|| IN MY OPINION
A TIME TO CHANGE
GRAHAM RAMSAY //
Like many who love the game and to be part of its growth , it ’ s been a tremendous journey , yet we have reached a crossroads and are not sure which road to follow . Somehow , we have created a crazy all-over-the-place approach with the youth game , in particular , twisting and turning in every direction possible . There are leagues on top of leagues , cups and tournaments that come out of nowhere . Then you have academies fighting ODP , which in turn leaves middle and high school out in the frozen north of nowhere . Somehow , we are taking the game sideways and backward , and the losers in this world are the players and the sport .
Up to now , we have been extremely lucky that soccer ’ s conveyor belt has kept rolling a certain talent level into the system . The vast majority has been average at best . At the beginning of the 1960s , we were lucky to find bodies , never mind soccer players . Often , we would attract rejects from other sports who could not make the football or basketball teams . We have come a long way , but soccer , like all sports , must earn its place , and our success has to be constantly earned . Other sports are waiting in the wings to replace soccer . It ’ s a dynamic place , and soccer is in dire need of restructuring , especially at youth levels . The present chaos demands action by the governing bodies and fresh ideas to administer state associations , SAYS , USYSA , United Soccer Coaches , AYSO and the many other entities who claim a piece of soccer ’ s estate .
Look at it from another view — we have had professional soccer in the USA since 1967 and spent millions of dollars , probably far more than most countries . Yet , for this wealth , we have yet on the men ’ s side to produce much world-class talent . The women ’ s side was saved by “ Title IX ,” which gave us a 20-year head start on the rest of the planet , and this world is changing as you read this article .
As a good friend points out , “ You ’ re as good as fruit that falls from the tree .” We have had a lot of poor harvests , and we seriously need to review our structure , starting with the grassroots , as that is the source of everything .
I propose starting ACORN LEAGUES and ACORN CLUBS in every community . These are organized and run by the players themselves . We want our youngsters to become proactive in their sport , with minimal adult help . The great thing is that it is flexible and can be adjusted to meet local conditions . The size of teams depends upon the numbers . It might be 4v4 to 11v11 , and you improvise to make the game fit the needs of the players .
To those who think it ’ s too much for teenagers to comprehend , let me share how thousands of youngsters do this very thing on every continent . They often have very little money and play with rotten old balls on parking lots to dirt fields but have one common thread —“ LOVE of the GAME . ” Contact me , and I ’ ll share stories about teams from Africa to Europe that create this brilliance .
Let me list some of the graduates of the ACORN LEAGUES : Pelé , Zidane , Stanley Matthews , Messi , Maradona , Ronaldo and Johan Cruyff . Cruyff was such a believer in this idea that he invented “ Cryuff Courts ,” which are to be found all over Europe .
In every case , those great players listed two common factors to real soccer success :
They could walk to their field from home . They could play freely without adult interference . Compare that to our list of world-class players — ZERO .
If we want our youngsters to learn , enjoy and reap the same rewards as their foreign counterparts , it ’ s time to change , and it costs next to nothing . For more information , contact me :
ramsaysoccer @ yahoo . com
I ’ ll leave you with a quote from Ferenc Puskás ( who captained and played for Hungary , which went unbeaten anywhere on this planet for four years ): “ I am grateful to my father for all the coaching he did not give me .” Amen . n
Graham Ramsay is the former Director of Soccer Development for the Maryland State Soccer Association and is a National Staff Coach for U . S . Soccer . He has authored several books and numerous articles and coached in Saudi Arabia , Bahrain and across Europe .
20 | Soccer Journal