TRAVEL FC BARRINGTON (FCB)

FC Barrington is the travel arm of the Barrington Area Soccer Association (BASA). FC Barrington provides comprehensive, professional training for players who are committed to improving their level of play while enjoying themselves. We pride ourselves on only utilizing coaches who have extensive experience and qualifications and are always looking to improve their knowledge of the game.

It is hoped these high standards will spread amongst our players as well and will enable them to develop a desire for higher achievement not only in soccer but also in education, citizenship, and physical and mental fitness. It is our goal at FC Barrington to develop the best players and teams possible and provide the most driven players in soccer the opportunity to excel to the highest levels of which they are capable.

We focus our development upon age appropriate technical and tactical training provided in an environment that fosters leadership skills, commitment, and an understanding of “team play”. Our younger teams will focus on skill development and enjoyment. At younger ages, we believe it to be imperative to teach the players the necessary ball skills in order to perform the tactics that will be taught to them at older ages. Though we always hope our teams win, our focus with the younger age groups is PLAYER development. Coaches will employ games and drills geared to maximizing the number of touches on the ball for each player. Players will be taught to use both of their feet, as well as all parts of those feet. It is hoped that skill mastery will free our players’ minds to be the creative and imaginative players that make the game of soccer so fun to watch.

As players move up in age, our coaches will turn more of their focus to tactical development. Having already groomed players with sound technical skills, tactical goals will be more easily accomplished. Coaches will continue to work on technical skill refinement, however it is assumed that players will work on technical skills on their own, to allow more concentration upon tactics during team practices. Players will also be taught mental training techniques for soccer and be educated about proper nutrition, insuring complete player development. The success of our teams will clearly be a result of our commitment to total player development.

We take great pride in the fact that our club is not an association of individual teams, but rather a family of players and coaches that support and depend on each other. Our coaches are "club" coaches whose knowledge is pooled and who are regularly aiding one another. Each year we evaluate the specific needs of our teams and players and distribute our coaches accordingly in order to maximize the success of our players and our club. Holding true to our club identity, we also remain faithful and supportive, however possible, to our players as they progress to new levels in ODP, college, or professionally.

TEAM SELECTION

Choosing representative teams is, in large part, a question of balance and adaptability and it is not always the best attacking players who are chosen to fill the roster spots. Coaches must always endeavor to blend ball-winners with “skill” players in order to create a balanced team that can defend, and create scoring chances from both the center and the flanks.

Adaptability is also a key determinant in player selection. Identifying the best players is often the starting point for team selection and it his here that the versatility of players becomes more critical for the final analysis. At the club level, the best all-round players are usually found in central positions. At the ODP level, this glut of central players poses a dilemma for the selecting coaches. Assuming there is a rank-ordering of these central players, if the second tier players cannot play in flank positions, they are likely to be passed over in favor of naturally left-sided players and other natural wide players, even though these players may not possess the same overall range of qualities. A team cannot consist of eleven central midfield players.

Another critical factor at the youth level is “potential.” Because everyone matures at vastly differing rates during puberty, cohorts may be as much as a foot and 40 pounds apart in height and weight. At the younger ages in particular, care must be taken to prioritize from the “TTPS” analysis. A 13-year-old with wonderful skills will likely be selected over a physically mature peer who has an immediate impact but limited technical upside. Conversely, the 16-year-old ball wizard who cannot out-run, out-think, or out-play the physically stronger opponent is unlikely to be given the benefit of the doubt at that stage. Such is the difficulty in youth team selection.

SUMMARY

Coaches with experience make selections based on potential at the next level and potential over time, with the physical dimension often the last variable considered in the equation. Selecting the second and third tier players reflect educated guesses that one player has more of the tangible and intangible qualities to succeed than another. Without this perspective, the fine line in selecting one player over another can be lost on most observers. Sometimes the coach is wrong; more often than not, their experience bears out the selection.

Only through the commitment of our membership have we and will we continue to achieve success. Many individuals have dedicated their time and effort to help build this club and guarantee the advancement of players in the sport of soccer and in life. We will always be indebted to and appreciative of the volunteer efforts of our members past, present, and future.
© 2008 Barrington Area Soccer Association |