The value and importance of “good sportsmanship” must be a continuing topic for all teams! The end result is players who understand the value(s) of civility and respect for others in their relationships both on an off the soccer field. Parents must be helped to develop a “long term” view of our wonderful sport that places more emphasis on the development of more skillful players and teams than the winning of games.

Within our NorCal League, we always have a 50% win and 50% loss record – for every team that wins a game; one loses – for every team that draws; another also has a draw!

The goal of NorCal is to have more teams from more different Clubs in the Premier Divisions! Today, we think of a dozen Premier teams in an event – there is no reason why in the younger ages within a year or so it couldn’t be in the hundreds!

The example for this “model of development” over winning is as close as the San Francisco Peninsula.  Recently, for Spring League, an U9 Girls team petitioned NorCal to play in a Boys League knowing they would probably lose some games – which they did.

Why? Because everyone on the team – team management, players and parents – have wisely created a long-term developmental plan for their players and team. They would rather play more advanced teams - and lose and learn - than win games against an easier opponent where the team they might beat does most of the learning and improving!
Teams organized on a “developmental model” will usually set some” winning” targets for their season and the NorCal State Cup(s) are an excellent goal for quite a few good reasons:

• It is local
• Most of the stronger teams in Northern California area are entered
• It is increasingly prestigious
• It offers multiple opportunities for success when winning is the target
• With months between the first game and the last there is time for extra effort to improve both individual players and teams.
• It is very inexpensive per game compared to other events
• It is an exciting event for the players and families
• And much more

 
Thank you for all you do for the soccer players on your team(s) and Club – and through them all of our communities!

We are at the very beginning of a great “peaceful revolution” in Northern California soccer in which the young and motivated players who love our sport the most will join many millions of young players all over the world in learning to “master the ball”. They will join wise, caring adults and parents in developing (copying) what has already been done - world wide – the creation of a system that emphasizes learning to play soccer well over winning.