This fall the West Vancouver Soccer Club plans to “let the game be the teacher” with an innovative street soccer program aimed at kids ages five to seven.

The program, which kicks off in September, takes a unique and fun approach to the sport known as “discovery learning,” which means the games are often self-directed by the children themselves.

Bill Sparling, President and Head of Coaching and Player Development at the WVSC, says the street soccer program is about giving young players a positive introduction to the world’s most popular game.

In street soccer there are no lines, lectures, or laps around the field. Kids are allowed to play freely, with little or no input from adults, which fosters imagination, creativity, and a love for the game.

“It’s all about having fun, and developing basic skills like agility and balance,” says Sparling. “We try to stay away from the competitive side of the sport.”

At its core, street soccer is designed to give the game back to kids, providing an alternative to “overly coached” and “overly structured” soccer programs.

For more information on the program, which runs Saturday at Hugo Ray Park, contact the West Vancouver Soccer Club at 604-922-4261 or email soccer@westvansoccer.com.

The Street Soccer program runs from September to the end of February.

• To give the game back to the kids
• To instil a love for the game
• To develop volunteer facilitators into future coaches
• To educate parent on positive sideline behaviour
• To show why “Soccer is a Player’s Game” and “To Let the Game be the Teacher”

• Soccer is the undisputed #1 game in the world and the primary way kids around the world have developed their ball skills is through ‘street soccer’. Most pro players did not see a coach or join a club until the age of 12.
• Traditionally, kids played in open spaces, on the street, or anywhere they could put together a field. The kids directed this free play with little input from adults, and carried out the creation and management of the game.
• They played everyday, sometimes for hours, no subs, no lines, no boring drills, lectures or laps, and, no parents or coaches pacing up and down the sidelines yelling instructions. The kids observed other players, became self-reliant, self-directed and expressed their imagination and creativity. Although ‘discovery learning’ is more time-consuming than traditional drills and coaching, in the end this process actually speeds up development.
• All over the world, this game is disappearing. The risks of modern life and the rise of organised youth programs have all but eliminated the unstructured, child-centred games of the past. The consequences of these changes are being felt deeply in soccer countries around the world. Even in North America, many amateur sport organisations are realizing that too much structure in youth activity is not conducive to the development of players.
• Unfortunately, there is little free time in modern life and unstructured outside play has been replaced with the obligatory overly coached and overly structured soccer time.
  
  The Street Soccer program, as adopted by the West Vancouver Soccer Club and other Lower Mainland organisations, is designed to give the game back to the kids. We are asking parents to support this new approach to youth soccer and encourage you to take the soccer ball, throw it outside and send your young ones after it!

Any questions? email soccer@westvansoccer.com





 

West Van Soccer Club

Format

Parent Expectations:

• Cheer for and encourage the players
• Reinforce good plays, teamwork and sportsmanship

• Coach or direct children from the sidelines
• Criticize any players, rules, or coaches
• Put any emphasis on the score , winning or losing

Parent Coaches:

Field Changes, and Phone Line: