I'll be the first one to say like it's hard to not want to try to process what just happened in a game with your child, good or bad. And you know, this is the tough thing about parents, and and you know, they want nothing more than success for their child and for their child's friends or for the the team they're watching, and that's that's that's the you know, that's the thing that we need to always remember when we're talking to a parent, is they want nothing more than success for for their kid and the kid's friends. And that's so it comes from a good place, right? But the impulse is maybe the thing that is that needs to be kept in check. And it's a hard conversation to have with parents, you know. I've you get those parents who are on the sideline, they want to be very involved in the game, shouting instructions, right? Again, it's coming from a good place, they want their kid to be successful, but it's kind of a it's almost like a primal instinct that kicks in for parents. And uh, yeah, I mean I've had some difficult conversations with parents. Um, it's something I've been working on myself because I know you have to approach that conversation very carefully. I think during a game is probably the worst time to have it. Um, I think a lot of these conversations can happen off the field, maybe after practices, or you know, I like to say before your season kicks off, maybe that first practice, you have a parent meeting, you start to level set on some expectations about what your role is as the coach, what the role is of the parents, and then ultimately how this um you know supports the experience of the players. Um, you know, I think you alluded to it earlier, like this is their game, this is their experience. Uh, the game is the teacher. Uh less is often more, both from coaches and from parents. But within that, you know, there's a lot to really talk about and and how it, you know, I think begins with intent and then shows up on the field or in the playing experience for the kids, those can often be two different things, and and really trying to identify, okay, well, we all want the right thing here, but are we supporting the experience for the kids in the way that we want to as adults? And so I would just say communication, it's gotta start with communication. Like you gotta have those communic those conversations with parents, not just once at the beginning of the season, but throughout. And I think once parents know that you have their kids' interest in mind and that you're oriented around a developmental experience and trying to improve them as players, to try to improve that experience to grow the love of the game, then I think there's just trust that that that that happens and will support what you're trying to do as a coach and help create the right culture and environment around uh around that team for that season.

SPEAKER_04 42:04

Yeah, you hit a right on the head, Alf. Uh, it's very, very important that the lines of communication remain open, particularly right before the season even starts, where you have that's that civil conversation with parents about you know the issues that you and I are talking about. Um I would even go so far as to say as to bring in a third party, you know, maybe bring you know someone who has some some expertise because they don't have a dog in the fight. You know, if they're not from Jamaica playing you soccer, they're there's just to just to educate. Never a bad thing to bring in a person like that uh to to to just help help folks out navigate their way through, you know, um, you know, youth sports. Um, you know, one of the one of the analogies I oftentimes use when I'm when I'm before a a group of coaches is, well, if we're talking about your kid in a math class, right, and the teachers up front and they're teaching uh uh some some type of math, would you go into the math class and sit along the sideline of that class and yell and scream, no, two or two is four? Would you scream, no, no, that's not the right answer? Obviously, they'd all say, Well, no, you would never do that. Well, well, okay. If you can understand it in that context, from an academic context, that the teacher does his or her job, the students are doing their job, and no one is screaming from the proverbial classroom sidelines, then that same dynamic has to manifest itself on the soccer field, where you can sit quietly on the sideline and not scream and holler because you wouldn't do it uh in you know your your child's math class or any kind of academic class. And every once in a while you see the little light, little butt light bulbs, you know, kind of flicker on um when when they get that. I I try to use um academic analogies as often as I can because people kind of understand academic environments, you know, teaching and you know, learning and different kind of classroom settings, that type of thing. Now the key is to okay, you get that, great. Now can we get you to understand that s very same dynamic um, you know, on on on the soccer field. So Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 43:55

Yeah, no, it's and I think uh it's interesting 'cause you you mentioned the The educational environment, the classroom. Um, I often, when I was early in my coaching days, my son was, I think, maybe third grade, fourth grade, and those can be interesting years developmentally for kids. Um, they're a little bit more rambunctious. At the grade age, it's also a very challenging age to coach. Um, I I have found. And uh I I remember like, you know, trying to message some of this to parents because like, you know, these kids are showing up maybe at practice, it's whatever, six o'clock in the evening. Maybe they had a tough day at school or they've been cooped up in the classroom all day. And, you know, part of the experience is like, well, this is where kids are coming to get their yayas out, right? Like they just got energy they've got to burn. Um, and I kept thinking, you know, is this how a parent would uh have their kids show up to like a piano lesson, right? Learning a musical instrument, or show up in their classroom with their teacher. Because here I am, the coach, I'm like, I'm a teacher, I'm an educator, and I want these, you know, kids to be really oriented around learning. And while there's a lot of parallels, there's also a lot of differences, right? Like youth sports is not the classroom. Youth sports is not learning a music instrument. Youth sports is not, you know, participating in a school play. Um, it's a performance, it's competitive, and it's very, very physical, right? You're running around. It just lends itself to just very, very different dynamics. But I do think framing it around, it is an educational experience. It's just a unique and different kind of educational experience, is important, both for coaches and for parents. But again, I just come back to that alignment, right? Like getting alignment on what is your intention as a coach, how are we going to think about this season? I think, you know, establishing some norms, establishing what's acceptable behavior, what's not. Hey, parents, you know, I'm the coach, but I'm open to your input, right? But let's not do it on the sideline, right? Send me an email. Let's have a conversation afterward. Um, but you know, I think that the the time and the place for those communications, for those conversations, is just as thinking about those like when and where to have those is a very important part of the uh the youth sports experience.

SPEAKER_04 46:25

Indeed. Um, one of the things you I know that you're you're interested in slash passionate about is developing the craft of coaching youth sports. And I and I like I like the fact that you use the word craft because it is indeed a craft. Talk to my aunts about developing said craft of coaching youth sports and uh by association coach player connections, age appropriate communications with players, and and and last but not least, this is so super important, a growth mindset.

SPEAKER_07 46:54

Yeah, so uh Giovanni, your questions are uh amazing, and I feel like I can go on for a while about this, but let me just come back to the Coach Kraft question first, because to talk about that, I have to talk about um the person who was my um coach mentor and and a dear friend, uh Dean Conway, and and maybe you know his name um very well from the Massachusetts Youth Soccer. He was the first full-time uh director, uh director of coaching for Mass Youth Soccer back in the 90s. Um Dean unfortunately passed away um just about a year ago, it was March last year. And I had the very, very, very, very, very, very good fortune of getting to know Dean when I got into Jamaica playing youth soccer. He was the the director of coaching there. Uh he was a neighbor. Um I he lived uh practically across the street from me. And over time we formed, you know, a very nice friendship. We had lunch together a lot. We were just in the neighborhood, you know, he was one of these guys. Hey, just you know, call me anytime. Uh, talk about soccer, talk about coaching. He was a big, you know, Dutch national team um uh fan, you know, loved, loved the Dutch way, had um done some work in Europe and had just really um you know imbibed kind of the soccer culture of the Netherlands and and of Europe more broadly. So he was, I think, very much ahead of the curve in youth player development. And it was just crazy that this guy had done all this work at a high level at the state level. He had been involved in the New England Revolution, and he was my neighbor. Uh, it was probably one of the most fortunate uh gifts in my life to get to know this guy and then just to like drink in his knowledge, just a phenomenal guy. He was really his work sits at the center of what we do at Jamaica playing East Soccer still today. And Dean had this term called coach craft. So I completely lifted this from him, completely ripped it off from him. This idea of the craft of coaching. And for him, you know, you can run your activities, you can get your session plans in place and run a good session. You know, we're gonna work on first touch today, and you've got a great session all around, built around first touch. Like, that's important. Preparation, all of that, very important. But he also had this, it's like the kind of connective tissue of coaching. And I think this was that craft piece. And he had little bits of wisdom that, you know, first and foremost, like learn the kids' names, right? You're working with a group of kids, like learn their names, use their names, say their names when you're coaching. Let them know that you see them and you know them and that you're paying attention. Um, and then little things like, you know, it's a sunny evening we have practices that start at six o'clock, so often the sun is setting, um, and you've got the kids, you pulled them together between activities and you're talking to them for a bit. Uh, sit the kids on the ground. Make sure the sun is not behind you. Make sure you're looking into the sun, right? So things that are just like little, little things that make a big difference when you're coaching kids. And that's the craft of coaching. And there's a million things. There's a million things. Like there is the technical side of coaching, and then there's the just how are you orienting around these kids? How do you let these kids know that you are there to both teach them, support them, and you know, support them having a fun experience so that they want to come back and do it again at the next training session, that they're having fun at the games or whatever it might be. So, and that's different, right? As a coach, you're going to orient yourself different. You mentioned age-appropriate, um, you know, orienting in an age-appropriate way around kids. Talking to a first grader is very different than talking to an eighth grader, right? So you need to understand where kids are developmentally, not just in the game, but just psychologically in their own development, becoming human beings or becoming young adults ultimately. Where are they in that process and how do I orient myself around them? And then the last thing you touched on is or asked about is the idea of the growth mindset. And the analogue to uh or the opposite of the of the growth mindset is a fixed mindset. So this is uh uh folks have heard this term, I'm sure this is not rocket science, but as a coach, it's easy to maybe not it's easy to forget how to orient your communication around this idea of kids are learning, developing, and growing. And the kid that shows up maybe at the beginning of the season could be a very different soccer player than what you see at the end of the season. Uh kids, especially at these ages, you know, before 12 years old, they are changing a lot and they're changing very quickly. And you want to orient kids around having a growth mindset. You know, you don't need to go in and say, hey, I want you to have a growth mindset, but you do have to communicate with them in a way that tells them or indicates to them that they are going to continue to develop. Maybe they're not, you know, maybe their first touch is not very good today, but it will be. Um, and we used, we I like to say like the the word yet, yet is a very important word to use with kids. You can say to a kid, hey, your first touch, it's uh, you know, it's not there right now. You're uh, you know, you're not controlling the ball. Well, you could say that. But I think really the what you want to say to that kid is you're not controlling it yet, right? Yet. Because that yet indicates that they will be. Okay, they will be doing it eventually. And that idea of how you talk to kids knowing that they're gonna be getting somewhere with their skill development is something that you want every kid to carry around with him or her at those early stages of development.

SPEAKER_04 53:26

Does that make sense? Oh, absolutely. No question. Uh, you you touched upon two key things there amongst many. Um the first one is fun. Uh I I talk about you know, this ad nauseum, you know, here on my show, or if I'm doing a presentation or coach education course, uh, it always finds its way into the conversation, is an integral part of what you do as a teacher of the game. And when we talk about fun, and I always try to you know kind of qualify it, if you will, it doesn't mean you have to be a jokester. Um I like to talk about the infusion of joy into everything you do as a teacher of the game of soccer, whether you're with a group of six-year-olds or you're with high school kids, professional players, international players. I've interviewed international players, I've I've interviewed national team players. And I brought this up. And even at that level, they go, yeah, we it it's gotta be fun. Yeah, there's pressure, you know, it's you know, you're on a you're on a grand stage. But my goodness, um, if you're not having fun, it's just it's it's misery on a grand stage. Um and then the second thing, uh which I which I jotted down here, I call it knowing the nature of your beast. Um I I taught school for my goodness, 25 years. I taught from literally K through high school. Um and I tell folks all the time, you know, when you go get a coaching education certification, that's great. That's great. But make sure that you take the very next step and do a little bit more of a deeper dive relative to the where the developmentally where you're where these kids are at. If you're group if you're coaching a group of six-year-olds, you should know the nature of that beast backwards and forwards, up and down so that you can better be a better teacher of the game. Again, I go back to the academics. Don't you want your kindergarten teacher to be certified, qualified, knowledgeable expert and what it means to be a kindergarten teacher? And the answer is obviously an emphatic yes. Well, you have to do the very, very same thing that will allow you to be a better teacher of the game.

SPEAKER_07 55:25

Um, yeah, can I can I speak to that, Giovanni? Please do, I think it's please. It's you know, you're absolutely right, could not agree with you more. And here's one of the realities on the ground uh within grassroots youth sports is you've got volunteer parents who may be coaching for the first time or they've got a little bit of coaching experience. And I think this is a challenge we have to acknowledge. It's it's easy for me to say, hey, you know, orient around growth mindset, be age appropriate, you know, think about how you communicate with the parents, the kids, etc., etc. There's a million things. But these are also busy parents. Oftentimes, maybe they've got multiple kids. Like I was lucky, I have one kid, right? He got all my attention, so I could really focus on this. But you know, many families, most families have more than one kid. These are busy parents, you know, they're working nine to five or worse or more, right? Uh how as a coach can you learn to be a really, really great youth soccer coach when it's just one of many responsibilities you have as a parent? And it's not an easy question to answer, right? But I think one way to approach coaching, and I had a great conversation with Tommy Geis, he's the technical director of uh Massachusetts Youth Soccer, and we did a whole podcast episode on uh this is a shameless plug for my podcast. Um, we did a whole episode on coach education, and he was the first person to say, you know, when I started coaching, I thought I knew everything. Right? I thought I knew how to coach. And over the course of taking some coach education classes, he slowly began to realize that he didn't know everything. And he kind of flipped the way he described it, he I don't want to speak for him, but he the way he described it's kind of he flipped the switch in his head to one of um uh you know a real posture of humility as a coach, and knowing that when you step out on the field or you take a class, or even if you're teaching a class, a coach course, uh coach at you know, coach education course, uh coming at that with a with a s with a posture of humility is so important because there's something to learn each time you step out on the field, each time you engage with another coach or with players or with parents. And there oftentimes is not a right or wrong answer. But I do think humility and orienting around a few key concepts. You talked about fun. Are the kids enjoying it? Is there joy in the game when they play? Um focus on that. Just focus on that first and then build from there. You know, you don't have to boil the ocean, you don't have to, you know, learn everything about coaching. Like start small, start simple, and build from there. And start with just some core concepts. I you know, I'd be thrilled, Giovanni, if every coach came in and just started with that core concept of I want my kids to be having fun when they play and just build from there.

SPEAKER_04 58:38

One other thing, I'm gonna show my age here, Alf. Um, I talk about um the great words from David Crosby, from Crosby Stills Nash and young on occasion. Uh, I want to be learning something on the day I die. I want to be learning something on the day I die. I find that to be just it's a very short sentence, but my goodness, what a prolific, uh prolific sentence and a prolific uh way of thinking about life. I want to be learning something on the day I die. Um I share that. That always finds it.

SPEAKER_07 59:07

That's a great line. Yeah, absolutely, right? That that says it all. And that's exactly coaching youth sports. Yeah, if you're not learning something every time you step out on the field with your players, uh, then you're missing an opportunity.

SPEAKER_04 59:19

Yeah, first I have to explain who Crosby Stills, Nash, and Young are, depending on my audience. But once I once I get beyond that, uh I get into that part, then they kind of get it.

SPEAKER_07 59:28

I'm with you on that, Giovanni. I know, I know what we're talking about here.

SPEAKER_04 59:31

There we go. There we go. Um, so uh what strategies have you found to be, I guess, most effective for recruiting, training, and most importantly, I guess retaining uh better coaches, not just in in JP, but in youth sports as a whole.

SPEAKER_07 59:49

Yeah, I mean, wow, we struggle with this. Um getting parents, uh, when you're trying to run a volunteer program, which is what we're trying to do in Jamaica Plain, right? Like there is a fee-to-play, and we can, I'm sure, spend a lot of time talking about the pay-to-play model. Uh, this is not the club system, right? So we're talking uh, you know, just over$100 a season to play, um, unlike you know, thousands of dollars to play for the year in a club system. So, what we're trying to offer with our town program, and and we're not at all unique, there's town programs you know all around the Boston area, all over the country, um, is an affordable, accessible soccer experience for kids. In order to do that, you need coaches. And in the case of our economic model, we need volunteer coaches. So the organization is 100% volunteer run. The board are volunteers. We do hire a few um young adults who who who help kind of administer some of the um the younger in-house programs that we run, but otherwise it's completely a hundred percent volunteer run. And uh it's a massive challenge. And I and I think I mentioned some of the reasons. Like parents are busy, right? Or maybe they've never coached or they don't think they can coach, right? It's you have to have a certain wherewithal and and and a kind of self-belief to step out on the field and and uh coach kids if if you've never done it before. You know, my father was a coach. I'm one of four boys, he coached all of us in soccer and baseball and basketball. So I was kind of already around that. So it wasn't difficult for me to insert myself into this grassroots program and start coaching. But that's not always the case. And um, so what we've actually there was a great discussion. Um, I was at a workshop from Massachusetts Youth Soccer in February, and there was a session, and there was a great discussion that just kind of happened in this session, as these things often do. And it was around volunteer engagement and coach education. And I think a few of us, and I was one of them, said, Yeah, we've really struggled with um, you know, I'll run some coach training, and just getting folks to attend is not easy. Um, oftentimes you get the same people who are the ones who attend every session. Like, you know, I I'm glad you all are here, but what I really need are these new coaches to be attending this session. And uh so just getting engagement and folks to, you know, really engage with the material that we provide, how to orient around coaching. Like, we've got a lot of great content, and and we try to share it, but not everybody is there or has the time to even listen. So just getting that coach training is a challenge. But one of the folks at this session, it was a great idea. I can't, it's so obvious, I don't know why we never thought of it in the first place, was to make these coach events not coach training, but make it a social event. So have some pizza, bring people together. Uh, it doesn't have to be a training agenda. Maybe you weave some training into it, but what you're really trying to do is build some community of coaches. Um, and some of that idea of just like, hey, we're a group of coaches, we're all you know, volunteering our time, we're trying to help these kids, we're trying to do this. That this program that mentioned they'd done that said that it really went a long way in kind of getting more engagement from their volunteer coaches. Um, so we're trying that this season. We actually um one of the benefits to being in Jamaica Plain is it is going to be the uh home of the new uh women's soccer team, Legacy FC, once they finish building the stadium here in uh Franklin Park. And so they're they're uh the the club is you know engaging with the community around them, and they're actually going to be sponsoring for us at the end of this month um just a one uh you know, an afternoon of of pizza and food at this local restaurant, and they're gonna come in and talk about uh Legacy FC, and then they've got um a woman on their team, her name is Rachel Durinwood. She played at UNC, she's a national champion um there as a player, and she's gonna do a session on uh coaching girls soccer. And we're gonna make it an event. Uh Legacy is gonna sponsor it. Big thanks to them, and it'll just be a really fun opportunity to bring people together, have some food, some chit-chat, and then you know, hear from uh Legacy and have them actually do a little bit of coach education for us as well. So that kind of thing I think can help kind of build a community around um your youth soccer program.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:40

You know, we we could even use the word fun again, and what you just described is something that's fun. People enjoy it. Parents should have fun too, right? Of course. That's my point. Yeah, I mean, heck, hey, they serve pizza, and we've got a guest speaker coming in, and uh, you know, y'all you've got all kinds of other events, you know, that that that are taking place. Um, yeah, it becomes a social event. Then people want to go. They don't have to go, but they want to go because their experiences have have been um you know so so so joyous. I did um a lot of coaching education courses for Danvers Youth Soccer a number of years ago, and they they had that very model. Um my goodness, they they would serve breakfast in the morning and and they'd have everything was paid for. They had lunch. Um, they had uh incentive programs for someone, you know, if you if you take this course, you get a Danvers Youth Soccer t-shirt. If you take this course or these courses, you get a sweat top. And there was a lot of incentives, and they had a bit of a ceremony, and it was a lot of fun, it was a lot of fun. Um and they just it changed the whole dynamic of what a typical coach education day or weekend might might look like. Um, so yeah, to the folks out there uh involved, yeah, there's no reason why adults can't have fun. Well gotta agree with you. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_07 1:05:53

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:53

So we've we've uh we've touched upon this a couple of times. Here's a chance for some shameless plugs. You do a podcast called Coach Craft Podcast. What is the genesis behind that? And share with my audience what uh what that's all about.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:06

Yeah, um so Coach Craft Podcast, this is something that I started it, I guess, close to a year and a half ago now. Um I'm not nearly as prolific as you are, Giovanni. We're I'm doing about an episode a month. But this was admittedly something a bit outside of my comfort zone. Um I'd never done this before. I don't have a great radio voice like you do, Giovanni. Very, very jealous of that.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:31

Um I was born with these pipes.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:36

But I I just had the idea of uh, you know, having a forum for having some kind of long-form interviews, much like this is, with coaches. And uh all in the kind of with the goal of just you know getting some more attention around coaching, obviously oriented around some of the ideas and principles that that I bring, which again are not at all unique. And so I started this, and the thing that has been incredible as someone who was really not immersed in the world of coaching. I mean, I coached grassroots soccer, right? But I had a career in tech and nonprofits, but I had a career transition, and this was part of that transition, and then I just kind of began to build some relationships within the game, uh, other coaches, and it's been amazing. I mean, you you talk to people on your podcast a lot, so you you understand this, but the thing that has really blown my mind is how willing and eager other coaches are to share their experience and to contribute to that what I would call collective uh global knowledge base of coaching youth football or even youth sports more broadly. So the podcast is not a soccer-specific podcast, although that is the bulk of who I talk to. Um I've interviewed uh, you know, Premier League Academy coaches, La Liga Academy coaches. Um, that's one kind of part of it, is the folks who have done this work at a high level with young players. Um, but then also things a bit closer to home. So kind of the civic and community side of soccer. Um, just a couple examples. Uh, you know, interviewed our city counselor Ben Weber, who is uh kind of sits at the center of a lot of the city policies around youth sports and kind of gotten the political and community angle on it. Um Caroline Foscato, who does all this great work at the Soccer Unity Project here in Boston, um, you know, she's she's done some coaching, but really she runs, you know, a large nonprofit here in the city that's around providing more access to the game for for uh urban communities. So uh that's kind of where I the the space in which I kind of operate and the conversations that I have. Um and uh yeah, so that was the thinking behind behind the podcast. And it's been yeah, and so you know, even if I weren't recording these conversations and releasing them to the world, uh it these are just they're so enjoyable to have, and I'm just so glad to even just have these conversations. Um, because I feel like I'm I've I learned so much just in these in these conversations. As I'm sure you you do as well in your podcast, Giovanni.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:27

A hundred percent. Uh I have a I have a notebook here that I keep keep by my side here when I'm interviewing people, and I'm scribbling things down that I I didn't know about, something things that I'm just learning about. Um yeah, you you it's for me it's it's it's just an another uh another method of learning. You know, we talked about having a growth mindset. You know, learning doesn't mean you just go to a coaching education course or you pick up a book or you go online on a website or something. Anything that that you know expands your your base of knowledge is a learning experience. And I find, you know, during this podcast, and I've turned the corner almost 300 episodes here, and that's a lot of guests. I've learned a great deal. I I've learned a great deal. And in my head, I I don't say this on the air, so to speak. I'm like, wow, I didn't know that. Well, that's pretty cool. You know, uh, I'm gonna scribble that down. Um so yeah, it's um it's certainly certainly been a mechanism not only to educate people who are tuning in, but my own education, my own education.

SPEAKER_07 1:10:22

Yeah, yeah. And then the other sort of in the in the realm of shameless plugs here, um, through these conversations I'm having, just you know, meeting so many interesting people, and you start to see also these other projects and things that folks are working on or these ideas that they have, and then they invite you in to kind of help them maybe think about the next stage of what they're building. So uh, you know, I've got a background in tech and uh the nonprofit space, but um, so I've you know, I guess if I had to call myself anything, it would be a tech entrepreneur, was what I what I did. Uh, and so, you know, there's a lot of young coaches who are thinking about, okay, not just coaching, but also like kind of that entrepreneurial, which is a growth mindset um concept, I think. Um, you know, how to build something that's lasting, how to build something that will contribute to the soccer ecosystem or the sporting ecosystem. So I've been fortunate enough to get involved in a few projects that kind of have a tech angle. Um, just this week, in fact, starting, officially starting um, you know, a new business with some guys that I'm working with in Europe. Um it's called Coach Fives, and it's actually an app or a tool for coaches, and it's all about it's of course got a developmental mindset as I've talked about before, but it's helping coaches establish and maintain and cultivate stronger uh player-coach connection through how they offer feedback, how they observe their skill development, and then how they actually talk to the kids and provide them with um you know age-appropriate uh growth mindset-oriented feedback. So it's a little bit of a unique twist on the youth development, um, soccer development space, uh, very much focused around communication. But again, these are relationships that uh you know I've I've managed to make and have uh with these coaches um to now work on this project and you know, see where it goes, right? It's I think we've got an interesting thing, and um we'll we'll we'll see where it goes. But just these guys, one guy's in Barcelona, you know, he's involved with curver coaching, if you've if you're familiar with that organization. Um another guy in this project is in um in Scotland. Uh he's with a club, Stenhouse Muir, uh there, one of the Scottish clubs. Um so again, it's just kind of interesting people. Everybody's bringing kind of something interesting to the to the conversation and to the project. And um, yeah, that's a big that's the other kind of piece I'm focused on is this this app and tool development right now.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:59

So as we put a kind of put a bow on all of this, um what future trends do you see emerging in in youth sports? And I guess more specifically, how is Jamaica playing Youth Software preparing for it?

SPEAKER_07 1:13:12

Yeah, I mean, a great question. Um, I think what's interesting is in the US in particular, the landscape is complex, and and kids and families they have a lot of different options throughout. Let's just say, like that, you know, first grade through twelfth grade journey that a player um or a child would would be on. So we've got the grassroots town programs like Jamaica Playing Youth Soccer, you've got the whole club infrastructure, and within that you've got, you know, EDS and MLS2 and NAL and MLS Next or you know, whatever, right? There's a million things. And I think first and foremost, just understand what your role as an organization is within this broader ecosystem. I came into our town program and thinking, okay, we can provide an experience just like the club experience, same level of coaching, etc. etc. Same level of players, and let's do it, but let's do it for less money. And my thinking's evolved on that front. Um, I think our town program has a role to play. It's never going to be a club. It should never want to be a club, frankly. Um, it's offering a different product, it's offering something different and unique, and uh, you know, what it can provide is a low-cost, uh, you know, great entry point to soccer at the younger ages, can continue to be a strong recreational program for kids at the older ages. Um, you know, continue with the coach education, continue building community, continue uh making that program really mean something to the community because you want every person who participates to feel like if this weren't here, our community would be at a massive loss without it. And so I think that's the role of that's how we orient at Jamaica Playing East Soccer, right? Just kind of making this a sustainable project, continuing to get new people involved. Um, I was president for four years, and you know, I've now we've got a new president for the past three plus years. You know, I think that kind of continuity and making sure you're getting new leadership and new people involved is really, really important. Um take your ego out of it. You don't want to be the person who's been president for 20 years of this grassroots program, and you know, your kids are long gone from participating in it. Um and so you asked about trends, and I'd say one um interesting development is I do think that kids and families are on the cusp of I think looking for an alternative to the club system or something to augment it. Um I think right now if you want to play in college or um yeah, if you want to play in college, that's that's the thing. I think that's what's putting a lot of families, um, putting a lot of eggs in the the club basket for their children. And I'm seeing some um I'd say uh kind of outside of the club system coaching and uh program building that is um like there's a there's a there's a group of guys I do a little bit of work with are called FlowSoccer, and they work with high school age boys primarily right now. Um, and they're providing a very high level of coaching and experience because the pure group of players that they bring in are some of them are D1, D3 college players, plus these kind of late high school year aspiring players, and they've just built this community and the levels really, really high. Um, and this is a former D1 player himself. Um, and these guys have just built this community. My son plays with them. This is how I a lot of how I know about it, and it's not a club, and they don't play games, but the training is just off the charts, like it is excellent training. The kids are getting better. My son loves it. We talk about Joy, right? He's a senior in high school, and he, you know, he might want to play at a college level, but he just goes, he loves it, and it's a high level. And I it would I it would be nice to maybe see something like that develop that is maybe around or adjacent to the club experience. I think everybody agrees like the club experience is is it serves a purpose, but it's also you know, just to editorialize a little bit here, I think it's a little flawed, or it's coming up short for or under-serving some kids, and certainly the cost is a lot. So I think, you know, I think that space there's kind of crying out for some new models that might serve player development and um and be a little bit more oriented around um you know the the kids and the families than than it currently is.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:08

Any model that includes uh addressing the obscene pay-to-play situation here in this country uh is is all good. It's certainly certainly all good. Um guest today on the GP Soccer Podcast Conversation with the Coach has been uh Alf Gracom, who is the technical director and board member for the Jamaica Plane Youth Soccer here in Massachusetts. He's the host of the Coach Craft Podcast. Make sure you check that out. He's also founder and developer of Coach Fives. Alf, thank you very much for taking the time for being on the GP Soccer Podcast Conversation with the Coach.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:40

Giovanni, it was an absolute pleasure being here. Thank you again for having me, and I uh hope to return the favor to you one day and have you on the Coach Craft Podcast.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:48

I would look forward to that. Giovanni Pacini here, GP Soccer Podcast Conversation with the Coach. You know how all this works. We're gonna break for a couple of commercial messages, we'll re-engage on the other side. Don't you dare go anywhere, because if you do, I will hunt you down. Soccer is known around the world as both a sport and an art with players of all ages and abilities enjoying the game. Now, the art of the game is only realized after hours of mastering ball skills, learning to communicate with your teammates, and receiving support and instruction from the right coaches. With over 100 years of coaching experience, Director John Barrata and the coaching staff at the Beautiful Games Soccer Academy are pleased to offer their expertise to players and their parents. Coach Barada is one of the most decorated and accomplished soccer coaches in the Northeast with a proven track record of development of talented players and coaches. The Beautiful Games Soccer Academy believes that success on the soccer field reads success elsewhere in a young adult's life. Players who attend learn the importance of forming good habits, attempting new challenges without the fear of failure, and seeking out support and advice from others. The program fosters the creativity within each player and encourages them to experiment, improvise, and problem solve on the fly. At the Beautiful Game Soccer Academy, every day starts with a smile on our face and a ball at our feet. To learn more about the Beautiful Game Soccer Academy, visit www.beautifulgamesa.com.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:23

Hello, this is Jason Carney, the director of coaching at FC Portland in Oregon, and the author of the book US Grassroots Soccer, Great on Paper, Shit on Grass. You are listening to the GP Soccer Podcast with your host, Giovanni Pacini.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:41

And welcome to the GP Soccer Podcast, Coach's Corner, where you'll find great tips and advice on how to teach the great game of soccer.

SPEAKER_05 1:20:51

This is Paul Robinson, the author of The Soccer Sessions Book, available on Amazon and through large book retailers such as Barnes and Noble and Waterstones. I'm a former girls Regional Talent Club coach and former Boys Category 1 Academy coach in England. It's my pleasure to be on the GP Soccer Podcast Coaches Corner. Today I'd like to talk about coaching across cultures. Coaching in a different culture is exciting, but it comes with unique challenges. From unfamiliar climates and cultural norms to language barriers. Navigating these complexities demands adaptability, humility and clear communication. With the right approach, you can create a positive and effective coaching experience. Here are 8 key strategies to guide you. Choose your words wisely. Even when you speak in the same language, miscommunication can creep in through accents, slang or regional phrases. Clear, simple instructions are your best friend. Prepare your key messages before the session and choose words your players are most likely to understand, especially if there's a language barrier. Intentional, thoughtful language reduces confusion and preserves valuable time on the field. Embrace imitation. Leverage players' language skills. If a player understands both your language and the teammates, consider asking them to help translate key points. This can dramatically improve communication and gives the player a sense of trust and responsibility. Use this to part sparingly to avoid disrupting their own experience. Always to show appreciation. Mutual respect builds team cohesion. Learn a few local phrases. Attempting a handful of words in a player's language goes a long way. It signals respect, effort and cultural openness. Quality to help build rapport. Don't worry about perfection. Players will usually appreciate your attempt and respond positively. Use gestures to reinforce your message. Expressive body language helps bridge the communication gap, whether it's holding up fingers to indicate numbers, pointing or even standing on the reference point, visual cues to part verbal directions. Be mindful for gestures like a thumbs up might be mirrored back without fully understanding. When in doubt, double check comprehension. Demonstrate or walk through activities. Words alone fall short. Show your players exactly what you want them to do. Walk them through activities step by step and involve them in demonstrations whenever possible. Visual learning increases engagement and solidifies understanding. Lead with authority and clarity. In a multilingual environment, a direct command style approach helps maintain focus. Keep your instructions short, sharp and specific. You may need to gently reposition them at times. The goal is to communicate efficiently to play spend more time practising and less time getting. Stay flexible and relaxed. Structure is important, but don't let striftness get in the way of the player's natural energy and enthusiasm. Misunderstandings will happen. It's part of the process. Stay patient, respond to a group's rhythm and enjoy the moment. The more relaxed and adaptable you are, the more your players will thrive. To sum up, clear planning, expressive gestures, demonstrations and a mix of communication methods can overcome most barriers. Don't take miscommunication personally, it's normal. With patience and an open mind, coaching in a different culture becomes a deeply rewarding journey. If your players are involved, enjoying themselves and improving, you're already winning. This is Paul Robinson, and that's today's coaching tip here on the GP Soccer podcast Coaches Corner.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:48

This is soccer news and analysis with Giovanni Puccini. In a week marred by geopolitical tension and sporting uncertainty, the global footnot football community has been closely watching Iran's status ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Iranian officials have insisted that no one can exclude their national team from the tournament, responding to rising doubts about their participation amid political friction with the United States. The debate intensified after public remarks suggested that Iran's presence might be, quote, inappropriate by prompting Tehran to reaffirm its intention to compete on the world stage. This reassurance followed months of speculation triggered by military tensions and diplomatic strain, which had cast a shadow of Iran's scheduled group stage matches in Los Angeles and in Seattle. Meanwhile, Brazil has been dealing with its own turbulence, this time on the pitch. Neymar, once the face of the Cele Sau, has suffered a significant setback and is bid to return to the national team. Despite Brazil's upcoming friendlies against France and Croatia serving as a final proving round for French players, Neymar was not called up. Continuing a surprising absence under head coach Carlo Ancelotti, his omission has fueled debate in Brazil about whether the superstar will feature at all in the 2026 World Cup campaign. Across the United States, preparations for hosting duties have been have taken a more celebrate celebratory term. U.S. Soccer unveiled the new U.S. men's national team kits for the tw for the 2026 World Cup in a dramatic video release entitled For the Believers Who Dare We Want More. The designs, one featured bold red white, red and white. White hoops, and the other, a navy field of sublimated stars, were introduced as symbols of national pride ahead of the country's biggest moment in global football since 1994. The Federation emphasized that the kits represent not just the players, but the millions of supporters who will fill stadiums across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The kit reveal also arrives in the context of lessons learned from the 2022 cycle. After facing criticism for previous uniform designs, U.S. soccer has taken a more collaborative approach this time, involving players directly in the creative process. The result, according to insiders, is a set of uniforms that better reflect the team's identity and the expectations of fans eager for a deeper run in 2026. And that's soccer news and analysis. Next up, the Year Report with Ralph Rigno.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:05

This is the GP Soccer Podcast, which is a leader, you're the soccer report with your host, Ralph Ferrigno.

SPEAKER_06 1:29:24

Recently in my weekly soccer newsletter, I was bemoaning snotty Premier League fans who look down on football played in other leagues. They claimed the Premier League to be the best in the world, and in this past week nearly half the division was engaged in European competition. The returns for the Premier League though overall were, to put things politely, dismal. So let's examine the games that have brought the Premier League the right to earn the Farmers League label they have placed on other leagues. Liverpool began the week's action with a trip to Istanbul's intimidating Galatassarai Stadium. Gala fans refer to it as hell. Galatassarai only finished 20th in the Champions League league phase. This was a game the Reds were expected to win comfortably. Yet in a season of unpredictability, Liverpool once again defied expectations. Needless to say, it was in the wrong way. Galatassarai started off the game looking nervous and gave Liverpool a couple of easy chances to convert, which they failed, and then they scored themselves. The tables were turned and Galatassarai ran out 1-0 victors. Tottenham's Hotspurs heavy defeat, in contrast, was far less surprising. The big surprise had been that in the league phase Tottenham had finished fourth while concurrently embroiled in a relegation battle domestically. They had a daunting draw against perennial contenders Atletico Madrid and conceded three goals in the first 17 minutes. It prompted interim coach Igor Tudor to substitute hapless goalkeeper Antianin Kinsky. Didn't change things. Atletico led 4-0 after 22 minutes. Spurs did rally to score twice, but a 5-2 deficit leaves them with little hope for the return leg later this week in London. On the night, Newcastle United were the sole Premier League side with their reputation enhanced. At St. James's Park they drew 1-1 with one of the tournament favourites Barcelona. In truth, Newcastle were unfortunate not to win. They were leading 1-0 through a Harvey Barnes goal, but had the misfortune to concede a penalty in the 96th minute of the match. Young superstar Laminia Mal clinically dispatched it. So, having outplayed Barcelona for much of the first leg, Newcastle may rule the missed chances that they made as they head to the new camp for the return leg this week. The next night Wednesday, the Premier League's other three Champions League representatives took to the stage. Arsenal were heavily favoured as they travelled to Germany to face Bayer Leverkusen. However, the gunners found the challenge far tougher than the games they had played in their flawless league phase. Leverkusen struck early in the second half, but Arsenal did manage to salvage a draw with a late penalty kick of their own. Arteta's side have often been criticised for their approach this season, but somehow they continue to demonstrate resilience and an ability to grind out results. So you have to fancy them going into the game at the Arsenal Stadium this week. London neighbours, Chelsea, were another that faced a daunting task, having to travel to reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain and their fearsome attack. Impressively, Chelsea did manage to hold PSG for 75 minutes to two goals each before a late surge saw the French guide score three unanswered goals. Now, like Spurs, Chelsea trails by three goals and face an equally uphill battle to overturn the deficit. PSG are renowned for a devastating counterattack threat, so as holders they must remain favourites to progress. Finally in the Champions League, there was Manchester City. They had entered the tournament as one of the favourites for the 25-26 campaign. Facing Real Madrid for the fifteenth time, City started the game brightly, but things quickly unraveled as the Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valdiverde netted an impressive first half hat trick. Despite missing key stars like Mbappe and Bellingham, Real Madrid's depth was evident throughout, and Manchester City blushes were spurred further by Donna Roma's penalty save from Vinicus Jr., which limited the damage to just three goals. It could have been so much worse. So after six Champions League games over two nights, Premier League clubs between them had managed just two draws and suffered four defeats. It's a sobering statistic. So the question turned to could the remaining English sides redeem the Premier League in Europe's second and third tier competitions on Thursday. Crystal Palace had entered the third tier UEFA Conference League touted as potential winners. The reality though has turned out to be far less flattering. They only finished a disappointing tenth finish, tenth place finish in the league phase. And that seems to have set the tone for the night against Cypriot team AEK Lanica, who had already surprised them 1-0 earlier in the competition. Again Palace failed to score and were held goalless to a draw at home in the first leg. So with two lackluster outings against the Cypriots behind them, Oliver Glasner's men now face a decisive second leg, and they are still searching to score for the first time against stubborn opposition. So will it be third time lucky for Oliver and his palace men? Nottingham Forests have endured a steep decline following their near Champions League qualification last season. Now, like Tottenham Hotspur, they are relegated, they are locked in a relegation battle in the Premier League. In the Europa League group stage, Forrest had also finished with a disappointing placing in 13th position. And their European campaign continued inauspiciously with a 1-0 home defeat to Denmark's FC Micheland. Goal scoring remains a persistent issue for them, and unless Forrest and Crystal Palace for that matter can find attacking inspiration this week, both are in danger of an early exit despite technically still being alive in their respective ties. It was finally left to Aston Villa to be the only Premier League team to give English fans something to cheer about. They were the only Premier League club to win in Europe this past week. Under the guidance of four time Europa League winner Unay Emery, Villa edged past Lille in France 1-0, courtesy of an Ollie Watkins strike. So the tie may be delicately poised, but it's very much advantage to Aston Villa, and they look best placed among the Premier League teams to progress to the next round. The outlook though for the remaining English sides remains far more uncertain. On paper, Arsenal and Liverpool should have enough quality to reach the next round, but Liverpool's continued inconsistency continues to raise doubts. The mystique of Anfield's famous European knights may be needed once again, but Arna Slot's side must find greater urgency from the start of the game. They tend to start games slowly and this issue for Arna and his charges continues. Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City all face daunting three goal deficits. For Spurs overcoming an experienced Diogo Simeoni led Atletico Madrid appears nearly impossible. Chelsea, despite having beaten PSG in the World Club final, now faced the challenge of containing Dembelli and Company at home, but as I said earlier, a fearsome counterattack side. Donna Ruma's crucial penalty save may yet prove pivotal if City are to retain hopes of a comeback. Could this indeed be their own Barcelona moment, reminiscent of Liverpool's famous 2019 turnaround against Barcelona when they trailed by three goals? There's a sense, I believe, that this time may hold some twists and turns. Rail were comprehensively outplayed in an earlier game of the competition by Liverpool, with only Aucourtois in the Rail net keeping the score down to one nothing. Los Blancas are not the strongest team defensively, and if Manchester City scores early, who knows what can happen next? Meanwhile, Newcastle United face that daunting trip to Barcelona, where the Catalans are overwhelming favourites to advance. As I said, Aston Villa looked the safest bet among the English clubs to progress in the Europa League. Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, though possessing quality on paper, have both been inconsistent in Europe this year. So both times remain finely balanced. So here's my breakdown of each Premier League club's prospects for the second legs this week. First, the teams likely to advance are Arsenal and Aston Villa. Both have the form currently and the score line in their favour. Secondly, those who should advance would be Liverpool. On talent alone they should progress, but as noted, this season's unpredictability leaves a big question mark. Third, the toss ups Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Manchester City. Palace and Forest must find an attacking edge if they are to move on, whilst City's three goal deficits against the European Giants seems difficult to overcome. Though, with Donna Roomer at one end in goal and Erling Haaland at the other end up front, hope must remain for Manchester City. Fourth, the teams facing long odds would be Chelsea and Newcastle United. Both clubs face strong opposition and with the way the games are right now face uphill battles. Fifth and finally, Tottenham Hotspur. A comeback against Simeone's Atletico appeals next to impossible. But who knows? They have that famous European game against Ajax a few years ago too to rest their laurels upon. However, that was a very, very different Tottenham team. So overall, when we look at the week, a reality check has been delivered to the Premier League. The oft claimed that England's top flight is the most competitive and physically demanding league is frequently used to explain struggles in European competition. And whilst there is some merit to this argument, the EPL's sheer financial muscle should ensure that every club has a squad of talented players. Clubs like Arsenal and Manchester City, for example, have enough players to start two very strong starting elevens capable of competing at the highest level. So in England, discussion swirls around whether the Premier League's overall standard has slipped compared to past seasons. The league no longer features a single dominant force, i.e., there's no current equivalent to the relentless Manchester City of the past or Jurgen Klub's Liverpool. Instead, the influx of wealth has spread quality across the division, and with promoting teams holding their own and established clubs facing genuine challenges week in, week out, this depth and unpredictability, in my view, make for a richer and more exciting league. Critics might point to this parity as a reason for English clubs' difficulties in Europe, but I see it as a distinctive asset. So if the Premier League does claim to be the best in the world, it is not necessarily because they do well in Europe, but it's because the weekly competition has some degree of jeopardy from week to week, top to bottom. And I would say that the Premier League is unique in this respect. So ultimately, true greatness is not measured by trophies abroad in Europe. It's found in the drama skill and uncertainty that play out every week in competition.

SPEAKER_04 1:43:28

Did you know there's a place where unforgettable sports stories come to life through music? Well, there is. Music Meets Sports was created by music producer Ronald Tyke Oliver, an experienced music producer and a lifelong sports fanatic. He created Music Meets Sports to fuse the raw energy of athletics with the emotional depth of music. They create custom soundtracks that not only celebrate sports fandom, but also brings the personal stories of legendary athletes to life. Through deep research and creative storytelling, Music Meets Sports transforms the careers, challenges, and triumphs of iconic sports figures into powerful music experiences. Every beat, lyric, and melody is designed to reflect the heart, hustle, and humanity behind the jersey. Now, whether you're a diehard fan or a casual sports lover, or simply someone moved by great stories, Music Meets Sports hopes that our music connects with you and brings you even closer to the games and the heroes you love. Be sure to check out Music Meets Sports at musicmeetsports.org. Music Meets Sports, where passion meets performance, and music brings the games to life. Hey there, Giovanni Piccini here, host of the GP Soccer Podcast, and I want to reach out to all of my great listeners who own pets and even those who don't. Now listen, your local animal rescue organization is on a mission to provide loving homes for pets in need and they need your help. Whether through adoption, fostering, or financial contributions, every bit of support counts. Join me in making a positive impact. Visit your local shelter today and help give these wonderful animals the second chance they so deserve. Together, we can create a community where every animal is cared for and loved. And welcome to the American Stalker Revolution here in the GP Stalker Podcast. You know what this segment of the show is all about. It's where I take a look at uh a variety of issues uh regarding the game of stocker here in the United States of America, things that need to be looked at, blown up, uh reconsidered, thought, tossed out, uh, well, you name it. Uh this particular audio I pulled from the internet is from the Arizona State Referee Administration. And it speaks for itself. I'll pick up uh with all of you on the other side of the audio. Pay close attention to this one.

SPEAKER_08 1:46:05

Hi, everyone. I'm Joel Votov, the state referee administrator here in Arizona. We've had a difficult weekend at the fields, and I need to speak directly now to our coaches, our parents, our players, and our club leaders about the environment we're creating for our referees, specifically our youth referees. This weekend we saw several young officials, kids, just like the ones playing on the pitch, leave the field deciding that they're not coming back. They weren't pushed out by the laws of the game. They were pushed out by the verbal abuse and adults entering their personal space criticizing their performance. We have to remember, as referees, we don't follow your child to the bench to berate them for a missed past or a goal that was allowed. We shouldn't be doing it for the person in the yellow shirt either. If one of my adult referees ever, ever said anything derogatory toward your child, they would be removed and their license revoked immediately. We expect that same level of accountability and respect to go both ways. Now listen, I'll be the first to admit it. Sometimes we get the assignment wrong. Sometimes our officials are put on games wrong. We put in a referee in a match they aren't ready for yet. That is on us. These youth matches are where referees are supposed to stretch and learn, but no one can learn while they're being yelled at by strangers. Here's the most important thing I want you to hear today. We want your feedback. We know we need it. And I get it. You're frustrated, you're competitive, and you might even think that by shouting or by offering your criticism, even in a calm tone, that you're helping that official see what they might have missed, or you feel like you might be helping them get better. Trust me, you aren't. If you are frustrated with your performance, do not take it out on the kid. Take it out on me now. I'm giving every coach, parent, player, and league official permission to contact me directly. My email and phone number listed here are available to everyone, and I want you to use them. I would rather answer a thousand emails and a hundred phone calls every weekend than lose one more young referee to abuse. So help us help them. Send me your frustrations. Text me during the game if you have to. Send me the videos. I promise you that every single concern will be heard and seen and addressed so we can make our referees better, one by one, if needed. But before you hit send, imagine the impact just a few kind words could have on a youth official's confidence. A simple, great to see you out there, keep it up, or a simple kind smile and a thumbs up might be the one thing that keeps that kid coming back and giving back to the game we all love. This is a fight we can win if we're on the same team. Without your help, these fields will be empty sooner than you can think. Because remember, without referees, there is no game. Thank you for protecting our kids on the pitch, and I look forward to hearing from you.

SPEAKER_04 1:49:42

So as I noted before I uh play the audio, this this speaks for itself. Uh let me share with all of you some some data, some some official facts that I pulled uh off uh off the web. Um referee abuse in youth soccer is a significant and increasing. Crisis. I think we all kind of know that. With roughly ninety percent of surveyed officials reporting increased abuse in the last five years. Over sixty-eight percent of soccer referees reported experiencing verbal abuse within a two-year period. These incidents frequently cause officials, many of whom are minors, to quit widespread verbal abuse. There are reports that indicate up to 98% of referees surveyed experience verbal abuse from coaches, spectators, or players. The high risk demographic? In one study, 46% of reported cases in Arizona targeted officials who were minors. They're children, their kids. There's been physical incidents. While less common than verbal, physical abuse is on the rise. Studies show a significant number of referees experienced threats of physical contact. Approximately 20% of high school officials quit between have quit between the years of 2018 and 2021, driven partly by disrespectful behavior from parents and coaches. Now the most common forms of abuse, they're all bad. There's the verbal, the physical, uh there's actual targeting uh of uh a referee from from parents and coaches. So, you know, the the facts don't lie. The facts don't lie. My own two cents on all of this, uh, for whatever it's worth, uh I I call this the trickle-down effect from our national discourse, and I'm not gonna get into politics, not even gonna go there. Um but our our national discourse over all kinds of issues, both big and small, major and minor, um, have reached a point where you can't have a civil conversation or be, you know, dis uh uh disagree with someone in a on a very civil nature. Um agree to disagree and and and go about your your your daily business. Um and therefore we we see uh the things that I I I just mentioned here with with this data. Um it's an issue. And it's a b it's a big issue uh with our youth sports because we're talking about kids, we're talking about children. Um I've always said this, and call me naive. But youth sports, uh high school sports, those two areas in particular should be this wonderful oasis of purity. Again, I call me naive, that's fine. These wonderful oases of purity where people from a community they descend upon soccer field or baseball field or hockey rink, basketball court, wherever, sit up in the stands and watch their kids play and root for them and cheer for them and uh you know, tell them when they do good and say, hey, you get if they mess up, hey, you'll get it the next time. Uh people in the stands sometimes just talking about the weather, the news, or a recipe or whatever. It's just the idea of being in an environment that, for all intent and purposes, should be pure, should be fun. It should be this oasis of joy for every, every community across our country um to sit back and enjoy our young people participating in sports. When I say participate, doesn't mean being one of the you know competing athletes. It can be it can be an official as well. It can be an official as well. So there you have it. That's our American Soccer Revolution, something that I think all of you will um will listen very closely to. So that's our show for today. If you like what you hear, well then please tell everyone. And remember, those likes, Matt, or hit those likes buttons, those algorithms go into crazy mode. It's all good. Uh you can follow the GP Soccer Podcast all over social media, and new episodes are available every Wednesday morning. What a way to start your Wednesday morning. Don't forget to check out my website at GPSoccerPodcast.com. And if you're interested in advertising on this fantabulous show, then email me at GP4Soccer, and that's the number four, at Yahoo!com. This is your host, Giovanni Piccini, always ranting and raving in a good way, of course. And I will catch you later.