Our Second installment of "From the Desk of the DOC"
I want to touch on some big soccer happenings, as part of the greater soccer community:
The FIFA Men’s World Cup wrapped up last month with a bit of controversy and few firsts and records made/broken: the first tournament to be held in the Middle East and in the winter months (in the Northern Hemisphere) which made for an interesting Thanksgiving and holiday break; Lionel Messi finally winning the one trophy he has yet to win in his illustrious career; Morocco being the first African nation to make it to the knockout stage; and the US putting in a valiant shift, after not qualifying for the previous tournament.
This was an exciting World Cup and something to be celebrated every four years (not to mention the Women’s Tournament happening this summer). However, the soccer world lost another great, arguably the greatest to ever play the game, when Pele lost his battle with colon cancer just after Christmas. The impression he made not only on the game itself, but the lives he touched around the world in his charity work and example he set as a human being will not be soon forgotten. As Kylian Mbappe so eloquently put it: RIP KING.
I hope everyone has been able to find some time during the Holiday Season to spend with friends and family, and maybe get a little traveling in as well. With the New Year comes the start of the Neenah SC Winter Season for our Classic and Academy teams. While many see this as an “off-season”, we at the club see the winter months as an opportunity to work on continuing developing our players and keeping them engaged with each other and the coaches.
For those who are new to the club or just have some questions concerning the Winter Season, here is an idea of what we will be providing for our players.
Beginning right away on January 2nd we begin our Winter Training sessions at Lakeview and Roosevelt Elementary Schools. We at Neenah SC would like to give thanks to the Neenah Joint School District for continuing our relationship and providing training spaces when it is impossible to do anything outside. Through the NJSD, we are able to offer at least three training opportunities for every age group per week in the elementary school gymnasiums, with the possibility of also utilizing the gyms at the High School. During these sessions, we will be creating training environments which will be more in-tune with futsal, a Brazilian-born form of indoor soccer which utilizes a hardcourt, a smaller weighted-ball (to minimize high bounces and keep the ball on the floor) and is very technical-oriented. Combined with a more confined space, this all creates a fast-paced exciting game where players will be required to think fast, be creative and (most importantly) have fun! Prior to each session, we will work with our players on technical skills and then work on incorporating those skills into a match. There will be a great deal of play and sessions will reflect this joga bonita (Portuguese for “beautiful game”) style of soccer.
Beyond the training sessions, we are also working with clubs and WYSA (Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association) to give our players playing opportunities both locally and around the state. We have setup a couple play dates with Oshkosh United at the UW-Oshkosh Rec Plex Dome, are sending some teams to Mequon for a futsal tournament hosted by Concordia University of Wisconsin Soccer Academy, and are participating in the first Futsal Festival in New Berlin hosted by WYSA.
All of these opportunities throughout the winter are meant to prepare our players for the spring season and work on their technical skills (first-touch, dribbling, passing, finishing, etc.) while providing some competition in order to test those skills. Even the tournaments should be viewed as chances for the players to play and have fun. While we never coach or play to lose, it is important to remember the big takeaway from all of these games and training sessions is to prepare for the outdoor season in the spring. We as a club will put player-development before trophies and medals every time. It is the players’ appreciation for the game and wanting to get better and be competitive which will continue to drive what we do. We are setting these kids up for long-term success and hope everyone keeps things in perspective as we continue to grow as soccer players and people.
We also work with our coaches and staff on growing as well. I want to congratulate all of our coaches who are taking advantage of and completing licensing courses through United Soccer Coaches and the United States Soccer Federation. Your continued work on yourself as a coach and person not improves yourself, but what you offer the kids and the club. We also will be sending some club members to the United Soccer Coaches yearly convention in Philadelphia in mid-January, where President Mike Jones, Vice-President of Soccer Lars Nordang, Assistant Director of Coaching John Pendergast and Staff Coach Andy Borchart will be experiencing some fantastic sessions and presentations put on by some of the biggest names in soccer from all over the world. They will bring what they learn, as we have in the past, back to better help grow the club. Safe travels, gents!
Everyone have a Happy New Year, make some resolutions you definitely will not stick with and I’ll see you on the pitch!
Yours in soccer,
Sean Breitzman
Director of Coaching
Neenah SC
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